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A capacity crowd filled the Harvard Club dining room on the evening of March 27 to give a New York City welcome to Chicago-based John P. Calamos, Sr., Chairman , CEO and co-chief investment officer of Calamos Asset Management.
Members of the Hellenic-American Chamber of Commerce had the opportunity to meet, speak and dine with Mr. Calamos in an atmosphere of warmth and good fellowship. Mr. Calamos proved himself most accessible, inspiring good conversation and networking opportunities.
A pioneer in the use of convertible security investment strategies to help manage risk, Mr. Calamos advised the investors in the audience to think long-term when making financial decisions.
The son of Greek immigrants, Mr. Calamos has held on to his Hellenic values. He is active as a philanthropist in the Greek community and is on the Board of Directors of the new National Hellenic Museum in Chicago. He told the audience that it is of vital importance to preserve and honor the history of Greek immigrants in the United States, a mission that the museum addresses.
Reviewing the economic crisis in Greece, Mr. Calamos gave a sobering account of the current situation and urged Greece to work at developing a private sector to help turn things around.
The event was a presentation of The Finance, Insurance and Investments Committee of the HACC, under the chairmanship of Anthony Kammas. The evening’s sponsors included Atlantic Bank, Michael and Mary Jaharis and MacArthur Capital.
John P. Calamos, Sr.
John P. Calamos, Sr. is chairman, chief executive officer and co-chief investment officer of the firm he founded in 1977, which he took public as Calamos Asset Management in 2004. A pioneer in the use of convertible security investment strategies to help manage risk, Mr. Calamos has created a reputation for using investment techniques to control risk, preserve capital and build wealth for clients over the long term.
From its origins as an institutional convertible bond manager, Calamos Investments has grown into a diversified asset management firm with major institutional and individual clients in the United States and around the world. Mr. Calamos received his undergraduate degree in economics and an M.B.A. in finance from the Illinois Institute of Technology. Joining the United States Air Force after graduation, he served as a combat pilot during the Vietnam War and earned the rank of Major.
As an Air Force pilot, Mr. Calamos sharpened the skills used to calculate and manage risk during missions. It was during that time he also became intrigued by the risk management aspects of convertible bonds. By applying the option price theory to the valuation of convertibles he was able to demonstrate the benefit of convertibles as part of an investment strategy and began to attract institutional clients who remain clients today.
Mr. Calamos won the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award for the financial services sector, Lake Michigan Area in 2006. He is a member of the Investment Analysts Society of Chicago. A frequent speaker at investment seminars and conferences, he is often quoted as an authority on risk-managed strategies in Barron’s, Fortune, Forbes, Pensions & Investments, Financial World, Nation’s Business and The Wall Street Journal. He is also interviewed regularly on CNBC, Bloomberg TV, Reuters Insider, and Fox Business Channel.
He is the author of two books, “Investing in Convertible Securities: Your Complete Guide to the Risks and Rewards” and “Convertible Securities: the Latest Instruments, Portfolio Strategies and Valuation Analysis.” He is also a regular contributor to many investment industry publications.
Mr. Calamos, the son of Greek immigrants, is active as a philanthropist in the Greek community and is a member of the Board of Directors for the National Hellenic Museum in Chicago. “We have built a national institution to honor our parents and grandparents, to honor our rich Hellenic history. The only institution of its kind, the museum allows Greeks in America, as well as those who support Greek arts, history and education, to showcase and celebrate Greek heritage and contributions for generations of Americans of all backgrounds,” he said. Mr. Calamos has been honored for his lifetime contributions by the Hellenic Bar Association.
