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'On the Eve of the First World War, the single Siberian province of Irkutsk was larger than all of India'
W.Bruce Lincoln

Some of the best people in Russia live in Siberia

By Vadim Dymov
10 March 2013

Few businessmen know Russia as well as Vadim Dymov, but he has a special affection for Siberia - and Siberians.

'I like Siberians, and  I do believe that some of the best people in Russia live in Siberia. I work with them, have a lot of  friends among them, and I am glad that fortune brought me to Krasnoyarsk. Today, the Krasnoyarsk is a key Siberian region for us'. Picture: Olga Romenskaya 

'I emphasise building strong corporate foundations. I believe that the power and glory of the company lies in its traditions - and I like Siberian tradition a lot,' he told Sphere of Influence business magazine, Krasnoyarsk. 

'Life in this part of the world requires greater thoroughness from people. In Moscow the life is more careless, it is a transit city, you come and go. Here it's different. 

'I'm from the Far East originally, but I've been living in Siberia for the past 13 years.... in Krasnoyarsk.

'And, frankly speaking, the Siberian mentality is closer to me than that of the Far East.  

'In Kamchatka, Sakhalin, and Vladivostok people are used to not planning for a long time. Everything is changing very fast. Many people come there for temporary jobs, some work as the sailors, some come for military service and then decided to stay. 

'The reason for their attitude is that they think: we are on the outskirts, everyone forgot about us, no one's interested in our problems, there's always something missing.   

'It's a risky place to be, so people perceive it that way. On the other hand, the people in the Far East are scared of nothing, they have nothing to fear, they are always ready to answer. You can give a new task every day, they are strong, and adventurous, they'll cope with it.

'Siberians on the other hand  are solid people, as a rule, with lots of good qualities. And they are very communal, you can even say that there is a 'Siberian corporate spirit'. You can easily spot them out in Moscow. 

'I like Siberians, and  I do believe that some of the best people in Russia live in Siberia. I work with them, have a lot of  friends among them, and I am glad that fortune brought me to Krasnoyarsk. Today, the Krasnoyarsk is a key Siberian region for us.

'And we have a great relationship with the Government of the territory. The current governor, as with the previous one, saw that we are also solid people like the Siberians. We work, and we have come for a long time, and think not about ourselves, but about the quality of the products, the quality of personnel ... 

'I am not boasting, these are our vital principles: not to do what you do not want to, bring good to the community, and you all will.'



It is hard to pigeon hole 'eclectic entrepreneur' Vadim Dymov, 42.

Some know him as a sausage maker, and it is substantially through meat that he made a fortune put at $100 million in 2012.

Others see him as owner of Respublica book chain which has 13 stores in Moscow with plans to open in Novosibirsk, Krasnoyarsk and Vladivostok. He is known to sometimes work behind the counter, incognito. Still more know him for his ceramic crafts factory in Suzdal, which is based on a kind of 'community' enterprise model, new to Russia.

In 2007, he set up Moscow restaurant Dymov No. 1, with famed restaurateur Arkady Novikov.

Go back further, and he was a  senior lieutenant from a military family in the Far Eastern Primosky region. More recently he has been tipped for a political career in this part of the world, but he has indicated he is not ready yet.

Some weekends see him at his dacha in Suzdal, others in Britain watching his favourite football team, Liverpool.

As a man from the East he has some intriguing - and controversial attitudes - about Russian relations with the West, predicting, for example: 'I have no doubt that the Baltic states will return to us in the next 100 years and we'll be friends again, because if we look at the history of Russia over the past 500, 700, 1,000 years, we're similar people. We're neighbours.' If there is one aspect that unites his different threads it is putting people at the centre of his business model.

As he told the St Petersburg Times recently: 'I have already discovered that money is not the main motivator in life for me. It is life among people, their attitude to me, my attitude toward them, reputation, which is based on some small achievements that can feed my ego. In short, I want to feel as if I haven't lived in vain and feel that I have helped society in some way, and at the same time, that society has responded to me and has also paid me with something - including profit'.

Comments (8)

want to move to oymyakon.
Vladi, Finland
04/01/2015 22:25
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0
I've earned good education with plenty of experiences in different fields.Presently I'm working as an English Language instructor. Also I've vast experiences in Advertising,Marketing,press journalism ,Eduction & Training, with fluency of Russian English,Tamil & Sinhalese languages.Also I'm capable in social/communal works too..
What can i do with these prospects in far eastern Russia..
Please guide me! I would love to spend in-far east for the rest of my life.My e-ail ID- mkaweerasinghe@gmail.com
M.K Ananda Weerasinghe, Kalutara/Sri Lanka
18/03/2014 18:32
1
0
Very intereting, thanks Mr Dymov
Maria, Siberia, yeah
23/02/2014 20:27
1
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hello i want o come there to live and work but i need help to learn russian and small home for my family if u can help me can work repair heavy engine i speak amenian arabic turkish and lil. english i must go to armenia from war . how can embassy help me ? if there any idea u can write me massege ot bokrador.leon@live.com
leon, armenian from syria
17/08/2013 15:47
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that's one well looking man. Not sure about the picture with sausages - a bit too obvious, but the front one is good
Marian, Singapore
11/03/2013 09:55
6
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likes Liverpool...hmm.... another potential Russian takeover?
M, US
11/03/2013 07:46
2
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interesting... I've never thought that Russians can be defined by where they are coming from, like Siberia, Far East or Moscow. I thought the general 'Russianness' so dominates the character that the rest doesn't matter.
Mariusz, Warsaw
10/03/2013 20:01
6
0
well thank you Mr Dymov!
Svetlana, Novosibirsk
10/03/2013 19:59
4
0
1

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