President of the LenspetsSMU holding
Was born: in 1951
Education: Leningrad Civil Engineering Institute, St. Petersburg University of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia
Resume: One of the city's most famous builders, he was most famous for his failure to lose millions building the new stock exchange. Too great ambitions led to a project that violated the height regulations, and as a result to an unprecedented precedent - the dismantling of extra floors. Loyal to the authorities, Zarenkov took losses in order to somehow neutralize the scandal.
Biography:
1973-1986 - worked at Glavzapstroy, went from a fitting worker to a department head.
1987 - founder and general director of JSC LenSpetsSMU.
1996-2002 - General Director of JSC LenSpetsSMU.
President of the International Foundation for the Restoration of Historical and Cultural Monuments.
President of the St. Petersburg Rowing Federation.
Honorary Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Academician of the International Academy of Sciences for Ecology and Safety, Petrovsky Academy of Sciences and Arts, International Academy of Investments and Construction Economics, Academician of VANIK.
Professor of the Department of Management, Faculty of Economics and Management, St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering.
Corresponding member of the MANEB Academy.
Extensive charitable activities include the care of children's institutions and the restoration of churches.
He is engaged in publishing activities.
Author of the “Creating World” project, the goal of which is to promote creative creativity among business, successful people who are capable of influencing the spiritual values of society through their actions and creating a positive world around themselves.
JSC LenSpetsSMU provides charitable assistance to orphanages, war invalids, and builds chapels free of charge.
JSC LenSpetsSMU initiated the creation of an association of artists to paint icons in the city of Mstera, and also took part in the restoration of the Church of St. Catherine on Vasilievsky Island.
In his free time, Vyacheslav Zarenkov paints and participates in several art exhibitions.
He went in for sports, has first ranks in volleyball and football. Supports weightlifting.
2006 - began publishing books.
He produces contemporary cinema and acts as a patron of the arts for dozens of St. Petersburg painters.
Married, son.
Source: tadviser.ru
Dossier:
Despite many years in construction and many successful projects, the name Zarenkov is primarily associated among St. Petersburg residents with the disastrous story of lowering the number of floors of the New Exchange building - the Financier residential complex. In June 2008, the discussion of the Financier residential complex flared up in full swing. It turned out that in 2006, when designing the building, it was necessary to move the technical infrastructure to its roof, so it was necessary to raise its parapet and cover the equipment. According to the examination, the height of the building reached 62.4 meters. Specialists who spoke on the side of the already implemented project tried to convince all parties that the building was literally buried in greenery, and was visually lost in it. At the same time, they preferred not to mention the panorama now opening from the Troitsky and Liteyny bridges.
The project was ordered back in 2002, and then it was decided that the Exchange and the new building should be symmetrical and close the ensemble of the Kirov Palace of Culture. But when “Financier” was built, a new height regulation came into force. After this, Slavina’s workshop, which had a bad reputation, ordered an examination, and in 2006 she admitted that it was possible to build a building 60 meters high in the indicated location. KGIOP approved this project even earlier, in 2005. At the same time, the recommended height of background buildings in this area was still 42 meters, and the maximum permissible height was 48 meters.
So, with increasing conviction, the urban planning community came to the conclusion that the Financier residential complex was a major urban planning mistake. It was decided that things couldn’t be left like this. For Zarenkov, this, of course, was a blow. After all, in his opinion, LenSpetsSMU complied with all the resolutions and orders, built everything as ordered, and even two months ahead of schedule.
But the City Council decided to shorten the building to the height allowed in the area.
Source: Fontanka.Ru from 06/06/2008
As a result, the official opening of the building was held quietly, and even Governor Valentina Matvienko was not present. Everyone was silent about the violation of the height regulations at the opening, although according to the documents the building still had not been commissioned and could not be used.
The supervision department of the State Construction Supervision and Expertise Service issued an order - either to coordinate the changes with the chief architect, or to bring the building into a form that corresponds to the project. But Zarenkov insisted that he did not know about any check at all, and that no one warned him.
“The current situation undermines the trust of foreign partners in us,” he commented on the scandal. True, he did not specify what exactly in this story should undermine him. Many agreed that all issues had to be resolved before construction began, and that those who resolved it in this form were to blame. But those people have not been in power for a long time, and some are already alive.
Source: Fontanka.Ru from 06/16/2008
As a result, in August 2008, Zarenkov still had to agree with Smolny’s recommendation to lower the exchange building. This was done after the corresponding decision of the governor. It was decided to lower the building to 54 meters, on two floors.
Source: Fontanka.Ru from 08/13/2008
A month later, the decision to dismantle two floors was approved by the city government. It was decided to move the technical equipment from the upper floors to the second stage of the building. Which was just being designed at that time. The final decision on the demotion was made by Zarenkov. He noted that dismantling costs will amount to $6-8 million, and losses from lost rent will range from 200 to 300 million rubles.
Source: Fontanka.Ru from 09.09.2008
In 2009, Zarenkov was nominated for the title of honorary citizen of St. Petersburg, but lost it to maestro Yuri Temirkanov, and Bishop Vladimir also received more votes than Zarenkov. There were very few participants, and given that director Alexey German Sr. withdrew his candidacy, we can say that Zarenkov took last place in the voting.
Source: Komsomolskaya Pravda in St. Petersburg No. 074d dated May 21, 2009
In 2010, Zarenkov estimated that he lost $15 million on the dismantling of two floors of the exchange. It turned out that he built a business center at a loss. According to him, at first he did not know what could be done with the already built floors. Prior to this, a case of dismantling a constructed part of a high-rise structure was recorded only once in Dubai. Then the issue was resolved, it was necessary to strengthen the 16th floor in order to move all the equipment from two floors there.
Source: Fontanka.Ru from 02/11/2010
In 2010, Zarenkov became a laureate of the “Heavenly Line” award, established by the World Club of St. Petersburgers and BMG. They decided to award it for a significant contribution to the preservation of the cultural image of St. Petersburg. Zarenokva was rewarded for courageously cutting off the top two floors of the Exchange. However, not everyone agreed with the nomination, believing that this measure was populist in nature and did not play a special role, since the building was still visible above the Spit of Vasilyevsky Island.
Source: GAZETA.SPb from 10/19/2010
In July 2011, LenSpetsSMU, together with a number of other developers, officially recognized the presence of the smell of ammonia at some sites. A working group was created to find out the reasons. According to one version, the manufacturer of the defective concrete additive that caused the smell was the Tsemaktiv company, and the material was supplied by the company Association 45, a subsidiary of the LSR group, headed by former vice-governor Alexander Vakhmistrov.
Vyacheslav Zarenkov is officially considered the wealthiest person from the Orsha region of Belarus. Some numbers and facts about it.
According to Forbes, in recent years he has consistently occupied a fairly high place in the list of the 200 richest people in Russia.
Until this year, he was Chairman of the Board of Directors of the international group of companies Etalon.
Over 30 years of work in the real estate market, Zarenkov’s companies have built more than 300 houses in St. Petersburg, Moscow and the Moscow region with a total area of over 7 million square meters. More than 340 thousand people will live in houses built by his companies. This is almost 3 times more than lives in all of Orsha today.
In fact, over 30 years of work, he built and populated 3 Orshas.
However, in February 2019, Zarenkov deliberately left the management of the company, left the business, devoting himself entirely to creativity and philanthropy.
