Finalist: Carter Goetz

(Joseph Baraza 2020)

In-House Counsel
Del Mar Seafoods
DePaul University College of Law

Carter Goetz began his law career in mergers & acquisitions (M&A) at Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC. In addition to his work as a corporate lawyer, he was also the legal partner for the Founder’s Institute - a business incubator with chapters in over 180 cities, dedicated to turning ideas into successful businesses. At Howard & Howard, he was introduced to Del Mar Seafoods as a client and joined their team after falling in love with the company and the seafood industry. He was given a unique opportunity to come into a 40-year-old business as it started to transition its business model and pave the way for future growth.

As in-house counsel for Del Mar Seafoods, Goetz single-handedly worked to restructure the company’s debt, reducing annual debt payments by 70%. His innovation, passion, and background in start-up environments have been instrumental to how he approaches and solves problems.