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Vijay ManthripragadaHas been President and CEO of Montrose Environmental Group since 2015 and is a member of the company’s board.
He was previously the CEO of ecommerce firm PetCareRx Inc., senior Vice President in the Investment Banking Division at Goldman Sachs, and director at the Advisory Board Co. He was also a member of Johnson & Johnson’s management development program and helped establish the Children’s Medical Foundation in Europe. He co-founded White Buffalo Tiospaye in South Dakota, a youth shelter for Native American kids.
Manthripragada received his MBA from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and his bachelor’s degree from Duke University and Oxford University.
What made North Little Rock such a desirable location for a corporate headquarter?
Although many locations were considered, our final decision was based on a few key factors. First, our company has expanded both nationally and globally. This makes it easier to do business in a Central Time Zone, especially with our expansions on the East Coast of Europe.
CTEH recognizes that our employees are talented and has been able promote and hire outstanding colleagues in Arkansas. We also own the land and building in North Little Rock, which allows us to expand and meet our needs.
Lastly, Gov. Asa Hutchinson generously offered many incentives and wanted to make sure we were a part the community. Arkansas is now our corporate home.
Please explain what Montrose does in layman’s terms.
We help clients understand, measure, and manage their environmental risk. We help clients measure and manage their methane emissions and the quality of their surrounding air. As another example, we help clients remove PFAS, the “forever chemicals,” from water. We offer environmental solutions. Our mission is to protect the air we breathe, water we drink, and soil that sustains us.
Montrose, where is the growth?
We grow both organically as well as through acquisitions. Our most recent results show that we are doing both organically and through acquisitions in 2021. Organic growth is more prominent than it was in the past. We work in a highly fragmented field that offers plenty of opportunity for growth and expansion.
What was your biggest mistake in your career?
The biggest mistakes I’ve made often involve people, particularly when I don’t really listen and understand them completely. Specifically, I’ve moved people into roles before they were ready or when they did not really want to be moved though they said they did. I try hard to provide opportunities and I put trust in people to perform; when they can’t, I am responsible and accountable.
Over my career and even before, I’ve learned a lot from being a part of and building teams. Listening and observing — not just to words but to the sentiment and action behind the words — and truly understanding how to get people to thrive (and incentivizing them to do so) is the most important part of my job, and I can certainly be better at it.
