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Billion-Dollar Border: How Tucson Became a Global City
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In this inspiring episode of The Voice of Growth, Manny Teran sits down with Felipe Garcia, President and CEO of Visit Tucson, to explore the heartbeat of a city on the rise. Felipe shares his journey from Monterrey, Mexico, to becoming one of Tucson’s most influential leaders in tourism and cross-border economic development. Together, they discuss identity, adaptability, gastronomy, and resilience — revealing how Tucson’s growth story is deeply rooted in its people, culture, and binational connections. Felipe’s mantra, “Business is personal,” drives a conversation rich in lessons for entrepreneurs, civic leaders, and anyone striving to build meaningful impact. Listeners will come away with a renewed appreciation for Tucson’s global identity, its family-owned business culture, and the mindset that keeps its community moving forward: never lose your North Star.
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Transcript
The Essence of Business: Growth and People
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Speaker
The voice of growth, mastering the mind and market.
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Speaker
It's about people first. And it's a billion dollars a year. And you have to be resilient and fast to act. At the end of everything, business personal.
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Speaker
Take the chance, don't think about it, and and you're gonna do fine. Never lose your North Star. There's something magical about this place.
00:00:36
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do You did the right things to make your family and your community better because of you.
Tucson: A Peculiar First Impression
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Felipe, tell me your first memory of Tucson. My first memory of Tucson, wow. It was arriving one day, first time ever, it was a Monday.
00:01:03
Speaker
um Came with a um the dean of the college at the school that was studying in Mexico. I arrived here in town. And... I had no idea what to expect. ah To be honest, I've never been in Tucson. It was the first time I've heard about it. This is before the internet, so not a lot of research can be done. um And it was like, it was a peculiar place. We're like, okay, I don't get it. I don't understand Tucson. And I noticed that some very cool things going on, but it was hard for me to get a grasp. It happened years later that like, got it. It clicked on me later on life. Yeah, that's fascinating. So kind of a follow-up to that is
00:01:42
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And we're going to get to sure all the beautiful things with with Tucson and all that.
Second Cities: Preserving Unique Identities
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But before we get there, how do you think that second cities have a particular place or power Second cities meaning, of course, Phoenix is is metropolitan, the the the largest in Arizona. Second city, you can say Chicago is even maybe a second city to to New York City. yeah And Tucson, you know we have a position there. do you think there's any power to that? Absolutely. i think that the power it is that we have a better opportunity to protect what we have.
00:02:19
Speaker
keep our identity and make sure that our identity maintains ah without going out of hand, without having others influence your identity. I mean, I've seen various cities that have grown exponentially and all of a sudden it's like, well, this is not the place that it was 50 years ago. It's a new place with a new mindset, a new ideology, a new way of thinking because you have people moving in and saying, well, I'm going to this place, but rather than respecting where I am and understanding and adapting, no, I want to bring my philosophy, my work, my workspace, my but plants, vegetation even because I want i want this place to look the home that I was living thousands of miles away. Well, yeah adapt where you are and adapt in the desert, adapt in this case for us. So um i think we have that opportunity. Now the challenge is that many times we tend to be ah have a chip on our shoulder and many times we get more obsessed about the chip in the shoulder than to say no. Use it to the advantage. Make sure that you don't sand that you sharpen it and make sure that you use that as a resiliency way.
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So I think on the other the other side on the negative part, you can have great opportunities, but you have to be careful to really use them. Yeah. So you said two words there that I really love.
00:03:32
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that are a little bit
Identity and Adaptability in Business
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misunderstood. The first of which is identity. yeah Identity is is really the source of so much power. If you've ever read the book, Atomic Habits by James Clear, he talks about the idea of not reaching, not setting goals for the sake of, okay, here's a goal.
00:03:49
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People don't reach their goals if they do they do it that way. yeah But if you build systems that form habits that create an identity, then you but achieve those quote unquote goals, your dreams. So I love that word. Other word I love is adaptability or adapt.
00:04:05
Speaker
yeah You need to adapt. And and that's one thing, you know i was born in Tucson. i I grew up in Douglas on the border. I came back to U of A. I went ah all the way you know to Michigan, New Mexico, Las Vegas, and Austin, then I came back.
