Billionaire developer reveals secrets to his never-be-satisfied, rags-to-riches life

Billionaire real estate developer and grocery magnate John Catsimatidis, a fast-talking, sometimes brash and almost always colorful character — with seemingly enough stories to match his bank account — lives by, for him at least, what appears to be a counterintuitive leadership principle: he uses the two ears, one mouth approach.

“I always try to listen to both sides before I make a decision on anything,” says Catsimatidis, No. 679 on the 2023 Forbes Billionaire list, with what the magazine says is a net worth of $4.1 billion. “I try to keep an open mind.” 

Catsimatidis, with his nasal-quick New York accent and free-range answers in a 20-minute interview, doesn’t necessarily scream rational decision-making prowess. But his ability to lead like that, mixed with fearlessness and frank conversations, has led to a series of significant successes in a 50-year entrepreneurial career. That’s wrapped around Red Apple Group, parent company of the popular New York City grocery chain Gristedes, among several other entities.