Shaquille “Shaq” Duncan is a Deckhand at the Riverboats at the Gateway Arch, who’s on his way to a promotion to Mate. He says he’s THE BEST when it comes to tying up the boats after a cruise and hopes you’ll apply to come work with him!

Q: Why did you apply to first work at the Riverboats at the Gateway Arch

A: I was a college sophomore at the time and a then employee at the Riverboats told me, ‘You should come work here, I think you would like it a lot!’ So as a broke college student, I applied and got down here.

Q: What do you love most about your job?

A: What I love most about working at the Riverboats at the Gateway Arch has to be the view man. I love the view.  It’s above anything. You got jobs where you’re sitting in a machine all day or seeing people you probably don’t like, being stuck in a cubicle or office all day, but here, you get to meet new people from all over the world, nice people at that. You get to introduce yourself and get a big view.

Q: What was your most memorable day at work?

A: It would have to be when I first got to tie up on the boat. Through training it took me at least 5 or 6 tries for me to get it, but once I did, you couldn’t tell me nothing. I was wanting to tie up every time I was on the boat. And now I’m the best.

Q: What’s something that makes you smile while working at the Riverboats?

A: The people. I’d say mainly the Marines Operations Department, mainly because I’m around them the most, but I got love for everybody here. Everybody around here just makes me smile. The environment and people is like a family. We become close and communicate. You’ll have people who will watch your back and it’s important to have something like that.

Q: What’s your favorite cruise to work?

A: Has to be the Groove and Spin. The dancing and to see people come together doing their dance and having a good time. It’s a real soulful type of cruise. You won’t see one person not smiling while they’re twisting and turning, and having a drink.

If you’d like to join the Riverboats at the Gateway Arch crew, head to riverboatstljobs.com to apply today! New BSD employees are eligible for a $500 hiring incentive! To qualify, employee must be on time for all shifts and maintain 15.5 hours per week. Employees receive $150 on first and second paychecks and $200 on their third paycheck (payment dates may vary depending on start date).