NEW YORK – The story one of the most prominent Greek-Americans is not for Greek consumption only. The New York Post shined a bright light on John Catsimatidis, one of the 20th century’s grandest examples of the power of the American Dream.

Reporter Alex Mitchell first introduces the remarkable entrepreneur as a typical teenager: “After graduating from high school, John Catsimatidis wanted to spend the summer of 1966 much like any teenage boy would – watching TV and lounging around on his parents’ couch in upper Manhattan. But fate had other plans for the Greek immigrant, who came to the States as an infant in 1949.”

The article then highlights the inevitable role of his immigrant parents in building the work ethic of a man whose latest foray into big business is building skyscrapers: “Catsimatidis’ mom, Despina, couldn’t stand idly by and watch her son – a standout student at Brooklyn Tech HS, where the average IQ was around 140 – be a couch potato. So, she dragged John down to a neighborhood grocery store and got him work stocking shelves and doing everything under the sun to earn an honest paycheck.”

Mitchell continued: “His mother’s insistence that he get a job that summer was integral to Catsimatidis becoming a self made, billionaire business mogul.”

The full story can be read in Catsimatidis’ new memoir ‘How Far Do You Want to Go?: Lessons from a Common-Sense Billionaire’ which was published this week. Mitchell jumps ahead to find him on the heights of the business world: “These days, Catsimatidis oversees Gristedes Foods, a grocery empire with over 30 stores in New York City. He also manages some 2 million square feet of real estate throughout NYC, Florida and elsewhere in the US, and operates United Refining Company, a Pennsylvania oil refinery.”

The article concludes with Catsimatidis’ words from the new book: “You can’t win if you’re too afraid of losing… Great success comes with great effort – outwork everyone.”