A Melville company is among the finalists for Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award for the New York metro area.
John’s Crazy Socks was founded by John Lee Cronin and his father, Mark Cronin. The pair decided to go into business together in 2016, when the younger Cronin, who has Down syndrome, was in his last year of high school. John Lee Cronin has enjoyed wearing fun, colorful socks his entire life, and the father-son team launched John’s Crazy Socks with a website and a Facebook page.
The partners hand-delivered the sock orders to their earliest customers, who were local, and packaged them in red boxes with candy and a thank you note from John. Some of the customers posed for photos with him, and word began to spread. By the end of its first month, John’s Crazy Socks had shipped 452 orders and earned more than $13,000 in revenue.
The company donates 5 percent of its earnings to the Special Olympics. EY’s Entrepreneur of the Year awards program recognizes entrepreneurs and leaders of high-growth companies who are excelling in areas such as innovation, financial performance and personal commitment to their businesses and communities, while also transforming the world. Winners will be announced today at a reception in Manhattan.
