Hellenic – American Chamber of Commerce

2013

Greetings from the President It is customary for the HACC president to use this column to offer an overview of the season’s activities and to talk about what lies ahead for the organization. This can be an exercise in creative writing or honest reporting, and I am relieved that for me it is the latter. I don’t need to create stories about who we are and what we do. Our energy level and record of accomplishment are clearly evident and don’t need the embellishment that a writer of fiction would undoubtedly provide. One of the great pleasures of my tenure as president has been the awareness that I am serving a vibrant organization that is worthy of its accomplished members. I never tire of expressing my amazement at the energy of our people who work hard and with much success to create opportunities for networking, sharing of ideas, and for enlightenment and entertainment. This past season, not a month went by without one or two exciting offerings for our members and general public, and from what I can see next season will be just as busy and exciting. For the past 64 years, the Chamber has hosted its annual dinner dance. By virtue of seniority, it has become the event of the year for us. Last October we honored Spyros M. Polemis, a legend and much-respected figure in the world-wide shipping industry. This coming October at the Pierre we will be honoring Robert Shaw, Managing Director of Sea Trade Holdings Inc. and long-time member and benefactor of the HACC. He is an accomplished, erudite gentleman with a most impressive range of interests and knowledge. And how can I not mention the British accent! We who know him well have a deep affection and much respect for Robert, and we look forward to naming him our Person of the Year. Our much anticipated annual Shipping Conference continued its record of success this year. The high quality of the participants and the cutting-edge coverage of key issues continue to draw more and more people and garner media attention. We are very proud of our Construction, Engineering and Design Committee. Its programs never fail to present scintillating and informative discussions featuring major business and public figures. Its April event this year had the added distinction of raising over $25,000 through sponsorships to benefit the scholarship fund at Cooper Union. The Insurance and Finance Committee was particularly active this year, presenting not only a well-attended panel discussion but also a Yale Club dinner presenting food-industry giant Dean Metropoulos, whose recent acquisition of the Hostess snack cake company has earned him iconic stature in the media as the Man Who Saved the Twinkie. Our Fashion Week event featured collections by major Greek and Greek American designers for a capacity audience to admire. The annual Dimitrios Contos lecture was also a major (continued on page 2)

Robert G. Shaw Is Named Person of the Year 2013

Robert G. Shaw has been named HACC’s Person of the Year 2013 and will be honored at the annual dinner dance at the Pierre on Friday, October 18. Robert is a managing director of Sea Trade Holdings Inc., a holding corporation with investments focused in the dry bulk shipping sector, including latest generation Japanese supramax bulk carrier new-buildings. Robert began his career as a lawyer at Linklaters & Paines in the City of London in 1978, where he was first involved in asset and corporate finance. For over 20 years, he was an associate and then a partner of Healy & Baillie in New York, a firm specializing in maritime and commercial law. In 2000, he moved to the business side of the dry bulk shipping industry when he joined Navios Corporation, a former client, as a shareholder and its executive vice president and a member of the board, before becoming president in 2005. Robert is a graduate of St. John’s College, Oxford University. He is the chairman of the board of trustees of the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs; a former president and former chairman of the Hellenic-American Chamber of Commerce, (of which he has been a director since 1986); and a trustee and former president of the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Archdiocesan Cathedral in New York City. He is the vice chairman and a founding member of the Hellenic American Cultural Foundation. He is also a board member of the American Associates of St Catherine’s Monastery at Mt. Sinai and an Archon of the Order of St. Andrew the Apostle.

Robert supports the shipping industry as a governor and member of the Society of Maritime Arbitrators in New York City. In 1992, he organized the first annual shipping conference of the Hellenic American Chamber of Commerce. Since that first conference, the Hellenic Chamber has jointly organized with the Norwegian American Chamber of Commerce, an uninterrupted series of 19 annual shipping conferences in New York. From 2004 through 2008, Robert served as the U.S. Shipowner Representative on the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) Documentary Committee He is a US and British citizen, born and raised in London to a Greek mother and a British father and is married to Katerina Perganti Shaw, a native of Greece. Katerina is a member of the bars of New York and Athens and is of counsel to the New York law firm of Poles, Tublin, Stratakis & Gonzalez. They have three children, Marina (who is married to Tony Petro), Alexi (who is married to Zhamilya Gafur-Shaw) and Artemis.

