We recently connected with Jimmy Silveira and have shared our conversation below.
Alright, so we’re so thrilled to have Jimmy with us today – welcome and maybe we can jump right into it with a question about one of your qualities that we most admire. How did you develop your work ethic? Where do you think you get it from?
My work ethic came from my parents and grandparents. My paternal grandfather came to the US in 1945 from Portugal to fish the growing tuna fleet in Point Loma, CA. My maternal grandfather came to San Diego from Minnesota to work at NASSCO to build ships for the navy in the same time period. With both those men as my role models as well as my dad who fished until he was 18 and then went to college and worked for US Customs as a computer programmer for most of his adult career. I started with a paper route at 13 for the San Diego Union Tribune and went on from there to Sea World and on to an 8 year career in construction. My work ethic was well established in my early teens. I spent several summers working with my maternal grandfather turning around apartments for new tenants. My grandfather was an amazing mentor and taught me that nothing is worth doing unless you’re going to do it right the first time.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
After being President of a non-profit animal organization for 19 years and being involved in animal welfare for over 27 years I made a change to Chula Seafood in 2018. My father-in-law asked me to come run his growing seafood business in Point Loma, CA. We operate a commercial sword fishing boat as well as a processing center that provides fresh local fish to restaurants and the general public in San Diego as well as running a transport company that delivers fresh fresh to Arizona twice a week. My brother-in-law, sister-in-law and their partner run the Arizona side of Chula seafood including wholesale fish delivery and three Chula Seafood restaurants in Phoenix and Scottsdale.
Chula Seafood San Diego has recently launched Chula Charters. This endeavor allows the public the opportunity to sport fish on our boat with our amazing Captain Johnny Foster. Chula San Diego has also partnered with another local fish family to provide fresh fish for home delivery weekly.
My personal philosophy is that partnerships make us all stronger. We have built incredible partnerships with local companies, fisherman, and the public, which has helped us all be more successful.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
The first quality that has served my well is not being married to an idea or plan. I believe that being flexible in your thinking and doing your best to see both sides of a situation will ultimately help you achieve the best outcome.
The second skill is listening and not talking. Hearing what another person has to say and taking the time to understand their position before responding with your own thoughts or ideas has worked well in my business careers.
My final quality is be nice. I always try to approach situations with kindness and understanding. Operating from that position has alway benefited me personally and has kept me a happier less stressed leader. With this being said, I approach every situation from this position but I understand that I’m not always going to have it returned in a positive way which goes back to my first point, being flexible.
Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?
The most impactful thing my parents did for me was make me stand on my own. My parents were great about showing me the value of a dollar and making me earn what I got. I was given what I needed to survive, food, clothes and shelter. The things I “wanted” were earned not given. As a child I can’t say I appreciated that lesson much but at the age of 57 I fully understand the importance of that lesson. My wife and I have three daughters and they have grown up the same way and are in the times of their lives where they are also understanding the importance of owning who you are and working for what you want.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://chulaseafood.com
- Instagram: @chula_fisheries, @chula_charters
Image Credits
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