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Meet Alex Perdikis

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Who is Alex Perdikis?

Whether it’s helping you find the perfect car, offering free service to furloughed employees, or  sponsoring the 2015 Generation Adidas Bethesda Premier Cup, Alex Perdikis and the folks at Koons Silver Spring Ford put their whole hearts and minds into it. Enthusiasm, leadership and a cohesive team combine to provide customers with a world-class experience.

Powerful Leadership

Not everyone can or even wants to be a leader. Alex Perdikis is one of those individuals who knew exactly what he wanted at a young age. He began earning money by washing cars and mowing lawns in his neighborhood, helped his parents with their business and majored in business in college. Each summer spent washing cars at a nearby dealership drew him into the world of automobiles. Perdikis’ education and skills acquired as a college football player became a perfect match for a career in the automotive industry.

Perdikis spent his summers away from college working as a lot porter, car detailer and service assistant and quickly learned the automotive business inside and out. He graduated from the University of Richmond in 1997 and began his career in the Accounting department at Koons Lincoln/Mercury Volvo. He soon became part of the sales team at Koons of Tysons Corner, where he became the top volume salesperson within three months of his arrival. Since then, Perdikis has served in varying capacities within the Jim Koons Automotive Company, including Executive Vice President, General Manager and eventually Partner. He continues to preside as Partner and General Manager of Koons of Silver Spring today.

To be successful, one needs outstanding leadership skills and the ability to bring people together in order to work towards a common goal. Under the leadership of Alex Perdikis, Koons Automotive has achieved a host of notable milestones. Koons of Tysons Corner became the highest volume Chevrolet and Chrysler store in the mid-Atlantic region with sales of over $150 million annually. The dealership has since received the Jack Smith Leadership Award and the General Motors Mark of Excellence Award. Throughout each year of Perdikis’ tenure, Koons of Tysons Corner has won the GMAC Deal of the Year Award. Additionally, Perdikis successfully grew Koons Tyson Toyota into an award-winning dealership with a certified used car department that consistently ranks in the top 10 in the country. The dealership also ranked as high as eighth in the country in total new car sales.

Koons of Silver Spring was founded in 2010. The retail automotive business sells and services new Fords, Lincolns and Mazdas and maintains a large inventory of pre-owned vehicles. As General Manager, Perdikis spearheaded a growth initiative in business since 2010. Always eager to grow, Perdikis sees tremendous potential ahead. He is dedicated to making Koons of Silver Spring the biggest dealership in the Washington, D.C. market area. With the company’s laser-sharp focus on providing unmatched customer service, Perdikis’ goal is far from out of reach.

Your 2016 Guide to the Mid-Atlantic’s Best Food & Restaurants

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By Alex Perdikis

Sandwiched between New England and the South, the Mid-Atlantic dining scene gets a bit of a short shrift. That’s a shame, because there are definitely some local eats that visitors from other parts of the U.S. need to try, pronto. In no particular order, here are ten great dishes popular in the Mid-Atlantic that you should try on your next visit to this part of the world. Get ready to get hungry!

Disco Fries

You may have seen them on menus across the country, but disco fries started here. This mix of French fries topped with Cheese Whiz or brown gravy and bacon bits got its name because it was popular with dancers in the 1970s. Bar food at its finest. Disco fries are best experienced in New Jersey. Find them at Windmill Hot Dogs, or practically any New Jersey diner.

Scrapple

Scrapple is a bit like pork meatloaf, but made up of things most people would just toss in the trash. In fact, the Pennsylvania delicacy gets its name from the scraps of pigs that were usually left behind. But Pennsylvania culture is very much waste-not-want-not, hence scrapple. It’s still a common breakfast item in the region.

Deciding who has the best scrapple in the Mid-Atlantic is like trying to decide on the best barbecue place in the South. If you want a unique take, go to Oyster House in Philadelphia and try their Oyster Scrapple.

Frozen Custard

West Coasties, forget your frozen yogurt West Coasties. Frozen custard is where it’s at in the Mid-Atlantic. Popular throughout New England and Michigan as well, this dessert got its start in Delaware when an ice cream maker found that adding egg yolk made for a tastier dessert that stayed cold longer in the Mid-Atlantic heat. We have to say that we’re fond of The Dairy Godmother in Washington D.C. They have a very velvety custard that goes down smooth on a hot day.

Cheesesteak

Of course we can’t forget cheesesteak, that famous concoction of sliced meat, bread and Cheese Whiz (or provolone for traditionalists) known throughout the U.S. You can get it all over Philadelphia, but if you want the original recipe(s), you’ve got your choice between Pat’s King of Steaks and Geno’s Steaks. They’re across the street from each other, so you can make your own comparison.

Pepper Pot Soup

This is becoming a bit of a rarity. The story goes that this is the soup that an inventive cook made for General Washington during his stay at Valley Forge. It’s made with tripe, vegetables, and a lot of pepper. It used to be very popular. Even Campbell’s made a version of it. Now it’s rarely found, at least the authentic kind with tripe. You can find a non-authentic version made with beef at City Tavern in Philadelphia. Fair warning though, they make it hot!

