Jim Michaels
About
Signature Achievements
Instrumental in the design, development and management of the largest caviar operation in the U.S.
Created state-of-the-art 180 metric ton Recirculated Aquaculture System and drove sales from zero to $1.5 million/year.
Co-Author on numerous peer-reviewed research articles and assignee on two U.S. patents.
Director of Aquaculture Operations | Healthy Earth, Inc., Sarasota, FL 11/2014 – 11/2016
Directed overall sturgeon operations including budgets, production forecasts, optimizing operational efficiencies, contract negotiations, research and development. Investigated and developed business plans for strategic expansions and acquisitions. Initiated technical development for a large land-based marine aquaculture facility.
Notable Accomplishments:
- Increased caviar yields by more than 200%.
- Reduced caviar cost-of-goods by more than 55% while increasing product quality.
- Increased wholesale caviar pricing by 28%.
- Successfully negotiated Liquid Oxygen supply contract to reduce cost by 42%.
- Awarded more than $650,000 in research grants.
Sturgeon Program Manager | Mote Marine Laboratory, Inc., Sarasota, FL 5/2002 – 10/2014
Responsible for the development and operation of a sturgeon commercial demonstration project incorporating state-of-the-art recirculation technology. Project included hatchery, grow-out systems, and processing facilities for meat and caviar. Responsible for all design, construction, operations, policies, procedures and R&D program. Developed branding, sales, marketing and distribution of final products.
Notable Accomplishments:
- Successfully operated low-water usage, state-of–the–art facility for 12 years producing world class caviar.
- First non-indigenous sturgeon farm in the U.S. to produce and market caviar.
- Successfully developed brand and penetrated national and international markets with up to 1.8 metric tons of caviar per year.
- Aggressively pursued Research & Development resulting in numerous innovations and two U.S. patents.
Vice President/Operations Manager; Sierra Site | Sierra Aquafarms/Stolt Sea Farms California LLC, Sacramento, CA 1985 – 2002
Sierra AquaFarms merged with Stolt Sea Farms in 1997. Responsible for all facilities design, hatchery, fingerling and grow-out operations, R&D programs, system technical evaluation and modification, compliance with state and federal regulations, budgets, contract negotiations and production projections.
Notable Accomplishments:
- Constructed and operated the largest sturgeon aquaculture production facility in the U.S. with a production of 600 metric tons per annum of sturgeon meat.
- Facility became the largest Recirculating Aquaculture Production facility in the world.
Information
- Location: Bradenton, United States
Industry experience
Education: Masters
Seniority: Manager, Director, Professor
Years of experience: 20 years or above
Taxonomy
- Job Function
- Strategic Planning
- Innovation
- Facility Management
- Engineering
- Marketing
- Executive
- Solutions & Services
- Scientist
- Researcher
- Project Manager
- Organization Type
- Consultant
- Waste Water Technology
- Water Management & Security
- Technology & Solution Provider
- Water
- Agriculture
- Agriculture & Forestry
- Aquafarming
- Animal Husbandry
- Sustainable Agriculture
- Agriculture Machinery
- Agricultural Technology
- Agribusiness Management & Consulting
- Biotechnology
- Agriculture
- Environment & Water
- Consulting & Services
- Strategy Consulting
- Project Management
- Business Consulting
- Technical Consulting
- Water
- Consumer Goods
- Sustainability
- Consumer Goods Other
- Green Technology
- Water
- Waste Management
- Agriculture
- Technologies