Strangely enough, not a single serious publication dedicated to this unique person, who lived in the Vitebsk region until he was 17 years old, has been recorded in the Belarusian media. We want to correct this oversight.
Moreover, V. Zarenkov gave a long exclusive interview to the Belaya Rus portal on July 2, during his stay in Minsk.
Portrait against the backdrop of the small homeland
- Vyacheslav Adamovich, thank you for the opportunity to communicate. And this is the topic I would like to start with, perhaps. In Belarus, for the second year in a row, it is celebrated under the sign of the small homeland. What does this concept, which has received a high state status in the republic, mean to you personally?
It’s unlikely that I’ll say anything original now... For me, the Motherland is the place where a person was born, spent his childhood, and grew up. My wife even composed a song on this topic called “Two Homelands.” There are such lines that are, by and large, biographical: “Belarus is my cradle, and Russia is my formation.”
Vyacheslav Zarenkov with his wife Galina. Photo: nnov.kp.ru
- In what sense are they biographical for you?
It so happened that at the age of 17 I left the village in the Orsha region, where I was born and lived all this time, to Russia, to what was then Leningrad.
Therefore, Belarus, to some extent, is a cradle for me, and Russia is already a stage of formation, growing up.
I got a job there, fell in love, got married, graduated from college, and built a career. Last year marked 50 years since I lived there. I love this country.
But I don’t forget Belarus even for a single minute. I love and appreciate my homeland madly. I definitely come here once or twice a year.
And I definitely come to the place where our village house stood. Now there is a collapsed foundation, overgrown with weeds. Nevertheless, I am drawn there. Walk around and look around. You will stroke the trees that you once planted and talk to them quietly.
There is a linden tree and an oak tree... And my apple tree is still alive, although 50 years seem to have passed since I buried and watered this seedling for the first time...
- What is happening now with your home village of Khoduly in the Orsha region?
In Khrushchev’s times, my village was included in the list of unpromising ones, and since then it has been gradually destroyed and ruined. When I was born, there were about 100 households there, but now there are no more than a dozen. Only old people live.
True, summer residents are starting to build houses, but these are seasonal types of housing... Mainly for the summer.
- Do you have any desire to revive your native village?
- You know, such a desire arose. And more than once. Moreover, it took on a variety of forms. When you are far away, in St. Petersburg, various large-scale plans appear for your native village: either to build some kind of factory there, or to create a fish farm or an ostrich farm, or, as an option, a traditional livestock farm.
But when you arrive there, you understand with sadness: there is no one to create all this with. And the desire gradually fades away, like a fire under heavy rain.
So it’s unlikely that anything will be implemented there with my help.
Although anything is possible. I won’t swear.
- God be with them, farms. Well, don’t you want to restore your parents’ house?
And I will most likely restore my parents’ house. And in the very near future. Moreover, I can perfectly see with my inner gaze how he looked at that time.
Once upon a time he even painted a picture “Motherland”, where he was drawn in great detail.
I clearly remember every step on the porch, the location of the doors, the latch at the entrance, every square meter inside. After all, I did a lot of things there at one time with my own hands: I changed the windows, made interior partitions.
Vyacheslav Zarenkov and his painting “Motherland”. Photo: palaces-gardens-parks.rf
- When was this?
I had already started working in St. Petersburg, but came to the village on vacation. And so I wanted to make everything there more comfortable, or something. And it was actually one large room, leading into the kitchen... Over the course of several years, my father and I, a foreman of a rural construction team, by the way, gradually remodeled everything for a more convenient and comfortable life. So we corrected the wrong principle. Like, if a shoemaker is without boots, then a builder is without a normal house. It really shouldn't be like this.
- So what will it be in the end according to your plans - a family nest, a museum, something else?
- Something in between. This will be a house where all our relatives can gather at some certain time of the year. I have two brothers, a sister, nephews, and my aunt is alive.
But it’s quite difficult for us to get everyone together at one table. I hope we can solve this problem this way.
Maybe someday it will come to a museum - a family museum, and not just the name of my beloved, as someone might think.
But for now, the point is, I erected something like a chapel next to the house, although without a cross. This is a temporary place for our communication, where you can sit with your family, have a snack, drink, and talk without prying eyes and ears. The tightness and internal warmth are surprisingly pleasantly combined there. This is what it is - a small Motherland. ( smiles. - EDIT)
Wide man
Look what an amazing thing it turns out to be. You are, first of all, a professional builder, the owner of a more than earthly profession, which seems to reject all sorts of “flights in dreams and in reality.”
At the same time, you are seriously involved in literature, being a member of the St. Petersburg branch of the Writers' Union, and a member of the Union of Artists. Plus you have about 200 patents for scientific and technical inventions and so on. About such people, one of the most St. Petersburg writers by the name of Dostoevsky said: “A broad man, I would narrow it.” Are you planning to narrow yourself down, Vyacheslav Adamovich?
In short, absolutely not. You know, all these areas that you named complement each other in the most natural way.
Let’s say I created a business from scratch and then managed the largest construction company, Etalon, for almost 30 years. She required attention 24 hours a day, seven days a week, seven days a week. Somehow I could not disconnect from issues related to business and enterprise development. And this is extremely harmful to the psyche.
Well, really, imagine.
You are going fishing, quite far from the city. You cast a fishing rod, but your thoughts are still about what is happening or not happening at some facility.
But when I stood at the easel for the first time, I instantly realized: time stops, the space around you shrinks, you only have the picture in your mind.
At the easel. Photo: premiere-magazine.com.cy
One day at 8 am I started whitening the canvas, then sketching. I looked at my watch: it’s 10. Let me think I’ll have breakfast or something. But it turned out that it was already 10 pm. And all this time my brain was disconnected from solving everyday problems, working creatively and resting at the same time.
That is, painting has become an opportunity for you to escape into another reality, to jump outside the scope of your main profession?
Not really. Understanding the colors, shadows, and volumes that are realized on the canvas ultimately allows you to create more perfect homes.
If I had not taken up painting, perhaps we would not have had those beautiful buildings that became our calling cards both in St. Petersburg and in Moscow.
- What about your other hobbies?
First of all, we at the company were always trying to introduce something new. And at the same time, I wanted to pass on the acquired knowledge and skills to my young colleagues. Experience needs to be shared, and not hidden somewhere in a hole.
And that’s when I started working on non-fiction. I am sincerely proud of the book “Project Management”. It is read by students and teachers, and has been translated into 6 languages.
Suffice it to say that I was awarded the British Order of Queen Victoria for it at Oxford. A very honorable award, by the way.
- Does this mean that in England they will build based on your ideas or are these rather image issues?
Neither the book nor the order are at all image-bearing. Everything is serious there. As for England, they really read my book and try to put a lot of things into practice. Everything is very clearly stated there about the problems associated with the implementation of any project, and not necessarily a construction one. So to speak, from A to Z.
- Vyacheslav Adamovich, I would also like to ask you about literary experiments. How did it all start?
Here's the story. As a rule, no one leaves me without gifts. And when I turned 60, a lot of people gathered to congratulate me. It was known that at least a thousand people would come.
I clearly understood: everyone needed to give something original as a souvenir of this day.
And I finally decided to publish a book in the form of small memories from my own life. I wrote it somewhere within a couple of months and called it “Sopromat”. We published about a thousand copies, I gave them all away. People seemed to like it. Re-released again. The circulation has sold out again.
And so it went. It turned out that readers are interested in my thoughts and the way I present them.
