All those who are interested in whether it is possible to grow from a small seller of seeds into a serious businessman, whose current position is not only stable in the country's commercial market, but also continues to grow rapidly from year to year, it is recommended to read this article. It will be dedicated to a person who has managed to prove to many that doing food is far from essential, you can put your company in the top of the most successful companies according to the Forbes economic magazine. His name is Denis Shtengelov, by the age of 45 he became the king of snacks, seeds, waffles, sweets and chips, he was able to open a sports academy in Australia for those who are professionally engaged in tennis and golf. But first things first.
The usual Soviet childhood spent in the outback
Shtengelov Denis Nikolaevich was born on May 14, 1972 in the Tomsk village of Gubino, whose population is just over 500 people. His father Nikolai was at that time the director of the Nelyubinsky state farm. Denis Shtengelov has a rather big family: in addition to his brother Igor, there are two more sisters (Oksana and Julia). Denis’s mother died after giving birth, and his father soon married a second time, because it was very difficult for a man with two small sons in his arms, so the businessman’s sisters are stepsisters.
In different countries and cities, but together
He grew up in a friendly atmosphere and still maintains the warmest relations with his loved ones, despite the fact that almost the whole family has moved to different parts of the world. Brother Igor lives with his family in Russia and is Denis Shtengelov’s business partner, his father went to Ukraine, where he is engaged in agriculture. His affairs are also closely related to the business of sons. The younger sister Oksana is a manager by education, lives with her family in the capital. The elder sister Julia lived in Switzerland for a long time, and now she moved to Australia, where she helps to manage Denis Shtengelov’s business related to the sports complex, which was recently built. We will talk about it below.
Time to learn and first steps in business
In 1990, Shtengelov entered the Tomsk State University at the Department of Economics. There he met the guys with whom he successfully studied at the same faculty, and upon graduation, in 1994, tried his hand at business. At the very beginning of his career, Denis Shtengelov made attempts to engage in household appliances, but this sales industry did not bring him the desired results, and he and his friends quickly abandoned the dubious undertaking.
Sunflower seeds
In the same 1994, together with his comrades, he decided to try his hand at the wholesale trade in raw seeds. It would seem that such an idea did not guarantee any financial success, because the partners of Shtengelov and his friends were retired grandmothers. They bought up raw products and were engaged in its distribution to the masses, though fried. In the dashing 90 in our country there were a huge number of such grannies, they could be seen in every city. Less than two years later, friends, led by Denis Shtengelov, were able in their native village to build a small enterprise that was engaged in the production of sunflower oil. It was an oil packing factory "Guba oil". It is worth noting that his father Nikolai Shtengelov rendered great help to the initial stages of building a business. Well, then the matter only gained momentum, and no one could stop the businessman. He fell into his midst.
The first major purchase
One of the crucial decisions made on the way to financial success by the head and owner Denis Shtengelov was the acquisition of a confectionery factory Yashkino, located near Kemerovo. That was in 1997. By that time, the factory was in a deplorable state, but this state of affairs did not bother the businessman at all. Rumor has it that Shtengelov took the cash loan necessary for the acquisition of Yashkino in the name of his older sister Julia, who at that time was a student at the University of Foreign Languages. The professional instinct did not deceive the businessman, and a competent approach to business helped to raise the enterprise and bring it to the leading position among competitors in the shortest possible time. Already in 2004, the Yashkino confectionery factory was awarded the prize of the Russian Federation as the largest producer of wafers in our country.
Holding base
Following the success in the confectionery business, in 2002 Shtengelov organized a holding called "KDV-Group", which includes five food factories located and operating in the Urals and Siberia. By the way, according to the Forbes financial and economic magazine, Shtengelov’s holding now occupies 90th place in terms of income calculated for the annual period, out of 200 claiming the title of enterprise leader. KDV-Group has bypassed such giants as Yandex and Pegas Touristik. In 2015, the holding's indicators were not so high, but quite good - they held 128th place.
