John Catsimatidis: From Grocery Cashier to Billionaire Businessman
John Catsimatidis is a Greek-American businessman with a net worth of $3.1 billion. He earned his fortune in the worlds of supermarkets, oil, and real estate, serving as the owner, chairman, and CEO of Gristedes Foods and Red Apple Group. Catsimatidis was born in Nisyros, Greece in 1948, but moved to the United States with his parents when he was six months old. While studying electrical engineering at New York University, he worked nights as a grocery cashier. In 1969, he opened his own store, which later became the Red Apple Group empire. Today, the group controls New York’s Gristedes supermarkets and 800,000 square feet of city real estate, as well as holdings in aviation and real estate interests in New York, Florida, and the US Virgin Islands.
Catsimatidis has also dabbled in politics, running as a Republican candidate in the 2013 New York City primary mayoral election. He is married to Margo Vonderstaar Catsimatidis and they have two children together. His daughter, Andrea Catsimatidis, is a self-described “billionaire heiress instagram star” and active member of the Republican party.
