Born to Greek immigrants, Andy grew up working every role in the

hospitality industry through his family restaurants in Waukegan, Illinois.

Andy credits his father, Gus, for his strong work ethic as he was taught

every responsibility in the business, and now he instills those same

lessons into his current businesses and into his children. He credits

his mother, Youla, for his thinking out-of-the-box mentality and not

being afraid to take chances. This lead Andy to Hollywood, where he

created Four Play, a reality show. Swimming with the sharks in Hollywood,

Andy learned and credits his business strategies and negotiation skills

that are still used today.

 

In 2005, he moved to Rockford, Illinois to start a new restaurant with his

partner Denny Trakas. Not settling for the success of one business, Andy

and his partners turned one location into a group by launching three

more restaurants and other businesses. In 2015, Andy and his wife

Isabelle started Bella Rio Consulting, which oversaw branding/consulting and community relations for their enterprises. In over thirteen years, they grew the companies to over 200 employees throughout seven businesses. Andy and his partners wanted to ensure that they always gave back to the community. They have since raised upwards of $500,000 for various charities in the last decade and have invested over $5,000,000 in Illinois by identifying opportunities and activating a blended network to drive success thus resulting in a stronger local economy. Andy became a community leader and sought to share his knowledge with others everywhere, including local municipalities and nonprofit organizations. In 2019, a dream was turned into a reality as Bella Rio became the parent company of ROCK'N Vodka, the now award-winning, sugarcane spirit. Andy's hard work and philanthropy allowed him the opportunity to invest in one of the most iconic brands in the world, Hard Rock Casino. There, Andy kept crossing paths with Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick and later introduced him to ROCK'N Vodka, where Rick became a partner.