LONG ISLAND, N.Y., March 21, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Long Island Chapter of Entrepreneurs’ Organization (EONY LI) is proud to name John Cronin, co-founder of local Huntington social enterprise John’s Crazy Socks, as their 2019 “Entrepreneur of the Year”. In a declaration to coincide with World Down Syndrome Day on Thursday, March 21st, EONY LI is proud to honor the 23-year-old entrepreneur that built a successful business out of viral social media exposure who also happens to have Down Syndrome.
“I am so excited to receive this honor,” said John Cronin, 2019 Entrepreneur of the Year. “Every day, I work to show what is possible. I have Down syndrome, but Down syndrome never holds me back.”
A local social sock business operating out of Long Island, John’s Crazy Socks employs people with differing abilities (those diagnosed with a physical, developmental, neurological, mental health, or other impairment) and has made Giving Back a core part of its business. As a co-founder and the Chief Happiness Officer, John does a little of everything at John’s Crazy Socks but is most notably the face of the brand - giving tours, meeting with visitors, and making his infamous social media videos. He ensures every order feels personal - each pair of socks shipped includes a handwritten thank you note, pieces of candy, and discount coupons for future orders. John’s main inspiration and reason for starting the business is to spread happiness.
“John is an inspiration to entrepreneurs everywhere. He took his passions and created a successful and impactful business – inspiring others with differing abilities to find purpose in their lives – and this is why we have chosen him as our 2019 Entrepreneur of the Year,” stated Stephen Distante, Entrepreneurs’ Organization NY Long Island Chapter President.
Since the founding of John’s Crazy Socks in fall of 2016, John and his team have built a $5 million-dollar sock empire. Staying true to their core values, they have given over $250,000 away to charities such as the National Down Syndrome Society, Autism Speaks and the Special Olympics, where John is also an Olympic athlete, competing in soccer, basketball, track and field and snowshoe. EONY LI celebrates John for his ability to start and maintain a profitable enterprise while aligning his business practices with his values.
As a public persona, John has toured throughout the U.S., Canada, and Mexico to spread happiness through speaking engagements and television appearances with his co-founder and father, Mark X. Cronin. They not only extol the virtues, beauty and wonders of socks, but also advocate for meaningful employment and work experiences for those with differing abilities. Both John and his father has testified twice before U.S. Congress and travels to Capitol Hill often to promote the rights of people with differing abilities. Using his socks as an advocacy tool, John forged a long-distance friendship with the late President George H.W. Bush who also championed differing abilities through his 1990 signature legislation The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
About Entrepreneurs’ Organization NY Long Island
The Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO) is a Global business network of 13,000+ leading entrepreneurs in 186 chapters and 58 countries. Founded in 1987 by a group of young entrepreneurs, EO enables business owners to learn from each other, leading to greater business success and an enriched personal life.
We educate, we transform, we inspire and we offer invaluable resources in the form of global events, leadership-development programs, an online entrepreneur forum and executive education opportunities, among other offerings designed for personal and professional growth.
At its core, EO is a collection of like-minded entrepreneurs focused on business growth, personal development and community engagement. In addition to our mission, vision and core values, our global makeup is comprised of nearly 13,000+ individual member stories.
The Long Island Chapter was founded in 2018 and recruits like-minded Long Island based entrepreneurs ready to grow their business while connecting and learning from the world’s most influential community of entrepreneurs. More Info can be found here: www.eolongisland.org
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About John’s Crazy Socks
John’s Crazy Socks is a father-son venture inspired by John Lee Cronin, a young man with Down syndrome, and his love of colorful and fun socks, or what he calls his “crazy socks.” We're on a mission to spread happiness.
John’s Crazy Socks is a social enterprise with both a social mission and a business mission. The company is built on four pillars:
- Inspiration and Hope: Showing what is possible when you give a person a chance. We hire people with differing abilities, share videos to show what people can do, host school tours and school groups that come for work experience. We want the world to see what people with differing abilities can do. John’s Crazy Socks currently has 39 employees, 23 of whom have a differing ability.
- Giving Back: We donate 5 percent of our earnings to the Special Olympics and raise money through our Sock of the Month Club and charity and awareness socks for our charity partners like Autism Speaks, the Autism Society of America, the National Down Syndrome Society, and the Williams Syndrome Association. We have raised over $250,000 for our charity partners and publish a monthly Giving Back Report.
- Socks You Can Love: We have over 2,300 different socks plus a Sock of the Month Club, gift boxes and gift bags. And we match the great socks with great service: we do same day shipping so most of our customers receive their socks within two days of ordering.
- Making It Personal: Every package gets a thank you note from John and some candy.
John’s Crazy Socks Social Media
Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/johnscrazysocks
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/johnscrazysocks
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/johnscrazysocks