Queens Chamber of Commerce Honors those in Business Also Making Social Impact

QUEENS, N.Y. - Oct. 11, 2018 - PRLog -- Last night at Terrace on the Park the Queens Chamber of Commerce honored four individuals making a difference in Business and their communities. The event broke previous year's attendance records by having over 325 guests in attendance.

The Hall of Fame Honoree was John Catsimatidis; Owner, President, Chairman and CEO of Red Apple Group. There are three special and deserving honorees as well; Christopher Horch; Associate Partner at JB&B, Sister Tesa Fitzgerald; Founder & Executive Director at Hour Children, Nick Tziazas; President at Lyons Mortgage Services, Inc

John Catsimatidis spoke to the crowd about the amazing amount of growth and opportunity that the Borough of Queens offers.  He humbly thanked the Queens Chamber for the honor and appreciates all the work they do for businesses in NYC.
John Catsimatidis was born on the Greek Island of Nisyros in 1948 and 6 months later his parents emigrated to New York City in search of a better life. They settled on 135th Street in Harlem and his father found work as a busboy; his mother was a stay-at-home mom.

John is a true son of New York; he was educated in both the parochial and public school systems earning his high school diploma from Brooklyn Tech. John enrolled in New York University to study electrical engineering; going to school during the day and working in a small grocery store on nights and weekends to help his parents pay the bills. During his senior year, with just 8 credits remaining, John dropped out of NYU to work in the grocery business full-time. By his 25th birthday he was already a success with 10 Red Apple Supermarkets scattered along Broadway on Manhattan's Upper Westside. Now, four decades later the Red Apple Group has evolved into a diversified corporation that has holdings in the energy, aviation, retail and real estate sectors and over 8,000 employees, with approximately 2,000 located in New York City.

Nick Tziazas; President at Lyons Mortgage Services, Inc. Mr Tziazas says "It is with deep gratitude that I accept the honor from the Queens Chamber of Commerce. I am really proud to be a member of the Commerce that fosters economic growth and prosperity in the most diverse community in the United States, by promoting the interest of business through advocacy, networking and education."

Sister Tesa Fitzgerald reminded the crowd last night that "people are our business", and encouraged businesses to get involved in making an impact.  Sister Tesa Fitzgerald, the Executive Director of Hour Children, began her work with families impacted by incarceration when she became a foster parent in 1986 to eight children of incarcerated mothers at the convent where she lived.  In 1992, she founded Hour Children as a nonprofit organization to offer supportive services to other children of incarcerated mothers and the mothers themselves. Prior to that, she was responsible for New York State curriculum oversight for Catholic elementary schools for the Diocese of Brooklyn and both a school principal and teacher at various Catholic elementary schools. In addition to being an educator, she is a Certified Foster Care Trainer. Sister Tesa has been named a CNN Hero (2012), a White House Champion of Change (2013), the 2014 winner of the Opus Prize, and in 2015 was awarded the Cross Pro-Ecclesia et Pontifice.  In 2017, she was named to the Irish American Hall-of-Fame. Hour Children's mission is to help incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women and their children successfully rejoin the community, reunify with their families, and build healthy, independent, and secure lives. To accomplish this, Hour Children provides compassionate and comprehensive services and encourages all to live and interact with dignity and respect.

Honoree Christopher Horch stated, "I'm honored to be recognized by the Queens Chamber of Commerce and to be the design engineering lead for the iconic redevelopment of the TWA Hotel and Flight Center at JFK, which ushers in a new era of flight travel and extends an invitation for the world to visit and fall in love with the Borough of Queens." Christopher Horch, Associate Partner at JB&B, has overseen the design of HVAC systems for commercial, university and research facility projects worldwide, including such high-profile projects as One Vanderbilt, which, upon completion, will become the second tallest office building in New York City, and the TWA Hotel, the highly anticipated reimagination of Eero Saarinen's landmark TWA terminal at JFK International Airport. He has developed and integrated engineering solutions that skillfully facilitate the negotiation among technology, science and medicine, including numerous research and university facilities, among them the New York Genome Center, a 170,000 sq.ft. LEED Gold laboratory/office infrastructure and fit-out project within an existing office building, and John Jay College of Criminal Justice, both in New York, and Duke University's Incubator Building in Kunshan, China.

Mr. Horch is a licensed Professional Engineer in the State of New York, a LEED Accredited Professional, and a Certified Energy Auditor. He earned his Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Lehigh University. He serves on the New York City Mechanical Code Committee and Special Inspections Code Committee.

"The Queens Chamber was really excited by not only the turnout of one of our greatest crowds ever for this event but also the variety and passion of our four Honorees, said Tom Grech, Queens Chamber President and CEO".

"Each are all-stars in their own right‎ and to have them all together in one room for one night with their family, friends and colleagues was truly memorable. It's what makes Queens the place to live, work and play!"

For information about the Queens Chamber and future event details visit https://www.queenschamber.org/.