In 1988, Rovt took a job at IBE Trade which was founded by Sheldon Silverston. IBE made a profit by selling goods to governments that were not in favor with the international community and as a result, did not have ready access to hard currency. IBE was paid in hard commodities rather than cash (e.g. steel, coffee). Thanks to Rovt’s connections in the Eastern bloc and understanding of the fertilizer Business thanks to his involvement at the vegetable distributor, IBE expanded it operations to the Soviet Union supplying goods in exchange for fertilizer, something the Soviets had in abundance thanks to ample natural gas supplies, a primary input to the manufacture of fertilizer. Once Perestroika took hold, the barter Business diminished and Rovt (along with his childhood friend and co-worker at IBE, Imre Pakh) bought IBE from Silverston and transitioned the company into a traditional fertilizer distributor eventually controlling 85-90% of the fertilizer trade in Russia and the Ukraine by 2000.