Buying snacks and saltfish businesses
Nobody was going to rest on their laurels, and the story of the businessman’s prosperity was just beginning to gain momentum. In 2008, Denis Shtengelov, general director of KDV Group, acquired two enterprises focused on the production of snacks and salted fish snacks: Bridgetown Foods and Siberian Coast. In 2010, the businessman also buys the Golden Tower, which was the copyright holder for the Barents brand. Currently, KDV-Group has developed so extensively that it has more than 100 thousand outlets throughout Russia. Branches of the enterprise moved from Siberia closer to administrative centers and railways. However, the head office of the holding is still located in the city of Tomsk. Shtengelov Denis notes that the company is able to function properly and generate good income only by being located in the immediate vicinity of the capital, therefore, it is slowly transporting all its offices and plants successfully developing in the North closer to the center.
"Granny seeds" and the confectionery factory "Red Star"
In 2013, the general director and co-owner of KDV-Group decided to purchase the company for the production of packaged seeds "Babkiny seeds." It was a very good deal, according to Denis Shtengelov himself, because a ready-made business was acquired that brought good annual income, namely 5 billion rubles. In the same year, the Krasnaya Zvezda confectionery was also bought. This deal turned out absolutely spontaneously, and nobody even thought about it, just received a proposal, which was considered as soon as possible. Despite the fact that the confectionery factory, like Babkina Seeds, was an operating enterprise capable of generating income, Denis Nikolayevich Shtengelov wanted to modernize everything there. Firstly, in his own words, the enterprise is far from the center, and he would like it to be located somewhere in Voronezh. Secondly, the technology for the production of chocolates, which the staff used before the purchase, has long been outdated and gone into oblivion. Shtengelov wanted to change almost everything: staff, equipment, location, chocolate recipe. By the way, he successfully completed all this, except for moving the factory to a new place of residence. This still remains in the plans of the businessman. And the famous Sprint candy bar, the chocolate recipe of which was successfully changed with the arrival of a new leader, is still very popular among our country’s sweet tooth.
Personal life
Shtengelov Denis Nikolaevich, whose biography was mentioned just above, is successfully married and is a happy family man. He has three children: two adult sons of 17 and 16 years old and a seven-year-old daughter. In 2010, the whole family moved to live in Australia, and now Shtengelov is forced to tear between the affairs that are conducted in Russia, and their loved ones. His eldest son is engaged in tennis and more than once has taken part in significant competitions in our country, Australia, as well as in the United States of America. Experts predict a successful sports future for him. The second son also goes to school to teach tennis at the professional level. Perhaps such a strong enthusiasm for the businessman’s children in tennis led him to a decision to build a sports complex.
Investing in sports
Denis Nikolayevich Shtengelov, the general director and founder of the KDV Group industrial holding, had long planned to build a sports complex in the city of Tomsk, but for some reason his plans changed. Perhaps the reason for this was the departure of the businessman’s family from Russia to Australia, or maybe the king of snacks, seeds and sweets decided to make his way abroad. But be that as it may, the new sports complex has already been built and commissioned in Australia in the city of Gold Coast, Queensland. Incidentally, this state is very concerned about the lives of its citizens and is considered a paradise for living. There, even in the center of the urban jungle, authorities built an artificial island with a real ocean, in which there is neither water from it, nor even real waves. The sports center, built on the investment of a Russian businessman, is a tennis academy and a golf club. At the head of the new sports complex, Stengelov put his sister Julia, who succeeded Switzerland, where she lived for the past 15 years, to Australia in 2010. The sports center owns a vast territory, thanks to which 40 golf courses focused on long-range shots could be placed here right away. The field is equipped with 12 holes. Also in the center you can engage in a mini version of the popular game. For her, platforms equipped with 18 holes are thought out. It is worth saying that both fields are equipped with the latest technology and are controlled by specially invited trainers of the highest categories. Laser ball tracking, ultra-sensitive cameras that track the player on the field and a sound signal informing you of the right position to hit are not all the high-tech innovations installed in the sports complex.
Family ties
Denis Shtengelov, whose fortune is estimated at a pretty tidy sum, in the new sports center also thought out everything for tennis players. It fit 12 courts with a special coating and 8 with a hard. A special reflective wall has been built for young children and there are squash courts. There are restaurants, shops, a swimming pool and much more on the territory of the sports complex, so it can rightfully be considered an entertainment center. This project is their joint brainchild with their sister, which might not have happened if the Shtengelov family hadn’t been to Queensland, Australia in 2004. Then they did not go on a planned vacation to Thailand because of the flood, but went on vacation to Australia. Since then, the entire businessman’s family has fallen in love with Tasmania and a country famous for its abundance of kangaroos.
