John Catsimatidis
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John Catsimatidis is the chairman and CEO of the Red Apple Group. The Red Apple Group has holdings in oil refining, retail petroleum products, convenience stores, supermarkets, real estate and aviation.
[edit] Summary
Catsimatdis grew up in New York, NY after coming to the United States as an infant with his parents from the island of Nissiros, Greece and graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School in 1966.
While attending the Bronx campus of New York University (NYU), studying engineering, Catsimatidis worked for an uncle in a small supermarket on 137th Street. While still in college, Catsimatidis opened his first store in 1968 on Manhattan's Westside at 99th Street and Broadway.
This supermarket has evolved into Manhattan's largest supermarket chain, Gristede's Supermarkets. Famed throughout the Borough of Manhattan, Catsimatidis took over the 114-year-old company and has made Gristede's a staple of New York City life.
[edit] Expansion
In the mid-1980's, Catsimatidis broadened his reach beyond the supermarket industry. United Refining Company of Warren, PA., which celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2002, was added to Catsimatidis' holdings along with approximately 400 gas stations and convenience stores. His refinery services the energy market of Western Pennsylvania, New York and Eastern Ohio.
Just as Catsimatidis broadened his business interests he also increased his real estate holdings, making substantial investments in the New York, New Jersey and the Florida real estate markets. Catsimatidis entered the Manhattan real estate market just as it began to recover in the late 1970's.
A certified jet pilot, Catsimatidis has been involved in the airline industry since the early 70's. His holdings in the aviation industry have included a fleet of leased commercial aircraft and, at one time, Catsimatidis owned and operated Capitol Airlines, the 11th largest commercial airline in the United States. His corporate jet company, United Air Fleet, operated as many as forty corporate aircraft.
In total Catsimatidis companies post annual sales in excess of $2 billion. With a total of over 10,000 employees, Catsimatidis is a major employer in the New York metropolitan area and upstate New York.
Catsimatidis' charitable interests are as varied as his business interests. Although centered in his Hellenic roots, such as his Hellenic Scholarship Foundation and the Greek Orthodox Church in America where he served as President of the Church Council in North America, Mr. Catsimatidis takes up the causes of a variety of charitable and public service organizations beyond the Greek American Community.
Catsimatidis has been on the Board of Directors of New York's Police Athletic Leagues (PAL), since the 1980's, and he is the Vice-chairman of the Ellis Island Awards Foundation, of the National Ethnic Coalition Organization (NECO). Catsimatidis is the co-founder of the Brooklyn Tech Alumni Foundation. This foundation has a $10 million endowment and the first foundation in the country established on behalf of a public school.
Mr. Catsimatidis is also involved with the Juvenile Diabetes', Alzheimer's and Parkinson's research foundations. In the first two weeks of October this year, Mr. and Mrs. Catsimatidis raised over $1,000,000 for the Diabetes and Alzheimer's Foundations. This year, Catsimatidis added the Interfaith Theological Center of New York and Outward Bound to his circle of charitable interests.
Catsimatidis is an active fundraiser for a variety of causes.
Mrs. Catsimatidis, Margo, is a leading businesswoman in the advertising industry. President of MCV advertising, Mrs. Catsimatidis is also co-publisher of the couple's Greek American newspaper, the Hellenic Times, which is the largest Greek newspaper printed in the United States. Mrs. Catsimatidis shares duties with her husband in all of their charitable activities.
