NYC Radio: John Catsimatidis Promotes Son To President

Business/Media mogul John Catsimatidis has promoted his 30-year-old son to president and chief operating officer of the $7 billion Red Apple Group, which has a vast empire that spans media, real estate, fossil fuels, and the Gristedes and D’Agostino’s grocery chains in New York City.

The NY Post reports John Catsimatidis Jr., who was previously chief investment officer at the Manhattan-based company, was elevated after working for the family business for the past 12 years.

John Catsimatidis Jr

The son began at Red Apple while he was still an undergrad at New York University’s Stern School of Business.   “I’ve been around the business my entire life,” he said. “Every Sunday my father would take me and my sister to the grocery stores to teach us about merchandising.”

His outspoken dad will remain chief executive and chairman of the company, which Catsimatidis launched 56 years ago with his first Red Apple supermarket on the Upper West Side.

The promotion is Red Apple’s first public leadership announcement as the father grooms his son to take on a higher profile.  “I thought it was time and the kid deserves it,” the Greek-American business titan told The Post.

The staunch Republican, who ran for New York City mayor in 2013, hosts “The Cats Roundtable” radio show Sunday’s on WABC 770, the AM station he bought in 2019. He also hosts “Cats & Cosby” during the week. “I’m still working seven days a week, but I’m spending more time on my hobbies,” Catsimatidis said.

Red Apple Group, which has 7,000 employees, owns the grocery chains, United Refining Company in western Pennsylvania, gas stations, an oil distribution network and has a residential real estate division.

The elder Catsimaditis is handing over more responsibility to his son as Red Apple looks to push into nuclear energy.  “The future of energy in this country is not going to be windmills and solar cells,” the self-made billionaire told The Post. “The next generation of energy will be small modular reactors that power our submarines and aircraft carriers.”