John Catsimatidis

Billy of the Week: John Catsimatidis, the $3B grocery hustler

Sam celebrates John Catsimatidis, who started a NYC grocery store (Red Apple) at 21, built it to 10 stores doing $25M while paying himself $1M a year in the late '70s, then expanded into oil, gas, airlines and radio, becoming a self-made multi-billionaire who owns ~100% of it.

“I built it up to 10 stores and was doing $25 million and I was personally earning $1 million. Personally earning $1 million a year. So $25 million in sales and he was paying himself $1 million. And this is in 1978 or something. Then when the company had like $100 million in sales for a grocery store, he bought this other chain.”