Pavel Snkhchyan is a life-long learner. He joined student-fueled Armenian startup Sourcio in 2005 as a Product Manager for the nascent development firm, becoming VP of Project and Program Management in 2011 as well as the overall head of the business. Around that time, Pavel began working with U.S.-based Fortra, and the client quickly became a favorite. The partnership grew based on shared core values, and Fortra acquired Sourcio in April 2016.
Along the way, Pavel was able to help build a friendly, highly productive culture that prioritized relationships and state-of-the-art processes. Today as part of Fortra, he and his colleagues work together to create a quintessential combination of Armenian and multi-national cultural influences to continue the tradition of innovative and successful solution development.
Sourcio’s History: A Learning Mindset
Sourcio was founded in 2005 in Yerevan, Armenia with a mission to modify open source products and bring fully developed solutions to market. Soon after it pivoted to become an outsourced software service company and quickly became known as a trusted resource for its clients.
“The interesting thing about Sourcio is that it was founded with the involvement of students—all the employees were students—and we had experienced engineers who guided them,” says Pavel Snkhchyan, now General Manager of Development for Fortra Armenia.
Capturing Fortra's Attention
Sourcio worked in the outsourcing field for several years before catching the eye of Fortra in 2010. “We had two employees allocated to this project, and by the beginning of 2011 decided we needed to gather a team of 14,” Pavel says. “We worked on it for about three years, and the team grew to 20. Our partnership with Fortra was very strong, and we had the same approach to how we worked. Quality was a top priority for us both.”
Throughout the partnership Pavel and his team continued to work on a variety of products before Fortra acquired the group in 2016. “We had 32 employees at that time, and it was a great success story for us. This was all due to the incredible engineering talent of the Armenian employees and their hard work,” Pavel notes.
Joining the Fortra Family: A Smooth Transition
“The acquisition process was very smooth for us as we’d had a great relationship with Fortra and shared similar values,” Pavel says. “Our employees were very excited. Fortra welcomes new people and companies in a very warm way.”
“We became a part of a large and continuously growing software provider. A lot of new doors opened for us and our employees to develop professionally, exchange experience with coworkers around the world, and much more,” he says. The team in Armenia has become a key contributor to Fortra's growth, and he’s pleased to have the opportunity to work on new challenges and solutions. The Armenia office has experienced incredible growth since joining the Fortra family.
Embracing Cultural Similarities—and Differences
The team in Armenia has become an integral part of the Fortra culture, embracing the company’s core values while maintaining their own unique identity. Because the company was a small startup, employees shared close relationships, something Pavel was eager to continue.
For Pavel, his managerial approach has changed as he’s focused on formalizing many processes while maintaining the closeness employees have always treasured. “For me, the managerial system is very different between a startup like Sourcio and an enterprise like Fortra,” he notes. “For example, we needed to implement a variety of processes to be more effective and have strong communication with the global teams.”
Pavel says that being part of a larger company and working with 2,000+ team members in pursuit of shared goals can be challenging, but Fortra is successful in achieving this mission. “Everywhere at Fortra, every person’s voice is heard,” he says. “And that’s one of the shared values that has allowed us to merge successfully. It’s one of the unique things about our company—no matter how large we get, everyone’s voice is influential.” He considers this an achievement for the leadership team, managers, and employees alike.
Continual Growth
“Before Fortra, I led a 70-person team, and now I’m leading 120,” Pavel says. “There are a lot of talented people working here, and I learn from them every day. Every company has the objective of being resourceful and offering value to its customers and the community. Fortra is truly successful in doing this. As a professional, this is very valuable for me.”
Impacting the Armenian IT Scene
The future of Fortra is bright. Pavel believes the Armenia office has a notable effect on the development of IT in the area. “I think we’re going to grow rapidly in the coming years and expand into new fields like cloud computing and DevOps, while continuing the work already in progress.”
He is eager to continue the longstanding internship program while training new talent and employees. And just like all other Fortra employees, the Fortra Armenia team works to give back to the community. “Our journey is one of pride in this organization both as a successful Armenian company and as an international business that helps shape it,” he says. “The Yerevan office works on the majority of Fortra solutions, and that says a lot about our work and its value. I’m proud to be a part of it every day.”