Greek-Cypriot businessman and prominent member of the Greek-American community Nikos Mouyiaris died at age 73, it was announced on Sunday.
Mouyiaris was born at the village of Athienou, near Larnaca, Cyprus in 1945 and emigrated to the U.S. in April 1964. In 1975, he founded Mana Products Inc. a cosmetics, skincare and hair company that labels itself as “ the world's leading contract and private label manufacturer” in the sector.
Announcing his death, the Hellenic American Leadership Council, of which Mouyiaris was the founder, described him in the following way: "a poor student from Cyprus, Nikos pursued studies in chemical engineering at Rutgers and St. John’s Universities, took a 6,000-dollar loan, and founded Mana Products, one of the world’s leading contract and private label cosmetics manufacturers. As a true believer in the American Dream, Nikos was particularly moved when his personal journey was marked with the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
Nikos was certainly an example of the American Dream, but he was the example of the Greek-American Dream. He reached the pinnacle of American life in business, in philanthropy, in civic involvement while prioritizing Hellenism every single day".
He is survived by his wife Carol, their daughter Arianna, his two grandchildren and his brother George.