Robert Johnson
If you ask for “Robert Johnson” you might be surprised by just how many there are in the world.
“I’mbanned from airlines, on most wanted lists,” said Johnson, “every time I go to Bank of Hawaii, I stand there and I see their eyes bug out as soon as they look at the screen because they see how many Robert Johnson’s there are.”
Some still may be surprised to learn that Robert Johnson, President of Johnson Brothers of Hawaii, is not an actual “Johnson Brother,” just an honorary one. Lynn Johnson founded the Johnson Brothers wine and spirits wholesaler company in 1953 in Minnesota. Since then the company has expanded to 26 states and remains a family business, managed out of Minnesota by Lynn’s two sons Michael and Todd.
Johnson, a Southern California native, went to school in the Bay Area at Santa Clara University and was recruited out of his senior year by E.& J. Gallo Winery. From there he spent two years working in San Francisco and was quickly promoted to district manager.
“I just thought it was an exciting field, I knew I liked sales and marketing,” said Johnson, “I was a foodie, and I loved wine even as a senior in college and thought it was a booming industry which it proved to be.”
What had originally begun as a one year assignment in Hawaii, opening up Johnson Brothers as a distributor, turned into a 30 year career. Though it was a big risk to move to Hawaii and learn a whole new market and culture, Johnson had just married his wife who grew up on the Big Island which made the transition somewhat easier. Feeding off the energy and passion of former GM of Johnson Brothers Hawaii, George Szigeti, Johnson quickly embraced the energetic and competitive nature of the industry. He has also been successful in leading his team, who typically come from a related background in hotels, restaurants, or supermarket chains before making the transition into wine and liquor sales.
“It’s all about your team, and getting the right people, and giving them the space and autonomy to do their job,” said Johnson, “I’m a pretty good cheerleader, I’m very positive-reinforcement, and our people have the energy and passion to be successful.”
Johnson has faced his fair share of personal challenges as well, having lost his wife of 21 years to breast cancer in 2009. He subsequently had to navigate the challenge of raising his two children while continuing his career, which though difficult he was able to manage. Johnson recalls his own upbringing fondly as a positive family environment which no doubt has helped contribute to his strength as a father, and his competitive nature. The youngest of 10 children, he credits the healthy sibling rivalry and his admiration for his older brothers as the catalysts of his driven personality.
“As number 10 I’m getting pounded all the time by my older brothers, it was always sports, sports, sports around the house constantly,” said Johnson, “it was a very good environment to grow up in. It got me to know what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it.”
Johnson notes that in his industry it’s very easy to tell how well a distributor is doing based on how prominent their products are on liquor and grocery store shelves and in restaurants. However, the products that distributors now stock in these locations are far different from even a decade ago. Johnson has had to keep up with ever-changing consumer desires which have moved from inexpensive Italian 1.5 liters in the mid-nineties, to a French craze in the early 2000’s, followed by a more recent popularity for New Zealand sauvignon blanc. Currently the trending product is single-serve canned wines which have been heavily embraced by on-the-go millenials.
“In this business you’ve gotta be very competitive,” said Johnson, “you’ve gotta treat it like a sport, you’re either winning or losing every day, are you winning or losing?”
Clearly, Johnson is winning.
