[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 119 (Thursday, September 10, 1998)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1685]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               FIFTIETH BIRTHDAY OF JOHN A. CATSIMATIDIS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CAROLYN B. MALONEY

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 10, 1998

  Mrs. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I submit the following:


       New York, NY, September 3.--I rise today to pay tribute to 
     John Catsimaridis, who today is celebrating his fiftieth 
     birthday.
       John Catsimatidis, an outstanding member of the community 
     which I represent, was born in Greece in 1948. While still an 
     infant, his parents brought him to the United States where he 
     was raised in New York City. He attended high school in 
     Brooklyn and then graduated from New York University.
       Mr. Catsimatidis' contributions to the New York City 
     community as a businessman and as a caring citizen are vast 
     and varied.
       He is the chairman and chief executive officer of the Red 
     Apple Group, Inc., a privately held company that employs 
     10,000 people. The Red Apple Group is a diversified company 
     with holdings in several areas, including: oil refining, 
     supermarkets, real estate, aviation and publishing.
       Red Apple Group operates United Refining of Warren, 
     Pennsylvania, a midsized oil refinery that functions under 
     the name ``Kwik-Fill.'' The refinery operates 354 convenience 
     stores and filling stations in Northwest New York and Western 
     Pennsylvania.
       Mr. Catsimatidis' company also operates the largest 
     supermarket chain in Manhattan under the names ``Sloan's'' 
     and ``Gristede's.'' He founded this business in 1969 while 
     still a college student; the company now operates 50 stores. 
     An additional supermarket operating under the name ``Grand 
     Union,'' located in the Virgin Islands.
       Mr. Catsimatidis, a pilot, also operates an aviation 
     company under the names ``Capitol Air Express'' and ``C&S 
     Acquisition.'' This company is a worldwide commercial charter 
     and aircraft leasing company with Boeing's 727's and personal 
     jet aircraft.
       Additionally, he is the owner and editor of the Hellenic 
     Times newspaper, the largest English-language Greek-American 
     newspaper in the United States.
       The list of Mr. Catsimatidis' philanthropic activities is 
     equally as extensive and impressive as his business 
     initiatives. He is the former chairman of the Hellenic 
     American Neighborhood Action Committee (HANAC), a nonprofit 
     social services organization which operates low-income 
     housing, medical services, and housing for the elderly and 
     home meal delivery in the New York Metropolitan area.
       He is the co-chairman and founder of the Brooklyn Tech 
     Endowment Foundation; the $10,000,000 fund is the largest 
     gift to a secondary school in the United States. He is the 
     director of the New York Police Athletic League. He funds the 
     John Catsimatidis Scholarship Fund at NYU School of Business, 
     which awards two scholarships annually. He is a past 
     president of the Manhattan Council of Boy Scouts of America.
       He is also active in the National Kidney Foundation, 
     Juvenile Diabetes Foundation, Young Men's Philanthropic 
     League and the Alzheimer's Foundation. In 1991, he underwrote 
     the construction of the library at Camp David Chapel, the 
     Presidential Retreat.
       John Catsimatidis and his wife, Margo, have two children, 
     Andrea John, 9; and John Andreas, Jr., 5.

  Mr. Speaker, I ask that my colleagues rise with me in tribute to John 
Catsimatidis on his fiftieth birthday. It is a privilege to have such 
an outstanding leader in my district.

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