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P. 102
Oct-Dec | 13 Business Personal best
GREAT GREEKS ABROAD
How would you characterize the ecological aware-
ness of the Greek public?
Our desire is to raise customers’ awareness, which
is why we employ a host of part-time employees to
large supermarkets on busy days. Thus, we can in-
form them that using our natural products at home
protects their health and family at a very low cost.
Do difficult economic conditions hinder “green”
businesses or are they a motive for development?
The crisis has been helpful in that the price of re-
al estate has decreased. Apart from that, a “green
business” is no different . There is a need for better
Dr. Van Vlahakis organization for businesses, bureaucracy, for a re-
duction in VAT and an immediate ecological awak-
ECOALCHEMIST is the Promised Land for renewable resources.
ening. Greece, with its abundant sunlight and air,
What are your plans for the future?
We plan to enlarge our factory in New Jersey and
INNOVATIVE CLEANING PRODUCTS AND NEW JOBS ARE THE MAIN build another one in Texas, while there is potential
to expand our activity to Colombia and Brazil. We
INGREDIENTS OF A GREEN RECIPE THAT’S WORTH ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD. launched six new products this March, including the
condensed ECOS 4X detergent that guarantees more
ΠΡΩΤΟΠΟΡΙΑΚΑ ΠΡΟΪΟΝΤΑ ΚΑΘΑΡΙΣΜΟΎ ΚΑΙ ΝΈΈΣ ΘΈΣΈΙΣ ΈΡΓΑΣΙΑΣ loads, which has already been very successful in
America. We plan to bring this to Greece very soon.
ΣΤΗΝ ΠΟΛΗ ΈΙΝΑΙ ΓΙΑ ΤΟΝ DR. VAN VLAHAKIS ΤΑ ΚΎΡΙΑ ΣΎΣΤΑΤΙΚΑ ΜΙΑΣ Did you ever imagine that your life would be made
ΠΡΑΣΙΝΗΣ ΣΎΝΤΑΓΗΣ ΠΟΎ ΑΞΙΖΈΙ ΧΡΎΣΟ. into a feature film?
I never expected that. My daughter, Kelly, made my
story known to her wider circle in Hollywood. Nika
W hat is the secret to writing a success- In a way, do you feel you are returning to Greece? Aghiasvili thought it would make a great screen-
ful screenplay? The new Hollywood
Even though I have been living in America for 60
play. I am pleased for 3 reasons: it imparts a green
film A Green Story is based on the
message, it encourages young people to pursue
years, I visit Greece every year. Depending on the
their dreams and reminds us that there is more to
needs of our new facilities, I now intend to spend
true story of Dr. Van Vlahakis, an am-
bitious young man from Crete who moved to Chi-
How and why did you get involved with the eco-
cago with only 22 dollars in his pocket. He finished about 3 months a year here. life than just work.
his studies in Chemistry without speaking a word friendly product business? οιο είναι το μυστικό που κάνει ένα σενάριο
of English, and become one of the most innova- In the 60’s there were many changes in America επιτυχία; Πίσω από το χολιγουντιανό καστ
tive eco-businessmen of our time. With the Earth such as Freon, DDT and smoking. I decided that Π
της νέας ταινίας Α green story κρύβεται η
regarding the acknowledgement of substances
Friendly Products and ECOS logos decorating the that cause harm to humans and the environment, αληθινή ιστορία του Dr. Van Vlahakis, ενός
company’s new offices in Athens, it is not hard to φιλόδοξου νεαρού από την Κρήτη, που μετανάστευσε
realize that they symbolize a journey studded with our products must gradually distance themselves στο Σικάγο με 22 δολάρια στην τσέπη. Σπούδασε
achievements, both on a personal and profession- from these, and thus our company went “green” in Χημεία χωρίς να μιλά αγγλικά και έγινε ένας από
al level. Dedicated to his role as “nature’s helper”, 1975. However, the market was not ready for these τους καινοτόμους οικολογικούς επιχειρηματίες της
Vlahakis encourages us to use non-toxic deter- new eco-products until the end of the 80’s. In 1989, εποχής μας. Τα λογότυπα της εταιρείας Earth Friendly
gents by bringing his successful formula of liquid we launched ECOS and became the first company Products και της σειράς ECOS στα νέα γραφεία στην
detergents to Greece, completely overturning the in America to produce exclusively eco-products. Αθήνα είναι τα αναγνωριστικά σύμβολα μιας πορείας
myth that eco-friendly products are luxury items. From the 1990’s onwards our sales have been in- με διακρίσεις, τόσο για την ενεργειακά αυτάρκη
creasing tenfold per decade. At present, we have εταιρεία όσο και για τον ιδρυτή της. Αφοσιωμένος
What does the term eco-friendly mean to Earth five factories that produce over 150 different prod- στο ρόλο του ως «βοηθού της φύσης», προτρέπει να
Friendly Products? ucts. Our new facilities in Greece, which should be μη χρησιμοποιούμε σκόνες καθαρισμού, φέρνοντας
Completely natural products with a carbon isotope ready in 2015, will feature photovoltaic panels and και στην Ελλάδα την επιτυχημένη φόρμουλα υγρών
of 14, extended use of photovoltaics, ensuring the state-of-the-art machinery; we also plan to recycle καθαριστικών, που ανατρέπουν το μύθο ότι τα
lowest possible environmental impact during the 95% of our waste in order to keep our prices low. οικολογικά προϊόντα είναι είδη πολυτελείας.
