Eftychios Vlahakis ( el, Ευτύχιος Βλαχάκης; January 14, 1935 – April 6, 2014), known as Van Vlahakis, was an American
entrepreneur
Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values t ...
of Greek origin, regarded as a pioneer of
environmentally friendly
Environment friendly processes, or environmental-friendly processes (also referred to as eco-friendly, nature-friendly, and green), are sustainability and marketing terms referring to goods and services, laws, guidelines and policies that cl ...
cleaning products.
["Van Vlahakis, creator of environmentally friendly ECOS laundry detergent, dead at 79" (obituary)](_blank)
''Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large na ...
'' (20 April 2014)
Early life
Vlahakis was born in
Chania
Chania ( el, Χανιά ; vec, La Canea), also spelled Hania, is a city in Greece and the capital of the Chania regional unit. It lies along the north west coast of the island Crete, about west of Rethymno and west of Heraklion.
The mun ...
,
Crete
Crete ( el, Κρήτη, translit=, Modern: , Ancient: ) is the largest and most populous of the Greek islands, the 88th largest island in the world and the fifth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after Sicily, Sardinia, Cypru ...
, but in fall 1953 at the age of 18 immigrated to
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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in search of a better future. There he lived in homeless shelters and supported himself with jobs in bars and restaurants. In parallel, he studied chemistry at
Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University is a Private school, private university with campuses in Chicago and Schaumburg, Illinois, Schaumburg, Illinois. Founded in 1945, the university was named in honor of United States President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Frankli ...
and earned a
Bachelors
A bachelor is a man who is not and has never been married.Bachelors are, in Pitt & al.'s phrasing, "men who live independently, outside of their parents' home and other institutional settings, who are neither married nor cohabitating". ().
Etymol ...
degree in 1958.
["Ο αυτοδημιούργητος θρύλος της ομογένειας" (συνέντευξη)](_blank)
''Έθνος της Κυριακής''
Business career
After graduating Vlahakis worked in the cleaning products industry. During this time his exposure to harsh chemicals, that made him suffer from headaches and other irritations, led him to develop a safer alternative. In 1967 Vlahakis founded Venus Laboratories in his garage and sold environmentally friendly cleaners. Venus expanded quickly due to the safer formulas that attracted a new audience of people interested in plant-based alternatives. In 1989, the company's name was changed to the current Earth Friendly Products. Today Earth Friendly Products operates four sustainable manufacturing facilities in the United States, and its ECOS plant-based laundry detergent and household cleaning products are sold at major club stores, grocery retailers, and natural foods stores in the U.S. and internationally.
Vlahakis' life story was the basis for the 2013 film ''A Green Story''.
References
External links
*
Living the Green Life Roosevelt Review, 2012
Earth Friendly Products
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vlahakis, Eftychios (Van)
1935 births
2014 deaths
People from Chania
American businesspeople
Greek businesspeople
Greek emigrants to the United States