CEO Weekly sat down with man about town Arty Dozortsev. Dozortsev is a partner at the trendy IkraaCaviar , which is a brand popular with celebrities. He is also the Director of Dozortsev and Sons, a premier boutique importer and distributor of fine wines and spirits, where he has worked for the last thirty years, to discuss his booming business and what we can expect next on his life journey.
How would you describe your childhood and what are your favorite memories from that era:
My parents immigrated from Ukraine when I was 2 years old. Life was tough. We came here without any money or speaking the English language. And my father had to work 20 hours a day to put food on the table. I grew up in Brooklyn. And as Howard Schultz, the CEO of Starbucks describes growing up in the hood, it teaches you invaluable lessons about life that you take with you into business. One memory that stands out is buying and selling baseball cards from an early age.
Another is my grandmother taking me into Manhattan’s Chinatown by subway to buy fireworks which I sold to kids in my neighborhood. Iparlayed $500 from my Bar Mitzvah gifts into $2500. I knew then that I could sell anything.
Who was your biggest influence growing up?
My father, Eugene Dozortsev, who I consider to be one of the best people I have had the privilege of knowing. And not just because he is my father. But because he taught me about achieving perfection and because he imparted to me all the important lessons of life: Love, Loyalty and doing things the right Way.
What is your daily mantra?
After traveling all over Asia, I have become an admirer of Buddhism and Spirituality and I try to meditate as much as possible to destress and regroup. I enter my subconscious mind and follow a flow of beauty and peace, which I wish upon all the people I love.
Whom do you look up to in the business world?
Elon Musk is definitely “The Man” A brilliant visionary who is taking us into the future.
Your favorite celebrity anecdotes: We have a large celebrity clientele, and I am happy not to share their stories. But I do remember when a certain A list celebrity called me one morning to ask me to fly that day to LA to personally deliver a large order of caviar for a party, he was having that night.
Where do you see your companies in ten years?
I see Dozortsev and Sons being a national distributor with many more established brands. And as for IkraaCaviar , I see having boutique shops all around the country and becoming the go to brand for the highest quality of caviar and gourmet foods.