Tell me, do you write everything yourself or do you use “litrabs” like Alexander Dumas the Father or Friedrich Neznansky?
God be with you, of course. If you give your ideas to all sorts of writers, then you won’t recognize your own ideas. We only have a proofreader who is unable to work with my style or correct it. Only commas and typos are correct - that's all.
So, soon after Sopromat, my second book, Notes of an Optimist, appeared. It also sold out pretty quickly.
Then there was the third - “The Given of Life”. I'm preparing the fourth one now. I haven't come up with a name yet. For now this is the Favorites project.
Zarenkov’s second book was called “Notes of an Optimist.” Photo: libs.ru
Pages of a boring life. About brigade leadership at 18 years old, gangster and state racketeering
I will rewind the story of your life once again - with your help. Here you are, at the age of 17, leaving a dying Belarusian village for the legendary Leningrad: without special education, without support or connections. And at the age of 18, as is clear from your official biography, you were already a foreman. How did this small miracle happen and what made it possible - impudence, fate, some coincidence, luck?
I think several factors influenced my career early on.
Firstly, I started working regularly after the second grade. Our family was built that way. My brothers and sister helped their parents as much as they could - and so on all summer. And after school we were also busy in the evenings.
Secondly, my love for the exact sciences - mathematics, geometry, trigonometry - came in handy.
After all, when I, as a seventeen-year-old boy in St. Petersburg, got into a construction team where quite old guys worked, it turned out that they didn’t read blueprints well. But it was easy for me... Well, like reading music for a musician.
In addition, he loved discipline without any show off. And in the end, I was elected - I was elected, not appointed - as a foreman of a specialized reinforcement and welding team of one of the Leningrad SMUs. That's it.
Vyacheslav Adamovich, you started creating a construction business in the 90s. And this was an ambiguous and in many ways sad time for Leningrad-St. Petersburg. For business, these are clear associations with crime, dark, bloody moments. How did you manage to turn over that page of life?
You know, I have never made friends or tried to get involved with crime, bandits, etc.
- This is how crime itself came to business, it’s not a secret...
Well, yes, they came to us too. But then they received an appropriate answer. It was different, of course. One day, let’s say, six people with pistols came into the office to talk.
I immediately called the riot police. About the same number of fighters came to us - with machine guns.
I sat them down opposite each other at a large table in my office and offered them two options to choose from. Or arrange a shootout in which hardly anyone will survive. Or take some good, unburnt vodka, drink it and go your separate ways. In the end, we chose the second option. We sat, grumbled at each other and parted ways.
For a year and a half, no one touched me after that. And when they came again, we had to involve more influential people. Fortunately, opportunities have arisen.
In general, we came out of all this nasty foam with dignity and did not give in to anyone.
- What if they gave in?
Then they would have sat on the neck... Most likely, the company would have been dragged into crime. And such people and enterprises lived then, although cheerfully and energetically, but not for long.
- Did you have to risk your life at that time?
And more than once. The gun was pointed at his forehead several times. It didn't work on me. He didn’t pay anyone for anything and always said about it: “I don’t owe any of you anything here.” It got to the point that some very serious “brothers” from Moscow came to visit us. Like, if the St. Petersburg people can’t cope with you, we’ll solve the problem. There is no escape: you will pay, you have the money.
- So what's the result?
Nothing. I bought them return tickets to Moscow and gave them “accompanying” so that they would not stay in St. Petersburg for a long time. In general, from my height I can say for sure: problems can be solved if you have a real goal. And we had it. We built a lot and with high quality, many people knew and respected us.
And here's another nuance of that time. All these bandits were primarily attracted to businesses with fast financial turnover.
I was also offered to make quick and very “tasty” money, by the way.
- For example?
I was in America on business and bought a computer there for 3 thousand dollars. Brought to St. Petersburg. And through American friends I was offered to purchase 200 computers, and sell them legally here: 18 thousand dollars apiece.
3 million dollars in profit was easy and beautiful. But I understood that after such a deal several groups would start hunting me at once. And he refused quite harshly.
They offered to sell cars and get into banking. But we were engaged in construction and lived by O. Henry’s principle: “We don’t choose the roads, the roads choose us.”
- Is it true that bandits were clients of your company in the 90s?
Why not? They had enough money then, but housing was always a problem. So yes, we had clients from the criminal sphere. But work with them was carried out according to our rules. Invest financially and get apartments for every taste.
- In fact, are these the most scandalous situations in your career?
How to say. Confrontation with bandits - there is certainly a moment of scandal here. But there were also certified bandits from the authorities - various inspectors, tax authorities... Entire plays were played out in our office.
- What are these?
Just imagine. A couple of very serious tax inspectors come to me and the following dialogue begins, full of internal drama:
- You won't get a penny- I tell them from the doorway.
- How so? Did you fall from the moon? Yes, this is a state matter, we have a plan. Based on this, we must identify violations of at least 3 million rubles. Then and only then will you be able to work normally. We'll still find something for you. Do you understand?
- If you find this “something”, I’ll sue you personally, and not the abstract district tax office. And you will both pay all my expenses personally, out of your own pockets.
You know, they got ready and thoughtfully went home. The same thing happened with fire inspectors. They came and started nagging about the violations that had been identified. I told them something like this: “ Did you see the site plan at the initial stage, agree with everything, sign everything? If not, let me call your superiors and discuss your professional competence and moral character with him.” They were blown away like the wind.
In general, we had to strictly pursue our policies with both officials and bandits, there was no other way. Once you pay, they immediately sit on your neck.
It is possible to defeat corruption. And not only by Chinese methods
Vyacheslav Adamovich, one pressing question... In your opinion, is it really possible to defeat corruption, or is it a complete utopia? In China, officials are shot for this matter almost every day, and they still can’t cope.
It is absolutely possible to defeat her, and executions will not help here. You need to solve only three problems in sequence, with an asterisk, as they said at school.
First: motivate officials to achieve the final result. They say, there will be results on your subordinate site - you will receive a very good salary. Only this way and no other way. And God forbid people complain about you: for your salary there will be many people willing to line up - beyond the horizon.
Second: replace the entire licensing system with a notification system. This means that if you decided to open a business, you simply notified a certain structure and went to work. As a result, there is no need to pay anyone for anything.
And now corruption begins precisely at this level: I’ll allow it, I won’t allow it, I’ll give it the go-ahead or I won’t...
- OK then. Here comes a certain citizen and declares: I notify that I want to build a house here. And he went. Some kind of chaos will begin.
No. To implement such a plan, it will be necessary to hold public hearings, eliminate comments - and only then begin to build a house.
- But an interested official can get into public hearings and block everything.
But it won’t block anything. Comments are considered only for compliance with SNiPs. Believe me, I know what I'm talking about ( smiles. - EDIT.).
- And what is the third task, the solution of which can put an end to corruption?
In short, this is a change of power. When the local government takes strong roots and acquires connections, get it and sign it. Here it is, a breeding ground for corruption. In general, everything is simple and complex at the same time.
Meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Photo: http://hramostroitel.ru
STOCK CREATING question
Let me move on to a topic that I simply must touch upon. You created the Creating World Foundation. Through it you do a lot to support creative people in Russia and Belarus, Europe - artists, musicians, writers. Why do you need all this?
Let's try to start with the basic idea of a fund.
When I was abroad, I saw that the people who live there do not know what Russia is. This is some kind of set of cliches: vodka, balalaika, Siberia, a lot of snow and other bullshit.