00:04:22
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And I got an interesting snapshot of the before and
Visit Tucson: Marketing the Destination
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after. yeah And I got to say, Felipe, you being in that seat, ah most recently as CEO, and previously as is a VP of I don't know exactly what, but you'll tell us, um such a big change in the way that the brand of Tucson has sort of been put out there to the world. So let's talk about Visit Tucson. Perfect.
00:04:46
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So Visit Tucson, we are what is called a destination marketing organization. That's a technical term. Even though that that's evolving now, it went from a destination market organization a destination management organization, and now I think the vision is a destination stewardship organization. By building the identity of our community and helping protect it, we will be able to to bring people to Tucson and market selling support. So our goal is very easy. We go around the world to bring visitors here to our community. Why? Because that's new money coming to our economy, money come money coming to our community. If you and i one day go to lunch and we pay 50 bucks for lunch here somewhere in Tucson, well, that's $50 going in circles in Tucson. It's a Tucsonan putting $50 in a restaurant that's going to stay here. That's great.
00:05:31
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When a visitor comes, they bring their $50 in their pocket and they'll be here in our community. So that's the beautiful thing about tourism, that it's fresh money coming here. There's people coming here to our community. So our goal of this in Tucson, again, it's selling Tucson to the world.
00:05:45
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um It's a very rewarding world. It's a very challenging and very
Competing in Global Tourism
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competitive. People think, I joke that people think that we are, ah for those people my age, they remember Fantasy Island on television and Mr. Rourke, that you will sit next to the pool all dressing white drinking champagne. and you welcome everyone and you wish us and that that's it it's very simple it is not it is very competitive every city in the world is fighting for tourists everyone's putting money to fight so we have to be out there and we have to tell our story constantly because the moment you don't tell your story someone else is going to tell your story for you and it's not what you want so that's again it's a very complex but it's a beautiful industry I love it I love being in tourism
00:06:31
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You know, one thing that was very compelling to me that i sort of made my eyes open wider during a meeting you and I had a few months ago. The ROI, the ah roi the ah ROI of Visit Tucson.
00:06:45
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That to me was mind blowing. can we talk about that a little bit? Absolutely. So again, we measure and track. We are funded, and as most organizations like ours are in the US for bed taxes. So this originally actually was the hotels that went to local governments and said, hey why don't we put a tax on hotel stays? And then you keep part of the of the money for infrastructure, roads, transportation, whatever you need. But let's put the other part to market and sell and promote our destination. So it's one of the few taxes that actually the person being taxed is the one that asking the government to do it. So we take those dollars and then we deploy it to marketing sales programs. And then we track what do we brought to our community. And we're very careful in what we report. Gem Show. We don't take credit for Gem Show because again, it's already here. We just track number of room nights, how is it going? But our influence is just to maintain it and keep it. We're not bringing new business.
Measuring Tourism ROI
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So any business that we bring and we report on return of our effort, it has to have a contract to back it up. I need to, if we brought a convention from Chicago or a meeting, I need to know that we brought it, number one. Number two, that they actually came. There was a contract signed with the hotel, and that actually happened. Otherwise, we will not take credit for those numbers. So for every dollar that it comes here, we're bringing between $16, $17, $18, and sometimes $20 back to our community. Wow. um And again, that's, believe me, a very conservative number, but we want to keep it that way. um We know the impact. And there's things that we can measure. that when Leisure travel. We can have parameters, but we don't know how many people that saw our ad somewhere that came to Chosome because of our ad. We're trying to influence that, but we will not take credit again unless we can really back it up with data, contracts, numbers.
00:08:34
Speaker
That's very interesting. And you know I think there's the impact is immeasurable. Yes. You just go downtown, you go anywhere here and you see construction, you see new things happening. I recently heard Fletcher talk about certain things that are happening downtown in Rio Nuevo. A lot of things are happening in Tucson, you know no doubt.
00:08:52
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But there's one thing that I love about Tucson um maybe a little bit more than other things. nahu And that is the idea of gastronomy. Oh, yes. So talk to me about gastronomy as a growth engine for Tucson. So it's been phenomenal how we've seen gastronomy put Tucson
Tucson: A Culinary Cultural Hub
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on the map. But what's fascinating, people think 10 years ago, we got the designation as that a creative city of gastronomy. And I remember very well, my Rothschild called me from his office and says, Felipe, we just got this designation from UNESCO. And I come to my office and have a press conference Friday. This is December, so the sun goes down early. So I was at our office downtown and I carry a banner that we had. He says, hey, bring a banner or two that has something with Tucson images so we can use it a backdrop. So I went over and we had a press conference. It was great. Jonathan Mayberry was there. A few falls from the community. Mayer talked about it. Press was like all hyped. Oh, Tucson is a UNESCO city of gastronomy. So once the press conference was over, took the elevator down and I'm carrying my my two banners walking through La Placita and it's dark already, it's in December.