Clay Maitland Elected HACC Chairman Clay Maitland has been elected Chairman of the Hellenic American Chamber of Commerce. A long-time member and benefactor of the HACC, Mr. Maitland has worked in the shipping industry for the past 45 years. He is Managing Partner of International Registries, which administers the Marshall Islands Ship Registry, the third largest registry in the world. Beyond his business interests, Mr. Maitland serves as Director of the Coast Guard Foundation. He was awarded the U.S. Coast Guard’s Distinguished Public

Greetings from the President (continued from page 1) success, prompting his Emminence Archbishop Dimitrios to state that it was the most informative and interesting program of its kind that he had ever attended. We were also happy to host the distinguished Gianna Angelopoulos during her book promotion tour of the United States. There is exciting news with the New York City Greek Film Festival as well. The 2012 event broke all box office records with close to 4,000 admissions. I don’t think I will ever forget the line outside of the Paris Theater stretching all the way from Fifth to Sixth Avenue! The films were exceptional, and many performances played at or near full capacity. The festival is a very expensive activity, and it depends on contributions to subsidize income from ticket sales. So far the festival has been fortunate in that it has had the support of many in the community who recognize the importance of establishing a presence for Greek films in New York. The Stavros Niarchos Foundation has been a major benefactor, and the festival has received donations from shipping, banking, commercial and private sources. Contributions from individuals have ranged from $25 to $10,000, a fact that attests to the broad appeal of the event. All donations are welcome and, in fact, deeply appreciated. This year the festival has gained the support of the Onassis Foundation (USA). All of us are very proud of this new partnership. The Onassis Foundation has a long history of excellence in presenting cultural events, and its decision to support the festival is a recognition of the festival’s importance to our community. You can see that my claim regarding the vibrancy of HACC is by no means an exaggeration. We are fortunate to be in a growth mode that shows no sign of abating. New members are joining our ranks in record numbers, and established members continue to renew their faith in us. As I close, allow me to thank all of the people who work for the Chamber and those who support our efforts. I am grateful to all of you and pledge to continue our demanding but most rewarding efforts.

Michael Theodorobeakos, President

HACC Honors John A. Angelicoussis Person of the Year 2011 On Friday, October 21, 2011, the Hellenic American Chamber of Commerce held its 63rd Annual Dinner Dance at the Pierre Hotel in New York. The event was attended by over 400 people, in a glamorous setting in midtown Manhattan. The highlight of the evening was the presentation of the Person of the Year Award to John A. Angelicoussis, the chairman of Angelicoussis Shipping Group Limited (ASGL), a private company that is one of the largest ship owning and operating companies in the world.

At the dinner, Mr. Polemis was given a commemorative plaque by last year’s honoree John A. Angelicoussis and HACC President Michael Theodorobeakos.

Service Award in 2010. HACC’s Theodore Sogotis was Chairman of the event. Rhode Island State Senator Leonidas P. Raptakis was honorary chair.

HACC Honors Spyros M. Polemis,

Person of the Year 2012

Shipping magnet Spyros M. Polemis was honored as Person of

the Year at the 64th

Annual Dinner Dance of the HACC on

October 19th

.

An auspicious gathering of luminaries from the shipping,

banking, legal, oil and chartering industries filled the elegant

Hotel Pierre Ballroom to pay tribute to the longtime-shipping

veteran.

The family of Mr. Polemis has routes in the shipping industry

dating back several centuries. Mr. Polemis is Chairman and

Managing Director of Seacrest Shipping Compoany, LTD., the

London representative of a large group of shipping interests with

a history of more than 200 years in the maritime business. The

companies under management operate various types of vessels

such as bulk carriers, oil tankers, chemical tankers, and other

specialty carriers. Mr. Polemis sits on the Boards of a number of

organizations including the Steven’s Institute of Technology. In

May 2012 he was inducted to the International Maritime Hall of

Fame.

