Leadership

James Argyropoulos

Non-Executive Chairman

James P. Argyropoulos is a principal and currently serves as the Non-Executive Chairman of West Coast Investors, a family real estate and investment management company he founded in 1976.   With offices in Santa Monica, California, West Coast owns and manages substantial real estate holdings comprised of high-end street retail located primarily in Southern California, Hawaii, and Miami.

Mr. Argyropoulos was founder, Chairman and CEO of Cherokee, a shoe and apparel, retail and manufacturing brand, which began in 1973.  During his tenure as Chairman and CEO, the company exceeded $800 million in retail sales and went public in 1983.  Subsequently, Mr. Argyropoulos founded The Walking Company in 1991.  As Chairman, he led the company to become one of the leading specialty retailers of high quality, technically designed, comfort walk wear & accessories in the US.   From a single store in 1995, The Walking Company grew to over 100 stores in 2002.  During the same period Mr. Argyropoulos became a shareholder and board member of Corporate Express, a contract stationary company based out of Denver, CO.  When he joined, Corporate Express was a $35 million a year private company.  The company grew to over $4 billion in sales and was sold in the late ‘90s. Mr. Argyropoulos retail experience has been instrumental in West Coast Investors investment strategy. 

Born in Greece, Mr. Argyropoulos immigrated to the United States at the age of fourteen.  Since 1987, Mr. Argyropoulos has lived in Montecito, California.

West Coast Investors and Mr. Argyropoulos founded the modern Hellenic Greek culture program at the University of Santa Barbara.  Their primary goal is to help ensure that knowledge of Greek culture, both past and present, will be shared among future generations.