Lazaros Kalemis
Lazaros Kalemis | |
|---|---|
Lazaros Kalemis in April 2012 | |
| Born | November 15, 1972 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Alma mater | La Salle University |
| Occupation(s) | Founder and CEO, Simpay (United States) |
| Years active | 2000–present |
Lazaros Kalemis (born November 15, 1972) is a Greek-American businessman. He is the Founder and CEO of Simpay (formerly Alpha Card Services), based in Pennsylvania,[1]
Kalemis received the Philadelphia 40 Under 40 award in May 2012 and was a finalist for the SmartCEO Circle of Excellence award in the Distinguished Leadership category in July 2012.[2][3] In 2012, he was named a finalist for the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award.[4]
Early years
Kalemis was born in 1972 in the Frankford section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to Greek immigrants who arrived in the United States in 1970.[5]
While pursuing a marketing degree from La Salle University, Kalemis started Kaleo Publications at the age of 19. Kaleo Publications was a global business directory publisher, and Kalemis eventually employed 135 employees in offices in Pennsylvania, Arizona, and California. Kalemis sold Kaleo Publications to a partner in 1998 after being diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma at age 24. He graduated from La Salle University with a degree in marketing in 1997.[6]
Alpha Card Services
The idea for Alpha Card Services reportedly came from Kalemis's layover at Rome's Fiumicino airport in 2000.[6][5] He read a Philadelphia Inquirer article about the growth of credit card use and shared it with his friend, Dimitrios Tsikoudis. In October 2000, they co-founded Alpha Card Services.[7]
Under Kalemis's leadership, Alpha Card Services became the 60th largest merchant acquirer in the United States[8] and the 143rd largest acquirer worldwide,[9] as ranked by the Nilson Report.
In addition to Alpha Card Services, Kalemis controlled Pinnacle Merchant Advance, Alpha POS Services[10] and Alpha Payroll Services, divisions of Alpha Card Services. Pinnacle Merchant Advance focuses on merchant cash advances, Alpha POS Services provides point-of-sale (POS) systems, and Alpha Payroll Services provides payroll services.[11]
On October 17, 2013, Kalemis won the SmartCEO Circle of Excellence award under the Professional Services category.[12]
Philanthropy
Kalemis founded Alpha Card Cares.[13]
Kalemis and Alpha Card Cares have been involved with several charities and volunteer events, including the Kids & Hope Foundation,[14] Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure,[15] Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bucks County,[16] The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light The Night Walk,[17] and the Walk to Defeat ALS, Greater Philadelphia Chapter.[18]
See also
References
- ^ "Home". Simpay.
- ^ "Lazaros Kalemis - Philadelphia Business Journal". Bizjournals.com. 2012-05-11. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-10-29. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Auxilior Capital Partners CEO Grosso Nominated for EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Award in Greater Philadelphia - Monitordaily". MonitorDaily. 22 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Lazaros Kalemis: Alpha Card Services". M.O. Archived from the original on 11 September 2012. Retrieved 12 August 2012.
- ^ a b "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-01-27. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Simpay". Les Echos Comfi (in French). 10 June 2024.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-06-26. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-02-28. Retrieved 2012-08-13.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "正规的ag亚游只为非凡_ag亚游国际官网_亚游集团". alphaposservices.com.
- ^ "Alpha Card Services Review | Merchant Alternatives". merchantalternatives.com/. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
- ^ Philly, Cosmos (2013-10-24). "Alpha Card Services CEO, Lazaros Kalemis, named a 2013 SmartCEO Circle of Excellence winner ⋆ Cosmos Philly". Cosmos Philly. Retrieved 2024-04-02.
- ^ "Alpha Card Cares". Alpha Card Services. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
- ^ "Kids-N-Hope Foundation". Kidsnhope.org. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
- ^ "Susan G. Komen for the Cure". Ww5.komen.org. Archived from the original on 2020-11-18. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
- ^ "Welcome to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bucks County - Big Brothers Big Sisters of Bucks County". Bbbsbc.org. Archived from the original on 2012-07-02. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
- ^ "Light The Night Walk: Taking Steps to Cure Cancer". Lightthenight.org. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
- ^ "Event Central 2011 - Home". Kintera.org. Retrieved 2012-08-10.