Olekh Zhokhov is a businessman who knows everything about the removal, disposal and recycling of waste. He heads the MAG Group holding, successfully develops projects in Dubai and Europe. In the Nizhny Novgorod region, it owns the MAG-1 household waste landfill, built using the most advanced technologies. With vast experience and knowledge behind him in the field of waste processing, Zhokhov is not going to be satisfied with what has already been achieved. His life goal: "To be the best in what you do!"
Early years and early career
Zhokhov Oleg Viktorovich was born on March 25, 1967 in the city of Gorky (now Nizhny Novgorod) into an ordinary Soviet family with an average income. Father Viktor Mikhailovich worked as a driver, mother Nina Yegorovna worked as a salesman. Oleg graduated from high school in his hometown, then served in the Soviet army (1985-1987).
Returning home, Zhokhov began his career as a radio mechanic in the Automobile Department of the Regional Department of Internal Affairs. At the same time, I thought about the need for higher education. He received his diploma in radio engineering from the Leningrad Electrotechnical Institute of Communications in 1993.
His first place of work related to waste processing was the Blitz-B company. Zhokhov headed it on July 1, 1993. The company was engaged in the processing of plastic waste, from which it produced popular household products:
- plastic basins;
- garden hoses;
- cutting boards;
- plastic buckets;
- clothes hangers;
- hiking glasses;
- hooks.
At the end of 1996, as a result of the reorganization, Blitz-B turned into ZAO Gostkhimprom. Zhokhov remained at the helm of the company until 2001. Then he headed the non-profit organization "City Fund for the Support of Entrepreneurship".
Garbage business
The businessman has been interested in waste recycling for a long time, and in 2001 he completed an educational course on this topic. Zhokhov is a certified specialist in the construction and operation of solid waste landfills. The knowledge gained was useful to him in his new job: in December 2002, Oleg Viktorovich became the director of the municipal enterprise "Recycling of household waste". Six months later, the state organization became a limited liability company and changed its name to "Recycling of household waste in Nizhny Novgorod". Zhokhov retained the post of general director.
In 2007, together with his business partner Vadim Agafonov, he created the Agzho company, which united many firms and developed three areas of activity:
- housing management;
- removal and disposal of waste;
- operation of landfills.
The Agzho company has repeatedly got into scandalous stories related to unfair business conduct. For example, the Borodino solid waste landfill was built in dangerous proximity to settlements, which posed a threat to human health and served as a pretext for litigation. Another case concerned the dissatisfaction of the residents of the houses belonging to “Agjo”. They regularly paid for repairs and maintenance, but in the case of dilapidated houses, they tried to transfer them back to municipal offices, which meant only a deterioration in the quality of building maintenance.
Polygon "MAG-1"
The most important project implemented by Oleg Zhokhov is the modern landfill for household waste "MAG-1". In 2009, the businessman created the MAG-Group holding and began to implement an idea that had no analogues in Russia. On the territory of the Nizhny Novgorod region, he decided to create a high-tech complex working in three directions:
- landfill for neutralization and burial of waste, bulky and construction waste;
- waste sorting and processing plant;
- collection and use of landfill gas for electricity generation.
The opening of the landfill took place in 2012. It has implemented modern European technologies to protect water and soil from waste pollution. Garbage trucks arriving at the landfill undergo mandatory weighing at the entrance and exit to control the amount of garbage delivered. Also, all garbage is checked for the presence of radioactive sources.
In 2014, Mag-Group began construction of a waste sorting complex, and on May 25, 2018 it officially began its work. Uninterrupted round-the-clock work should ensure the processing of about 470 tons per year. The technological process is equipped with conveyor belts, optical sensors and sorting magnets. For processing, cardboard, paper, film, bags, non-ferrous and ferrous metals, tetra-packaging, and a mixture of plastics are isolated. Secondary raw materials are stored in the warehouse in the form of briquettes.
Moving from Russia
In 2012, the investigative authorities became interested in the activities of the Agzho company. Fearing criminal proceedings, Zhokhov moved to the UAE, where he headed the MAG GROUP company. In Dubai, he has completed yet another recycling project for Arab clients. Taking into account the specifics of the country, one of the customer's proposals was to cover waste containers with gilding. They were also interested in Zhokhov's business in Italy, he was invited to a meeting by the mayor of Rome.
Despite the promise not to increase tariffs for waste disposal, in 2016 a wave of discontent among residents of Nizhny Novgorod was caused by a sharp rise in the price of a cubic meter of waste by 66%. On this topic on the channel "Russia 1" a film by Arkady Mamontov "Poisonous Business" was released. The film showed a video two years ago, in which Zhokhov, with a baseball bat in his hands, promises to "remove bawlers" from his business.
Now Oleg Viktorovich still lives in the UAE, occasionally visiting Russia on business. Although recently, according to him, he is increasingly thinking about creating a new project in his homeland.
Personal life and hobbies
For the first time Zhokhov got married after the army. From his marriage to Elena Shmarina, he has a daughter, Elizabeth. The second wife was Svetlana Pnachina, who gave the businessman a son, Matvey.
Contrary to his occupation, Zhokhov is no stranger to a philosophical view of the world. In 2006 he became a member of the International Academy of Informatization. This organization is often accused of promoting pseudoscience, since it conducts research and graduates specialists in ufology, cosmology, telepathy, astrology and other non-material phenomena.
Another unusual hobby of a businessman is participation in the Order of the Knights Templar. According to him, Zhokhov was brought into the ranks of the Templars by the need for spiritual and social activities that he could carry out with his children.
Taking a break from the business and affairs of the Order, Oleg Viktorovich travels, plays tennis, goes in for shooting, and studies alternative history.