October 2012 Panelists Examine Surge In NYC Hotel Development The recent massive surge in NYC hotel development was the subject of a panel discussion sponsored by the Development, Design, Construction Committee of HACC in October. Entitled “Hotel Development and Construction in New York: 2013- Xenia Metamorphosis” the panel acknowledged recent hotel industry growth as the logical outcome of NYC being the number one international tourist destination in the world with 55 million visitors per year. The panel for this event included Joseph Moinian, CEO of The Moinian Group, developer of numerous major hotels; Ken Colao, Principal, CNY Builders, construction manager over the years of more than 43 hotel projects; Gene Kaufman, AIA,RA, Principal of Gwathmey Seigel Kaufman and Associates, architect of over 80 hotel projects; and Ed Scheetz, CEO, King and Grove Hotels, one of the most prolific developers of boutique hotels in the world. Lou Katsos, Committee Chairman, was the moderator and took the panel through an unscripted discussion on trends, developments, constraints and opportunities in the NYC hotel development and construction arena. The Cathedral Center was filled to capacity and discussions and serious networking continued well over an hour after the presentation ended. The event created a “buzz” within the hotel development community. In fact, the programs of the Development, Design, Construction Committee have consistently attracted major panelists and capacity crowds and in the process have become very popular with people in related industries.

Hellenic-/Norwegian-American Chambers Present

19th Annual Joint Shipping Conference

The Hellenic-American Chamber of Commerce in partnership with the Norwegian

American Chamber of Commerce presented their 19th Annual Joint Shipping Conference at

the Waldorf-Astoria in New York on February 12.

Entitled “The Way Forward: Opportunities in Shipping,” the conference was a notable

success, involving major industry players as conference speakers and delegates. There were

over 170 people in attendance.

While the shipping industry, for the most part, has been in the doldrums for some time,

conference discussions were generally optimistic about the future. In fact, there was an

undeniable sense of positivity, more than there had been in the past several years. Many

expressed their belief that the current situation is on the cusp of improving.

Participants noted that while the traditional ship financing banks have generally been

reluctant to lend, sophisticated alternative sources of capital have been, to a certain extent,

filling the gap to finance worthy projects. There were also discussions of eco or green ships

being positive for the industry.

The highlight of the day was when keynote speaker Oivind Lorentzen III, President/CEO of

SEACOR Holdings, Inc. put the markets into historical perspective from the point of view of a

highly regarded seasoned professional hailing from the latest generation of a respected

shipping family that for generations has prevailed through many shipping cycles.

Brian Devine and Clay Maitland represented HACC in organizing the event. It is worth

mentioning that while it was the 19th

conference presented jointly with the Norwegian

contingent, it was the 20th

annual conference for HACC.

October 2012 Annual Dimitrios Contos Lecture Focuses on ‘OXI’ Day Dr. Mimis Cohen was the featured speaker at last October’s program honoring the memory of past HACC member Dimitrios Contos. As in past years, the annual event observed Greece’s national October 28 holiday when Greek troops spoke a resounding ”no” to the advancing Italian army and fought bravely to stop the advancement. Dr. Cohen focused his comments on Greek Jewish fighters in the war, particularly on Col. Mordechai Frizis, a Romaniote Greek Jew who lost his life in December 1940 and thus became one of the first Greek senior officers to be killed in action.

January 2013 Insurance Panel Focuses On Industry Changes The Finance and Insurance Committee of HACC presented a panel discussion on New York’s changing insurance market. Titled "Insurance in the Construction and Development Market for 2013 and Beyond," the event drew approximately 125 people to the Holy Trinity Cathedral Center on January 23, 2013. The panel included three individuals from various points of interest (i.e: Insurance Underwriters, Claims Adjusters and Legal). Subjects discussed by the panelists and participants included traditional market issues, the decreasing number of carriers providing coverage in NYC, current local labor laws, and the formation and function of captives.

March 2013 Panel Discussion Studies Future Development in NYC

Cooper Union’s historic Great Hall hosted a highly publicized discussion entitled “American Metropolis: The Future, Development and Construction in New York City.” The panel discussion on March 5

