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His business card reads, "certified fingerprint
technician." But, Theo Karantsalis is much more than that. Call
him a promoter, a counselor, a waiter, photographer, analyst,
wheeler-dealer, maybe a dozen other labels, and you still wouldn't
have the right tag.
Theo Karantsalis outside his Miami Passport Photo shop in Hialeah
Karantsalis, owner of Miami Passport Photo in Hialeah,
383 E. 1st Avenue, is an individual in this modern day of cookie-cut
personalities. During a recent interview, this man with an engaging
smile and warm personality constantly answered the telephone, gave one
elderly destitute lady a pack of Marlboros and a piece of chocolate
candy free of charge, fingerprinted another woman for an
identification card and allowed her to leave without paying the $15
fee when she told him she had no money.
"We all know what we're supposed to do and
there's a constant battle between morals and ethics and
opportunities," said Karantsalis, whose I.Q. tops 140. "And,
sometimes making the right decision is tough."
Born in Alameda, California, Karantsalis grew up in
the San Francisco Bay area and owned a small junkyard that specialized
in dismantling wrecked BMW automobiles for the parts. The little
junkyard turned into a big business and he sold his interest to a
Japanese family when he felt it was time to do something new.
"I saw an ad in the newspaper that said come work
for Uncle Sam," Karantsalis recalled. "It said, 'We'll teach
you how to speak Spanish, you'll find adventure and meet new people,'
so I hired on as a bi-lingual immigration inspector."
Karantsalis met his wife at the U.S. Immigration
Academy in Georgia, moved to Miami in 1995 and was a government
inspector for four years, before quitting to open Miami Passport Photo
two years ago.
"We do fingerprints and photographs for large
corporations," he explained. "And, the cities of Hialeah,
Opa Locka and Miami Springs send us a lot of business. I have a mobile
truck and I can go on location to fingerprint and photograph large
numbers of people. It can be as few as 10 to more than 1,000."
But, Karantsalis has his fingers in more than one pie
and gained some notoriety a short time ago when a brokerage firm
accidentally transferred $46,000 into his son's account. Karantsalis
says he repeatedly tried to return the money.
"You analyze what happened -- everybody does --
and you decide what you're going to do," he said. "I knew I
needed to give the money back. What was interesting was that the bank
actually argued with me repeatedly, telling me
that the money was rightfully mine."
Most recently, Karantsalis registered the Internet domain name Doral-Ryder.com,
which caused more than a little furor at the Doral headquarters of the famed
Miami-Dade Golf tournament. Initially, Karantsalis wanted $10,000 to
relinquish his claim to the name.
"It was an opportunistic thought," he admitted, "and we
worked out a deal. I can't reveal the details, but a lot of inner-city kids
will get a lot of hats and shirts with Doral-Ryder on them as a result.
"Life is not always about making money," he continued. "Life
is about listening, thinking, analyzing and having fun. If you're not having
fun, you're not playing the game right."
Karantsalis also moonlights as the night counter man at the Doral Starbucks
Coffee Shop, at 9707 NW 41 Street, a job he says he relishes because it
allows him to meet so many people and because coffee shops are becoming so
important in American life today.
"The coffee shop is replacing the bar as the 'third' place in our
society," he said. "The third place is of critical importance in
our society because it's a place outside the home or office where folks can
go to talk and discuss politics or business and just get their batteries
re-charged."
Karantsalis, much like the bartenders of another era, says every one of his
customers has a story to tell and he wants to listen to it.
"That's what it comes down to," he said. "When people come
into Starbucks, I truly want to know their story. Whether it's the homicide
detective, the soap opera writer from Univision, the girl writing reports
from Blue Cross, or the fellow who sells loans to Fleet Mortgage. I just
think people can sense when you're sincerely interested.
"As we move into the next century, those who can gather, manage and use
information will set themselves apart"
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