City Faces in Different Places
By Michelle Duez on June 14, 2015 from City Faces
The airport is an integral part of Bridgeport. It provides a gateway in and out of the community, as well as many jobs. Lifelong resident, Chuck Koukoulis has a love for the airport and Bridgeport. Please take a moment to meet my friend Chuck Koukoulis:
How long have you lived in Bridgeport? Chuck is a Bridgeport native. 
Are you married? No
What is your favorite color? Blue
Where do you work? President of KCI Aviation
Favorite Bridgeport spot? Most folks know Chuck for his business in aviation as it’s his lifelong endeavor. The Benedum Airport, now known as the North Central West Virginia Airport, is his home away from home. He’s been around the airport from the cradle. It is part of his heart and soul...and he’s all about heart and soul. He is very pleased to see how things are developing and progressing at NCWVA from the days when those opportunities were just a glimmer of the eye to a few of us. NCWVA is where his heart and soul will always be...he’d like to buried under Windsock T.
Favorite WV spot outside of Bridgeport? The answer is yes or all. Once again, how does one choose a favorite place among such incredible beauty and inspiration? One of his most memorable spots was the Sinks of Gandy. He visited with his friends John and Barbara Pritchard and a few friends. The Sinks of Gandy is a river that goes underground through a mountain. They were sporting their acoustic guitars, a couple lanterns and a cooler with lunch and refreshments. An hour into the trek they came upon a room so they stopped and began to play music, the music of the moment at hand. About a half hour into that a couple of spelunkers in all their gear stumbled on to them in the middle of a mountain, underground jam session. He remembers it as a great experience. Chuck and John called it the “Cave Jam”. They were very much into creating music and the arts. Chuck said that John and his wife Barbara are exceptional artists at their craft and trade, not to mention wonderful hometown folks.
Favorite place outside of WV? Hillsboro Beach, Florida. It's a mile long private beach of pure paradise.
Favorite restaurant? Chuck’s answer is that it has to be all of them! We are so fortunate to have so much diverse and great eateries in our midst. How do you pick just one, he can't. He also added that we have the great initiative of the Bridgeport Farmers Market. It brings our local producers of home grown food products and crafts and services to us weekly, but brings that to us as a direct connection to all those things to enhance our community experience and wellness. It’s a great place to have breakfast or lunch on a Sunday. He says kudos to all who make that happen!
Best childhood memory? He grew up on Faris Avenue. His parents still live in their family home they built in 1954. He said he had the childhood to dream of....tree houses, forts in the woods...apple battles...baseball and football games in the back yard. They slept out under the stars imagining things greater than they could fathom...looking for shooting stars...and they saw several. They had garage bands and played music...music, that elixir of the soul. He and his friends had a lot to sing and play about. He feels very fortunate to have grown up in this environment and is very happy to still live and work here in Bridgeport.
Favorite musical group? Jazz, rock-n-roll and soul music; his favorite guitar player is Duane Allman.
Pets? Three rescues - two cats, Gus and Boris and a dog, Bogey. Gus is a Tuxedo and Boris is part Siamese & mountain lion (he's 18 lbs, not really a mountain lion, he's just big). Bogey, an American Foxhound, was rescued from Harrison Co. Humane Society when he was about five months old.
Hobbies? Aviation, music, cooking and woodworking
Interesting fact about you? Chuck has flown a small airplane from below the Tropic of Cancer to Bridgeport and above the Arctic Circle to Bridgeport. Chuck is one of the main chefs at the St. Spyirdon Greek Food Festival every June. He also has a Ph.D. is Beach Bum.
Photo courtesy of Studio White Oak
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