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s s MAN of the YEAR: JOSEPH M. MATTONE SR. CELEBRATING A LIFETIME OF ACHIEVEMENT AND DEDICATION TO HIS COMMUNITY WBy ChristinA Shanahan hen Joseph M. Mattone Sr.’s grandparents arrived in New York from Italy after the American Civil War in 1875, it was with the hope of a better life for their children and generations of their family to come. Mattone’s father was forced into adulthood at a young age, and therefore developed a strong work ethic that was passed down to his children. It was this work ethic, coupled with a dedication to education, that provided the foundation for Mattone’s successful career. Born in the height of the Great Depression in 1931, Mattone worked his way through New York City’s public school system and eventually landed at St. John’s University, where he earned his undergraduate and law degrees. “I’ve known Joe Mattone since I met him in grammar school,” said former Governor Mario Cuomo. “He was a quiet, hardworking and highly intelligent student, who has grown steadily in those directions ever since. His intelligence and hard work made him an extremely successful entrepreneur, helping his family flourish and do well. Joe also shared his success and other good fortunes with many of his friends and his numerous great causes. He is still shy, with a sense of humor and humility that has made him popular with hundreds of people. He is Queens’ ‘Person of the Year,’ but for many of us, his close friends, and those hundreds of people who know him too, Joe will continue and always be ‘Person of the Year’ for years to come.” Opening his first law office, located in a home built by his maternal grandfather in the Greenpoint section of Brooklyn, Mattone served as legal counsel for various local businesses. “My father was the only one in his family to graduate from college and law school,” said Mattone’s son, Michael X. Mattone, chief financial officer of the Mattone Group. “All of that was made possible


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