Men on a Mission to Show What’s Possible
When John was leaving high school, he could not find meaningful work. But John is a natural entrepreneur. If he could not find a job he wanted, he would create his own. He turned to his Dad and said, “Let’s go into business together.”
It was John’s idea to sell socks, and his dream turned into John’s Crazy Socks, a social enterprise with a mission to spread happiness. A key part of that mission is to show what people with differing abilities can do.
“I have Down syndrome,” says John, “but Down syndrome never holds me back.”
More than half their colleagues have a differing ability, but that is not enough. John and Mark want to show the world what is possible. At John’s Crazy Socks, they give tours (more than 2,000 people have visited their operations) and host workgroups from schools and social service agencies. They use their social media platforms to share their message.
They are moving beyond John’s Crazy Socks. They are evangelists for inclusion. They travel the country giving keynote speeches and talks, they appear on podcasts and host their own podcast. They work with other businesses to help them employ people with differing abilities, and they coach families that want to start their own business.
John grew up in Huntington, a town on Long Island outside New York City. He went through the Huntington School system studying life skills. John was active in school as a member of the Grandparents Club, the Relay for Life and organizing a Talent Show (ask about that story).
During his last three years of school, John split his time at Wilson Tech where he studied office skills and retailing. His last year, he was named Student of the Year.
John joined the Special Olympics at age five and continues to compete in soccer, basketball, track and field, and snowshoe. He has earned countless medals in regional and the New York State Games. John also underwent training as part of the Athlete’s Leadership Conference. Each year, John does the Polar Plunge to raise money for the Special Olympics.
John serves on the Board of the National Down Syndrome Society and is a member of the CEO Commission for Disability Employment. He also serves on the Wilson Tech Advisory Board.
A dancer, John hosts an online Dance Party every Tuesday at 3 p.m. eastern. What better way to spread happiness?
John has won many awards, including the EY Entrepreneur of the Year. He has been recognized several times with a 30 Under 30 Award, and the Long Island Chapter of the Entrepreneur’s Organization named him Young Entrepreneur of the Year.
Mark spent much of his career in the healthcare field. In the late 1980’s, he headed up the NYC Medicaid Health Program where he was named Manager of the Year. Mark led consulting and healthcare management firms working to improve healthcare for the poor and to better support patient-doctor relationships.
Mark began his career as a schoolteacher, teaching 8th graders and then high schoolers in New York City. Later, he would teach graduate school at NYU and Columbia. Always interested in technology, Mark founded a software company, New Gutenberg Software, that produced baseball information software.
Throughout his life, Mark has also been a writer, having published poems, short stories and essays. For two years, he wrote a movie review column for the Queens Tribune. He’s been a frequent contributor to books and publications on the topic of inclusion and empowerment of people with differing abilities.
Mark has been active in community affairs throughout his life. He set up a food and clothing bank in Brooklyn and has served on the board of a youth group on Long Island, the Long Island Chapter of the Entrepreneur’s Organization and the Huntington Chamber of Commerce. He has organized several political campaigns, including the 2007-08 Obama campaign on Long Island. He represented the Obama Campaign on the Rules Committee at the 2008 Democratic Convention in Denver.
Mark received his undergraduate degree from the College of the Holy Cross. He studied literature at the City University of New York and received his Masters in Public Policy from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.
Like John, Mark was active in sports for many years. He played rugby throughout his twenties, ran four marathons, and embarked on several hundred-mile bicycle rides. He turned his love for sports into coaching and has coached basketball and football both in high school and youth sports leagues.
Mark has been married for over 40 years and he and his wife, Carol, have three sons: Patrick, James and John.
Over the years, Mark has earned many awards. Twice, he has been named the Man of the Year in Huntington. He and John were named EY Entrepreneurs of the Year and both received the Thomas A. Hartman Humanitarian of the Year Award.
You can contact Mark on LinkedIn.
Get in touch with us today. We’d love to hear from you.
631-760-5625
speaking@johnscrazysocks.com
110 Bi-County Blvd
Suite 120
Farmingdale, NY 11735
John’s Crazy Socks was inspired by John Lee Cronin, a young man with Down syndrome, and his love of colorful and fun socks—what he calls his “crazy socks.” He and his father, Mark X. Cronin, started the company as a social enterprise with a mission of Spreading Happiness™. With more than 4,000 socks, John’s Crazy Socks is now the world’s largest sock store. More than half their employees have a differing ability, and their Giving Back program has raised over $750,000 for charity partners. Most of all, they are Spreading Happiness™.