production process, and recycling to reduce waste. Was launching ECOS a business risk, or were you
On July 15th you opened your first global office in simply filling a real need and market gap? Τι συνεπάγεται ο όρος «οικολογικά προϊόντα» για
Athens to serve Europe and Middle East. Why here? Released in 1980, our Nature’s Miracle cleaning prod- την Earth Friendly Products;
We made the first step to help with the high unem- uct for pets based on natural enzyme was a pre- Φυσική προέλευση των προϊόντων, σύμφωνα με το
ployment rates, and we believe other companies will cursor to ECOS with huge profits. Therefore, ECOS ισότοπο άνθρακα 14, χρήση φωτοβολταϊκών για τη
follow. Our office will employ 500 people with sala- products were accepted quickly and still are the larg- δημιουργία ενέργειας, κάθε μέρος της διαδικασίας
ries that are well above the norm in Greece today. est selling ecological cleaning products in America. παραγωγής να έχει το χαμηλότερο δυνατό αντίκτυπο
102
GREAT GREEKS ABROAD
How would you characterize the ecological aware-
ness of the Greek public?
Our desire is to raise customers’ awareness, which
is why we employ a host of part-time employees to
large supermarkets on busy days. Thus, we can in-
form them that using our natural products at home
protects their health and family at a very low cost.
Do difficult economic conditions hinder “green”
businesses or are they a motive for development?
The crisis has been helpful in that the price of re-
al estate has decreased. Apart from that, a “green
business” is no different . There is a need for better
Dr. Van Vlahakis organization for businesses, bureaucracy, for a re-
duction in VAT and an immediate ecological awak-
ECOALCHEMIST is the Promised Land for renewable resources.
ening. Greece, with its abundant sunlight and air,
What are your plans for the future?
We plan to enlarge our factory in New Jersey and
INNOVATIVE CLEANING PRODUCTS AND NEW JOBS ARE THE MAIN build another one in Texas, while there is potential
to expand our activity to Colombia and Brazil. We
INGREDIENTS OF A GREEN RECIPE THAT’S WORTH ITS WEIGHT IN GOLD. launched six new products this March, including the
condensed ECOS 4X detergent that guarantees more
ΠΡΩΤΟΠΟΡΙΑΚΑ ΠΡΟΪΟΝΤΑ ΚΑΘΑΡΙΣΜΟΎ ΚΑΙ ΝΈΈΣ ΘΈΣΈΙΣ ΈΡΓΑΣΙΑΣ loads, which has already been very successful in
America. We plan to bring this to Greece very soon.
ΣΤΗΝ ΠΟΛΗ ΈΙΝΑΙ ΓΙΑ ΤΟΝ DR. VAN VLAHAKIS ΤΑ ΚΎΡΙΑ ΣΎΣΤΑΤΙΚΑ ΜΙΑΣ Did you ever imagine that your life would be made
ΠΡΑΣΙΝΗΣ ΣΎΝΤΑΓΗΣ ΠΟΎ ΑΞΙΖΈΙ ΧΡΎΣΟ. into a feature film?
