Philip Christopher, President & CEO

What one factor is most important to success?

The first thing is to have a good education, which gives you the basis for future success in any organization, or in any business that you undertake. And then what’s necessary is determination. You have to be determined to succeed. If you have dreams that you want to materialize, take it day by day and be determined to make them happen.

What do you look for in an employee?

I look more into the character of the individual, and whether he’s someone who’s determined to become a success, and to get the job done. I think that’s extremely important. It also depends a lot on what job is being applied for, and what that job entails. Of course, the education, and the experience-I’m one who’ll think of giving someone a chance if I feel he or she has the makings for success.

What’s the best way to save money?

Well, I’m not good at it, so maybe I’m the wrong person to give that answer. (Laughs.) In the business environment, it’s very competitive so you have to save money. I always look at duplication of work, to avoid it, and I try to streamline the processes as much as possible to avoid unneccesary expenses. I believe in making sure that the people that work for me make a good living, so that they’re comfortable. Then, my first attack in saving money is not always in the salaries and the fringe benefits of the people who work for me, so those employees working for us will come to work everyday motivated and inspired to work. That’s extremely important.

What’s the best way to spend money?

Different people have different hobbies. My hobby is soccer, and I’ve always spent a lot of money on soccer teams. I always knew from the beginning it wasn’t a profitable endeavor, but because of my love for the game, I’ve done it. I own the franchise for the New York Freedoms, I sponsor a lot of youth teams. That’s been a very expensive hobby.

What’s your greatest pleasure?

Helping other people. I’ve been in business for many years, and helping hundreds of young people go to college and come out and become doctors and lawyers and other professionals has been great.

What’s the first thing you do when you wake up in the morning?

I have a cup of coffee, then I get dressed for work. I get up very early, around six in the morning. I’d like to say that I exercise-sometimes I do and sometimes I don’t-I guess I just don’t have the discipline.

How do you deal with stress?

I’ve learned over the years to just deal with it, knowing every day there will be a different problem to tackle. It’s a problem that’s not easy to overcome, but you have to control yourself in terms of getting upset and try to reasonably approach each problem on a daily basis.

What one lesson do you hope to pass on to your children?

No one gives you anything for free. You have to work for it. Whether you want to be an athlete, a baseball player or soccer player, or whether you want to be whatever, it takes discipline and work ethic. I’m very proud of my son, he just graduated from law school, and I look forward to him accomplishing what he wants.

How do you bounce back from adversity?

It’s not easy. When you’re younger, you don’t deal with adversity well, you feel like it’s the end of the world if something goes wrong. I’ve been in business for 30 years, and we’ve had good years and bad years. The main thing is to just maintain your focus. If you’re focused on your objective, and on reaching your objective, you know in advance it’s not going to be easy. So, knowing ahead of time that adversity is part of the process, you’ll deal with it better.

What’s your favorite thing about Queens?

The people. Astoria is my favorite location in Queens. I grew up there, on 37 th Street between 25 th and 28 th Avenues.

Formerly president and CEO of Audiovox Communications Corporation, Christopher remained with the company when it was acquired by UTStarcom. Under his guidance, Audiovox has become a leader in the cell phone industry; it’s been consistently ranked among the top four brands of wireless devices.

He serves on the Board of Directors of the New York Hospital Medical Center of Queens, the Atlantic Professional Soccer League and several other organizations. Christopher is also the recipient of numerous industry and humanitarian awards and honors, including the prestigious Ellis Island Medal of Honor.