Business Person of the Year 2018 Honoree: Nick Tziazas

After living in Astoria for “a long, long time,” and working there since 1979, he moved to Long Island after he had kids.

But he’s still involved in the community. He’s part of the Astoria Civic Association, Federation of Cypriots American Organizations and the Panpafian Association of America. He has grown Eleftheria Pancyprian to nearly a dozen youth teams for children ages four to 19.

The club competes in the Cosmopolitan Junior Soccer League, which boasts teams from throughout the five boroughs.

“The organization, it takes a lot of my time,” he said. “But it’s great because this is where we teach the kids teamwork. Today, it’s very important to have those characteristics in individuals.”

The civic and business leader has also seen Astoria change over decades. It’s no longer the overwhelmingly Greek and Italian neighborhood it used to be, but Tziazas loves its diversity.

“People get together, they understand each others’ needs,” he said. “The schools, the churches, they work very hard to better this community.”

While he continues his dedication to the community, Tziazas is still focused on growing Lyons Mortgage Services. The company has invested a lot of money in technology, creating a new platform that makes the entire application process easier and less of a hassle.

“That will help us to approve loans really quick,” he said. “Obviously, that will help the whole company grow.”

Lyons is currently licensed in New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. The company is also in the process of getting its license in California. And while it’s still growing, Lyons remains a customer service-oriented company, he said.

“The future is bright for Lyons,” Tziazas said.