Zakhar Smushkin began construction of the "Smart City" near St. Petersburg

Zakhar Davidovich Smushkin, the head of the construction company "Start Development", has launched the first phase of the "smart" satellite city project, "Yuzhny", which will be built in the Pushkin district of the Leningrad region.

As it became known in the summer of 2016, the first stage of development with an area of 200 hectares will not be sold by small areas to a pool of developers. Instead, "Start Development" will choose only one company as a buyer.

According to Zakhar Smushkin's plan, the selected developer will have to build on this site real estate with a total area of about 1 million square meters. M. For 5 years. At the same time, he will be able to pay the transaction in installments: first he will equip the necessary infrastructure at his own expense, and the rest will be able to pay in the course of selling his built residential real estate. On the territory of St. Petersburg, this transaction will be the largest in the last few years.

The choice in favor of this method of implementing the stages of the project is due to several reasons. First, with one developer it is much easier to coordinate the concept of development, architecture, sales strategy. And secondly, the territory acquired by a large developer makes neighboring areas more attractive, and as a result, their price increases.

Zakhar Smushkin's project - the satellite city "Yuzhny" - should become one of the major economic centers in the Leningrad region. It is worthwhile to give some data to estimate the scale: for the construction was purchased a site on both sides of the highway M20 - Kiev highway, total area - 2012 hectares; The total area of residential real estate - 4.9 million square meters. It is designed for at least 170 thousand people; It is planned to build at least 60 preschool educational institutions, 30 schools, 10 medical centers for the whole family; The total area of commercial and industrial real estate - 1.5 million square meters. M., It is designed to create more than 60 thousand jobs; The total volume of investments amounted to 209 billion rubles; The general term of the project is 19 years.

This project is favorably different from many others implemented in large cities, its concept: according to the idea, the city will be low-rise, its space will be comfortably integrated into the environment, and housing at a cost is designed for the middle class. The density of population will be less than in the northern capital, at least twice.

As noted by Zakhar Smushkin, when drawing up a town-planning policy, one should always remember not only the organization of residential areas, but also infrastructure and jobs. In the project "South" about a thousand hectares, that is, almost half allocated for the cluster of innovative production, a campus at ITMO, recreational zones.

The "Innovation of Science and Technology" at the St. Petersburg National Research University of Information Technologies, Mechanics and Optics (ITMO) will become a kind of "silicon valley" in miniature: it will carry out all stages of the production process of innovative products.

The main feature of this project is the extensive introduction of innovations in the organization of residential space - part of the electricity will be created by solar panels, and municipal transport will be electric buses, whose arrival can be monitored using mobile applications.

The construction of a whole city near the northern capital can not do without the development of infrastructure and transport networks. This aspect is also included in the project implementation.

More information about the author of the project.

Biography of Zakhar Smushkin

Zakhar Smushkin is one of the most successful businessmen in Russia.

He is primarily known as the founder and chairman of the board of directors of the pulp and paper concern "Ilim", the largest not only in the territory of Russia, but also in Europe.

He was born in St. Petersburg on January 23, 1962. He received his secondary education here. Smushkin since the childhood was distinguished by enthusiasm, perseverance, patience. At school I studied diligently and did not create problems for parents.

Zakhar Davidovich also decided to continue his education in his native city, he entered the Leningrad Institute of Pulp and Paper Industry. This period formed Smushkin's idea of in which sphere he would carry out his activities at the end of the university. Seriously interested in his specialty, Smushkin in 1984 takes another important step in mastering the profession - he enters the magistracy. Zakhar Davidovich successfully combines the writing of candidate work with the work on the specialty - a research associate in the NGO "Hydrolyzprom".

After the defense of the candidate, Zahar Smushkin, having extensive knowledge in the specialty and work experience, easily receives the post of the head of the technical department at the international enterprise "Technoferm-engineering". Thanks to the professionalism of the young specialist, the company manages to attract investments and subsequently modernize the technologies in production.

In 1992, having secured the support of the management of Tekhnoferm-Engineering and his colleagues, the Zingarevich brothers, Zakhar Smushkin formed the organization of ZAO Ilim Pulp Enterprises, where he held the post of general director from the moment of foundation until 2001. And from 2001 to 2007 - the post of chairman of the board of directors.

In parallel, from 1996 to 1998, Zakhar Smushkin was on the supervisory board of Vneshtorgbank (VTB), which allowed him to deepen his knowledge of economics and finance, and since 2001 he has been the Expert Council for Economic Development and Investment Plenipotentiary representative of the President of the Russian Federation in the North-West Federal District.