00:09:58
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And my first reaction, it was, what have we done? I mean, it's like, oh my gosh. this is big. Are we ready for I felt the same way as when you buy your first car and then the salesperson keeps you upgrading you to something bigger and yeah you get that excitement and as long as two blocks you're driving, you're like, shoot, what have I done? It's a big commitment. yeah That's how I felt. It's a big responsibility and commitment. But it has been transformational.
00:10:23
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It has been, I think, one of the things that has helped you some really shine attention. But we have to realize, number one, it was not a franchise. It doesn't mean that starting that day, things in Tucson, gastronomy-wise, are gonna be this. They were already here. UNESCO just recognized and says, yes, this is happening in your community. So we took that message and started to put it around the world and market promoted. And it was amazing to me that a few years later,
00:10:53
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I was meeting with this friend from Mexico, from ah Mexico City, but he's from Puebla. He says, hey, Felipe, there's this network of citizen gastronomy, and I think you guys that pass out of UNESCO, you'll be perfect. It's called the Delis Network. It's basically on France. um And I said, hey, that's great, but who are the members? He's like, well, it's only on France, and it's Brussels in Belgium and Montreal. and Barcelona and Madrid and Hong Kong. I'm like, says those are big names. Do you think that Chuzun can fit there? And he says, you should you should apply. So I had a few calls with the her headquarters in Lyon. We applied, and we were voted to join this network. wow And now, actually, I'm the president of the organization because people are saying Chuzun is doing so many great things that you guys should be leading our like organization for the next few years. Right. So food and gastronomy has become this amazing developer of identity. And the and something else that I think is fascinating, it has unified our community.
00:11:52
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We fight, and unfortunately in this world, we're more divided than ever, mostly politically, of course. um So you see opposite sides and conflict. We have decided not to agree to disagree. with just It's constant arguments. But...
00:12:07
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Food in Tucson, gastronomy. That unifies everyone in Tucson. I've seen individuals with different political elements, spectrums, and they they don't talk nice to each other. Oh, but we're talking about food and the chimichanga or carameseca, whatever. They're at the table and get excited and defend what Tucson gastronomy is all about.
00:12:26
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Wow. Yeah. So as you were reading those names, you were listing Barcelona and all that, I actually got chills. You couldn't see, but I was so excited. I mean, my family, we came from restaurants huh and nana had a restaurant, my mom, my tia, I mean, a lot of restaurants in my family. I fortunately, because i escaped that and I say that sort of tug in cheek yeah because, you know, the restaurant industry is very difficult. Very hard. And and so I'm glad to see that we're making some inroads Amazing restaurants opening up downtown, Ursa, and then we've got Bata opened up, yeah then book of tacos and and Apsan. I mean, there's so many places that we can go.
00:13:06
Speaker
can probably dedicate a whole show to that. Oh, it's a different world. It's a different world, and it's a great world, yes. Yeah, so let's actually let's take that as a backdrop to shine a light on on Felipe in Mexico. Tell us about...
00:13:22
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your your beginnings. Like, where did you come from and and what brought you here to you to the US? So it's an interesting story. So I'm from Monterrey, Mexico.
