Caras and Kontos Couple Honorees at Expo

Leadership 100 Chairman, Constantine G. Caras, and long-time members, Evripides (Evris) and Evangelia (Eva) Kontos were honored at the 19th Hermes Expo Dinner Dance and Awards Ceremony Saturday April 24, 2010 at the Tropicana Hotel in Atlantic City. The Hermes Expo International included a trade exhibition and Green Symposium. In addition, The Hellenic Medical Association hosted their first ever CME (Continuing Medical Education) at the Expo and young professionals, SAE USA Youth, hosted their mentor fair in conjunction with the National Hellenic Student Association whose conference also took place at the Expo.

Kontos, founder and President of Kontos Foods, developed the first ideas for the mass production of fillo dough as a young man in his native Cyprus.

He came to the United States in 1949 and began his own company in 1968, manufacturing fillo dough and gaining recognition from food writers and high profile chefs. He became sole owner of this company, Apollo Fillo, and expanded the company internationally in the 1980s, selling it to The Pillsbury Company. He was married to his wife, known as “Eva”, in Athens in 1956. They have three children, Steve, Kathy and Dino and seven grandchildren and are members of St. John the Theologian in Tenafly, New Jersey. He is an Archon of Ecumenical Patriarchate.

The largest forum for the Greek American marketplace, Hermes Expo organized its 19th annual trade show and exhibition and presented in parallel a practical seminar on the green economy. The Symposium program is under the auspices of the SAE of America and its President, Theodore G. Spyropoulos.

The Expo’s geographic emphasis is focused on USA, Greece, Balkans and Southern Europe.  All Symposium Panel Sessions related to the Expo’s “sustainability” and “green theme”.  The panels had significant representations from industry, academia and government. “Sustainability”, now more than ever, has become a fundamental business competency in many firms and  “green thinking” is increasingly woven into the corporate fabric, with green strategies and practices valued as a way to cut costs, improve operations, advance innovation, empower employees and satisfy customers, while promoting Corporate Social Responsibility and fostering Environmental Stewardship.