Scott Sveiven

What is your favorite travel memory?

It's always difficult for me to pick favorites from my travel experiences, but it's between two epic experiences: driving re-dang-diculous 3-wheeled, worst-possible vehicle for 3 adults, no set route, and no prize for first charity racing adventures with my two closest friends across India in 2008 and South America in 2011.

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

It's hard to succinctly describe how I've changed since coming to work for Opwall, mostly because my role is incredibly variable throughout the year.

In a broad sense, I have further fostered my ability to work independently and without supervision. In addition, adapting to changing conditions and circumstances has become practically second nature for me.

What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

I wouldn't ascribe this story to one student, but rather several that have had similar experiences from coming out to be a part of an Opwall field project.

Essentially, the students come with few expectations or clear ideas about how working on a remote field biology project might influence their lives and interests, but low and behold, it leads to an incredible expansion of personal perspective on themselves, sense of home, and understanding of their place in the world.

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

In more ways than one, Opwall is really a one-of-a-kind organization. From a structural level, I do not know of any other company that is approaching one topic, in our case biodiversity conservation, from at least four distinct platforms at once: primary research, education, community engagement, and conservation management.

Moreover, the sheer scope of countries, environments, and taxa involved is staggering, and is nearly matched by the worldwide network of participating academics, biologists, educators, and nature enthusiasts.

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

In my view, there is no one-size fits all answer for what makes a company successful.

That being said, having company values that emphasize the importance of clients and employees, maintaining a vibrant and constructive organizational culture, team work, a clear strategic vision and goals to achieve it, and generally being appreciate of all the hard work being in from everyone even tangentially involved with operations all seem like important factors to me.