Full Name
John Catsimatidis
Job Title
President and CEO
Company Name
Red Apple Group
Bio
John A. Catsimatidis is an American billionaire businessman and radio talk show host. He is the owner, president, chairman, and CEO of grocery chains Gristedes and D'Agostino Supermarkets in Manhattan, as well as the Red Apple Group, a real estate and aviation company with holdings in New York, Florida, and Pennsylvania. He is also the chairman and CEO of the Red Apple Group subsidiary United Refining Company.
In 1971, Catsimatidis opened his first Red Apple grocery store on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Red Apple stores stood apart from competitors by staying open late every day, cashing checks for customers, and providing free delivery. By 1981, Red Apple had 27 stores in the Bronx and Manhattan with annual sales of around $40 million, growing to $110 million by 1985. In 1986, Red Apple purchased 36 Gristedes supermarkets and 11 affiliated Charles & Co. specialty-food stores from the Southland Corporation. That same year, Catsimatidis acquired United Refining Co., which owned gasoline refineries in Alabama and Pennsylvania.
Catsimatidis is a licensed jet pilot who built a corporate jet company up to 48 jets before selling to NetJets, and also owned and operated Capitol Airlines, at one point the 11th largest commercial airline in the United States. In 2012, he acquired United Metro Energy, a major oil storage and distribution facility in Long Island and New York, as well as building one of the largest biodiesel facilities in the country in Brooklyn. Today, the Red Apple Group is a diversified corporation with holdings in energy, aviation, retail, and real estate, with over 8,000 employees.
On the media side, Catsimatidis hosts two talk radio shows, The Cats Roundtable on WABC and the Cats at Night show. In 2020, he successfully completed the purchase of WABC for $12.5 million. He also owns the Hellenic Times, a Greek-American newspaper based in Manhattan. In 2023, he published his memoir, "How Far Do You Want to Go?: Lessons From A Common-Sense Billionaire," a Publishers Weekly bestseller.
Catsimatidis was the runner-up in the Republican nomination for mayor of New York City in the 2013 election.
In 1971, Catsimatidis opened his first Red Apple grocery store on Manhattan's Upper West Side. Red Apple stores stood apart from competitors by staying open late every day, cashing checks for customers, and providing free delivery. By 1981, Red Apple had 27 stores in the Bronx and Manhattan with annual sales of around $40 million, growing to $110 million by 1985. In 1986, Red Apple purchased 36 Gristedes supermarkets and 11 affiliated Charles & Co. specialty-food stores from the Southland Corporation. That same year, Catsimatidis acquired United Refining Co., which owned gasoline refineries in Alabama and Pennsylvania.
Catsimatidis is a licensed jet pilot who built a corporate jet company up to 48 jets before selling to NetJets, and also owned and operated Capitol Airlines, at one point the 11th largest commercial airline in the United States. In 2012, he acquired United Metro Energy, a major oil storage and distribution facility in Long Island and New York, as well as building one of the largest biodiesel facilities in the country in Brooklyn. Today, the Red Apple Group is a diversified corporation with holdings in energy, aviation, retail, and real estate, with over 8,000 employees.
On the media side, Catsimatidis hosts two talk radio shows, The Cats Roundtable on WABC and the Cats at Night show. In 2020, he successfully completed the purchase of WABC for $12.5 million. He also owns the Hellenic Times, a Greek-American newspaper based in Manhattan. In 2023, he published his memoir, "How Far Do You Want to Go?: Lessons From A Common-Sense Billionaire," a Publishers Weekly bestseller.
Catsimatidis was the runner-up in the Republican nomination for mayor of New York City in the 2013 election.
Speaking At