Felipe's Journey: Monterrey to Tucson
00:13:31
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That's a city in northeast Mexico, close to Texas, about two and a half hours from the border. Big city. It's the second largest in Mexico right now. A lot of manufacturing industry. My dad, he's he's retired, but he was working as a company, a consulting company. But for many years, he had ah a but transnational company. So we were in this world of high performers and and business and private jets and I mean it was crazy um in the sense of the exposure I was able to have us as a kid. Then I went to school there, I went to law school and i was very involved in the the student body and and I was a president that went my last year of the student body of the of the school. And at that time, we every year the students put together a conference. That was very typical that year school would put a conference. It was students doing it with fundraise, sell tickets, do sponsorships. um And they were big things. I mean, I remember my friends from the business school in Monterrey,
00:14:31
Speaker
that year to the conference, they brought Ronald Reagan speaker. And i I was part of the- What? Yes. I was part of the- I was not the host committee anything, but I was part of the conversations because we had a ah federation of all the presidents of all the schools. Again, we're students. We're seniors in in in school. And I remember talking to my friend from ah from the business school and chatting and getting ideas. And was a $120,000 investment plus a private jet to pick President Reagan in California plus all these requirements. But that, I mean, that was kind of what you were aiming for. you Like do amazing things. School not give you money. It was not funded by the school. It was you have to fundraise. So anyway, this is when NAFTA was going to take an effect. It was in... back in 1994 well my sorry 93 went to 94 and so i said hey let's do a conference about um the implications of nafta in in in upcoming legal systems and economies so uh i went to mexico city and i met with this professor from the national university university of mexico and said hey who are some like the top 15 attorneys doing work on international trade and he gave me a list and i said hey This is videoed already because it's, again, a gentleman that I respect and I know that he's one of the experts in international trade. And one of the names on the list was from a person in Chusen, Arizona, and his name is Boris Kosolchik.
00:15:54
Speaker
And I'm like, huh, that's interesting. And I said, hey, I told my team, um all these are great speakers because they were recommended. So let's think creatively. i think that...
00:16:05
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Marketing wise, it sounds fascinating that Boris Kosolcik is a speaker and he has this appeal. So we invited Boris to go and this is in 92. So he goes down, this is like a year off deal for NAFTA.
00:16:15
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He goes down to Monterrey, my school. He does an amazing presentation. People love that. I set up a lunch, a dinner with the president of the system of the university, Tech de Monterrey, and they talk about education.
00:16:28
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So then in 94, people said, hey, we should bring him back. So we brought Boris back. And that's when he said, hey, let's do, I talked to the University of Arizona. We're going to do a master's program in international trade. Funny story, and I'll share it with you. um So I'm the president of the student body at that time. And we are, again, we're hosting the conference. So I'm sitting, I'm in the lobby dot of the of the venue in the in my school where we have this event. And um I had like a walkie-talkie with a little earpiece because I'm hearing conversations of, who's doing what. And I remember we had an issue with a speaker arriving earlier and the room was not available. So they're driving in circles, trying to make some time to. So I walk into the room where Boris was speaking.
00:17:11
Speaker
And I sit on the back of the auditorium and it's all dark. And I'm listening to the conversation, not paying attention, unfortunately, to what Boris was saying. And all of a sudden, I hear that people start clapping and then a spotlight goes on on and like puts like on my face. And the and but like I don't know what they're talking about. about Of course, my reaction is like, well, he's thanking me to invite him. So I stood up and I waved. Thank you, thank you, thank you. And I sat down and... um presentations over quest Q&A there's a break and people came to me and started tapping like hey Felipe that's amazing oh that's so cool that's so great and then a friend of mine came and she told me oh so Felipe are you gonna go I'm like what are you talking about he's like well what Boris said I'm like I had no idea what he said. I was not paying attention. It wasn't my thing talking about the tell. So we want to decide what he said. Well, he says that because of meetings coming here, he's launching a program in Tucson at the University of Arizona, and that he's also wanted maybe for me to go and work at the National Law Center for Inter-American Free Trade to start working there in NAFTA. I had no idea. Thank you for letting me know. I think I'm going to say yes. And that's why I ended up here in Tucson. It was for amazing things. I tell people was a lot of luck, but sometimes you have to make your luck happen. You have to work and you have to do all those things for things to happen. so yeah that's what i what happened to me 30 something years ago and i'm still here and i love this community that's that's remarkable you've heard the idea of the butterfly effect oh yeah yeah yeah that i mean straight up that that that moment defined your life right it did it did and it was again just for circumstantials and people says well it was log yes but i think that um you have to create those opportunities for you you have to be there. So great things happen to people because many times they're themselves putting themselves in that scenario. Yeah.
00:19:05
Speaker
Now, how big is the opportunity, the the binational cross-border opportunity?
