Brij And Sunita Agrawal Gift $1M to Upgrade Univ of Houston Tech Lab

India-West Staff Reporter

SUGAR LAND, TX – Entrepreneur and University of Houston alumnus Brij Agrawal and his wife, Sunita, have pledged $1 million to fund manufacturing laboratory equipment at the University of Houston College of Technology building here. The building’s ground floor auditorium will now be named the ‘Brij and Sunita Agrawal Auditorium.’

Agrawal graduated from UH’s Cullen College of Engineering in 1988 with a degree in mechanical engineering and quickly made a name for himself as the founder of numerous successful companies in manufacturing, fabrication, and fast-casual restaurants. He is the CEO of the VKC Group which operates more than 150 restaurants in TX, CO, NM.

Born in Lakhanpur, Agrawal moved to Houston at 17 and attended night school at UH while working full-time. He credits his experience at UH for providing him the foundation to launch and sustain a successful career and hopes his family’s investment will do the same for students in the Fort Bend County area. The Agrawals are longtime Sugar Land residents. 

“I would not have graduated from college if it wasn’t for the UH System. That is why I am so passionate about supporting UH. I live in Sugar Land and that makes me more attached to the UH at Sugar Land campus. I am thrilled to know the impact this gift will have on the students and faculty in terms of access to state-of-the-art equipment in a modern academic building and campus in Sugar Land,” said Brij Agrawal.

The gift will fund the purchase of the latest 3D printers, machine tools and measuring test equipment, and the creation of an advanced manufacturing design center focused on small and medium scale industry. Advanced manufacturing, or the use of innovative technologies to create new and existing products, is a key goal for the Advanced Technology and Innovation Center at UH at Sugar Land, an instructional site of the University of Houston, , a university press release said

increase investment, economic development, and workforce creation.

Renu Khator, UH President said, “Having access to state-of-the-art lab equipment is critical to building the skills necessary to excel in today’s rapidly developing technology workforce.”