Obituary: Perry Pulos, IFI district
director
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Pulos was a second-generation drycleaner
who loved the industry and did his best to promote growth for
all cleaners. In his time on the board Pulos made a lasting
impression on his fellow board members and IFI staff with whom
he came into contact.
“What a terrible loss we have
suffered,” IFI President Jim Cripe said. “Perry
brought an awful lot to the board and by losing him we will
have to work that much harder to maintain our progress toward
our goals.”
Perry’s parents, George and Georgia,
launched George’s Cleaners in Lancaster as a single-plant
operation in 1947. He and his wife, Cheryl, took over the
business in 1991. Perry focused on the production side of the
business while Cheryl tended the business-oriented duties.
By 2000, Perry and Cheryl had grown the
business to a four-location chain, including the main plant in
Lancaster and three drop stores in neighboring areas. Not only
did he expand his own business, he also helped revitalize his
community.
Pulos was involved in a number of groups
and had his hands in many different activities. As a member,
and later president, of the Lancaster Old Town Site
(LOTS), he brought five major banks, a variety of financial
service businesses, and municipal government offices to his
hometown.
In addition to drycleaning, he had a
passion for people and his Greek heritage.
Steve Poulos, now IFI’s District 4
Director, was online one night looking for information on a
project in his plant. By random chance he met Perry in a chat
room. “We were going back and forth about drycleaning and
suddenly he asks me, ‘What nationality are you?’
and I type back ‘Greek.’ He types, ‘Me too,
let’s talk.’
“The next day, we’re on the
phone and Perry has a problem in his plant. My Adco
representative was coming in that day. As it turns out Perry
used Adco, too, and that was what he needed help with. So he
asks me, ‘What’s your last name?’ and I say
‘Poulos’ and there’s this dead silence.
‘Perry, are you there?’ He was just stunned.
We’re both drycleaners active in our organizations, we
use Adco, and we pretty much have the same last
name.”
“Our next meetings are going to be
difficult without him,” Poulos said. “We would go
over the items on the agenda beforehand and make plans to visit
the local Greek churches wherever we were going.”
Pulos is survived by his wife Cheryl, two
children, two sisters, and numerous nieces, nephews, and
cousins.
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