Petko A Vlaytchev

President
Penta Engineering Corp.

Location: St. Louis, MO
Founded: 1986
Industry: Engineering, Procurement, and Construction Management Services

In 1990, Petko A. Vlaytchev left his native country of Bulgaria at the age of 28, and went to Malta to work as an architect, designer, engineer and construction manager.

By 1992, he moved to Canada as a political refugee, and in 1993 found himself in the U.S. working for a grain equipment manufacturer. His journey with Penta Engineering Corp. began in 1996, when he started working as a junior structural engineer. In 2000, he became president of the company.

Vlaytchev has held many leadership roles at Penta, including working as the leading expert in structural engineering for the cement industry and as the director of engineering where he ran the operations of the largest group within the corporation with an average annual revenue of $8 million.

“As a result of the many years of experience I have behind me and the participation in many large and complex projects, I can say that I have become one of the most recognized structural engineers in the cement industry worldwide,” said Vlaytchev. “As a president, I have been able to benefit from my deep understanding of how engineering works to establish very good rapport with my employees and also develop mutually beneficial relationships with our clients.”

Penta Engineering Corporation is an international, multidisciplinary firm providing consulting and design/build solutions to the cement, lime, industrial minerals, mining, coal, frac sand and fertilizer industries.

Under Vlaytchev’s leadership, the firm has increased total employee count by 20% and experienced a 40% growth in revenue. “We have been able to stabilize our workforce in the last year and also add a number of new members to the team, who have brought a significant amount of knowledge and experience, allowing Penta to move into new markets, such as metal mining,” he said.

With Vlaytchev leading the way, the firm has expanded design and build offerings and has a 4 EPC project running concurrently for the first time ever. The firm has also begun to self-perform some of the construction work, which has allowed more control over cost while reducing exposure to price escalations.

He leads with the motto that you are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream and tries to instill this into his staff. “We all work together as a team and everyone’s positive contribution is essential for getting closer to achieving our goals,” said Vlaytchev.