Johanson, Richard A., 1996 Leon S. Peters Distinguished Service Award recipient
Item
Title
Johanson, Richard A., 1996 Leon S. Peters Distinguished Service Award recipient
Description
Talks about being born and raised in Fresno, the changes to the Fresno area over the years, the importance of downtown and establishing a trucking business. He discusses the challenges of the trucking industry, potential for economic growth in the valley, volunteering and getting involved in the community with Leon S. Peters and his thoughts on receiving the Leon S. Peters Distinguished Service Award. He talks about developing the Fresno Business Council and projects the council has helped with, including the Center for Advanced Research and Technology in Clovis Unified.
Creator
Johanson, Richard A.
Mehas, Dr. Peter G.
Relation
Leon S. Peters Legacy Collection
Coverage
Fresno, California
Date
2000
Format
Microsoft word 2003 document, 7 pages
Identifier
SCMS_lspl_00030
extracted text
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: We're delighted today to have the 1996 Leon S. Peters
recipient, Richard Johanson, that certainly is a pillar amongst community leaders in
the central valley. And Richard, we're delighted to have you here. And for the
record can you state your official name, place of birth, and age.
>>Richard Johanson: Be happy to. First let me say I'm delighted to be here. My name
is Richard Johanson; I'm now 73 years old. I was born in Fresno in 1925 at the old
Burnett Sanitarium. And I basically lived in Fresno County all of my life, and most
of those years right here in the metropolitan Fresno.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Those years that you lived in this community you've seen lots
of changes in the central valley. For future generations, can you just sort of
describe when you first grew up in this area, what was it like growing up in the
central valley, obviously a heavy agricultural area. And then seen the changes that
have occurred.
>>Richard Johanson: Be happy to, Pete. My father worked for the Standard Oil Company
in those days, and he was stationed in Kerman for a short time, went to first grade
and all through grammar school we lived in San Joaquin, and later Kingsburg, which I
still tend to call my hometown. So coming to Fresno was a big event for us as young
people. And I remember as a grammar school student, grammar school-aged kid coming
to Fresno and seeing streetcars on Fulton Street downtown, and I still recall the
original Saint Agnes Hospital being out in the wheat field and -- and streetcars
coming into Roeding Park, downtown Fresno was really a special place, and being able
to come into the city of Fresno was very exciting for me.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: In terms of watching the population growth and the change in
this area, if you had to give advice to policy makers on the future of the central
valley in Fresno, what advice would you give them in terms of -- for planning
purposes, for the quality of life in our area?
>>Richard Johanson: I think sometimes that we lose sight -- living in metropolitan
Fresno, lose sight of the significance of the city of Fresno to the central valley.
This is the queen city of the central valley, and I think sometimes we don't realize
how important it is to have a hub within a queen city. And the hub to me is
downtown. And I just hope that I can be here to see the rejuvenation of downtown
Fresno. I think from -- people from the outlying cities when they come to the city
of Fresno they like to come and they anticipate a downtown, a really focused area to
visit.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Everyone who knows about the Leon S. Peters Award knows it
stands not only for high achievement in business but in community service. Because
as you knew Leon Peters, Lee as we call him, very, very well. In terms of -- let's
first talk a little bit about your business. Because everybody knows that you
established a very successful trucking business in which your son now is very, very
much involved in. How did you get started in the trucking business and how did it
develop.
>>Richard Johanson: I finished school and I had a major in marketing and a minor in
advertising. And I figured that's where I was going to try to make my career. And I
had come out of the Marine Corps for a little time in the service many years ago.
And wanted to come back in the valley to work. And I was hired by Sun-Maid Raisin
Growers and I wanted to get in their marketing department. But the entry level
position that I accepted was in their traffic department and the logistics
department. And I worked for a wonderful person, fortunately, who became very close
to me, and took an extreme amount of his time in teaching me the business of
transportation. And it wasn't very long before I realized that was where I wanted to
be. So after four years I had a chance to go to work for a transportation brokerage
company which does with freight much like a travel agency does with people. And
after 18 years there, in 1971 I had an opportunity to start a business of my own,
which I did. And fortunately, it -- it's grown and it is now basically up -- our son
is the president. And then so I am able to do some other things. So life has been
kind. And -- and I'm gratefully -- grateful for that.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Certainly your industry experienced many, many changes, in
particularly in terms of government regulations from its early days. Certainly now
your industry is heavily regulated, isn't it?
>>Richard Johanson: Pete, actually, it's just the opposite.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas:
OK.
