Georgios Stroumboulis was featured in the Niagara region local newspaper, Fort Erie Times, for his recent business achievements as an entrepreneur in an article titled - Former Fort Erie Resident Makes the WSJ cover. The article highlighted the former resident for his successful launch of his company and launch of his new reality TV show that landed him on the front page of the Wall Street Journal.

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Former Fort Erie Resident Makes the WSJ cover

By Melissa Mangelson | Fort Erie Niagara Times

While Greece is in the midst of an economic crisis, former Fort Erie resident Georgios Stroumboulis, who is an entrepreneur, launched a property portal, GreekPropertyExchange.com (GPE) that focuses on the Greek property market, bringing together buyers, sellers and renters. They claim they have created the cleanest, easiest and most centralized website to meet Greek real estate needs.

From the website spawned the idea of a reality TV program, called Hellenic Home Hunting, which was aimed towards foreign investors who were looking to buy property in Greece. Following the success of his reality television show, he was approached by The Wall Street Journal and asked if he would be interested in doing a story for the newspaper.

“They loved the angle of the story,” he said.

“When they had told me that it was going to be on the front page of The Wall Street Journal, I was surprised. I thought it was the front page of the real estate section, but it was actually on the front page” he said. He was at Grand Central Station in New York when the newspaper was released.

“It was a crazy feeling walking up to the news stand in one of the most notable places in New York City and seeing it there. It was really a surreal feeling” said Stroumboulis.

Coming from a Greek-Canadian background, he was raised in Fort Erie, where his parents still own a restaurant. “My parents are still there and Fort Erie is a really great community to be a part of” he said.

Though he currently lives in Manhattan, he is able to come back to Fort Erie, Ontario, Canada (Niagara) and visit every couple of months.

After graduating from Lakeshore Catholic High School, he went on to Brock University and received his Bachelors of Business Administration (marketing honors). He also attended the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland where he received certification in business operations management and also attended the Ecole Superieur de Commerce in France (ESC Dijon) where he studied European markets and economics.

He was always interested in marketing, which led him to Hellenic Home Hunting. He now has a couple more ideas for television and is considering a second season of Hellenic Home Hunting.

Though this show is filmed in Greece, it isn't actually shown there because “Greeks in Greece don't care about it.” The show made its debut early February on Greek TV network Antenna in North America, Europe and Australia.

Reactions were mixed during filming, onlookers onsite seemed understanding, but a bit guarded. A lot were interested in getting their own homes featured on the show.

The GreekPropertyExchange.com was something he created to contribute to Greece, even if he was living outside of the country. He developed an innovative web platform for interested foreigners.

Thursday, March 7, 2014