Thomas Hoey

Thomas Hoey is the president and owner of the Long Island Banana Corporation. The company is has a family-owned business and has been in Hoey's family since 1984. Before that, his grandparents and great-parents were also in the fruit selling business.

The company imports fruit from Central and South America, working with well-known suppliers such as Chiquita, Dole and DelMonte and Banacol. While bananas are the primary crop imported by the corporation, they also bring in other fruits and vegetables throughout the year. The company brings in wholesale seasonal produce, as well as citrus fruits from California and Florida. They also bring in potatoes from Idaho, Eastern Long Island, and Canada.

Thomas Hoey and Long Island Banana distribute the imported and domestic fruit to a wide area. Their fruits end up in large and small grocery stores and bodegas in the five boroughs of New York City as well as in northern New Jersey and parts of Connecticut. They also distribute on Eastern Long Island to small stores, large big box stores, bodegas and major supermarkets.

Hoey's day-to-day life on the job is different than that of many presidents and owners. Instead of donning a suit and going to an office, he has driven on each and every route the company services, has worked in the companies warehouse and has bought and sold in Hunts Point Terminal market as well as Brooklyn Terminal Market and markets in Pennsylvania. Hoey worked his way up in the family business and is still has hands-on involvement in the day-to-day delivery and distribution of the fruit.

Thomas Hoey has fruit in his blood. Fruit has been the family's business for nearly 100 years. His great-grandparents got their start selling fruit and vegetables from a push cart in Brooklyn. Hoey's great-grandfather created the family's first banana company, Russo's Bananas, bringing his uncles and great-uncles into the business, too.

Thomas Sr, the father of Thomas, married into the family and soon joined the fruit business. In 1986, Thomas Sr. purchased Long Island Banana Corporation because the original owners had decided to retire. The company then moved to a larger location in 1994. The new location featured traditional banana ripening rooms, which allowed the company to provide customers with fresh, ripe bananas. The ripening rooms were pressurized, which extended the shelf life of the fruit and cut down on bruising.

Purchasing the new facility did cost the business some money. But the new, larger facility meant that the company was able to import more fruit than before, increasing their profit margins. Since the bananas were kept in better shape before being sent to stores, the company was able to sell more than ever before.

Previous Experience

Although bananas are the family business, Thomas Hoey didn't always work in the produce industry. For several years, Hoey served as the vice chairman at Franklin Hospital in Valley Stream, New York. As the vice chairman, he was also responsible for fund raising efforts, community events and volunteer events.

Franklin Hospital got its start as a community hospital in 1963. It later joined the North Shore-LIJ Health System. Currently, the hospital has one of the most comprehensive emergency departments in the region and a state-of-the-art rehabilitation facility. The rehabilitation facility is home to an Adult Day Health Care program as well as a long-term care facility with 120 beds. The hospital itself has 305 beds.

CAFTA

Thomas Hoey also played a role in bringing about the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). He served on the Agriculture Committee during the administration of George W. Bush. CAFTA was passed in 2005 and the agreement opened up trade between countries in Central America, such as Costa Rica and the United States. CAFTA reduced or eliminated tariffs and the goal of the agreement was to facilitate trade among the groups that signed it.

Charitable Endeavors

Thomas Hoey believes in helping those in need. As a devout Catholic, his faith is very important to him, as is the belief in helping people who are less fortunate. Over the years, Hoey worked hard to share his wealth and well-being with a number of charitable groups.

One organization he has supported is the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. The cancer center is the oldest of its kind. It has been in existence for 125 years and is one of 41 institutions recognized by the National Cancer Institute as a designated Comprehensive Cancer Center.

The hospital was founded in 1884 and was known as New York Cancer Hospital at the time. It changed its name in 1899 to General Memorial Hospital for the Treatment of Cancer and Allied Diseases. In the 1940s, the Sloan-Kettering Institute was created by two executives from General Motors, Charles Kettering and Albert Sloan. The new institute was built next to Memorial Hospital. The two institutions were merged in 1980 and became the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.

The cancer center repeatedly ranks highly for patient care and is one of the top cancer centers in the country. "New York" magazine ranked many doctors from the center among its top doctors in 2012. More doctors from Memorial Sloan-Kettering made the magazine's list than from any other hospital. "US News and World Reports" has repeatedly ranked the hospital as the top for cancer care and pediatric cancer care in the nation.

Another organization that Thomas Hoey is proud to support is the Integrated Medical Foundation (IMF), located in Melville, New York. IMF's mission is to promote early detection for prostate cancer. Prostate cancer affects one out of every six men in the US. Early detection is a must for reducing the number of men who die from the disease. Screenings for the disease have led to a drop in fatalities of nearly 40 percent.

IMF offers free screenings and PSA tests to men who have not already been diagnosed with prostate cancer. It also sponsors support groups for men who have recently been diagnosed with the cancer, as well as awareness programs to spread the word about prostate cancer. To raise money for its programs, the organization sponsors a number of events throughout the year, such as Comedy for a Cause and Belmont Stakes Blue Ribbon Run.

Thomas Hoey also supports an organization called Little Sisters of the Poor. Little Sisters of the Poor is a Catholic-run charity that is based on the work of Saint Jeanne Jugan. The organization was founded in the 19th century by Saint Jugan.

Jeanne Jugan felt the need to provide care for the many elderly people who were living on the streets in towns and cities across France. Jugan began the charity by welcoming an older woman into her home. She soon established homes to care for the elderly across France. Today, Little Sisters of the Poor maintains branches in 31 countries. Hoey has supported the organization by donating both financial support and food.

Hoey has also provided support to the Knights of Pythias Diabetes Association. The Knights of Pythias is a fraternal organization that was founded in 1864 in Washington, DC. Many well-known individuals have been members of the order, including Louis Armstrong, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Sun Ra, the experimental jazz musician. The Diabetes Research Association was created by the Grand Lodge in New York in 1997. Its mission is to fund research that will find a cure for the disease. Thomas is proud to have been able to support a number of worthwhile causes and charities over the years.

LOCAL EVENTS, CHARITES AND SCHOOLS-
Thomas Hoey, provides use of his facility and often donates bananas to many local charities and schools in and around Nassau County.

As more people focus on health and on eating a beneficial diet, the future of the fruit importation business looks bright. Thomas Hoey notes that bananas provide a number of health benefits, such as helping to lower blood pressure thanks to their high potassium content. Bananas are also a great fruit for pregnant women who are dealing with morning sickness. One of the causes of morning sickness is a drop in blood sugar. Eating a banana can help regulate blood sugar and alleviate feelings of nausea.

As demand for fruit and produce rises, he hopes that it will provide him with an opportunity to grow his business. He has already successfully moved the business from a small facility to a much larger and more advanced location. For Hoey, however, the focus is not only on business success.

He plans to remain committed to helping those in need. His dedication to charity is driven in part by his commitment to the Catholic faith, but also from a belief that it is essential to help out those around him. Thomas knows that even taking the smallest of actions, such as donating a can of food to a charity or to a family in need, can have a lasting impact. Thomas Hoey plans on continuing his financial support of many organizations and to help out on the front lines when he can.