Frankly speaking, even in Russia the idea of Europe is very distorted. Thanks to our glorious television, the average Russian in the outback is sure that there is no culture there, homosexuality and spiritual poverty are thriving.
And our foundation was conceived precisely in a creative way: to give positive information to foreign representatives about us, the Slavs. But at the same time, provide an opportunity for Russians and Belarusians to see life abroad.
- And with h did it all start in reality?
To begin with, we gathered a group of artists. I took them abroad for some kind of internships. They lived there, communicated, wrote, and made exhibitions. And they returned from there as different people.
At the same time, we invited foreign artists to Russia, to the very outback. They were taken to the Krasnoyarsk region, to the Pskov and Novgorod provinces. And they also experienced serious internal collapse. They ended up in Krasnoyarsk, Siberia, when it was 33 degrees Celsius. And so - for two weeks in a row. They just clicked their tongues and said: “It’s just the south, what amazing spaces, what class.” And then they recorded their impressions on canvas, of course.
As a result, today we have about a thousand amazing paintings in our fund. We held a wonderful exhibition at the Manege “The World Through the Eyes of Artists”...
- What is the highlight of your foundation’s work, and does it exist in principle?
You know, I realized a long time ago. Today's youth have little knowledge of the world of real professions. Regarding who they will become, in the tenth grade, 90% of schoolchildren have some kind of cold semolina porridge in their heads.
There was such a case from personal practice. I came to school. There, all the high school students were gathered for an open lesson with my participation. Before the start of his lecture, he asked the question: “Who wants to become a builder?” In response, two people timidly raised their hands.
After I enthusiastically told them for more than an hour about the wonders of the construction profession and I had to leave, 80% raised their hands and expressed a desire to connect their lives with the construction industry even tomorrow.
In addition, the foundation began to publish educational books for young people.
We have published an excellent, bright book about construction, about working in the police... They give an effect, and a very serious one. Well, we also carry out explanatory work in other specialties. We identify talented people, organize trips abroad, and reward them with good bonuses. We are now creating our own publishing house.
Photo: ufa.kp.ru
Where do you get such a passion for music, if it’s not a secret? You patronize composers, support the development of ballet and serious symphony programs.
Good music is understandable to everyone, which means it acts creatively and acts in accordance with the laws and essence of our foundation.
And it's a fascinating process. Here the composer Mikhail Krylov wrote the music for the ballet “Three Masks of the King” according to my libretto, practically blind.
- That is?
He had a complicated eye operation. I walked around with a bandage for two weeks and wrote blindly. But how great it all worked out for him.
In general, the “Creating World” lives, develops, and reaches a new level.
- What's the story with the documentaries that your foundation also produces?
It all started when we found an amazing document in the archives, a list called “Consigned to Oblivion.” This is a list of the greatest people from Tsarist Russia, who were decided to be consigned to oblivion for unsuitable origin or for some other reason. Such a resolution of Lenin’s comrades is on the monstrous document of that era. And they betrayed us.
And we decided to create a series of documentaries from the “Forgotten Greats” series. So far, 5 projects have been filmed.
- And who are they dedicated to?
Let's say we pulled the name and fate of Pyotr Gubonin out of complete oblivion. He was born into a peasant serf family and completed three years of school. And by the age of 37 he was already the third person in the Russian Empire in terms of capital.
- How did you trade oil?
No, take it higher. In the 19th century, he built 78% of the railways in Russia. He was also involved in construction, quarries, and factories.
Industrialist, philanthropist and philanthropist Pyotr Gubonin, whose name was almost forever erased from history. Photo: livejournal.com
- Such an unpromoted, non-media name, frankly speaking...
So, as I say, they were erased from the history of the country in accordance with the circular “Consigned to oblivion.” Or take the same Vereshchagin, the creator of Vologda butter. This is an absolute European brand. There is a monument to Vereshchagin in Switzerland, where cheeses are produced according to his signature recipes. But in his homeland he was almost forgotten.
There is a station in Prague called “Named after Academician Ivan Petrovich Pavlov”. That's right. In St. Petersburg, as far as I know, there is no such respect for this man, who lived there most of his life and was buried in the Volkov cemetery.
Well, in St. Petersburg they even forgot Stolypin. We plan to open a monument to him, install a memorial plaque on the house where he lived and worked. And it’s somehow even indecent. In Grodno, where he served as governor for about a year, a plaque was erected in memory of Pyotr Arkadyevich. And in St. Petersburg, where he realized himself as a great statesman and reformer, there are no special signs of memory in his honor.
“When will we divide our money?”
You know, a very rich conversation, so rich. Personally, I have the feeling that there are no questions in nature to which you would not have detailed answers. No?
Well why? There are quite a lot of such questions. Although there are those who are already pretty tired. One of these sounds something like this: “You spent your entire adult life in business, how could you quit it and sell it, even for good money?”
- But really - how?
You see... On the RBC TV channel I was recently awarded a diploma for the best deal of the year. In fact, I spent 3 years preparing a civilized exit from business. For 20 years, to my memory, there have been no such precedents in our field in Russia. Large businessmen had three options to free themselves from their burden: either to the grave, or to prison, or simply take everything away.
None of these options suited me at all.
- So where did this idea come from - to get out of business?
I came to the conclusion that by the age of 65 a person's energy reserves are depleted, but fatigue accumulates. No matter what he says about his Siberian health and other miracles. Well, it’s difficult at this age to give 100% to something. And I eventually made a decision. But it took me 2 years to prepare to calmly and civilly leave this game.
As a result, you officially received a lot of money, which makes no sense to discuss. The question is different. Here you are actively investing in philanthropy, but you could put this amount in a reliable bank at interest and feel great. Or distribute it equally to all Russians, or even better, to Belarusians, as part of some charity event. Isn't it?
No. Over the past 2 years, I have spent all the freed-up money on the construction of 4 large temples. One - in Cyprus, three - in St. Petersburg. We are now completing the restoration of the Church of the Nativity of Christ in the city center on the Neva.
I assure you - this is very serious money that was spent on a very important matter.
Second. In order to send groups of artists, writers, and camera operators abroad and provide them with comfortable living conditions there, again, significant funds were required.
Plus, we run a canteen for those in need and help the disabled. But targeted. And just handing it out to all people is going nowhere, some kind of “Sharikovism”.
How not to be disappointed in such a church?
- Logically XIXcentury (and today too, perhaps), a person who donates such serious sums to the church has sinned very seriously in life and is now trying to somehow atone for his sins. This isn't about you, by any chance?
Absolutely incorrect reasoning. I don’t have any really bad things to do. Well, he fought off the bandits, except... (laughs - ED.)
It is important for me to create something interesting and unique. Despite the fact that there are a huge number of temples in the world, in Cyprus we were able to create a complex that has no analogues. Today it is the center of gravity of this entire region. This year, 19 thousand people arrived at the KipRus festival alone on one spring day.
Or here's a story that I hope is closer to you. Tolochinsky monastery, located not far from my village. They forgot about him. And this is - XVI century Yes, Napoleon spent the night there for two weeks. Just a wonderful place, a gem.
Once I came to look at this shrine and saw that some kind of horror was happening there. It was even difficult to walk in rubber boots above the knee. Under the monastery roof, leaky like a sieve, the nuns slept. And it became a duty of honor for me to restore such a monument and return real beauty to the world. I sincerely thank God that I have this opportunity today - to help restore harmony in the world.
