Links to other stories:

Welcome To The First SeaLab

Read about our first issue and how you can make it better.

FOA Profile

Each month we will meet a different FOA Employee This month FOA Founder, Frank Orth

Did You Know?

Fun Facts about FOA Employees

Important Dates

Send us your Ideas

We ask for your ideas and input on a variety of subjects

Let’s Talk

Each month we invite you to tell us what is going on with you.

This month we ask how have the terrorist attacks effected you.

Complete our survey on page four

Well those are all good questions and we have the answers.

First, yes there is a Frank Orth. He is the President and CEO of ProVantage Software and the founder of Frank Orth & Associates.

Dr. Orth hails from Purcellville, VA. He has a BA from the University of Richmond and a PhD from the University of Tennessee. His family includes his wife Sallie, son, Martin (both of whom work for ProVantage Software), and daughters Christine, and Morgan.

Frank Orth started Frank Orth & Associates in 1979 when he came to Seattle. Prior to his arrival in Seattle, Dr. Orth was Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Alaska, and performing economic research for the Alaska Sea Grant Program.

FOA was originally started as a company that provided fisheries research, economic consulting, and business management consulting. In the beginning FOA provided consulting services for Alaska Fisheries, various government agencies, Indian tribes, and private businesses.

Another function of FOA in the early days was providing observers for foreign fishing vessels. The success of that program helped launch FOA’s involvement in numerous fisheries observer programs , including the North Pacific and California Drift Gillnet Observer Programs.

One of the early innovations of FOA was to become a fully automated office. Today, this is pretty common. But, back in the late 70’s and early 80’s, that was still a new idea. FOA developed billing and computer services for it's internal use. The innovative ideas would play a crucial role in FOA’s future.

“In 1984, new opportunities the consulting business dried up” according to Dr. Orth. There was little market for economic consulting, but there was a market for FOA’s internally designed computer software. Thus began CSS (Custom Software Services) the forerunner to ProVantage Software, Inc.

With the arrival of Mike Mullen in 1983, CSS formalized it’s software product and began selling the software to law firms and government legal agencies. This set the groundwork for ProVantage Software, Inc, FOA’s parent company.

FOA has had a great history. A company that started as a consulting firm for the fisheries industry, now provides staffing for industry research. In addition, to directly performing this research, over half of FOA’s work force is employed as computer techs, writers, lab technicians, and in office support positions. Thanks to you, all provide the quality of service that Frank Orth started 22 years ago.

As for the future, when asked what his goals were for FOA, Frank Orth replied, “To maintain and build our client relationships and expand our scope of business.”