John and Mark X. Cronin, the co-founders of John’s Crazy Socks, recently made a guest appearance on Main Street News. Hosted by one of Long Island’s leading public figures, Eric Alexander, the program is produced by Vision Long Island. Eric interviews government, community and business leaders to shine a light on good things happening on Long Island.
Eric Alexander said, “I loved the opportunity to throw a spotlight on the good work that John’s Crazy Socks does.”
John Cronin shared that John’s Crazy Socks has now become the world’s largest sock store by offering more than 4,000 different pairs of socks. The company that John and Mark started in temporary office space in Huntington Village has now shipped over 360,000 packages to 88 different counties. It has created 31 jobs with 22 held by people with differing abilities.
Mark X. Cronin said, “It is an honor to appear on this broadcast and to be interviewed by Eric. We relished the opportunity to speak about the power of our business model, a social enterprise, that has both a social and a business mission. We serve all our stakeholders: employees, customers, the community and owners.”
“And we welcomed the opportunity to advocate for people with differing abilities. We want to deliver the message to business and political leaders that hiring people with differing abilities makes for good business. is not altruism, it is good business.”
You can watch the interview on Main Street News here: https://vimeo.com/667404883.
(Editor’s note: John and Mark recently released their second TEDx Talk entitled, “Hiring people with Differing Abilities is not Altruism, it is Good Business.” You can see the TEDx Talk on YouTube and the TED platform.)
About Vision Long Island
VISION harnesses over a decade of research and experience to bring Long Island together to promote more livable, economically sustainable and environmentally responsible growth. Smart Growth focuses on infill development, re-development, and open space preservation. It supports mixed-use, mixed-income communities that are convenient, attractive, pedestrian-friendly and that make affordable housing and public transportation desirable and realistic options. A key objective is to strengthen communities from the start by involving local stakeholders in collaborative planning processes.
About John’s Crazy Socks
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™. They do this by offering socks people can love that allows an expression of one’s true self. More than half their employees have a differing ability, their Giving Back program has raised over $450,000 for charity partners like the Special Olympics, the National Down Syndrome Society, and the Autism Society of America. Most of all, they are Spreading Happiness™.
For more information about John’s Crazy Socks, visit our webpage, Facebook page, Instagram account or YouTube channel. You can also contact us at 631-760-5625 or via email at service@johnscrazysocks.com.