You know, you shouldn’t confuse the church and church officials. There are priests there who bring light and truth to people. This is important to me.
But above these priests stands the “priestly executive committee,” which sometimes pursues completely different truths. Isn't that right?
- “Popovsky executive committee,” as you elegantly put it, is completely different, it has nothing to do with true service. I understand people who criticize church generals. But I build churches not for them, but for ascetics - amazingly worthy priests.
Our topic
Vyacheslav Adamovich, since this material will be posted on the website of the largest public association “Belaya Rus”, I would like to ask a few basic questions in such a blitz mode. Tell me, what does the concept of patriotism, social activity mean to you personally, and how do you, in principle, feel about our movement?
I know above all that this movement is in good hands. I have known Gennady Bronislavovich Davydko for more than 20 years. This is a most worthy person. He and I treat each other like brothers, and not only because we were once born in neighboring villages of the Orsha region. He is in Popovka, and I am in Khoduly...
Gennady has a brilliant, absolutely unobtrusive way of uniting people.
And he is a reliable, absolutely sincere ally of the President of Belarus.
I sincerely wish success to your movement. If there are progressive, worthy, active people under your banner, it will be great for the whole country.
As for patriotism, I believe that it is, first of all, love for the place where you were born. Plus love for the people around you and the business you do. The attitude towards family and the land on which you live is also important.
Personally, I consider myself a patriot of both Belarus and Russia. Just like my whole family, by the way.
- Tell me, do you regularly come to Belarus to check how one or another of your projects is being implemented?
No, it’s simply vitally important for me to visit my homeland, communicate with classmates, close relatives, talk to my trees that have sprouted, be healthy, and feed off the energy of these places.
I don't really have anything to control here. Maybe the school I went to. Yes, she is under my patronage.
- And what does this ultimately mean?
There is a very good, modern computer class equipped there. Plus, I organize trips for the kids to interesting places in the world. They visited Cyprus twice. You should have seen their eyes when they visited this fabulous island. Talk to schoolchildren about their studies, listen, try to help solve problems, rejoice at their successes together... And gradually continue to help further. Perhaps this is patriotism. At least, it is one of its brightest manifestations.
By the way, several months ago the President assigned Belaya Rus the task of searching for promising young people with the makings of leaders and preparing them to reach a new, state level. What do you think we should do first?
I think it is worth giving young people freedom of expression. If they act recklessly, they will show themselves - sooner or later. And as for identifying potential leaders. You yourself know everything, for sure. It makes sense to hold competitions, olympiads, and seminars.
I personally remember very well how during my school years I tried to go to all the Olympiads in mathematics and geometry. We lived very poorly; we had no normal clothes. But my mother hemmed my father’s formal trousers for me, I put on huge tarpaulin boots, put on an altered shirt and rode into the city like that. What is significant... After all, we villagers often solved problems better than all these city aristocrats. It was like that.
In general, Belarus is a fairly large country, not forgotten by God and not deprived of talents. If you wish, you can find people here to implement a variety of projects. In general, everything will work out for you.
All the best to you...
Interviewed by Alexander Novikov, leading media relations specialist at Belaya Rus
Vyacheslav Adamovich Zarenkov, an Honored Builder of the Russian Federation, went from a fixture worker to a department head and in 1987 created the construction company LenSpetsSMU, which today has grown into a federal-scale company - the Etalon group. Under the leadership of V.A. Zarenkova built more than 5.8 million square meters. meters of real estate in St. Petersburg, Moscow and the Moscow region. Today, within the framework of the international socio-cultural project of V. A. Zarenkov “Creative World”, churches are being built and restored in St. Petersburg, on Arkhangelsk land, in Belarus, Serbia, Bulgaria and Cyprus. But Vyacheslav Adamovich’s interests were never limited to work. He writes paintings, poetry, prose, helps artists and performers, builds churches and monasteries. In his interview with Vestnik Cyprus, he talks about the amazing history of the creation of two ballets and about the international Greek-Slavic arts festival “KipRus”, which will be held in the village of Episkopio on May 1.
– You are the author of the libretto for the ballets “The Three Masks of the King” and “Orr and Ora”. They are distinguished by their philosophical orientation. What else are they notable for, and how did it happen that ballet appeared in your life?
– I came to ballet unexpectedly, by accident. I wrote several books, and when I was finishing the third, a very interesting idea appeared to create a work called “Mask People.” For a long time I didn’t know what to call it: a story, a novel, a novel... I started writing. I got into my head the philosophical meaning that every person is born pure and immediately declares himself: “I am I.” And then, at the age of 13-15, inner knowledge comes when he begins to try on certain masks. And already in adulthood, each person puts on a certain mask.
Many people wear these masks with pleasure, not paying attention to the fact that it is just a mask. This happens because the inner “I” overcomes this very mask, and it no longer plays a special role.
And there are people (mostly government officials) whom the mask begins to defeat after two or three years. He thinks that the mask is himself. For example, the governor thinks that people come to him with flowers, but in fact they see a mask in front of them. And as soon as it is torn off, the person immediately feels confused.
There are moments when masks absorb people, they win, when a struggle between good and evil occurs inside a person.
I struggled with this work for a very long time; I didn’t know how to develop it or how to finish it. In my works, I usually try not to touch on the topic of politics, but this one cannot do without it, because we are talking about good and evil, namely, that power and money give rise to evil. Composer Mikhail Krylov proposed making this work in the form of a fairy tale, transferring the action to the Middle Ages. I quickly sketched out the plot of the story, and then, reflecting on the topic, I came to the following thought: after all, a mask, on the one hand, is a reflection of someone’s personality, and on the other, something theatrical. Therefore, I became interested in how it would all look in movement - in the form of ballet.
I wrote a libretto for a ballet called Three Masks of the King. Misha fell ill at that time and underwent eye surgery. I came to him and asked him to start writing music for the ballet. I read the work, and he composed it. He wrote the composition in two weeks, while blindfolded. He's just great!
Ballet was given a new philosophical direction. And then we faced the question: where to put it? We first did a musical show at the Philharmonic. The artist read excerpts from the libretto to the music, and a video with selected movements was shown on the screen. It went with a bang!
We started looking for a choreographer. They couldn't find it for a long time. Finally, my good friend, choreographer Yuri Smekalov, decided to try it himself. Over the course of a week, he sketched out his vision of the movements and masks. I was amazed at how much we agreed on how to show this philosophical direction of ballet in movement. When we subsequently got to talking, I realized that our fantasies miraculously coincided.
– How long did it take to prepare for the premiere?
- In general, five years. At first we didn’t understand where to stage, how to stage and with whom. We had a break for about 2.5 years and did nothing at all. And then we returned to the plan again. This happened after another ballet “Orr and Orra” was successfully staged at the Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theater in Minsk. Having studied the possibilities, Yuri suggested staging the ballet in Samara, he liked everything there, and we said: “Let’s get to work, go ahead!” It took about another year and a half to prepare the new ballet.
– What is the main idea in this ballet?
– “Three Masks of the King” is something unusual, a kind of breakthrough. People have not yet paid attention to this event, since there has not yet been any serious promotion. Now there is a show in Samara, then we are planning shows in St. Petersburg, Moscow and abroad. Perhaps in Paris too.
In ballet you can always show feelings... But we also encourage the viewer to philosophize, think about good and evil, about who you are, what gives you power, what money gives you, what life gives you and in which direction you should move .