>>Richard Johanson: Prior to 1980 the transportation industry and particularly the
railroads and common carrier truck lines were very, very tightly regu… they all had
the same rates, they had certain routes they had to travel upon, they couldn't
change their rates without -- without federal or state approval. And getting into
the business was very difficult because you had to be approved by of the state or
federal agencies depending upon whether you wanted to engage in intrastate or
interstate commerce. So it was -- it was very tightly regulated. In 1980 about the
time they began to deregulate the airlines they began to deregulate surface
transportation. And during that time of tight regulation and when I first entered
the transportation brokerage business in 1953 there were certain exemptions, and
agricultural hauling was one, where truck lines could -- with -- with subject only
to hours to safety and hours of driving, they could basically go from where they
wish to go -- and this was necessary because as crops matured in particular areas
you had to have flexibility in bringing truck lines into those areas to handle those
seasonal crops. And the existing regulated carriers didn't have that flexibility. So
there was an exemption. And it was within that exemption that we originally built
our business. And then subsequent to 1980, and we don't want, I don't want to get
too technical here, but we were able by obtaining certain authorities to get into
the what we called regulated traffic. And now basically through contract carriage
and there still are regulated carriers with published rates, the freedom to enter
the transportation business as far as truck liners are concerned is much more
lenient than it used to be. And just to touch briefly on railroad transportation,
there used to be dozens of railroads all over the country. And you had to have -you had to have tariffs to figure out how and where you interlined one boxcar with
another, with one railroad with another, to move your freight across the country.
Well now there are only about half a dozen major railroads in the whole United
States. They'll all been merged or some of them have ceased to function, so -- so
it's a much different industry now than it was 30 years ago.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: How significant is your industry and the railroad industry to
the economic well-being of Fresno, the central valley.
>>Richard Johanson: Oh, I think it's vital. One of the things that's going to -- has
benefitted this valley and will benefit it more is the ease of moving goods in and
out of the valley. For many years before the development of the interstate highway
system particularly, this valley suffered because it was difficult to access it.
Because we are surrounded by mountains. The Los Angeles basin you can come in
basically over flat terrain, the northwest to some degree, not quite so much. But
the valley from Fresno -- to go east from Fresno was a -- we were at a disadvantage
because you had to go around the mountains. Well now with the freeways and better
equipment that situation is changing. And Fresno is now just as accessible as
anyplace else in the United States. So we're on the verge, Fresno, this valley now
is on the verge of, in my opinion, of significant economic growth in the not very
distant future.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: The young entrepreneurs, the young person starting off in
business, what advice would you give them about -- about what you've learned, about
establishing a business in the Fresno area.
>>Richard Johanson: I'll say -- first let me say in establishing a business, because
this is one of -- one of my points I like to stress. I think for anyone wanting to
enter a business and establish a business now you have to know two things. I think
you have to know what you know, but you have to know what you don't know. And I
think too many people are -- in their anxiety to start something forget the second
point. And they don't realize what they don't know. Because if you don't know what
you don't know, then you have one foot in the bucket, because you're going to fall
into potholes all over this thing. So that's what -- that's -- as far as being an
entrepreneur and starting, those are the two principles I like to tell folks that I
have a chance to talk to. As far as starting a business here in the valley I think
that the opportunity exists. I think we are going to see new type of industry coming
here. I think international business is -- well it's well known, we talk about it
all the time particularly Pacific Rim business, I think the opportunities are going
to just continue to grow because the world is contracting. Economically. So I think
there are great opportunities here. I think we have a chance to be as -- as the -just -- as the Bay Area, that area becomes saturated with business, with people, we
have space. If we use it right we can use it to our advantage to establish new
businesses. I think the Los Angeles basin, and particularly the -- in water
transportation, the harbor at Long Beach and Los Angeles is going to -- the biggest
port in the whole world is 225, 30 miles from right here. We need, we can take
advantage of those things.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: A lot of young people I talk to now as they're establishing
their business saying I'm so busy I don't have time to get involved with community
activities, whether it be the church, whether it be school bond measures. Just the
opposite. Your reputation obviously as a successful businessman, as a community
leader. But people know you for your involvement on leading school bond measures,
getting involved with, you know name it throughout the community. What would you
advise young people of the value, how did you get involved with these extra, would
you consider, community activities.
>>Richard Johanson: Probably because I was asked. I -- I don't recall in my time
that I ever -- that I ever ran around the community saying I want to be part of
this, I want to be part of this. But because I was running a business, and I think
that's important, your family is important, your church is important. Life is a
balance. If one segment blips out of proportion I think something gets kind of
haywire. But I was -- I was honored over the course of my time to be asked if I
would participate in different things. And -- and when I was asked I tried to do as
best I could. But -- so I think -- I think, Pete, in my particular case, other
people are great volunteers, they come around. But in -- in truthfulness, I was
never a very good volunteer. I was asked if I would help things, and I was happy to
do that.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: But you never said no.
>>Richard Johanson: Well no, you can't, it’s pretty hard not to, no, I don't want to
say no.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I know you knew Lee Peters very, very well. And to be the
recipient of this most prestigious award, what did it mean to give Johanson the
lifelong citizen of this area.
>>Richard Johanson: Oh, I'll never forget the day I was called and told that -- that
I was going to receive that award. It was -- it was humbling. It was -- it was
warming. I -- I just -- I still don't know how to describe it, Pete. But knowing
Leon and knowing the kind of person he was, and knowing the people who had received
it before me and all of the great things they had done, and to realize that what
little in comparison I have done still let me -- let me be recognized like that.
