Warren L. Simmons

Warren L. Simmons The feisty and charismatic developer of San Francisco's Pier 39 and founder of the Chevys Mexican Restaurant chain, died June 21 at 5:55 a.m. at Queen of the Valley Hospital in Napa surrounded by family. He was 79. Simmons' life was a roller coaster of entrepreneurial adventures. At the age of nine, he peddled newspapers on San Francisco streets and at the age of 67 he purchased thousands of acres in Chile and created one of the world's largest cranberry operations. Among other entrepreneurial activities, he founded an electronics factory, was a partner in a real estate and construction business, imported monkeys from the Philippines for the production of Salk Vaccine, started the DISCO department store chain and founded the Tia Maria restaurant chain. And much of that was done in his spare time. From 1950 to 1970, Simmons was a pilot for Pan American. His vision and energy was limitless, and it served him well many times in his career. Certainly his most visible achievement, Pier 39, was a testament to his tenacity. Simmons, who grew up in San Francisco, used his local roots and natural charm to weave his way through dozens of government agencies to acquire permits to build the shop and restaurant complex on San Francisco's northern waterfront, which opened on schedule October 4, 1978. Simmons spent five years obtaining the permits. He had a slide show that he gave to neighborhood groups three times a day, seven days a week. His enthusiasm was contagious. He succeeded where U.S. Steel, Ford Motor Company, Kidder-Peabody and other would-be waterfront developers had failed. He was a local boy with vision and charm, and he made it work. After selling Pier 39 in 1981 he went on to start another business, Chevys Mexican Restaurants, with his son and daughter-in-law, Scooter and Nancy Simmons. It began in 1986 with one restaurant in Alameda then quickly expanded to 38 restaurants before it was sold to PepsiCo in 1993. While operating Chevys, Simmons noted that there was difficulty ordering enough cranberries for Chevys' fresh seasonal margaritas, due to occasional shortages of the difficult to produce crop, which requires just the right climate. Naturally, Simmons set out to solve the problem with his customary vision and energy. In 1992, he bought thousands of acres of farmland 300 miles south of Santiago, Chile and spent millions planting and processing cranberries. The company he created and still owns, CranChile, is the largest grower and processor of cranberries in the world. Warren Simmons was born on May 7, 1927. His father died when he was five. He got his first real job when he was 11, as a soda jerk at Keiser's Colonial Creamery in the Sunset district of SF. His mother died when Simmons was 19. During World War II, Simmons worked 12-hour shifts on the waterfront while attending his beloved Lowell High School. He was also the head yell-leader, where perhaps he honed the enthusiasm that would carry him through so much of his life. He went on to graduate from Cal, which was also dear to his heart. In 1978 the Red and White fleet was the only tour boat business on San Francisco Bay. His competitive juices flowing, Simmons naturally launched Pier 39's Blue and Gold Fleet, which quickly overtook the Stanford-colored boats. Simmons married four times. He and his first wife, Bette, had three sons, Warren Jr. "Scooter," Stuart, and Gregory. With his second wife, Jean, he had his daughter, Leslie, whom he has always called "Taca." His third wife, Patricia, was with him during his Pier 39 development days. And then in 1985, single once more, Simmons went on a People-to-People tennis trip to Swaziland, where he met his fourth and final wife Caroline, whom he has always called "Swazi" with her two children. They have been married since 1987. Besides business, Simmons' other passion was tennis. He had not one, but two private courts at his Napa home on the fifth hole of Silverado Country Club. He played with the same tenacity that he exhibited in all areas of his life, and as always, it served him well. He was the men's Silverado tennis champion for many, many years. Simmons is survived by his wife, Caroline; his sons Scooter of Belvedere, CA, Stuart of Santa Clarita, CA, and Gregory of Aspen, CO; daughter, Leslie of New York, NY; stepchildren, Natasha from Berkeley, CA, and Damian of Napa, CA; his sister, Margaret Brunhouse of San Jose, CA; and six grandchildren. In lieu of flowers it is requested that a donation be made in Warren's memory to Hanna Boys Center, P.O. Box 100, Sonoma, CA 95476.