In the last scene, the people raise the king to a pedestal, and he again puts on the mask, which serves as the personification of evil, but then suddenly he remembers that he must bring goodness, and he must no longer be cruel. He tears the mask - but still leaves half of it. So what's going on? On the one hand, he is attracted by evil, on the other by good... This is how it happens in life.
– How did you come up with the idea of creating the ballet “Orr and Ora”?
- This is a true story. One evening, just before going to bed, I heard a knock on the balcony, not just a knock - a roar! I approach - there is no one. I lie down and there’s another roar. I go out and see: an eagle sitting... In Cyprus. At night. Eagle. This doesn't happen! But this is a fact. I started a conversation with him, and he clicked his beak at me and made strange sounds. I tell him: “Get some sleep, the morning is wiser than the evening.” So he did and sat until the morning. In the morning I picked him up and he flew away. He circled in the sky and sat on another balcony. There is a crash, glass breaks. He takes off again, followed by the eagle. The two of us flew off to the mountains.
As it turned out later, one family bought a pair - an eagle and an eagle. Due to family troubles, the couple separated, dividing the eagles between them. And then the eagle flew for the eagle, and the owner followed him for his beloved. This is how eagles united people. And so I came up with the story “Eagles and Men.”
I wrote it immediately the next day after it happened, literally in one day. And then I thought: “Why not write music and stage a ballet?” And now we are already at the Bolshoi Opera and Ballet Theater of the Republic of Belarus with the premiere. Full house. Success. I'm glad people liked this story so much.
– What about the international Greek-Slavic arts festival “KipRus”? How did the idea for its organization come, and why did you choose this format and name?
– Initially, when in Episkopyo there was still only a vacant lot instead of a temple, we communicated with Vladyka Isaiah and came to the idea that everything that would be built on it should serve our common philosophy. And so it happened that the two worldviews merged together. Vladyka explained that the main thing for him is that the reunification of peoples take place on the site. He invites all people, of course, primarily Orthodox from all over the world, but he treats both Catholics and Muslims with understanding, and this, I think, is normal. Well, we created our own “Creative World” as a counterbalance to conflicts, all sorts of unpleasant circumstances and situations in order to bring people closer together through art. Our philosophies of rapprochement—his and mine—were realized on this platform. They are Cypriots, we are Russians. That’s why they called it “KipRus”.
– Last year the festival was attended by nine thousand people. What's expected in this?
– We invited everyone who wanted to perform, so there was a kind of “vinaigrette” in the concert program: Cypriots, Greeks, Russians, professionals and amateurs.. This year we decided that there should be three Cypriot stars, three Russian. We want to see stars who can present a concert program at a high level. The second change lies in the following philosophy. We plan to involve not only Russians and Cypriots in the festival, but also Armenians and Georgians. Let's organize a parade of peoples. Each nationality will have the opportunity to show something of their own, something interesting. We will organize an exhibition of the best Orthodox churches in the world, 38 photographs will be carved on aluminum canvas and presented to the people. Our photographers did their best and collected a collection of photographs of the most beautiful temples from all over the world. There will be an exhibition on the history of Orthodoxy and lots of entertainment for children. Before this, on the 28th, the relics of St. Andrew the First-Called will be brought to the temple, which is a very important event for believers.
– Have you already decided who will perform at the festival?
– Yes, of course, it’s no secret. These are Yuri Okhochinsky, Vladimir Tselebrovsky and, most likely, Pelageya. Of course, the festival program will be published in the newspaper and on the website.
– Firstly, this day is a day off for everyone, secondly, tourists from Russia come to Cyprus for the May holidays, thirdly, May 1 is a day of peace and tranquility. The date is very good and fits our philosophy of bringing people together.
– What other plans for this year?
– In addition to the festival, we will actively begin the process of building a planetarium. In order to be exclusive in our own way, we want to create several of our films to be shown in this institution. One of them will be called “Creation of the World.” This is a very large and voluminous topic. A competition for the best script was announced. Of those we received, 90% were considered unsuccessful immediately because they did not reflect our philosophy. I explained that we did not want to stage a dramatic film, but a work that would give, from a religious point of view and on the basis of a scientific object, the concept of the beginning of the divine creation of the world. There are four scenarios left. A difficult task, but we will solve it anyway. I hope to finish both the planetarium and the film about the creation of the world within a year.
We want to exhibit three films at the Cyprus Film Festival in September. One of them is “The Path to the Temple”. It tells about the construction of the Russian Orthodox Church of St. Andrew the First-Called in Cyprus. Director Anna Dranitsyna described this process by embodying images of real people. Each of the three heroes is a separate story, an artistic portrait, showing how differently you can come to faith, to the temple.
The second film is from the “Forgotten Greats” series. It started with the fact that we found a list of outstanding people of the 18th-19th centuries, where at the top is the hand of V.I. Lenin was written: “Consigned to oblivion.” We decided to dedicate ten films to these people. We've done three so far. One is about Pyotr Gubonin. He was born in a village, in the family of a mason, was absolutely poor, and had only three years of education. But by the age of 35 he became the third major entrepreneur in the country. All of Europe used the services of his metallurgical plant. The second film is about Nikolai Vereshchagin, the older brother of the famous artist. Few people know that his recipes and technologies were used by cheese factories in Switzerland. The third film is dedicated to the father of Mikhail Kutuzov. Illarion Matveevich was a great engineer: the roads in St. Petersburg, Inzhenernaya Street, half of Nevsky Prospekt were built by him.
You can watch the films at the upcoming festival.
We are also engaged in the construction of the Church of the Nativity of Christ in St. Petersburg. In the same city we are finishing the construction of the Cathedral of Xenia the Blessed.
Interviewed by Natalia KARDASH
Zarenkov Vyacheslav Adamovich was born on March 28, 1951 in the city of Orsha, Vitebsk region of the Republic of Belarus. Graduated from the Leningrad Civil Engineering Institute. Doctor of Technical and Economic Sciences, Professor of the St. Petersburg University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Honorary Academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Candidate of Technical Sciences, Candidate of Architecture, Doctor of Economic Sciences, Professor of the St. Petersburg State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, full member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, honorary academician of the Russian Academy of Sciences. Author of a number of patented inventions, several monographs and more than 100 scientific articles. Honored Builder of the Russian Federation.
From 1973 to 1986 he worked at Glavzapstroy, rising from a fitting worker to a department head. Participated in the construction of more than 100 industrial and residential projects. In 1987, he created and headed JSC LenSpetsSMU (part of the Etalon group of companies), which has now become the largest construction association in St. Petersburg, whose share accounts for up to 20% of the total volume of housing construction. Under the leadership of Zarenkov, the company built about 130 houses and complexes, which largely determined the face of the new districts of St. Petersburg, which became the architectural dominants of urban development.
Vyacheslav Zarenkov is the author of new progressive technologies in construction. The combined structural and technological system (CCTS) he developed combines a rigid monolithic frame and lightweight enclosing structures. KKTS allows you to implement non-standard architectural solutions, combining flexible external volumes with variability in internal layouts.
Mr. Zarenkov was awarded the Gold Medal of the Association for the Promotion of Industry of France. He is the president of the international foundation for the restoration of historical and cultural monuments. Extensive charitable activities include the care of children's institutions and the restoration of churches. He was awarded several orders of the Russian Orthodox Church: St. Daniel III degree, St. George the Victorious, Sergius of Radonezh, “Sovereign Rus'”. On March 29, 2004, Vyacheslav Zarenkov was awarded the highest public order of the Russian Federation - “International Glory”, 1st degree - for great merits and great personal contribution to the international development of economic and cultural relations.