Initially, the organization was created as an exporter of pulp in small quantities, but quickly managed to accumulate capital on this activity, it completely switches directly to the forest industry. "Ilim" begins to actively integrate into its structure the enterprises of the industry, during the first few years of operation, it acquires more than 30 logging enterprises. Among them, the two largest ones are: Kotlas Pulp and Paper Mill (purchased in 1994) and Ust-Ilimsky Forestry Complex (purchased in 2000).

Zakhar Davidovich Smushkin in the post of general director of the group of companies "Ilim" made almost incredible: in a stagnating economy against the background of the collapse of the USSR, he united more than 30 enterprises in the largest paper industry concern in the Russian Federation. By this he literally saved the industry itself, creating a positive dynamic in terms of financial and technical performance of enterprises; Has saved a lot of jobs, and also gave a new round of development to the economy of the entire Russian North-West district. By 2001, Ilim was already actively operating in European markets.

Zakhar Smushkin is not only a specialist in his field, a talented businessman and an effective manager, but also an innovator: for the first time on the territory of Russia he used vertical integration technology that allows more effective management of a large number of enterprises themselves and business processes in them .

In 2007, Ilim Holding was restructured into an open joint-stock company Ilim Group in order to improve the efficiency of its operations. In the company, Zakhar Davidovich also holds the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors for the present. Thanks to the restructuring, the company, despite the crisis that hit the world economy in 2008, was able to maintain a positive growth rate of technical and financial indicators.

At the moment OJSC Ilim Group is the largest company in the forestry and pulp and paper industry not only in Russia, but also in Europe. Here are just some statistical indicators that allow us to assess the scale of its work:

- Annually the company harvests raw wood in the amount of more than 10 million cubic meters.

- The company's share in the pulp, boxboard and paper produced in Russia is 75, 77 and 10%, respectively.

But Ilim is not limited to providing only the domestic market. Thus, by exporting bleached softwood and hardwood pulp to the People's Republic of China, the company covers one-third of the country's needs with one and a half billion people in this product.

As we see from the above statistics, the group of companies has an unprecedented scale of production. In such circumstances, it is especially important to comply with all prescribed environmental standards. Zakhar Davidovich as head of the "Ilim" copes with this task perfectly: the enterprise has strict control over compliance with all necessary environmental standards. In addition to the mandatory part of the work in this area, Smushkin also carries out activities on his own initiative: he has membership in the Council for the Development of the Forestry Complex under the Government of the Russian Federation and makes recommendations for improving and developing the country's forest wealth. In addition, Ilim implements all possible assistance in the implementation of environmental measures, both at the state and international levels. In general, the monitoring of compliance with environmental norms is carried out not only within the framework of obligations - government organizations or the enterprise itself, but also ordinary citizens: its implementation is often attracted to volunteers, employees of non-state institutions, just indifferent citizens, as well as students of schools and higher education institutions. One of the main vectors of the "Ilim" works in the sphere of ecology is the positive balance of planting and cutting down forest tracts, ie, Their increment. As already noted, Ilim promotes international organizations in the field of nature protection. For example, in 2012 the group of companies began to cooperate with WWF. On the initiative of Zakhar Davidovich, Verkhnevashkinsky forest in the Arkhangelsk region is on the guardianship of Ilim. It is not protected at the legislative level, therefore the company rents it on charitable grounds under a moratorium contract for cutting down the given territory.

OJSC "Ilim Group" is one of the most transparent and accessible for civil control, not only in environmental but also in financial sphere.

In the Russian market, the company leads the way in terms of the degree of innovation: financial, technical, managerial. This allows it to maintain a positive growth even in the period of aggravation of the influence of crisis factors in the country.

Activity Zahar Smushkin carries out not only within the management of the "Group of companies" Ilim ". In 2007, the restructuring carried out on it allowed the release of financial resources for the development of business in other areas.

All in the same 2007 Smushkin opens in St. Petersburg a network of supermarkets "Domovoy" (formerly "Start"), which carries out wholesale and retail trade of goods for minor repairs, for home and everyday life.

In the same year in the cultural capital Smushkin created a construction development company "Start Development". At the moment, its largest and most famous project is the construction of the satellite city "Yuzhny", located in the Pushkin district of St. Petersburg.

The second largest project of the company "Start Development" can be called the industrial park "Doni-Verevo" in the northern part of Gatchina district of St. Petersburg. The area of the park will be 185 hectares, in this area will be located about 30 production and logistics (storage facilities) enterprises.

In addition, Start Development is also involved in a number of smaller projects. Among them you can note the "Golden Keys" - the area of low-rise buildings, "Tayberry" - sites for suburban development, as well as land for housing in the Gatchina and Pushkin districts of St. Petersburg. The general "land bank" of the company has more than 40 million square meters. M.

