Serial entrepreneur from NYC with experience in the automotive industry, advertising, and real estate.
Based out of New York City, New York, John Velaoras is an accomplished entrepreneur with a broad range of experience. His career has spanned the automotive industry, marketing and advertising, real estate, and mergers and acquisitions. John has built multiple successful ventures from the ground up and has well over two decades of experience in business management and leadership.
Currently, John Velaoras is putting his time and effort into two organizations: KOS Outdoors and Hammer Group Holdings. Before this, however, he co-founded Specialty Motor Cars in the Bronx neighborhood of New York City. This company was a decent-sized salvage vehicle dealership that acquired vehicles from insurance companies and sold them for parts. Founded in 1996, John and his team built Specialty Motor Cars into a successful business before selling it in 2006.
In 2002, KOS Outdoors was founded. This outdoor advertising company provides unique and creative marketing services with a wide variety of applications, from small local events to large corporate campaigns for big-name brands such as Verizon, Sprint, H&M, and Puma. John Velaoras is proud of the company he has built and has enjoyed watching it grow from ten mobile billboard trucks to what is now a fleet of 20 mobile billboards, a vinyl wrapping workshop, and a dedicated Street Team. They provide services nationwide, creating personalized campaigns for each client.
John Velaoras is a passionate advocate for the benefits of outdoor advertising and mobile billboards. This approach allows marketers to reach incredibly specific target markets by focusing advertising efforts in the midst of the market’s daily lives. KOS Outdoors is skilled at planning strategic routes that can drive brand awareness and product promotion effectively. Their results suggest that mobile advertising can generate 2.5 times more attention than static billboards and can drive 20% growth in target impressions.
At Hammer Group Holdings, John Velaoras is putting his automotive industry background to work while learning the ins and outs of research alongside his business partner. They saw an increasing trend of consolidation between salvage yards and collision repair shops within New York City, which was beginning to drive out smaller, independently owned companies. Together, the team is acquiring and uniting the most desirable body shops, sharing their entrepreneurial expertise to help these companies continue to thrive in a changing market. This endeavor has helped John build his skills and knowledge in commercial real estate within New York City.
Outside of his professional career, John Velaoras loves getting out of the city to explore new places and enjoy the beauty of nature. He spends a lot of time traveling and fishing, expanding his horizons through new experiences and prioritizing rest through spending time in nature and enjoying his favorite activities. John strongly believes in the power of travel to open your eyes to life, allowing you to appreciate the world around you in whole new ways. He fully embraces every opportunity to experience new cultures and pursue personal growth.
To learn more about John Velaoras, his career, and his professional interests, visit JohnVelaoras.net.