I never expected that. My daughter, Kelly, made my
story known to her wider circle in Hollywood. Nika
W hat is the secret to writing a success- In a way, do you feel you are returning to Greece? Aghiasvili thought it would make a great screen-
ful screenplay? The new Hollywood
Even though I have been living in America for 60
play. I am pleased for 3 reasons: it imparts a green
film A Green Story is based on the
message, it encourages young people to pursue
years, I visit Greece every year. Depending on the
their dreams and reminds us that there is more to
needs of our new facilities, I now intend to spend
true story of Dr. Van Vlahakis, an am-
bitious young man from Crete who moved to Chi-
How and why did you get involved with the eco-
cago with only 22 dollars in his pocket. He finished about 3 months a year here. life than just work.
his studies in Chemistry without speaking a word friendly product business? οιο είναι το μυστικό που κάνει ένα σενάριο
of English, and become one of the most innova- In the 60’s there were many changes in America επιτυχία; Πίσω από το χολιγουντιανό καστ
tive eco-businessmen of our time. With the Earth such as Freon, DDT and smoking. I decided that Π
της νέας ταινίας Α green story κρύβεται η
regarding the acknowledgement of substances
Friendly Products and ECOS logos decorating the that cause harm to humans and the environment, αληθινή ιστορία του Dr. Van Vlahakis, ενός
company’s new offices in Athens, it is not hard to φιλόδοξου νεαρού από την Κρήτη, που μετανάστευσε
realize that they symbolize a journey studded with our products must gradually distance themselves στο Σικάγο με 22 δολάρια στην τσέπη. Σπούδασε
achievements, both on a personal and profession- from these, and thus our company went “green” in Χημεία χωρίς να μιλά αγγλικά και έγινε ένας από
al level. Dedicated to his role as “nature’s helper”, 1975. However, the market was not ready for these τους καινοτόμους οικολογικούς επιχειρηματίες της
Vlahakis encourages us to use non-toxic deter- new eco-products until the end of the 80’s. In 1989, εποχής μας. Τα λογότυπα της εταιρείας Earth Friendly
gents by bringing his successful formula of liquid we launched ECOS and became the first company Products και της σειράς ECOS στα νέα γραφεία στην
detergents to Greece, completely overturning the in America to produce exclusively eco-products. Αθήνα είναι τα αναγνωριστικά σύμβολα μιας πορείας
myth that eco-friendly products are luxury items. From the 1990’s onwards our sales have been in- με διακρίσεις, τόσο για την ενεργειακά αυτάρκη
creasing tenfold per decade. At present, we have εταιρεία όσο και για τον ιδρυτή της. Αφοσιωμένος
What does the term eco-friendly mean to Earth five factories that produce over 150 different prod- στο ρόλο του ως «βοηθού της φύσης», προτρέπει να
Friendly Products? ucts. Our new facilities in Greece, which should be μη χρησιμοποιούμε σκόνες καθαρισμού, φέρνοντας
Completely natural products with a carbon isotope ready in 2015, will feature photovoltaic panels and και στην Ελλάδα την επιτυχημένη φόρμουλα υγρών
of 14, extended use of photovoltaics, ensuring the state-of-the-art machinery; we also plan to recycle καθαριστικών, που ανατρέπουν το μύθο ότι τα
lowest possible environmental impact during the 95% of our waste in order to keep our prices low. οικολογικά προϊόντα είναι είδη πολυτελείας.
production process, and recycling to reduce waste. Was launching ECOS a business risk, or were you
On July 15th you opened your first global office in simply filling a real need and market gap? Τι συνεπάγεται ο όρος «οικολογικά προϊόντα» για
Athens to serve Europe and Middle East. Why here? Released in 1980, our Nature’s Miracle cleaning prod- την Earth Friendly Products;
We made the first step to help with the high unem- uct for pets based on natural enzyme was a pre- Φυσική προέλευση των προϊόντων, σύμφωνα με το
ployment rates, and we believe other companies will cursor to ECOS with huge profits. Therefore, ECOS ισότοπο άνθρακα 14, χρήση φωτοβολταϊκών για τη
follow. Our office will employ 500 people with sala- products were accepted quickly and still are the larg- δημιουργία ενέργειας, κάθε μέρος της διαδικασίας
ries that are well above the norm in Greece today. est selling ecological cleaning products in America. παραγωγής να έχει το χαμηλότερο δυνατό αντίκτυπο
102