Smith Island Cake

This delicacy is a real treat if you love chocolate icing. Named after a tiny island in Maryland, this dish is made up of pancake-thin layers of cake slathered with chocolate icing between each thin layer. Other flavors exist, but chocolate icing and yellow cake is traditional. Most bakers bake all the layers at once in separate pans and then assemble them fast so the icing stays extra-gooey.

If you’re going to get it, you might as well go straight to the island to get to the source. Head to Smith Island Baking Company in Crisfield, Maryland to give it a try.

Pawpaw

If you’re in the region between September and October, you’re in luck. It’s pawpaw season. Pawpaw is a bit like a mango and a bit like a banana, and used in much the same way. You can eat them fresh or bake them into a variety of goods. However, they don’t stay fresh very long so if you want to try one you’ll need to come to the Mid-Atlantic.

It’s hard to choose a restaurant that serves it best because its peak season is only for two weeks out of the year. Try Woodberry Kitchen in Baltimore to try their pawpaw ice cream, but call in advance to see if it’s ready!

Half-Smokes

This is the Mid-Atlantic’s answer to bratwurst and is one of the few foods that’s native to the D.C. area. Half-smokes are half-beef and half-pork sausages which are mixed with red pepper and smoked over a grill before serving. Natives cover their half-smokes with whatever they like. No mustard/ketchup debate like in Chicago! If you’re new to the dish, go to Ben’s Chili Bowl in Washington D.C. to try them out, then talk with the locals to find out their favorite spots.

Rockfish

Chesapeake Bay’s rivers are the natural spawning grounds for the rockfish. They’re a great fighting fish for anglers and go great on the grill. If you want to fish for them on your own and not go out into the ocean, you’ll have to come around during spawning season. But if you don’t feel like dressing up in waders and you’re heading down to Virginia, try the Rockfish and Barcat oyster stew at Rappahannock Oyster Co.

Pretzel salad

Finally, in what may be the weirdest dessert you’ve heard of, we have pretzel salad. Crush together pretzels, sugar, and butter to make a crust. Top it with a mix of cream cheese, sugar, and Cool Whip. Then top it with strawberry jello with sliced strawberries inside it. Strange, but a local delicacy! Georgia House in Millsboro, Delaware (and three other locations) has this strange and tasty treat for you.

If you’re in the area and you really want to try something unique to the Mid-Atlantic area, try looking around for one of these ten delicacies on your trip. Who knows, you might even end up liking pretzel salad or disco fries!

Theodore Roosevelt Island: A Hidden Washington D.C. Gem

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Set near the hustle and bustle of the nation’s capital, across the channel from Georgetown and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts is 88.5 acres of pure nature. A favorite of area resident Alex Perdikis, Theodore Roosevelt Island is a tribute to the avid conservationist and 26th president of the United States. The only way to reach the island is across the footbridge from Arlington, Virginia. Cars and bicycles are prohibited. Miles of hiking trails take visitors through swampy bottomlands and wooded uplands away from the noise of the city.

From Native Americans to Dynamite

The Nacotchtank Indians made a temporary home of the island in 1668. They called it Anacostine. After the Nacotchtank left, the island was acquired and inhabited by several families, including the Masons. John Mason built a mansion and the family planted gardens. The Masons were forced to leave when the only water became stagnate. It has been uninhabited since then, except for a short time during the Civil War when Union troops were stationed on it. Fire destroyed the mansion, and its foundation is all that remains today.

In 1898, without the knowledge of or permission from local authorities, Columbian University, now known as George Washington University, chemist, Charles Edward Munroe, tested explosives on the island. District of Columbia police were notified by frightened citizens when the dynamite and other explosives were discovered. Washington Gas Light Company purchased the island in 1913 and allowed the vegetation to take over. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) cleared the island in 1935. The Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Association bought the island from Washington Gas in 1931 and set to work on creating the monument.

From 1960 On

Funds to build a memorial were slow in coming. The memorial was not funded, in fact, until 1960. The memorial was dedicated in 1967 and includes a 17-foot statue of Roosevelt, four stone monoliths and two fountains. Theodore Roosevelt Island has been on the National Register of Historic Places since 1966.

The Potomac River surrounds the island and the vegetation and geological features are diverse. Spring wildflowers are abundant and a wide variety of birds call the island home at various times throughout the year.

The Fountains No Longer Flow

Sadly, Alex Perdikis’s last visit to the island was a disappointing one. The fountains no longer flow. The canal water is stagnant. The Roosevelt quotes on the monoliths are unreadable. Years of neglect have taken a toll. The National Park Service (NPS) is responsible for maintaining the park but because the island is only accessible by foot, it is not easy to maintain. Another problem is that the island is less well-known and not visited as much as other monuments in the area. In other words, it’s easy to forget.

According to an August 2015 statement from the NPS, there is a plan in place to address the issues at Theodore Roosevelt Island. Work on the moats is set to begin shortly and long-term goals include addressing the island’s condition and access.