Profile: Robert O. Agbede., President and CEO and owner of Chester Engineers

Robert O. Agbede., President and CEO of Chester Engineers

Nigerian born Robert O. Agbede is the President and CEO and owner of Chester Engineers – the largest black-owned environmental and engineering design company in the United States and the largest water and wastewater treatment plant design and management company in Western Pennsylvania.

Agbede acquired Chester Engineers in 2003 from from U.S. Filter Co., making it part of the ATS Group, the company he founded in 1987. Under his stewardship, Chester Engineers headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, has expanded and has a presence throughout the United States as well as international affiliates and handles projects around the world.

Mr. Agbede was selected by the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) as their 2012 NSBE Golden Torch Award honoree for Entrepreneur of the Year. He was nominated and selected because of the significant impact he has made on the community and his contributions to the African American Community.

Agbede is an alumnus of the University of Pittsburgh where he earned a B.S. and an M.S. in Mining Engineering. In 2000, the University honored Agbede by installing him in their prestigious “Engineering Hall of Fame.” In 2002, at the University of Pittsburgh School of Engineering, a Robert O. Agbede Scholarship was established by ATS Group to encourage and assist African-American youths to pursue a career in Engineering.

Chester Engineers also established a Robert O. Agbede Diversity Award at the university to encourage the recruitment and retention of qualified African-American students and faculty members. In addition, Chester Engineers has two endowments at Carnegie Mellon University and at the University of Pittsburgh presently valued at over US$3.0 million with a focus on African-American student enrollment and retention.

Agbede is dedicated to providing mentorship to small minority businesses and serves on several boards namely: the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Engineering Board of Visitors; founding Board Member and former Chair of the African American Chamber of Commerce of Western Pennsylvania for seven years; and the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, where he later served as Chairman of the Board of the Pittsburgh branch.

More about Mr. Agbede can be found here…