Cross-Border Economic Impact
00:19:11
Speaker
How big is it, really? It's massive. It's huge. I mean, we don't realize and people scratch their heads of,
00:19:17
Speaker
the relations between Mexico, the US, s i mean, it happens around the world in different borders, but between the US and Mexico, it's massive. You just look at data of here in Tucson, and I'm not talking about exports of, when I was was in San Carlos at a wedding that I came back yeah on Sunday, And driving back, and I saw all these um trucks carrying vehicles from former companies that are coming here to the US from assembly plant in Mexico. So I'm not counting exports, counting exports from Mexico. I'm not counting manufacturing. Just the number of people that were driving their cars, but they're coming here to spend money. In Tucson, it's a billion dollars a year with a b that people from Mexico are coming here with money in their pockets to spend it here.
00:20:03
Speaker
On my way down, I do a TV segment every Thursday in the news in Mexico. So um on my way down to San Carlos, I stop at the border in Nogales. I always get gas, refill gas, get a coffee. I'm good to go.
00:20:15
Speaker
So I'm getting my coffee there you at a Circle K close to the border. And I see these three people getting sovereigns coffee and they're doing some hot dogs they're looking at me like like we know him. I'm like,
00:20:28
Speaker
I don't know, I was not paying it um i'm of paying attention that like, shoot, maybe I'd know them and sometimes I forget people I met before. So they came to me and said, hey, Felipe, you're the one on television. You're like, oh yeah, that's me. Like, oh, we see you every week and that's great and blah, blah, blah. I'm like, says oh, what are you doing here? We're from Magdalena. We're on way to Tucson. going shopping.
00:20:46
Speaker
Like, great. So I bought them their hot dogs and everything like on on me. um So to me, that excites me to see these people coming and spending money here. and they're paying sales tax money, and they're paying for our police, fire, libraries, roads. Those visitors from Mexico are helping pay for those services. So that happens in Tucson. That happens all along the U.S.-Mexico border in this country.
00:21:08
Speaker
Yeah, it's it's fascinating. People don't really realize how intertwined um our cultures are. yes are I mean, I was born in Tucson, but my family is from Mexico, right? i'm yeah I'm a big, tall Mexican, you know? And so for, like, believe me, i i see it because I've lived it. I've lived on the border town, and I see it as so much activity.
00:21:28
Speaker
Obviously, with the national conversation and political conversation, I don't think people really understand. um what it really is. yeah and you know i would invite those that don't understand to to visit Tucson. Come down, take a look. There's so many things to do
Business Challenges and Resilience
00:21:42
Speaker
around here. I mean, you can drive an hour in any direction yeah and and be you know up in Mount Lemmon, in the Pine Forest. You can be down in Arivaca or other places that are just beautiful. Absolutely.
00:21:54
Speaker
It's pretty amazing. Now, tell me a little bit about challenges you might have had along the way. Oh gosh, many. ah There's been a lot. I mean, i've I've noticed in this industry and everything in life, you plan and you build, again, your your goals and objectives and you have planned for the future and then things happen along the way.
00:22:14
Speaker
And you have to be resilient and fast to act. That's something that I realized. You cannot wait and analyze and give it a lot of thoughts. Many times you have to take action right away. So we've we've gone from COVID-19 and closing the border and, again, business not coming our way. um We have gone from political challenges with a local SB 1070 that made a lot of people angry and trying to boycott traveling to Arizona and trying to choose on. So it seems very constantly we have something that we have to deal with. But it's always being fast and being unique and being authentic. I think that's what makes a difference. And understanding that it's about people first. ah So and during the pandemic, for example, we knew there was no business. No one was booking. I mean, 2020, no one was looking into... We have no idea when the world is going to reopen. We thought there were two weeks. yeah Go home and in two weeks we'll come back and just bring Lysol with you and you'll be good. um But we have no idea then later on when things are going to reopen. And we made an effort to just contact individuals and human beings. We have a person in Chicago that works on the market for us, and we ask her to go and meet with clients, not to tell them, hey, when do you think you have business coming back to us? Go with clients and check on them, ask them how they're doing, and offer to bring some food, and she will go and tell the clients, hey, what do you want to have for lunch today? I'll go and do something. carry out I'll put it on the floor outside of your yeah house, I'll open the garage, you get your food, I'll get mine, I'll sit in my chair, i'll see you sit in inside, so we're distance, and let's talk about how you're doing, what's going on, and until tennis, and are you playing with the kids, and zero conversation about, hey, when you have business in the future to Tucson, nothing.
