Last Sunday, 250 members of the elite political, business and medical communities of both Maryland and Washington D.C. attended the estate of Hopkins alumnus Aris Melissaratos, senior adviser for enterprise development to the president of Hopkins, for an exclusive reception hosted by Melissaratos and senior George Petrocheilos.
The event was called a “friend raiser” in embracement of the efforts of both Melissaratos and Petrocheilos to encourage networking and the building of mutually beneficial professional relations.
“What was great about tonight was the cross-section of people. The doctors, philanthropists, corporate CEO’s, politicians — Republicans and Democrats alike — at the city, state and national level and aspiring politicians,” Melissaratos said.
As a guest said to Melissaratos, “only you and Santa Claus could bring such a crowd together.”
Petrocheilos, with the support of Melissaratos, established relationships with the majority of guests in attendance.
“It’s not just about knowing people. It’s about creating a relationship. I went to Congressman Cummings about the African-American museum. I went to Congressman Van Hollen about the Greek economy and some questions about the budget,” Petrocheilos said. “The party was to bring people together, network, meet new friends and see older ones.”
Petrocheilos aimed to encourage a melding of prominent figures, aspiring professionals and driven students at the event. Hopkins’s Hellenic Student Association attended the event to help Petrocheilos and meet the guests, and they accepted donations for the club.
The event included a strong contingent of politicians with whom Petrocheilos had established a connection. In attendance were former Senator Paul Sarbanes, Lt. Governor Anthony Brown, Congressman Christopher Van Hollen, Congressman John Sarbanes, Congressman Elijah Cummings, Congressman Andy Harris and former Congresswoman Helen Bentley.
Also present were many representatives from the business world. Both Bernie Ferrari, Dean of the Hopkins Carey Business School, and Phillip Phan, Executive Vice Dean of the Hopkins Carey Business School, attended. Also, Richard Himelfarb, Chairman of Stifel Nicolaus Investment Banking, Joe Haskins, President & CEO of Harbor Bank of Maryland, MacGregor Tisdale and President of SunTrust Bank came.
Many of the guests at the event were of Greek descent, as a testament to the success of the vibrant Greek community in Baltimore.
“Greeks came [to the United States] and started as dishwashers, and ended up becoming cooks, and then buying the restaurant, and then growing kids that they pushed to be educated and be better. And the kids became the next generation of lawyers, doctors and engineers. They ran for Congress, like Senator Sarbanes, whose family had a little restaurant in Salisbury. It’s all been a cycle,” Melissaratos said. “Each generation of immigrants is here to succeed, and they’re hungry and willing to work harder and harder.”
