Vassilios Joseph Lefakinis

Vassilios Joseph Lefakinis, (8 September 1933 – 26 January 2020), commonly called Bill Lefakinis, was a Greek yacht broker / yacht owner and businessman. He pioneered Greek professional yachting by establishing the yacht charter firm Valef Yachts, in Greece. Using the slogan “Discover…the Yachting World of Greece” he brought distinguished personalities from abroad to Greece. He also coined the term ‘Athenian Riviera’ and established yachting organizations and laws existing to the present. 
Lefakinis was born in Athens and left for the USA at the age of 12 to pursue a better life for him and his mother. He attended school on scholarships and then promptly moved to Manhattan to work for Filtrine Manufacturing as a Salesman of industrial water filters. There he was responsible for leading sales in the Middle East market. He increased the company's profits substantially before resigning from the company and moving back to Athens, Greece to begin his own company. He purchased a few yachts and began renting a small fleet of crewed yachts to tourists in Greece. Operating even during the Greek military junta of 1967–1974, he expanded into publishing with Sea and Yachting magazine, Greece's first publication dedicated to Yachting. Lefakinis passed away of natural causes at age 86 after passing his company onto his daughters who run the business with their mother, his wife, Kathy Lefakinis.
== Early Life ==
Vassilios “Bill” Lefakinis was born in 1933 on September 8th in Athens, Greece to Joseph Lefakinis and Angela Mimicopoulou, both from Constantinople. Vassilios was the single child of the family. 
He got his primary education at Athens College, however, when he turned 13 and had earned enough money for the cross-Atlantic ship fare by selling Palmolive soap on the street, he left Greece alone for the USA in order to pursue a better life for him and his mother, who was by then divorced from his father. 
Vassilios was a war veteran having served in both the US army and the Greek Air Force.
=== Education ===
He attended Hackley School in Tarrytown NY, a boarding school, on full scholarship, founded their soccer team and spearheaded their ping pong team resulting in a victory at the national championship. He was active in community service by leading clothes drives in order to send back clothing to Greece.
Upon graduation from Hackley Prep School, he returned to Greece to graduate after one year from Athens College, an American prep school in Athens, Greece.
Returning again to the States, he attended the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, on scholarship, to earn a Bachelor's degree in Business and Economics.
== Marriage & Children ==
In 1979 Vassilios Lefakinis was married to Kathy Speece, an American nursery school manager, and settled in the Philadelphia suburb Ambler, Pennsylvania, Kathy’s hometown. Each Summer was spent in Greece. They raised their two daughters in Ambler; Alexandra & Kassandra.
== Death ==
Vassilios “Bill” Lefakinis passed away from natural causes on January 26, 2020 at the age of 86, in his home in Doylestown, PA, USA.
== Professional Life ==
After his Postgraduate education, he pursued a career in Sales in Manhattan working at Filtrine Manufacturing.
He was a successful professional and increased the company's revenue by gaining new clients from the Middle East where he travelled often, introducing their industrial water filtration systems to heads of government and royalty. When he declined a promotion from the company due to internal differences, he resigned at the same time.
The Yacht Owners Association Meeting After, he moved back to his homeland, Greece, to create his own company, Valef Yachts. In 1969 he saw potential for professional Yachting in Greece, which was not yet developed. This led him to establishing Valef Yachts, the first crewed yacht charter company in Greece. He began by renting out yachts owned by his friends from Athens College. At the time, there were only ten yachts for charter in Greece. With an office in Marina Zeas, Greece and services ranging from yacht crewing, yacht sales and magazine publishing, the industry began to flourish. Vassilios founded and published the first Greek nautical magazine called ‘Sea & Yachting’, and ran a nautical boutique, both adjacent to the Valef Yachts office in Marina Zeas. 
Lefakinis through Valef Yachts brought the Miss Universe contest to Greece for the first time out of the USA, thus expanding the reputation of his company and making Greece a more popular destination for the hedonist. Following, he was featured in Robin Leach’s ‘Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous’, 'Eye On LA', 'Fodor's Travel Guide' and numerous radio shows and magazine articles promoting Greece. 
His clientele grew mainly by word of mouth and he gained celebrity clients from heads of state to stars in the film and music industries, such as The Beatles, Sting, Hugh Hefner, John Denver, Christie Brinkley, John and Bo Derek etc.
In 1981 Bill and Kathy opened the American Valef Yachts office outside of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Bill shared time at both offices while Kathy stayed at the American office. Bill and Kathy owned numerous yachts, which they also chartered to clients. One such yacht with great history was previously owned by Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier of Monaco, gifted to them as a nuptial present from Aristotle Onassis. Bill renamed it Angela, after his mother. With new yacht acquisitions throughout the years, the Valef fleet increased to incorporate Yachts of all types and sizes. 
In the 2000’s Lefakinis spent more time in America advising his family in business who took over the business.
== Memberships ==
He was a member of American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association (AHEPA) and the Propeller Club. He was a member and past President of the Greek Yacht Owners Association, and past President of the Greek Yacht Brokers Association.
He helped found these organizations and developed the laws and governing of yachting in which various still exist to the present day.
Category:1933 births
Category:2020 deaths
Category:Greek businesspeople
Category:People from Athens