On 28 March, SPbGASU hosted a presentation of the book “A word of six zeros. The true story of one capital”, dedicated to the founder of the Etalon Group of Companies Vyacheslav Zarenkov. Its author, biographer Igor Weber, told the success story of one of the richest entrepreneurs in Russia.

Vyacheslav Zarenkov was born on 28 March, 1951 in the Vitebsk region. In 1977 he graduated from the evening faculty of the Leningrad Civil Engineering Institute (now SPbGASU) with a degree in Industrial and Civil Engineering. He went from a worker-fitter to the head of department. In 1987, he founded and headed the LenSpetsSMU company, on the basis of which the Etalon Group of Companies was subsequently created. In 1997, he started the PhD course at our university, two years later he defended his dissertation and received the academic titles of PhD of Engineering Sciences and PhD of Architecture.

Vyacheslav Zarenkov is the author of about 200 patents for inventions, over 30 construction and investment projects, 10 books and over 100 scientific articles. He is the member of the Council of the NP "Association of Builders of St Petersburg"; author of the international socio-cultural project "Creating the World"; member of the Union of Artists of Russia, participant of art exhibitions, laureate of awards. He was awarded several orders of the Russian Orthodox Church. He conducts extensive charitable activities, including guardianship of children's institutions and the restoration of churches.

The guests of the presentation learned interesting facts from the life of Vyacheslav Adamovich.

• One of the richest businessmen in Russia went to school barefoot - his mother did not give him shoes so that he would not walk, but looked after his sister at home.
• Dreaming of becoming a filmmaker as a child, he studied the magazine "Young Technician" and assembled a camera.
• The young man failed to enter the full-time department of LISI.
• Among his ideas, which have been widely used, are a shared construction agreement, combined structural and technological systems.
• The Etalon company has built more than eight million square meters of real estate in Moscow, the Moscow Region, St Petersburg and the Leningrad Region - this is a small city of 350 thousand inhabitants.
• He is friends with the pilot-cosmonaut Alexei Leonov, the first man to go into outer space.

Igor Weber considers that the main idea of his book is the essentiality of finding the main word in order to build your life route along it. The author also shared information about his other work - the biographical story about Vyacheslav Zarenkov "Creator". The writer claims that creation is impossible without love. You can not be an evil person and at the same time a creator.

Gratitude to Igor Weber was expressed by Irina Lugovskaia, the SPbGASU Vice-Rector for Youth Policy.

“It is a great honor to hold a meeting on the birthday of this person who is directly related to the university and has contributed to its development,” the Vice-Rector emphasized.

Irina Lugovskaia

After the presentation, the meeting participants recorded a video greeting to Vyacheslav Adamovich Zarenkov. Everyone could receive a book as a gift. Igor Weber held an autograph session.