About My Father and Germir

Almost everyone who I informed about my recent initiative have been curious about the meaning of "Germir."

As you may already know, Germir is a neighborhood in Melikgazi district of Kayseri. I’m originally from Kayseri, and Germir was then the village where my father was born and raised. He lived there with his wonderful family until he moved to Istanbul for his university education. Even though we lived far away, he would take us to visit my grandmother and grandfather every summer. We stayed in the Greek house where he spent his childhood, and we never missed visiting our relatives.

Until the first quarter of the 1900’s, Germir was a Greek village where Greeks, Armenians, and Turks lived together. My father told us, before he was born, there was a pharmacy in their village. The village, which got its name from the Armenian word "Garmir," meaning "red," had linseed oil trading as its primary source of income. In addition, they practiced agriculture and animal husbandry. These different communities were able to live together in peace for many years… Germir was a prosperous and civilized village.

The rest is history. During and after the war, with the population exchange and deportations, the Greeks and Armenians had to leave the village. Some, perhaps foreseeing the future, or for other reasons, had already moved to Istanbul and from there settled in America and Europe, leaving the Ottoman Empire.

The story which my father always told us enthusiastically was that Germir got its name from "Garmiryan," meaning "red wheat" in Armenian. He would talk about how civilized a place Germir was… And he would always mention the famous Hollywood film director Elia Kazan because he was from the same village… With further research, I found out that there were many Turkish, Greek, and Armenian families whose roots were in Germir.

Today, Germir is a protected area. After losing my father, I had the chance to visit, albeit briefly, and see again the places he once showed us. If you ever have the opportunity, I recommend stopping by this small, historical town.

Unfortunately, we lost my father on April 11, 2019. I miss him every day... Since then, I’ve made some efforts to keep his memory alive. With my professional experience I’ve gained as a leadership consultant, I realize that I now understand him better. For example, I see that my father wasn’t just a good person but also a manager with strong leadership qualities. He was inspiring, charismatic, highly communicative, and visionary. He had great respect for people and hard work, a highly developed sense of ethics, always stood behind what was right, he was fair, and lived all his life with his values. He was a hümanist and served his country with love. He loved talking about his village and Atatürk. Those who knew us both say I’m my father’s daughter, and of course, I’m delighted and proud to resemble to such a wonderful man.

So, that’s Germir😊 It’s the village of my father, my ancestors, and me… When I was naming my company, Germir stood out among other options. Drawing strength from my roots, I continue on my path as I know best.

With gratitude and love…