Alex Perdikis, owner of the Koons of Silver Spring car dealership, finds time to appreciate his Greek heritage. He and his family understand the draw of visiting Greece to explore their European roots. Greece itself offers everything from spectacular beaches on the Aegean Sea to stately ruins that hark back to the very roots of democracy itself. Sports enthusiasts, like the Perdikis family, can enjoy everything from soccer matches to track-and-field competitions in the country’s Olympic stadia. Those travelers just looking to relax can find more than 700 spas and hot springs in which to relax.

Perdikis’ father was in the Greek diplomatic corps, and he built a love of Greece in his son. Born in 1975, Perdikis started life during a time of great upheaval in his homeland. A right-wing, military junta had just been deposed six months before his birth, and Alex’s father was an important man in developing relations with the United States. Because Greece was a crucial member of NATO, and on the front line against the Eastern Bloc, the United States had supported brutal, right-wing governments that were pro-U.S. ever since the Truman administration. The U.S. had also backed the military junta, so diplomacy during a time of re-establishing democracy and trying the members of the junta for their crimes was paramount.

Alex Perdikis learned much from his father in the ways of resolving conflict and has applied those lessons to managing his business. Not only has such knowledge given him a leg up in handling potential problems occurring in his staff, but it has also allowed him to resolve almost every problem his customers have. Indeed, conflict resolution has been, arguably, the most essential skill Alex Perdikis has had at Koons during his tenure. Using that skill, he has led his dealerships to 9-figure annual sales totals, awards and recognition for superb customer service and secure, well-respected places in the community as bastions of integrity.

During the entire time Alex Perdikis has been at Koons, he has both supported nearly two dozen charities. Chief among these is the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, and Perdikis has been chosen as a man-of-the-year candidate for the organization in 2014. The specter of cancer has hit close to home for Perdikis because it has affected his wife in the past.

In addition to his work with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Perdikis has been involved with a diverse assortment of other organizations. He has supported cancer research through the American Cancer Society; high-school and college sports through the athletic foundations of Georgetown Prep and the University of Richmond; and the development of critical-thinking skills and citizenship through the Darrell Green Youth Life Foundation. Because of these affiliations, Perdikis supports not only saving lives but also enriching those lives saved. The Ancient Greeks considered philanthropy to be the civic duty of every well-educated citizen and stressed the importance of making it a habit to be productively beneficial to the human race. This love of humanity is one of the most meaningful contributions of Greek culture to have survived through the Dark Ages, Middle Ages, Renaissance and Enlightenment into the modern world.