56 THE QUEENS COURIER • OCTOBER 15, 2020 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
Amorelli Realty Wins
Bethpage Best of the Boro
BY DEAN MOSES
editorial@qns.com
@QNS
On Thursday, Sept. 24, newly installed
NYPD Captain of the 114th Precinct
Ray Jenkins and his fellow officers presented
Amorelli Realty with Bethpage
Best of the Boro 2020 Official Winners
Plaque. The Astoria-based firm has
won the accolade for four consecutive
years.
Amorelli Realty first opened its doors
back in 1978 when it was founded by
Anita Halvatzis, a single mother who
aimed to serve the community she
loved whilst also providing for her children.
The passion still burns bright in
Havatizis’ eyes when she speaks of her
multi-award-winning business, but the
process leading to this moment wasn’t
an easy feat.
Juggling a divorce, raising children
and becoming a female business owner
during a time when few women ran
the household speaks to this Queens
trailblazer’s determination. Even now, as
those aforementioned children take the
reins of the business and her grandchildren
steadily climb the ranks of the now
third-generation company, Halvatzis
maintains a hands-on approach thanks
to her passion for Astoria and the people
who live within it.
“We tell her to stay home and rest, but
she comes in every day,” Anita’s son Paul
Halvatzis said with a proud smile.
As the preparations for the award presentation
got underway, Anita Halvatzis
showed little signs of resting. Darting
around the office she greeted attendees
with warm tidings, excited that her business
was to receive another honor. Yet
despite all the fanfare, Halvatzis made a
point to reiterate that the event was not
just a celebration of the company’s hard
work or her family’s dedication, this day
was a culmination of the principles she
established Amorelli Realty on over four
decades prior: the devotion to Queens
residents.
“I love real estate. We try to help the
people. When they come in to buy a
house, we help them. This is something
that the industry needs. When people
take a personal interest in others, that is
what we are interested in. That’s what we
try to do. It has always been my idea that
you help people, you don’t sell them, you
help them,” said Halvatzis.
These ideals were echoed by grandson
Nicholas Halvatzis.
“Not only do we work in this community,
we believe in this community, we
live in this community. I live here, my
uncle lives here, my dad — we love it,”
Nicholas said.
Bethpage Best of the Boro is a prestigious
award granted to businesses by
Schneps Media and voted on by the public
in categories including food, education,
arts & entertainment, and many
more.
In previous years, Amorelli Realty
has had the distinction of having the
Bethpage Best of the Boro award presented
to them by such dignitaries as former
Queens Borough President and current
District Attorney Melinda Katz.
This year, Commanding Officer
Jenkins, who despite only holding the
highly regarded position of captain for
72 hours, arrived at the realty office to
commend the team as one of his first acts.
Just below Amorelli Realty’s blue
awning, on 36–01 30th Ave., staff and
officers lined up for the official plaque
presentation. The agency not only won
Best Realty; Joseph Vaccaro also earned
Best Real Estate agent.
Jenkins bestowed the awards with great
pride, and although he is new to his current
position, he is not new to Astoria,
holding the neighborhood in high esteem
while also looking forward to the impact
he can make moving forward.
“It is important to reach out to the
community. The only way to be successful
as a police department is to have the
support of the community, and the only
way the community can feel comfortable
with the police department is to
feel supported. It is a mutual arrangement,”
Jenkins said. “I have been at the
114th Precinct for quite some time, however,
my role has changed. I am blessed
to have my role change. I can have more
control to affect everything: crime, quality
of life, community concern, youth —
all of the above.”
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