th was part

of a series of unscripted discussions presented by the Development, Design, Construction Committee of HACC. The panel’s main focus was on the current and future trends in NYC construction, with insightful perspectives provided by leaders in the Development, Planning, and Finance Communities. The stellar panel included John Catsimatidis, CEO of the Red Apple Group and candidate running for Mayor of New York City; Ken Knuckles, CEO UMEZ and Vice Chair of the New York City Planning Commission; Benjamin McGrath, CEO of Edward J. Minskoff Equities; and Julie Menin, former Chairperson of CB 1 and candidate for Manhattan Borough President. Committee Chairman Lou Katsos served as moderator. The event on one of the worst weather days of the year was a spectacular success with over 400 attending, and the Committee raised over $27,000 in sponsorships to benefit The Irwin S. Chanin School of Architecture of The Cooper Union. The Development, Design and Construction Committee of the HACC, which has been forging strategic relationships with other New York City Chambers of Commerce, was joined in this event by The Greater Harlem Chamber of Commerce; The Amsterdam News; the Albanian , Cyprus-US, Jamaican, and Russian-American Chambers of Commerce as well as the Hellenic American Technical Society . The reception that followed included music by Mike Stroupakis on the bouzouki.

March 2013 Independence Day Commemorated The HACC observed Greek Independence Day on March 25 in a grand manner befitting the occasion. The evening began with a reception at the Greek Consulate in New York City, co-sponsored by the Chamber and Consul General George Iliopoulos. Following the reception, an overflow crowd gathered at the Holy Trinity Cathedral Center to listen to three distinguished speakers. Dr. Christos P. Ioannides, Director of the

Center for Byzantine and Modern Greek Studies at Queens College, CUNY, spoke on Regas Feraios as the apostle of the revolution. Dr. Constantine G. Hadzidimitriou, of St. John’s University and CUNY, spoke on how the United States viewed the Greek War of Independence. Past HACC President Robert Shaw spoke on the Battle of Navarino as a precedent for international peacekeeping. The program was presented under the direction of Louis Katsos. His Eminence Archbishop Dimitrios attended and had special praise for the speakers, noting that the program was the best of its kind that he had ever attended.

May 2013 Food Industry Giant Is Guest of Honor At Yale Club Dinner

C. Dean Metropoulos was the guest of honor at a dinner presented by the Finance and Insurance Committee of HACC at NYC’s Yale Club on May 13. Guests came to meet and hear food industry giant Metropoulos who recently gained wide attention in the mass media by acquiring the line of Hostess snack foods, including America’s beloved Twinkies. Mr. Metropoulos captivated the capacity audience with his account of the Hostess acquisition and his overview of past successes. Over the years Mr. Metropoulos has associated his company with major brand names, products that literally fill America’s pantries. He has established himself as an undisputed leader in the food industry.

May 2013 HACC Presents Gianna Angelopoulos HACC hosted Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki on her NYC stopover during her national tour to promote her book “My Greek Drama: Life, Love, and One Woman’s Olympic Effort to Bring Glory to Her Country.” Members of the community came to the Holy Trinity Cathedral Center on May 15 to meet and greet the woman who led the committee that returned the Olympic Games to their home land.

Ms. Angelopoulos is a lawyer, former parliamentarian and Ambassador of the Greek state.

May 2013 Members Elect Directors Members of the Hellenic American Chamber of Commerce gathered on May 23 to elect ten members to the Board of Directors. Those chosen to serve three-year terms are: Balticare, Inc, Christopher Ioannides; Eagle Shipping, Alexis Zoulas; Fulbright & Jaworski, Brian Devine; Heritage Realty Services, George Constantin; Navios Corporation, Ted Petrone; Poles Tublin Stratakis, John C. Stratakis; SETE, Andre Gegory; Seward & Kissel, Derrick Betts, Jr.; Southern Star Shipping Co, Inc., Geprge Kapetanakos; TECNY Group, Solomon Asser. Board members elected the following officers: Clay Maitland, Chairman of the Board; Michael Theodorobeakos, President; Anastasios Pardalis, Executive Vice President; Nancy Papaioannou, Vice President; Brian Devine, Treasurer; Theodore Sogotis, Secretary; and John C. Stratakis, Legal Advisor. The election meeting held in the offices of Blank Rome in the Chrysler Building was preceded by a reception hosted by Blank Rome.

