Founders: The supermarket billionaire who ran for New York City mayor

**Leanna Byrne** (0:03)
Hi, it's Leanna Byrne here. So we're shaking things up a bit at Business Daily. I wanted to make sure you know that our founders interview will now be in your feed each Wednesday, bringing you those stories and the emotions of the highs and lows of starting a successful business. Right, let's get on with the show. And today my guest is billionaire businessman, John Catsimatidis, one of New York's most influential entrepreneurs. He's the man who built a grocery store into the Gristedes supermarket chain and part of one of New York's best-known business empires. And to understand how he did it, I started at the very beginning.
John Catsimatidis, you're one of those New York business figures whose life really sounds almost like a novel. You're born in Greece, raised in Harlem. You worked behind counters as a teenager. You studied at NEYU. But then you just left short of graduating to take a chance on the grocery business. And by your mid-twenties, you'd built a chain of supermarkets. And today, through Red Apple Group and your interests, they really stretch across everywhere. Groceries, property, energy, media, including New York's WABC radio.
It's quite a story, John. So very welcome to meet the founders.

**John Catsimatidis** (1:20)
Well, thank you so much. And it's, you know, we have a few companies that we make a lot of money in. And then we have a few companies where we consider, let's have a little bit of fun. And you know, our energy business has always made a lot of money. And our real estate business has always made a lot of money. And then we have the aviation business, which I don't think anybody's ever made any money. I mean, we were partners with British Airways back in 1984 in the terminal at John F. Kennedy Airport.
Half the terminal was ours, half the terminal was British Airways. And now you know why I'm telling you the story?
Because we were partners in the terminal. I got to fly to Concord all the time, like I would take a bus to school or something.

**Leanna Byrne** (2:12)
Wow, they don't even have them anymore.

**John Catsimatidis** (2:14)
I know, and that Concord was such a beautiful airplane. It's sad that we don't have them anymore. But it's enjoyable.
It's nice to be able to fly around the world and almost be carefree. And we bought a radio station, and we took it from number 28 in the region to number one in the country. And our goal is now to expand it to worldwide. And I do a few shows myself. So the older I get, the harder I work.
President Trump is a friend for 40 or 50 years. I'm trying to compete with him because he's working very hard too. I mean, you know, he-

**Leanna Byrne** (2:58)
Yeah, 80 years old.

**John Catsimatidis** (2:59)
He's gonna be 80 years old, and he's working 80 hours a week. So I'm 77, so I'm working 77 hours a week. And it is what it is. And I try every day to teach our people to accomplish something every day. Don't let a day go by without accomplishing something.

**Leanna Byrne** (3:21)
Well, that's great advice. John, you're a really passionate guy. I can tell by your voice, but I want to take you right back because you came from an immigrant family and your story is very much about hard work and building a business empire in one of the wealthiest cities in the world. Is that an quintessential American dream story, do you think?

**John Catsimatidis** (3:40)
Well, all the immigrants that came in the 1900s, I mean, there was a wave of immigrants from the 1890s to the 1920s and then it regained the speed again after World War II, I guess.
My two grandfathers, they came over in 1913 because everybody was looking for a place where they could have an opportunity to have a better life for their families. And the joke I tell on the air is whether it's the Jewish families that came over, whether it was the Greek families that came over, the Irish families that came over, they all worked hard to make their kids and grandkids better than they were.

**Leanna Byrne** (4:35)
Who taught you about money when you were younger? Was it one person or was it just the people around you who you saw hustling?

**John Catsimatidis** (4:42)
Well, I'll tell you, I finished high school and I was going to go to New York University. I set up the couch and I set up the television set and I was ready to just sit on top of the couch and watch television for all summer.