00:23:58
Speaker
when but when things started reopening, Tucson was the city that recovered the fastest in the West Coast United States. it Never has happened. We were beating, we were ahead of Scottsdale, Phoenix, l LA, San Diego, Las Vegas, because we decided not to shut down during hard times, but still be there. But remember that the end, at the end of everything, business is personal. It's about, and that's my philosophy. Business is personal, not meaning that I'm going to take things personally, but it means that I care about not only a brand or a company or a title. I care of the individual that is behind that. And if that to me, again, that's my style. Some people say, well, I disagree with you and that's fine. There's other styles of management to me. It's again, i take things personally in the sense that I care about those that I work with.
00:24:50
Speaker
That's the most important part for me. And I think we're cut from the same cloth. I also believe this the same way. And I would much rather work and and really thrive and live with folks around me that i that I like, that I want to see successful, that I care
Personal Impact and Community Responsibility
00:25:05
Speaker
about. yeah And rather than a cutthroat situation where I'm just you know pushing people down so I can get higher. I think there's way better ways to manage and to grow your business. Absolutely. I mean, and to me, that's what makes me happy personally and fits my soul, I guess, is when I see that what I do that impacts ah my community. So remember this several months ago, I was at the JW Marriott. I was ah at one of our
00:25:30
Speaker
launch an event here in Tucson with like 700 people in this ballroom and it was great. Say hi to a lot of people, do network, and that's about again of the things we have to do for for business that is important to keep that connection. um But many times I end up to stay at always to the end so I can say hi to all the people and i touch base with uh and i remember i'm walking um out towards the the exit doors of the ballroom there at gw married and i noticed this this uh one of the servers that that he's kind of looking at me at the distance and glancing and glancing like well maybe maybe he's looking at me because he's like hey when are you leaving buddy you could have to clean this place um but the moment i started walking towards the the one of the exit doors i see him coming like to my direction and um so i stopped and i waited and i mean i went close by and and um
00:26:17
Speaker
and says, hey, Mr. Garcia, I want to just shake your hand and thank you everything you're doing. And and this has impacted me and my family. Can we take a selfie? Like, absolutely. Says, oh, you've been, I mean, it it was great see not because of getting the recognition, but feeling like, wow, I'm making an impact on an individual here in Tucson that it's helping bring food to their family. I love talking to the ownership group at J.L.A. Mary. They're amazing people.
00:26:47
Speaker
The company's great. They're putting a lot of money in our hotels here in Tucson. And it's rewarding when they tell me, hey, Felipe, thank you for your work or your team because we're being in business. But it's even more rewarding to me when it's that individual that it's like, wow, you're making thanks for your work. Again, I will not take the credit. I'm helping others push in the right direction. No, I think that impact is personal.
00:27:15
Speaker
Yeah, it is. And that's really powerful. that you know That's one of the things that obviously drives you. um I see it in different ways too. I've had some situations where you know it it kind of it it warms your soul and it gives you motivation because and you know how it is in business and any so level of success, you're going to have days where you're like, man, is this really worth it? Or you know is the madness worth what is getting yeah accomplished? yes And the answer is yes yes. But sometimes when you're in the in the weeds or in the trenches, it's hard to really get away from that.
00:27:46
Speaker
I read this morning a very interesting um piece of information. nohuh You might have seen this. The U.S. Census and a business survey that came came out recently said that Tucson has the highest level percentage of family-owned businesses at almost 34%. Wow.
00:28:10
Speaker
That's across the entire United States. Did you hear about that yet? No, I'm not. i i came back from a wedding last night from Mexico in the morning, run to the office. I was in that information. That's amazing. Yeah. Michael Guymon posted it on LinkedIn. I'm sure you'll be to find it. But that that to me speaks ah about the values that Tucson has, right? Yeah.