In his free time he enjoys working on the land. He has been involved in sports all his life, and has first ranks in volleyball and football. Supports weightlifting. He is a fan of Zenit, to which he recently provided four apartments. He is the President of the St. Petersburg Rowing Federation.
The main hobby of recent years, completely unexpectedly for Vyacheslav Adamovich, has been drawing. When Zarenkov built his house, he really wanted to decorate it with painting. And bought brushes and paints. He has been writing like this ever since, whenever he has free time.
Married. The wife works as the head of the personnel department of LenSpetsSMU, the son is deputy general director
One of the largest Russian developers, Etalon, is changing its shareholder structure - AFK Sistema acquired a 25% stake from the founder and head of the company, Vyacheslav Zarenkov, who remains a minority shareholder with 5.7%. This was preceded by the purchase by Etalon of a 51% stake in the development company Leader-Invest, part of Sistema. In an interview with RIA Real Estate, Zarenkov spoke about the details of both transactions and how the united company will develop. In addition, he shared where he plans to spend the money, how he will spend his free time, and how his dreams are connected with Etalon.
Vyacheslav Adamovich, why did Etalon need to buy a controlling stake in Leader-Invest? At the same time, you received a profit from the sale of Etalon shares, but to purchase Leader-Invest shares, the company you created had to take out a loan of almost 17 billion rubles. How expedient was it to impose such a debt burden on Etalon, taking into account the extremely difficult working conditions for developers at the present time?
As you know, over the past two years there have been many uncertainties in the construction market related to changes in the legislative framework and, in general, the rules of the game. Against this background, we were cautious and practically did not acquire new projects. As a result, at the end of 2018, the company had a shortage of projects of 1.3 million square meters of future real estate. It turned out to be problematic to cover this deficit by simply purchasing new plots, especially in the Moscow region. Firstly, there are not many plots here that are sold with almost ready permitting documentation. And it was very important for us that it was already at a high level, otherwise it would have taken 2-3 years to prepare it. Secondly, it's expensive. In the Moscow region, plots cost approximately $450-550 per square meter of future area. It turns out that we needed 600-700 million dollars. We didn’t have that kind of money, and the banks would hardly have given money for the acquisition of land; they are strict about this.
Therefore, management offered to buy a company with approximately the same volume of projects. More than twenty different companies were studied, and Leader-Invest turned out to be the most suitable option. After a thorough study of the company with the involvement of well-known consultants, the value limits were determined - from 230 to 280 million dollars. Negotiations with Sistema lasted more than a month and the stumbling block was, of course, the price. Management managed to convince AFK to go down to the lower level within these limits and fix the price in rubles. At the same time, Sberbank provided a loan on very favorable terms: in the first year of the loan agreement, repayment of the principal debt is not provided, in 2020-2021 there are relatively small payments that are comfortable for the company, and the principal amount of the debt will be paid in the fourth or fifth years of lending. By that time, a significant part of the projects included in the overall portfolio will be completed, and funds from their implementation will be available to repay the debt. So the conditions are quite feasible for Etalon.
- How do you think minority shareholders of Etalon might react to the deal?
They reacted positively to the deal. This can be seen from trading over the past two days; Etalon shares rose by almost 15%. If we compare the situation with and without a deal, then in the first case there are many positive factors. This includes an increase in cash flow, an increase in dividends due to synergy, and the removal of the risk of non-fulfillment of the strategy, and much more. At the same time, a situation without a deal could lead to serious consequences - a shortage of projects, a decrease in cash flow, a decrease in the company's capitalization and a drop in its shares.
- Are you satisfied with the price of the shares you sold? Plus the package was sold at a premium of 55% to the market...
I made the decision to leave the business at the beginning of last year. At that time, the price of shares on the London Stock Exchange, on which we are traded, fluctuated between three and four dollars. At the same time, I determined for myself a price below which I would not sell - 3.10. At the beginning of this year, shares averaged about $4. Therefore, I consider the price for which the package was sold to be absolutely reasonable.
Regarding the bonus, it depends on what figure you refer to. If, for example, to periods when shares cost $1.87-1.90, then this is probably a good premium. If to the moments when there were more than four dollars, then no. The average analyst price estimate has been around $3.9 lately, so I don't see any premium.
- Why did you decide to leave the business?
I have already spoken about this more than once and now I will repeat it. Each person throughout his life calculates his strengths, capabilities and time of active work. To manage such a large company, you need to work hard 24 hours a day and always be on your toes. Wherever I went - fishing, in the forest, skiing - I still thought about the company from morning until late evening. But I’m turning 68, and it’s already difficult to work in this mode. But working half-heartedly is not in my nature. And it’s not good for the company when the leader they count on doesn’t work to his full potential.
Wasn’t there an option to transfer the business to trustees for management? At one time, for example, your son Dmitry headed the board of directors.
At first I wanted to hand over control to management. But in such a company there should be one leader, and not a group of people. There are very good leaders among the management, but I have not seen a person who could take leadership in the entire Etalon. Therefore, corporate management is transferred to the board of directors, and operational management is transferred to the general director. I think one of the new shareholders will become the leader. I trust these people, we talked for a long time, they are serious about taking over the management of the company. This is beneficial for them, and the company has enormous opportunities and chances to develop.
To be honest, I expected Dmitry to take the reins. This would be the best option. But he chose a different position in life, he has different priorities, and I understand him. My work was always in the foreground, and there was little time left for everything else, including my family, I paid little attention. Dmitry is great in this regard, his family comes first, and only then everything else.
- Has he completely left the business?
No, he is now working in two directions. Previously, he acquired a sufficient amount of real estate, with small shares in different objects and locations, and now manages it. He also graduated from LETI, is interested in programming and computer programs, and is also beginning to achieve results in this.
When a person starts a business on his own, from scratch, he values it much more than receiving it as an inheritance. I have a dream - for my grandchildren or great-grandchildren to create their own business, develop it, and then look at Etalon and slowly begin to buy it out and manage it. This may happen many years later, when I'm no longer here, but it would be great. But it is necessary that they earn money themselves, get big shots themselves, go through failures, and rejoice in their own successes.
- You will not have your own representative on the new board of directors?
They offered me to stay on my own, to leave Dmitry or some of my nominees. But I refused on principle. The new board of directors, which includes two representatives from AFK and two new independent directors, must be absolutely free to make decisions. And when the person who was the leader in the company remains, pressure may begin on the board, wittingly or unwittingly. But if you need any advice or help, I am always ready to provide it.
Experts say about Sistema that it pays dividends irregularly and quite low. As a minority shareholder, do you expect to receive dividends from your remaining shares?
I will say absolutely clearly that the decision to pay dividends is made not by AFK Sistema and not by Vyacheslav Zarenkov (in the past), but by the board of directors. And at this council, a lot of different factors are discussed that are related to the payment of dividends. The current financial situation in the company is taken into account, and the possibility of acquiring new sites is taken into account. But we decided at one time that in any situation dividends should be paid within 40-70% of net profit. And the board of directors decides what percentage of profits in the form of dividends to pay to all shareholders. Therefore, I don’t see any fears that someone can willfully say: “No, we won’t pay dividends this time!” Or vice versa: “Let’s pay dividends this time 100% of net profit!”
