Feliks Chertok Full Biography - How the personality of the owner influences the development of a successful brand

Behind successful companies stand thousands of people - managers, marketers, production specialists, technologists, accountants, and financiers. But it always starts with one person - the founder. The one who was not afraid to lose everything if nothing worked out, the one who decided to take a risk and bring an idea to life.

Thanks to such individuals the economy moves forward, millions of jobs exist, and the world changes. In this article, we will talk about Felix Chertok and his journey to success.

He started his entrepreneurial journey at the age of 16.

Chertok Felix started working and developing his own business in the early 90s. Having a business in 1990 was extremely challenging, as the country was just beginning its path to free trade and capitalism, and the first entrepreneurs were true pioneers and explorers in their field. Feliks Chertok initiated a video rental service — and in 1994, he ventured into wholesale trade of alcoholic beverages and food products.

When a business is growing, it's always important to seize the opportunity to engage partners. As volumes increase rapidly, additional resources are needed to meet consumer demand. For Chertok Felix, this moment arrived in 1998 — he finds manufacturing partners to collaborate on the distribution of his own products. This marked the beginning of a new chapter in the development of Felix Chertok's business.

Founded the "AV" Trading House

Felix Chertok is currently developing the distribution network of Trading House "AB," where over 370 employees work. Annually, the company supplies over 24 million bottles of various high-quality alcoholic beverages to the market. These are well-known brands both in Ukraine and abroad:

• Green Day;
• Ukraїnka;
• Helsinki
• Adjari;
• Dovbush Carpathian;
• Kosher Collection vines.

Felix Chertok is developing these brands in Ukraine, but he is already working on their recognition abroad. Unfortunately, due to the war, it is extremely difficult for companies to stay afloat, let alone grow. Therefore, every enterprise that is currently operating, supports the economy and provides job opportunities is a powerful resource that helps Ukraine. Each of these brands on the international stage once again demonstrates the resilience of people who are developing businesses in Ukraine. Nothing can get in our way.

Creating a team of like-minded individuals who develop the best products that people love, Community involvement, development, and social initiatives—these are the priorities that Felix Chertok defines for each company. Modern consumers value products from ethical and socially responsible brands. This is a trend that companies should support and nurture by creating an environment of consumers and companies with an active civic stance.

Engaged in charity

As mentioned above, profit is just one aspect of business. Helping those in need is an extremely important part of every socially responsible company. Chertok Felix has been involved in philanthropic activities for over 15 years. Among his projects are:

1. Guardianship Board of the Dnipro Jewish Community. Since 2010, Chertok Felix has been its chairman, and every year, over 15,000 people and 30 institutions receive assistance.
2. The "Ba'it Levanot" Boarding House, which he took under his wing in 2012. Felix Chertok organized fundraising for the reconstruction of the boarding house building, where girls who became orphans at a young age live. Thanks to the assistance, all residents of the boarding house receive quality education and have a decent life.
3. "Beit Baruch" is a home for elderly people where approximately 100 individuals reside. Currently, half of its residents are internally displaced persons who have been affected by the war. Thanks to "Beit Baruch," they have a roof over their heads, food, and access to professional medical and psychological assistance.
4. Charitable assistance to the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU). Felix Chertok's business, the "AV" Trade House, has been supporting the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Ukrainians since the beginning of the full-scale invasion on February 24, 2022. With company funds, necessary ammunition has been purchased for all employees who joined the ranks of the AFU. For over a year and a half, the company has been donating funds on a monthly basis for military equipment and humanitarian aid to accelerate the return of peace in Ukraine.
5. Creative and social projects - Chertok Felix invests resources in ideas that help society develop and supports educational initiatives.

Cares about the environment

One of the flagship brands of the "AV" Trade House is the Green Day vodka. Environmental sustainability is given great attention at every stage of the production of this product. The entire technological process complies with the international environmental standards ISO 14024, which is considered the "gold standard" and is followed in 56 countries worldwide.

Thanks to innovation in production, Green Day vodka contains 2.5 times less fusel oils and aldehydes than the permissible norm! This ensures that consumers receive a clean, safe, and high-quality product from a responsible business. AS each batch is carefully tested to meet the standard samples, eliminating the possibility of even the slightest error.

Invests in IT startups

The whole world is digitizing, and the Ukrainian IT sector is developing dynamically, even despite the war. This is the only industry that in 2022 increased exports from abroad and provided revenues of $7.34 billion.

Impressive numbers, but another promising direction is the development of IT companies within the country.

This is an opportunity for investment in the future, an international image, and more jobs. Among the projects in which Felix Chertok invests:

• "Blitz" is a mobile trading program for distribution companies. It will help to increase sales, optimize activities, improve control and analytics;
• an electronic document flow program that helps to automate and speed up daily decision-making, to ensure business transparency. The program also aims to reduce the number of paper documents, thereby saving time and resources. It is especially useful for centralized companies with a developed network of representative offices.
• an electronic tender for efficient procurement of goods and services, logistics. This development helps to reduce the purchase prices of goods and services, provides absolute transparency for the supplier company and the buyer company, aimed at reducing bureaucracy, building an effective chain of interaction between the customer and the contractor.

"Entrepreneurship is DNA, and entrepreneurs are people who create new products, change the world, define the face of the country," from the Feliks Chertok dossier.

Constantly studying

Chertok Felix has completed more than 50 business trainings in Ukraine and abroad on the topics of team management, sales technology, marketing, finance and investments. Chertok Felix also admires the methodology of Yitzhak Calderon Adizes, a leading expert in change management. Thanks to his management techniques, companies can radically change without chaos.

Sharing knowledge is another path to development. That's why Chertok Felix surrounds himself with people who are equally willing to continuously learn, open to new practices, and ready to exchange ideas. This applies to both business partners and company employees, as well as friends.

Every businessman has his own path to success. Therefore, be inspired by the successes of others, but remember that you are paving a new way.