The scale of Zakhar Davidovich's activities is very large, and on the whole it can be said that he is making a huge contribution to the development of the economy of the North-West District of the Russian Federation, and in particular of his native St. Petersburg.

As in the case with the environmental side of the operation of the largest pulp and paper enterprise, Zakhar Davidovich, owning a construction firm, actively participates in the discussion of urban planning issues. As, for example, in 2016 at the II International Spatial Development Forum, which was held on September 26-27 in St. Petersburg. Smushkin noted the relevance of the issue of polycentric development of the city against the backdrop of the implementation of such major projects as the construction of the satellite city Yuzhny in Pushkinsky District and the Lakhta Center social and business complex in the Primorsky District, which presupposes, among other things, the construction of the highest in Russia and Europe skyscraper. According to Zakhar Davidovich, such a vector of development of the northern capital will be formed due to the presence in both projects of plans to provide jobs, as well as their multifunctionality.

In addition to doing business and actively discussing issues that accompany him, Zakhar Smushkin carries out educational activities as part of initiative government and business groups, as well as as a lecturer in higher educational institutions.

He is a member of the State Technological University of Plant Polymers in St. Petersburg and is a member of his board, besides he has the status of an honorary doctor at the St. Petersburg State Forestry University named after SM. Kirov. And within the framework of educational activity it introduces the latest technologies into the students' curricula. In addition to lecturing, Zakhar Smushkin provides jobs at the enterprises of the Ilim Group for passing industrial pre-graduation practice.

In addition, Zakhar Davidovich is a member of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs, which distributes the mechanisms of vertical integration developed personally and smoothly at their enterprises. These mechanisms have shown efficiency in deducing the branches of the economy from stagnation by the example of "Ilim".

Smushkin is also in the Council for the Development of the Forestry Complex of the Russian Federation under the Government of the Russian Federation, and has shown good results at the highest government levels. Thus, Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister of the Russian Federation, notes that Zakhar Davidovich is a very valuable specialist in the forest industry.

Zakhar Davidovich Smushkin, with his work, makes an invaluable contribution not only to the development of the Russian economy, but also seeks to modernize those spheres in which he conducts business, while not forgetting about ecology. Also, one should not underestimate his contribution to the training of new cadres - he trains and motivates students with his knowledge and his own example.

In general Smushkin's biography is an illustrative example of how a native of a simple family can achieve very high heights thanks to his enthusiasm and perseverance. It is worth mentioning the list of his most significant achievements:

- Creation of the largest in Russia and Europe company for the production of cardboard and cellulose.

- The first in the Russian Federation introduced the technology of vertical integration of enterprises.

- He is a member of the Presidium of the Russian Society of Entrepreneurs.

- Honorary Doctor at the St. Petersburg State Forestry University named after SM Kirov, Honorary Professor at the St. Petersburg State Technological University of Plant Polymers.

- Rating of the most successful businessmen: 37th in the rating, the size of the capital - 52nd.

- The rating of the richest businessmen of Russia according to the magazine "Forbes" - 114th place.

- "Billionaires Rating", edition, - 6th place (108 billion rubles).

However, according to the latest news, in January 2017 Zakhar Smushkin entered the TOP-30 of the most influential people of St. Petersburg, taking it in 29th place. The project of the satellite city promoted by the businessman is being discussed by the federal center and Smolny, the idea of such construction of the city of a new format in the whole society provokes neutral and positive emotions: people will get comfortable, comfortable residential quarters, the city will invest (for example, it was announced recently The signing of the IBM Corporation and the company "Start-Development" agreement on technological cooperation in the design and construction of the satellite city).

Family, hobbies

In addition, that Zakhar Smushkin is a very successful businessman, he is also an exemplary family man. Together with his wife he raises his son. In the rest, little is known about his personal life, as he and his family do not seek to shock the media and lead a non-public, rather modest life. Among his hobbies Zakhar Davidovich calls chess and tennis. In addition, he is fascinated by the collection of paintings, preferring Russian painters at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries, among them Vrubel notes as a beloved artist.

However, Smushkin's interest in the world of art is not limited to Russian painters. So, on November 12, 2016, the Small Hermitage opened an exhibition of Japanese art of the Meiji era entitled "Perfection in Detail". All the exhibits for her were provided by Zakhar Davidovich from a personal collection, carefully collected for a fairly long period of time.

As the businessman himself noted, working in the "material world" makes a person more cynical and pragmatic, while collecting art objects, including decorative and applied art, contributes to spiritual development, knowledge of the world. The exhibits presented at the exhibition, the skill with which they are performed, reflect the evolution of many philosophical questions of mankind.

Further all Smushkin's personal collection will be placed on a permanent exposition in the museum in the satellite city "Southern", as, according to the businessman, work on this project encouraged him to start collecting.