Dennis C. Droushiotis will be laid to rest on Thursday, September 21. The former Trade Commissioner in the United States for the Republic of Cyprus, Droushiotis, 64, passed away on September 14 after a battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife Polly, their two children Dennis Jr. and Maggie, and his brother, retired Ambassador James Droushiotis.
The funeral service will be held at St. George Greek Orthodox Church, 1033 West Park Avenue in Ocean, NJ. The burial will take place in a closed family circle. Relatives, friends, and colleagues are invited to attend the makaria at 2:30 PM at The Breakers Hotel,1507 Ocean Avenue in Spring Lake, NJ.
The family invites relatives and friends to donate to the Dennis C. Droushiotis Scholarship Fund at the Rahway High School, P.O. Box 1024 Rahway, NJ 07065.
The late Droushiotis fought with passion for the Cyprus issue and for the promotion of Cypriot products in the American market. With perseverance and patience, he managed to make halloumi known to American consumers who can find it on the shelves of the major supermarkets.
His colleagues and friends recognized his efforts to promote halloumi and Commandaria wine and called him Mr. Halloumi.
According to his biography, Droushiotis established the first Cyprus Trade Office in the U.S. and implemented export promotion programs that saw Cypriot Exports to the United States increase from $700,000 to over $32 million. He was as professional as few and most importantly maintained good relations not only with the Greek and Cypriot community but also with American journalists who covered the tastings he organized with Michael Psilakis and other distinguished chefs and oenologists aiming at promoting Cypriot products and the Cypriot gastronomy.
Droushiotis also helped found the Cyprus-US Chamber of Commerce, inaugurated in 1998, and served as president and later chairman of the board of directors of the organization. He was also involved in bilateral trade negotiations with the United States Office of the Special Trade Representative and at the international level as well as a delegate to the World Trade Organization and other multi-lateral conferences. He was an adviser to the Central Bank of Cyprus, served as a Director of Tourism for North America 1980 – 1990, and as Economic Counselor of the Permanent Mission of Cyprus to the United Nations.
Droushiotis served on a number of associations, including the International Olympic Committee, the European Travel Commission, the American Exporters and Importers Association, American Cheese Society, and was a founding member of the European Wine Council headquartered in New York. However, his greatest achievements was the registration of the designation of origin for halloumi in the United States and the promotion of the sweet dessert wine Commandaria and other Cypriot wines.
Following his retirement from the Department of Commerce he founded Equis Trading Inc., which undertook a campaign to promote halloumi and Cypriot wine in the United States.
Droushiotis received honors of excellence by the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and from private industry for his contribution to the fostering of trade between the United States and Cyprus. In recognition of his service, Droushiotis received the 2000 Ellis Island Medal of Honor Award and the Evagoras Pallikarides Award of Merit in 2003. He held a master’s degree in International Economics from Columbia University.
The deceased participated in the election campaigns of Greek and Philhellenic candidates. He was a coordinator of John Catsimatidis’ campaign for New York City mayor.
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