In 1969 Invoice Lefakinis a Greek born and United States bred businessman envisioned a dream, which has considering that turn out to be a actuality – Greece, The Yachting Capital of the Environment.
Bill remaining Greece at the early age of 13 to go after a superior life and upcoming for himself and his relatives. Monthly bill attended the Hackley College and The University of Pennsylvania Wharton Faculty of Company on whole scholarships and served in the US Army and the Greek Air Pressure. Acquiring worked and traveled extensively as Chief Executive Officer of Filtrine Global Co., Monthly bill finally returned to Greece in 1969 the place he began his possess enterprise, Valef Yachts.
At that time there have been no marinas in Greece and only about 30 yachts, 20 of which had been for non-public use. There was no nationwide thought of the wealth Greece had to provide to the yachting environment. Its distinctive background, civilization, hospitality, 4,000 islands and 13,000 miles of seashore (twice that of the Usa in which only 18% was yacht helpful in contrast to Greece’s 99%) created it most excellent for the earth of yacht chartering. Monthly bill, immediately after noticing the immense opportunity of Greek yachting, went to operate implementing his know-how taken from his Greek and American organization publicity. He certain 4 of his buddies to enable him constitution their yachts and following practically forty many years of continuous operate, internet marketing, general public relations, stress to the numerous Greek Governments to encourage this one of a kind vacationer feature that is 2nd to NONE, Bill’s dedication finally paid out off. Currently, Greece has above 20,000 yachts for charter and for personal use, and about 50 marinas. Valef Yachts turned a profitable and trustworthy organization with workplaces in the states and in Greece. Monthly bill began his enterprise and one-handedly designed a vision and a revolution in the yachting globe in Greece with his motto considering that 1969 staying, “Discover The Yachting Earth of Greece.”
To execute this, together with Panos Tsafos, Bill founded and presided in excess of The Specialist Yacht House owners Association, grew to become Secretary Common of the Hellenic Yacht Brokers Affiliation and Consultants Affiliation, and structured the Association of Greek Yacht Crews in order to coordinate initiatives to make improvements to yacht chartering in Greece. He also begun a magazine identified as “Sea and Yachting” to enlighten Greeks about the beauty of their islands, their opportunity as well as the importance of collaborating in seawater athletics. He constantly wrote caustic posts tackled to the Greek Govt concerning their apathy about bettering ailments and rules to govern appropriately experienced yachting in Greece. Invoice also grew to become co-publisher of the English Everyday Newspaper “Athens Mirror,” in 1971, turned a member of the International Push Association, The Greek Travel Brokers Association, Hellenic American Chamber of Commerce, Greek Ship owner’s Club and many other folks.
In his efforts to endorse Greece internationally, Monthly bill introduced the Pass up Universe Contest to Greece in 1973 (it was the initially time they held the competitors overseas) videos James Bond in 1980 & 1983 and The Greek Tycoon Tv sequence The Enjoy Boat in 1980, Coronary heart to Heart, The Life Models of the Abundant and Well-known with Robin Leach, The Night Magazine (which featured Greece for a person overall 7 days), The Arthur Frommer Demonstrate, Eyes on LA, Canadian and Japanese Federal government tv journals Playboy and Penthouse, Conde Nast’s “The Traveler” and dozens of other worldwide Television set exhibits, movies and magazines continuing to the current. Internationally mentioned personalities ended up introduced to Greece by Bill to encourage yachting. To identify a few, Hugh Hefner and daughter Christina, Bob Cuccione, John and Bo Derek, John Wayne, Anthony Quinn, Christina Onassis, Baron Hans Heinrich von Thyssen, Patricia Gucci – style designer,
Claude Arpels – Van Cleef and Arpels jewellers,
Garavani Valentino – manner designer, Max Fisher, John Clinton (Chairman of Dunhill and Rothman Group), Ernest Gallo, Giovanni-Yanelli of Fiat, Henry Ford II of Ford Motor Company, Roger Smith, ex-CEO of Typical Motors, ex-Chairman of the Board of Intercontinental Inns Corp. Mr. Hans Sternik, ex-German President Richard Fon Weizsacker, internationally acclaimed cellist Mr. Rostropovich, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, John Denver, Kenny Rogers and Charlton Heston. He has been an advisor to the Greek National Tourist Group, Greek Ministry of the Service provider Maritime and member of the Greek Government’s Advisory Council for the Improvement of Greece, yachting marinas, and the yachting infrastructure.
In 1978, with the ever more large air air pollution in Athens and drinking water pollution in the Hellenic Seas, Monthly bill co-established “PAKOE” (The Panhellenic Ecological Study Basis) together with a group of volunteer experts and physicians. As the Secretary Standard of the corporation, he chartered airplanes and helicopters to consider hundreds of air samples by University and Authorities researchers (which include reporters abroad) to review the contents for air air pollution all-around the Acropolis, Athens as very well had many Valef Yachts with the similar groups to exam for water pollution in the seas. All proof was verified by Govt scientific laboratories and independent study centers. The high extent of air pollution was commonly printed with posts, pictures to all the media as effectively as complete stories to the Greek Authorities together with the President, Key Minister and all parliamentary customers. As a issue of simple fact, pollution was the main subject for the upcoming year’s election. Now the Greek Seas are the cleanest in Europe in accordance to the findings of the European Union and the air pollution has dropped drastically, the Parthenon is protected and a lot of regulations have been built to guard the surroundings.
Invoice and Kathy, his wife of 27 decades run the North American Headquarters of Valef Yachts and Bill travels often to the Greek headquarters often maintaining his finger on the pulse of the marketplace. Kathy and Monthly bill met in 1978 while she was traveling in Greece. In months they ended up married and moved to Greece in which they settled and began doing the job alongside one another. Kathy and Monthly bill understood in 1981 the need to build a United states North and South American Headquarters for additional direct make contact with and much more effective response and details for prospective shoppers. Running two workplaces 50 % way all around the globe from each other preserve Kathy and Monthly bill rather occupied.
In 1986 Monthly bill, as President of Valef Yachts and President of the Yacht Owners Association, invited 200 American yacht brokers on 20 yachts to “Find out the Yachting Planet of Greece.” They went to several islands where by mayors of the islands greeted all with events and festivities and the well known Greek Easter was celebrated with the classic roasted lamb on the fireplace and fantastic entertaining was had by all.
These kinds of hard work leads to an appreciation and understanding of a correct trip. This has offered them further insight into the improvement of the ultimate vacation getaway that caters that caters to the shoppers every want. The private touch and arms on tactic offered by the yacht owners make chartering a luxury yacht with Valef Yachts a real enjoyment.
Bill and Kathy’s two daughters, Alexandra and Kassandra, have used many summers doing work in the yachting organization, studying the ropes from the ground up. Obtaining been introduced up in both of those nations around the world expending high quality time in Europe and cruising the Aegean, they have a terrific head start off in understanding Greece, what yachting is all about, and what the client in the long run desires. Alexandra and Kassandra both passionately operate wherever Valef Yachts has its roots and continue to infuse clean strength into their household company and one of the to start with names in Greek Yachting.
Valef Yachts stays a company that carries on to prosper, raise marketplace requirements and shopper expectations even though remaining firmly anchored in the ever-flourishing Greek yachting community. All of the earlier mentioned things to do have at last aided set up Greece as the Center of the Yachting Planet!
