By Terry Poulos, Special to the Hellenic News of America
CRADLE OF SUPER-AGENTS: Chicago has been a breeding ground for NBA ‘super-agents’ and Hellenes are central to this story. The ‘pied piper’ was late Chicago native and Greek American George Andrews, who represented Hall of Famers Magic Johnson and Isaiah Thomas among a blue-chip client roster unmatched in the early 80’s. After the Chicago Bulls drafted Hall of Famer Michael Jordan in 1984, David Falk rose to the status of the league’s premiere agent. In nearby Milwaukee, superstar Giannis Antekokounmpo is repped by Chicago-based Alex Saratsis, managing director of the prestigious Octagon sports agency. Saratsis has parlayed that opportunity to build an A-list client roster. He also organized a group of investors that’s bidding for an NBA Europe franchise. In early January, the New York Times ran a piece that effectively elevated Saratsis to the level of Rich Paul, the agent for superstar LeBron James. The article is titled “LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo welcome us to the agent empowerment era.” Other noteworthy Greek sports agents include Athens-based Diamond Sports, operated by the Diamantopoulos family, and Nadina Grigoratou with Dragon Basketball Agency.
MANOS ON THE MOVE: Chicagoan John Manos, president of BankFinancial and a certified architect, recently presided over the sale of the bank, freeing him to devote time to other business and philanthropic interests. On December 6, Manos, an Archon of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, was elected national treasurer. He’s also highly active in Chicago’s vibrant Cretan community and is a trustee of the PanHellenic Scholarship Foundation.
23 YEARS AS PA: In early January, Cook County Public Administrator Louis G. Apostol was reappointed by Illinois Governor JB Pritzker to a new four-year term. At the end of that term, Apostol will have served a cumulative 23 years in office, appointed and reappointed by democrat and republican governors. In between, the attorney/MBA served as judge on the Illinois Court of Claims and executive director of the Illinois Property Tax Appeal Board. An Archon of the Church, Apostol is also on the board and is a former president and current VP of the Hellenic Foundation, is a distinguished advisor to the National Hellenic Museum, and is a former chair of the Northern Illinois University College of Law Board of Visitors where he continues to serve.
KING-NOTER: Attorney Erika Harold, executive director for the Illinois Supreme Court Commission on Professionalism, was tapped to keynote the Martin Luther King Jr. memorial breakfast in the state’s Capitol on January 19. She’s a former GOP nominee for Illinois attorney general, and former Miss America winner.
BED, BATH & BARK? Illinois-based national businessman Marcus Lemonis, adopted by Greek parents, is well-known through his TV reality shows “The Profit,” “The Partner,” “The Fixer,” and “The Renovator.” In December, he stepped down as CEO of Lincolnshire, IL-based RV retailer Camping World Holdings but remains as chair. He’s taken on a new role as CEO of Bed, Bath & Beyond, and his investment group put in a bid for controlling shares in online pet retailer Bark Inc.
ARIS AI COACH: Entrepreneur Niko Drakoulis in November launched Aristotle Inc. and the “Aris AI life coach that learns who you are and guides you through every life stage,” according to a company statement. Drakoulis, Aris’ CEO, recently was CEO of Sure People and early on headed communications company Akou International.
CRAIN’S “THE LIST”: Crain’s Chicago Business published its annual “The List,” a who’s who of Chicago and Illinois business, law, philanthropy, sports, and more. Greek Americans mentioned for 2025 include: In the Consumer/Business category: George Archos, chairman and CEO of Verano. In Education, Paul Alivisatos, University of Chicag president. In Financial Services: John Calamos Sr., founder, chair, and global CIO at Calamos Investments; Anthony Coniaris, partner, chair and portfolio manager at Harris Associates; John Koudounis, president/CEO at Calamos Investments; Tom Souloules, vice chair at Madison Dearborn Partners. In Food and Beverage: Nick Kokonas, co-founder of Tock. In Social Services: Susanna Wickham, president/CEO at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Chicago. In Real Estate, Steve Poulos, founder/CEO of Bridge International. In Philanthropy: Eleni Bousis, founder/chair of the Hippocratic Cancer Research Foundatiion; John Calamos, chair of the National Hellenic Museum and the John P. Calamos Foundation. In Health Care Technology: George Logothetis, senior business and technology executive at Ernst & Young. Among principles at the largest area Private Equity firms: #5 GTCR co-CEO and co-managing director Dean Mihas; #8 RCP Advisors co-managing partner Tom Danis Jr. In the Largest Venture Capital Firms category: #14 Synetro Group CEO Pantelis Georgiadis; In the Largest Wealth Management Firms category (measured by local assets under management): #14 Curi RMB Capital CEO Dimitri P. Eliopoulos; #18 Calamos Investments.
ILLINOIS PLAYBOOK: That’s the name of the Politico.com column of journalist Shia Kapos. In early January, she noted Illinois Secretary of State Alexi Giannoulias raised over $1 million in the fourth quarter for his reelection campaign, “no small feat, especially during the holiday fundraising doldrums,” writes Kapos. Kapos dished the insight that Giannoulias doesn’t face a primary challenge until March and prospective GOP candidates are “largely unknown,” fueling speculation he could be angling for Chicago mayor. Giannoulias has amassed $6.2 million in his campaign coffers. Longtime Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas, has all but declared for the mayoral primary. Both Pappas and Giannoulias would be formidable candidates.
COOLEY HELENES: Attorney Peter Apostol recently joined the Chicago office of blue-chip global law firm Cooley Law as assistant general counsel for ethics. The managing partner in the Chicago office is attorney Christina Roupas.
HEALTH DIRECTOR: The Village of Arlington Heights, located in the Northwest Chicago suburbs, appointed Mila Tsagalis Director of Health & Human Services in June 2025. She has more than 25 years of experience in public health.
Until next…
Terry Poulos is a writer, entrepreneur (TheSportsIndex.com), and geometer-artist (Scientiquity.com) who has also covered Greek America for decades for various outlets. He’s co-founder of Chicago’s Greek Media Club and a member of the AHEPA Athletics Hall of Fame selection committee
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