Early Life and Career
Johnson was born on January 1, 1953, in Minot, North Dakota, the son of Lorraine B. (née Bostow), who worked for the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and Earl W. Johnson, a public school teacher. His father was of half Danish and half Norwegian ancestry, and his mother was of Russian descent. Johnson graduated from Sandia High School in Albuquerque in 1971, where he was on the school track team. He attended the University of New Mexico from 1971 to 1975 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in political science. It was there that he met his future wife, Denise "Dee" Simms. While in college, Johnson earned money as a door-to-door handyman. His success in that arena encouraged him to start his own business, Big J Enterprises, in 1976. When he started the business, which focused on mechanical contracting, Johnson was its only employee. His major break with the firm was receiving a large contract from Intel's expansion in Rio Rancho, which increased Big J's revenue to $38 million. Over-stretched by his success, Johnson enrolled in a time management course at night school, which he credits with making him heavily goal-driven. He eventually grew Big J into a multi-million dollar corporation with over 1,000 employees. By the time he sold the company in 1999, it was one of New Mexico's leading construction companies.
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