7th Annual New York City Greek Film Festival Opens October 3rd The seventh annual New York City Greek Film Festival will run from October 3 through October 13, with screenings at major venues throughout New York City, including the Museum of the Moving Image in Astoria and Manhattan’s NYIT Auditorium on Broadway at West 62nd Street. As always, the festival will present feature films, documentaries and shorts, all by Greek directors. All films not in English will be shown with English subtitles. This year the Onasis Foundation (USA) has awarded a $25, 000 matching grant to the festival. The award is seen as an endorsement of the festival’s mission and a vote of confidence in its future. “We are very proud of our new partnership with the Onassis Foundation (USA),” said festival director Jimmy DeMetro. “The festival is working closely with the foundation to present quality programming that will feature the best of what the Greek film industry has to offer.” Three documentaries have already been selected for this year’s festival. They are: NAKED HANDS, which focuses on the American career of Dimitri Mitropoulos; KISSES TO THE CHILDREN, in which five Jewish adults talk about how they were saved from the Nazis by Greek families; and HELLO ANATOLIA, which focuses on a young Greek American’s search for his family’s roots in Asia Minor.

The only feature film announced so far is the enigmatically titled ALL CATS ARE BRILLIANT, the story of a 32-year-old woman who forges a friendship with a young boy as she tries to struggle with her own personal crises. Many more films are in the process of being booked for the festival, DeMetro said. “We had our most successful festival last year, and we are determined to equal if not surpass our past success. We are planning many surprises, including several free screenings,” he added. For complete programming information keep checking the festival’s website: www.nycgreekfilmfestival.com Stamatis Ghikas is accepting donations to help fund the festival. Call him at 212-629-6380. All contributions will be acknowledged in the festival’s printed program. The following firms and individuals have joined the HACC. Welcome to all. CORPORATE MEMBERS Quality Stone Corp. George Papadonikolakis New York Life – Brooklyn George Morakis Financial Services East Coast Abstract, Inc. Stanley E. Levine Commercial and Residential Title Insurance Pro Metal Construction Inc. Elias Meris Construction Aegis Mechanical Corp. George Koutsivitis SAI Environmental Vassilios Bellos Construction Skyline Management Anthony Kammas Mega Constructing Hercules Argyriou Construction

The Rinaldi Group, LLC Anthony Rinaldi Construction Solco David Stoler

Tower Maintenance Co. Elizabeth Vlahopoulos Painting Welby, Brady & Greenblatt, LLP Thomas Tripodianos Construction Attorney INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS John Chrysikopoulos Mesirow Financial Investment Banking John M. Gavras GZA GeoEnvironmental of New York Engineering and Environmental Hariklia Koundourakis Coldwell Banker NRT Commercial real Estate Richard Imprescia Anchin Block and Anchin LLP Accounting / Construction Dimitrios Fragogiannis Franks Metlife Resources Financial Services

Fotis E. Boliakis Markella Garris Garris Co. Education / Coaching Elias Tsoukantas Global Arena Investment Management LLC Investment Advisor

John Kuris Janney Montgomery Scott, LLC Financial Services

Jason Samuels Farrell Fritz, PC Attorney Christos Yatrakis Patterson Belknap Webb & Tyler LLP Attorney Michael Bapis HighTower Advisors Finance George Los Shipping

Vassilios Kefalas Kay Development LLC Real Estate George Sitaras, Esq. Sitaras & Associates Leo Andreadakis Danica Group LLC Construction Demetri Yatrakis WeizerMazars Real Estate Kassandra Romas Bouras Properties LLC

John Zervopoulos Salenger, Sack, Kimmel & Bavaro Law Nick Tsismenakis My Strategic Payroll Finance Hrisa Gatzoulis Paul Papoutsakis Wells Fargo Alexander Kastanis PJ Mechanical Corp. Philip Bouklas Bouklas & Associates PLLC Costas Kellas Objecutive, Inc. George Petrides GP Investments LLC. Nicholas Kasimis Vassilios Speleotes Tishman / AECOM Construction

PUBLICATION IFORMATION

Published by The Hellenic-American

Chamber of Commerce

370 Lexington Avenue, 27th Floor, New

York, NY 10017

T/ 212 629 6380 ∙ F/ 212 564 9281

hellenicchamber-nyc@att.net

http://www.hellenicamerican.cc

MANAGING DIRECTOR

Stamatis Ghikas

EDITORIAL BOARD

John C. Stratakis ∙ Brian Devine

James DeMetro ∙ Anthony Kammas

Lou Katsos ∙ Konstantinos Margaritis