00:28:28
Speaker
And that's that's powerful. And I love it because I think that it's in our culture as
Family Businesses: Cultural Pillars
00:28:32
Speaker
well. I remember when I got here many, many, many years ago um that we were fixated with brands and recognition and mortified if a chain, whatever, will close our operation in Tucson or leave. And now I still look like, well, if a chain restaurant leaves, be that's bad, of course. We don't want people to lose money, but hey,
00:28:53
Speaker
a local restaurant is going to go in and that's exciting, that's good. I love to see family operator businesses because again, you see the impact, the passion. You know that it's a struggle. You know that it's going to be hard, that it's, ah especially going back to the restaurant world, oh my gosh, it's people think that it's, ah I tell people, if you want to open a restaurant, first read Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain so you can understand and a little bit about it. Or as a friend of mine, Michael Luria, and once told me like, hey, Felipe, he was a restaurateur part of his life. um
00:29:23
Speaker
He says that the the secret to becoming um a millionaire as a restaurant owner is to open a restaurant when you're a billionaire. And then you become a millionaire afterwards. It's hard. It's hard. There's people that are successful, but it's a lot of work. there's a lot of moving pieces. There's a lot of legislation. There's a lot of control. Not legislation, but controls, laws. I mean, it's it's hard. But...
00:29:46
Speaker
I feel passionate about ah our restaurants, especially when they're family or the opera restaurants, the impact that it has. And something that I was talking about, have a good friend in Barcelona, Spain, Sergio Gil, and he has these associations in Spain that is called sustainable restaurants. And he looks at two factors in sustainability. First, of course, ingredients and food waste, but also the role that restaurants play in social gathering places.
00:30:14
Speaker
how that's where you go to celebrate birthdays and where you celebrate a wedding or ah um important things in your life, a career advancement, you go to a restaurant, you go to eat food. Sad moments when you go to funeral, maybe you get family together to eat food. So food has, and restaurants, this amazing place in social cohesion. So when you have this,
00:30:36
Speaker
locally family-owned businesses. That's amazing. I think that's, again, what has made the U.S. such a beautiful country with these opportunities. And that's why i encourage people to go and help and support local businesses all the time. Chains are good. They also have an impact to play. That's important. Absolutely. But again, pay attention and then take take your chances. Go and check something new.
00:30:57
Speaker
no that's That's beautiful. Every time I have people visit me from out of town, I take them around the the restaurants that I really adore. And most of those happen to be family restaurants. You know, Boca Tacos, El Rustico, Juanitos. I mean, those are my places. yeah Places that only take cash, like Bileria Guadalajara. I mean, that place has the best menu, though, in my opinion. yeah But I love that.
00:31:21
Speaker
I'm going to give you a magic phone, Felipe. Okay. We're going to dial a number. Okay. And it is going to be Felipe okay at 18 years old.
Advice for the Younger Self
00:31:31
Speaker
Okay. Oof. What would you tell Felipe as a word of wisdom or words of wisdom if you were to tell yourself at 18 years old?
00:31:43
Speaker
Keep doing what you're doing. Keep having fun. Keep dreaming big. um Don't take... um Don't follow rules and guidelines in the sense of, I mean, I'm not telling you to do anything illegal, but don't think that because of who you are and where you are, you have to do this and be this. Keep those dreams. Keep thinking big. Keep looking into, don't be afraid. um Again, i think Felipe at 18 years old, but There are things that he he has to improve, but I think he's on right track.
00:32:18
Speaker
I think that he has the love of his family, a future place in you know in a great community too. So take the chance, don't think about it, and and you're gonna do fine.
00:32:29
Speaker
I love that, yeah. Fear is is is is a crazy thing. you know we We're hold held back by it so much. yeah And I learned years ago that physiologically speaking,
00:32:41
Speaker
The only difference between fear and excitement is your breathing. Really? Interesting. only thing different. Interesting. So when you are fearful or when you're excited, you have that same sense, but you you breathe differently. When you are excited, you breathe like that. When you're fearful, you hold back your breath.
00:32:59
Speaker
Interesting. so when you're this is one trick I've learned. If I'm ever fearful of something, which happens from time to time, I'm going to meet big client or whatever, I just breathe it out and believe it, it works.
00:33:12
Speaker
I'm gonna take that same phone. Okay. I'm going dial a different number. Okay. And it's going to be you at 80 years old. 80. 80. Okay. And so and in this in this sense, rather than than telling your 80-year-old self something, you're going to ask yourself a couple of questions. What would those be?
Reflecting on Future Impact
00:33:30
Speaker
So I'm going to ask, um are you happy? And number two, is your family and your community better because of you?
00:33:42
Speaker
that you did the right things to make your family and your community better because of you.
