“How Far do You Want to Go?—Lessons From a Common Sense Billionaire.”

 

By author/journalist

Justine Frangouli-Argyris 

Like all authors, I am a voracious reader. Recently, I packed my usual 3 or 4 titles for a week of r&r down south. A couple of days prior to departure, however, I encountered my dear friend, John Catsimatidis, for dinner at Milos. I have known John since the turbulent days of Archbishop Spyridon when he was named vice-chairman of the Archdiocesan council. 

 In the years that were to follow, I would write Spyridon’s biography, The Lonely Path of Integrity, and a novel based on the life of John’s mother, For the Love of Others, both of which became bestsellers in Greece.

 That evening, John gave me a signed copy of his recently published autobiography, “How Far do You Want to Go?—Lessons From a Common Sense Billionaire.” Upon returning home, I quickly put it at the head of my trip’s reading list.

 Well, needless to say, I was not disappointed. Although I have known John for some 25 years, there was and is much to the man and his life that was completely new to me. Such as the role he played in the Camp David church construction to his West side street festival to his brilliant “buy North American oil” ads that doubled sales in no time. 

 John’s intent may have been to pass on his business knowledge and advice to the reader but it is much more than that. Written in a curt, direct tone that makes it a very easy read, it delves into the deficiencies of the American political system, the benefits of giving back to society, the love of family and even America’s missteps in Iraq.

 It is a fascinating rags to riches story that begins in Nysiros, Greece and travels, via Upper Harlem, to 5th Avenue. It gives us an inside look at what made the man such an amazing success and how, even though he was earning $1M a year at the tender age of 24, his ideals have remained steadfast to this day.

 Καλοτάξιδο, my friend!