Sohrab “Rob” Salek ('73, Mechanical Engineering BS ; '75, Engineering MS)

Sohrab “Rob” Salek

Executive Vice President, Minimax Viking Group

BS Mechanical Engineering, Cal Poly Pomona, 1973

MS Engineering, Cal Poly Pomona, 1975

Professional Engineer in Fire Protection Engineering, 1986

Sohrab “Rob” Salek was born in Iran and immigrated to the U.S. to attend Cal Poly Pomona—a decision he says is the best one he ever made.

“The College of Engineering taught me that anything in life is achievable—and not to be afraid of new challenges or the unknown.”

College life was challenging. Speaking English as a second language, and the stress of balancing work and study were difficult. Fortunately, Rob’s time at Cal Poly Pomona served him well.

After graduation, he started worked in the fire protection field as a designer, and then worked his way up to regional management. Later he joined Tyco International as vice president for Asia, managing one sector of an $11 billion global enterprise. Ultimately, Rob became CEO of Consolidated Fire Protection, helping double its revenue and overseeing the company’s acquisition by Minimax Global.

When advising current students, Rob says, “Meet every challenge head-on and treat it like any other problem you solve every day. Put in the time required to reach your goal, become a goal-oriented person and continually learn. Remember, to advance, you simply need to be a little better and work a little harder than others.”