John J. Cosgrove, founder and president of Atlantic Handling Systems, a leading materials handling solution provider, is a successful businessperson, government official and community volunteer.A lifelong resident of Fair Lawn, NJ John’s volunteer activities are numerous. He has held every office in the Fair Lawn Fire Department and served as Fire Chief in 1997. He was awarded the Fair Lawn Fire Department Valor Award, Citation Star for Bravery and the VFW Valor Award in 1991 for his heroic actions in the rescue of an unconscious man from a burning house fire.
John has served as a volunteer coach for baseball, hockey, softball and lacrosse. He also served on the Board of Directors of the following: The Foundation at Bergen New Bridge Medical Center; Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association (President, 2007); Fair Lawn High School Athletic Hall of Fame, Fair Lawn Chamber of Commerce, Adopt-A-Soldier Platoon. He currently serves as Chairman of the Fair Lawn Community Center 501(c) 3.
He has also served two terms as President of Fair Lawn Sunrise Rotary and has been named a Paul Harris fellow twice for his contributions to Rotary. In 2013 he was named the Fair Lawn Sunrise Rotarian of the year. Mr. Cosgrove has recently been selected to serve as Rotary District 7490 District Governor in the Rotary year of 2023-2024.
Mr. Cosgrove, was named Fair Lawn Citizen of the Year in 2007 by the Fair Lawn Chamber of Commerce. He is a 3 time recipient of the Bergen County Volunteer of the Year Award and the recipient of the Bergen Regional Medical Center Benefactor Award. He received the Horizon Award from Skyline Theatres in 2013 for helping to promote the Arts in Fair Lawn. The John J. Cosgrove Gymnasium at the Fair Lawn Community
Center has been dedicated in his honor in 2006.
Mr. Cosgrove was elected to the Fair Lawn governing body and served 5 consecutive terms as the Mayor of Fair Lawn. He has also served 3 terms as the Borough’s Deputy Mayor.
In 2015, Mayor Cosgrove received the Bergen County United Way “Oscar” for Best Mayor in a Leading Role, given in recognition of his efforts to help individuals with special needs. He is also the recipient of the 2015 CarePlus Foundation Courage Award, which honors his service and courage regarding the advancement of mental health. He has also received the distinguished citizen’s award from the Daughters of the American Revolution in 2016. In February of 2017 Mayor Cosgrove received a lifetime Achievement award for Leadership from the Bergen Regional Medical Center
Foundation where he served as the Chairman of the Board for 12 years. The Benjamin Cardozo Knights of Pythias Lodge named Mayor Cosgrove as the 2018 citizen of the year in Fair Lawn.
In May of 2019 the Governor of New Jersey nominated Mr. Cosgrove for a seat on the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission. He was unanimously confirmed by the NJ Senate Judiciary Committee and is currently serving as a Commissioner at the PVSC.
John Cosgrove resides in Fair Lawn with his wife Maryanne Riotto Cosgrove (Former United States Air Force Captain) and has 3 children John (38) (Wife Alyssa) Kevin (36) (wife Christina) and daughter Kerryann (32). He also has one grandson Connor John Cosgrove ,two granddaughters Talulah Cosgrove and recently born Meadow Cosgrove.