00:33:50
Speaker
That's really powerful. I think that speaks to your mission right there. It is. and and And to be honest, many times, as you say, you have these questions and challenges. um ah i mean, very blunt and honest. I go to meetings and events and and people are like, Felipe, why have left Tucson? Why are you not somewhere else? Why don't you go to another city? Oh, you're the only person that is that is trying to do something in Tucson. I get that comment a lot.
00:34:19
Speaker
um And yes, I've been fortunate, and it feels good that I've been called by other places that they're asking, hey, would you be interested in in becoming tourism director or another job in similar world in in the U.S. s abroad? I've been called and it was fascinating that they're pushing my name in other countries as well. um But I'm stubborn. I like this place. I love the history of this place. So um it's it's um I still feel that I have other things that I can do here. I get frustrated sometimes, as you do. They're like, oh, we should be doing these things. But on the other hand, says I'm not giving up.
00:34:59
Speaker
I'm not giving up. I'm going to keep trying. I'm going to keep pushing um because there's there's something. It's hard to describe this place. um But once you get here, you get this feeling of the uniqueness of Chuzon, the history. I don't know if it has to do with 4,000 years of history, people living here, um the desert. There's something magical about this place that makes you resilient and fighting. And i' again, um I'm not done yet. but I still think that I have things to do here in Tucson.
00:35:36
Speaker
Well, Felipe, thank you so much for doing what you do. I'm lucky and I'm blessed that people have me to do what I do. um I feel fortunate about, again, the place that I'm right now, but I feel a huge responsibility.
00:35:49
Speaker
um I feel that I have a huge responsibility, again, of... making sure that because of my work, I'm doing something to make Tucson better. And that's why every every success that we have, like patting the shoulder, a great job, bad, but boom, what's next? I have i have a fixed memory that, okay, I forget what what happened last month. I'm curious about from here to the future and how we can keep improving.
00:36:13
Speaker
That's fantastic. as ah As a final thought before we conclude today, if you had a another magic phone or a way to
Entrepreneurial Wisdom: Resilience and Distinctiveness
00:36:22
Speaker
communicate... to all the business leaders in in the world with a singular message, you whether that be about Tucson or whether that be about mindset or anything resilience, what would you communicate to to those business owners and entrepreneurs? So for entrepreneurs and business owners, it's again, be resilient, be thoughtful, but always think about the person across from you, the other person across the table. If it's a business negotiation, whatever it is, put yourself in their shoes and make sure that you're building, um you have a value proposition, that you have a project, a contract that is going to be great for both sides. It should not be just for you. Oh, I succeeded because I i did better than my counterpart. like No, make sure you carry those long relationships. um
00:37:13
Speaker
And always look about what makes you the this distinct. Give that extra place. um I believe that more important of what you tell people is how you make them feel. So make people feel appreciated, valued, and always try to do a little bit of above of what is expected.
00:37:32
Speaker
um I love, ah but ah I've been chatting a lot with people in the restaurant world about what is called unrealistic hospitality on how you can go and do even though that but was written by someone in the food industry, it has to do everything you're doing in life. What can you do that is kind of unrealistic, unexpected.
00:37:51
Speaker
um i was chatting with Donny Madia, a very well-known chef restaurant in Chicago. he He's a consultant for the DeBear TV show, and he's done a few cameos on the DeBear, and we're talking about that sense of hospitality and treating people. at the end of the day, that's it. Everything that we do is about people and individuals, so keep that in in mind. Never lose your North Star. Never lose your ah the identity who you are. And keep fighting. You'll have great days. You'll have other days that are not gear Always worth to like stand up every day and keep doing what you love.
00:38:23
Speaker
That's a fantastic word, Slipa. Thank you. Well, thank you so much for your time. Thank you. Cheers. Thank you, my friend. We'll keep seeing. And thank you for your doing as well. Thank you i really appreciate it. And thank you for, I know, a few times I will send you people that talk to me and they have a great idea, concept project and says, well, this is not in my DNA, but have I know an individual that has a great vision, sees things differently that I do that can help you. And I know, and thank you for talking to those individuals. No problem. Your pleasure. Hopefully helping them launch and become better and maybe come to Tucson as well and set up a business here in town. Exactly. I love Yeah.
00:38:55
Speaker
Thank you very much. Thank you. Cheers.