The Liverpool accountant, who had his own business and first property by the age of 18, recently took over the helm of the Liverpool Chamber of Commerce following the resignation of businessman Harry Hunt.
And while Mr Hunt’s 13 year tenure of the chamber means his incumbent may have big shoes to fill, Mr Germanos said he was keen to put his own stamp on the role.
“Harry has been great, very supportive, there has been a lot of support from a lot of people and there is excitement too,” Mr Germanos said.
“Liverpool has good population growth and I would like to see the Chamber support that growth. More and more businesses are coming into Liverpool and the Chamber is the perfect platform for them to meet and learn new things.”
After all, prosperous businesses mean a booming town, he said.
And Liverpool appears to be flourishing: an impending airport at nearby Badgerys Creek has seen local roads upgraded as part of $200 million roads package, a rail study is underway, and Greater Sydney Commission’s Sheridan Dudley recently described Liverpool as the heart of south west Sydney.
The city is also home for Mr Germanos and his wife Karma and their daughters Isabella, 6, and Khloe, 3.
It was with Karma that Mr Germanos, 30, set up his second professional venture – a photography business – shortly after they married while he was also studying to become a chartered accountant.
“I started an online business when I was 18 but even then I knew my future was in accounting,” he said.
And along the way Mr Germanos has paid homage to the principles instilled by his parents – give and you shall receive.
“I’ve always been involved in charities and not-for-profits. There’s always time for others. I believe that if you’ve had the opportunity to benefit then you should extend that same opportunity to others,” he said.
Which is why Mr Germanos came to be involved with an Australian Lebanese Christian charity that helps newcomers from Lebanon and now serves as the organisation’s treasurer and why he also joined the Liverpool West Rotary, a post he has since had to retire from to focus on the Liverpool Chamber and the newly formed Bankstown Chamber.
“I always find if you manage your time properly and you’re able to delegate, there is always time to help others,” he said.
“But that work-life balance has always been something I feel strongly about. I make sure my family is taken care of and that I’m home by 6pm to be there for the girls.”
Balancing his family’s needs with his growing workload is not a strange notion to Mr Germanos. His parents left war-torn Lebanon in the 1980s and made sacrifices to raise their five children in Australia.
“My parents were always hardworking people. They didn’t have the opportunity to get an education but they wanted to make sure their children did,” he said.
“I think that’s how I came to be involved in helping others.”
Mr Germanos hasn’t ruled out another tilt at local politics after he narrowly missed out on a spot on Liverpool Council at the 2012 local government elections.
“I didn’t get over the line, I missed out by a couple hundred votes but it was a positive experience. As for whether I’ll run again, who knows. Right now my focus is on Chamber,” he said.
“I tend to develop a passion for all the things I’m involved in. Politics came about because I found myself one day mentioning a few policies I thought were a good idea and thought should be implemented and rather than just have a whinge about them I thought I’d do something.
“It didn’t work out but I built relationships with people as a result.”
Mr Germanos said his immediate focus was on building networking opportunities for the Chamber’s members.
“I want to build interaction and help promote their businesses. And then secondly, look at providing events for them. Part of that means working with (Liverpool) council because we want to see Liverpool grow.”