Were there any other contenders for your share in Etalon, besides Sistema? And is it true that you first wanted to sell shares to management?
There were people who wanted to buy, but most of these offers were not entirely civilized in nature. For example, some company has its own bad asset. And its management decides: let’s buy shares, then add assets, then something else, and so on, so on. There were proposals to buy out a controlling stake - buy out 35% of the stake, then merge it with some other company. The Etalon brand would have disappeared, and minority shareholders would have been deceived. Therefore, I eliminated all these proposals.
There was an offer from management, and it was quite reasonable. To be honest, I agreed to it, but after a series of negotiations and evaluation, I decided that it was better to sell my stake in the company. All participants agreed with this decision.
Are there any non-financial terms in the agreement to sell your interest? For example, a description of the strategy for the further development of the company, bonuses for management?
We discussed some issues, in particular, that the majority of management should remain, and that the development strategy should also be preserved. We discussed some issues, but this is all on our word of honor. And I think this is a civilized deal and these conditions will be maintained, despite the fact that we did not write them down in the agreement.
Vyacheslav Adamovich, on your Facebook page immediately after the deal you wrote that you should ignore “speculation, fiction, slander and lies.” What do you mean and which "employees who are asked to leave the company"?
Well, you know, there is a lot of slander and lies today. When you see the headlines, you wonder how a sane mind could come up with something like this: “Calvi was imprisoned, Etalon is running away, sales are falling,” etc. etc. Well, this is absolutely nonsense, lies and slander, in fact. There are no other words. That’s why my publication was, perhaps, so emotional. We must approach all things logically, reasonably, meaningfully, and analyze what’s what. And don’t write in catchy headlines and then call and apologize... They call and apologize: “You know, they told us... we saw... we heard...”. This is not respectable for normal publications.
That's why I wrote - don't believe it. I briefly described there what actually happened. And they believed me. I receive thousands of letters with words of support, gratitude, and approval of the decision made. But there are still 1% of those who still lie...
As for layoffs, that is the concern of the new management. I believe that there will be no mass layoffs there. Maybe one or two or three people will apply of their own free will, because those people who chatted and did not work and, with the help of this chatter, tried to pull the crown on their heads, undeservedly praising their merits, will not have a place in the company. Gennady Filippovich Shcherbina, the new general director, told me the same thing. Anyone who has performed well will be offered good prospects in developing their careers.
What do you think about today's market conditions and, in particular, about escrow accounts and project financing? And how did legislative changes influence your decision to sell Etalon shares? And how will they generally affect “Etalon”?
Initially, when these initiatives appeared and there was uncertainty, I was opposed to these changes. Because they immediately attacked the equity participation agreement, saying that it was such an incorrect document, etc. But DDUs worked very well, and defrauded shareholders arose due to individual swindlers. Well, it’s a plus because of the decisions of district, regional, and federal authorities already during the implementation of projects. The project is calculated in full, profits, financial opportunities, etc. are determined, and changes begin during implementation. Of course this is bad.
But then I changed my mind, and today I fully support the transition to project financing. Of course, not everyone will survive this. And we are probably one of the first to adapt to transitional conditions, launching pilot projects in Moscow and St. Petersburg with project financing, including through escrow accounts.
I see absolutely nothing terrible, because after all, reason prevailed. The transition will not be abrupt. And those projects that are in progress today will be implemented according to the old scheme, if the developers have the desire. And those that are starting, in principle, will still be able to move on before July 1st. Of course, this will be difficult for small companies to do, but nevertheless possible.
This did not have any impact on the sale of my share, but it did affect the purchase of Leader-Invest. Now a trend toward consolidation has begun, and if this or that company does not grow and consolidate, then its fate may be disastrous. If there had not been a transaction to acquire Leader-Invest, which completely closed the deficit of our new projects for the next 5 years, then Etalon could have had problems.
- Would Leader-Invest have problems?
He would have problems too, of course. Since there is a trend towards consolidation in the market, then we need to follow this trend. And Leader-Invest understood this, and Etalon understood this very well. Therefore, merging these companies is a very smart move. And I think many more companies will follow us and will also begin to grow larger.
- Do I understand correctly that the Leader-Invest brand will cease to exist?
- “Etalon” will definitely not cease to exist. But Leader-Invest, most likely, yes. Because two such powerful brands should not compete with each other. Therefore, yes, Leader-Invest will still join the Etalon company and become part of it.
You already said at the beginning of the conversation that the new loan for Etalon would be comfortable, but what is the company’s total debt load now?
Before the deal, we had a positive balance sheet and no net debt. This was due not only to the fact that the company worked well, but also to the fact that in the last two years, as I already said, we practically did not acquire new projects. Therefore, the reserve was just needed to purchase new projects. And the amount of our gross debt has always been from 14 to 22 billion rubles, and today, if it exceeds these 22 billion, then this burden will already be for the merged company, and not just for Etalon. This is a normal load. After the transaction, the net debt amounted to only 13.3 billion rubles. The ratio of net debt to EBITDA will be 0.85x.
What specific competitive advantages will the merged company have over other market players?
The opportunity to acquire new projects will definitely increase in the future. We will unite management under our project management and, accordingly, specific overhead costs per square meter will decrease. Our vertically integrated management system will make itself felt, because our general contracting and subcontracting organizations, which are in Etalon, will calmly enter the facilities that Leader has today. Thus, they will receive a full load, and their profits will remain within the company, and not go to those contractors who are currently working at Leader’s facilities. Our CCTS system - a combined structural technological system - will be used at Leader facilities. Then, today the function of technical supervision is performed by our specialized company, which uses the BIM system, but Leader has not yet used it - this is also positive.
Well, and many others, the result will be obvious when the integration is completed. It is scheduled for completion in the third quarter of 2019.
Where will the merged company build more? Maybe it will go to Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other regions?
We have always said that we are developing 50 to 50. But today Leader-Invest is still a purely Moscow company, so I think the ratio will be 60 to 40 - more in Moscow, a little less in St. Petersburg. We also studied other regions, but we did not plan to go there in the next three years. But now that integration has taken place, this time period can be shortened. We looked at the Arkhangelsk region, Arkhangelsk itself, several million-plus cities, where the issue of housing construction is very acute.
How do you currently assess the conditions for doing business in St. Petersburg after the change of governor and supervisors of the construction industry?
You know, the change of government and governors affects those companies that enjoyed their favor or counted on it. We carry out our projects in working mode: from below, carefully, design and estimate documentation, planning projects are developed, and when everything is ready, then it goes to the upper level and is approved there in accordance with the law. Therefore, there will be no changes in relation to the Etalon company. This is clear. The changes will affect those who receive resolutions from above and then do not know what to do, because, in the end, it is necessary to do normal working and permitting documentation in accordance with the regulations and schemes that exist.
As for the new deputies who supervise construction in St. Petersburg. I don’t know, the guys are young, active, it seems to me that they will perform well. But they still need to use their energy with the funds that are allocated to them. Because the program for the construction of schools, kindergartens, clinics and other social facilities, with funds already allocated, has practically not been implemented in the last seven years. And it was funny, because literally 15-20% were mastered. The main issue for any private company is financing. But here they provide funding, but lack the ability to implement it. Here's what they need to pay attention to. If they build roads, schools, kindergartens, clinics, carry out landscaping, and so on at a faster pace and successfully, then it will be easier for companies involved in the development business.