That was -- that was oh, that was one of the highlights of my life. I'll never
forget that. And I still don't. I have it hanging in my office at home. And I just - I'm so proud to be -- to be with some of these people. And particularly in Leon's
name, and Alice is still here, and we see her from time to time. That's pretty
touching stuff.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well I have not missed one of the Leon Peters Award
ceremonies, and you certainly, your acceptance speech moved us all. It was like you
were very, very sincere, very candid, and you still have to get that speech for me
because I want to keep it on record as we go. You certainly have many, many more
years of good living to do in the community. But as you sort of reflect back upon
your -- not only your professional career but your life as a whole in this area, all
of us have highlights of our life and as you've expressed the Leon Peters Award was
one of the highlights. Could you sort of share with us other things, I know you're
very proud of your family, but other things that you're very, very proud of, and
some of the disappointments. Because obviously you don't go through this life
unscathed without disappointments and setbacks. And as I talk with the Leon Peters
recipients all of them have had their share of setbacks, but have overcome those in
order to be successful in their life as well as their business.
>>Richard Johanson: Just from -- just from -- just from a -- a business standpoint,
starting on a business, and talk about the setbacks first, then we'll talk about -I -- one time, and I hadn't been in business very long. And I had a major account
that began to ask me to transport some things that weren't legal, candidly. And I
had to make a decision what am I going to do about that. And -- and I finally
decided, well, I've gotten this far doing things the way I felt was the right way to
do things. And that was wrong. And so I lost that account. They said well then,
we'll give it to somebody else. And okay, and that was kind of scary, because you
know, when you're a young company and you're starting out and you've got a staff
that kind of looks for you to sign their paychecks every periodically. And -- but -in reflecting back upon it, that was the right thing to do. And we have grown and we
have -- so -- and I think we have what we have within our company now, and I hope
it's still there. And it's growing as a result to try to do things as well as we
can, and stay try to stay out in front on the way we conduct our affairs. And so -but that -- but that scary instance right at the start when I gave up my... doing,
that was about 40% of my business, so it wasn't just a little bit, it was a big one.
But -- that was right. And it came out. So that was -- that was a hard part. The -I think the satisfaction over the years has come to -- to be able to start something
and hatch this little baby and watch it grow. And it's exciting for me to go in our
office and see the staff, the people we have there, and the way in which they
interact with Larry and with me. And that feels good. Because I know you like to use
quotes. And I do too. And I read one time that nobody's successful unless a lot of
other people want them to be. And I think that doesn't apply to anybody more than to
me, is that success isn't -- or another one, the road to success is always under
construction. See and I think so. As you go through life you never get there. So
it's always -- always a constant effort to try to make sure you're doing what you
say you're doing. But to try to raise the bar a little bit. So I don't know if I
answered your question very well.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yes, gave me some good quotes I can use down the road. Not
that I'm writing your epitaph know, because there's many more good years to come,
but all of us, as we look at our career and look at ourselves, how would you like
people in future generations to -- when they speak of Dick Johanson, how would you
like them to remember you as a person?
>>Richard Johanson: I -- Pete, I think if people could think of me as someone that - that tried to do the right thing, that -- that recognized there are -- there are
business laws and there are moral laws and those laws interact or need to interact.
And in my own way that I tried as best -- as best I could to -- to perhaps in some
small way influence younger people coming along, that if you do it right you can
last and you can create something successful. I think -- I think in looking back in
my type of business I've seen just too, too many people tried to take shortcuts to
success and cut corners, cut ethical corners or cut this kind of corners, or those
kind of corners. Temporarily it may be okay. But over an expanded period of time,
doesn't work. So I -- that to me, I think that's -- that's -- if people could say
that he tried to do it right, I think that would be -- that would be what I could
wish for.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Good. I just have to ask this question, although it doesn't
directly relate to the Leon S. Peters Award. But the Valley Business Council, Fresno
Business Council has been a recent creation, and you were an integral part of that
creation and the involvement. And it has had in its short period of time some
profound impact upon our community and our life. Can you just share a little bit,
you're still currently the president of the council. And I just think it's very
important that we have this bit of history as to how it got started and what the
objectives are and how you feel it's going.
>>Richard Johanson: Okay, Bob Carter, also Leon Peters Award winner, had heard about
organizations similar to -- to a business council in other places. And he brought
eight of us together. And we began to talk about this. And we had -- we had a -- a
representative of another business council come into Fresno and talk about what they
were doing. And after a series of meetings we decided that we would commit to
starting a Fresno Business Council here to represent this central part of the
valley. And from that we built a board of directors, a key board of directors, about
23 people, and brought those folks together. And we went up to -- into the mountains
for a couple of days and just talked and exchanged ideas and listened to what
councils were doing in other communities. And on the basis that -- that -- if a
small group of CEOs could come together and bring their expertise and focus on real
critical needs maybe we could make -- maybe we could make a difference. Not to do
it, but to come alongside other people who were doing it and bring what we had to
offer to the table. Then we could -- we could work together and bring things -bring things up to a little higher level. Our ultimate goal was to recognize that
the population in this valley is going to be expanded dramatically in the next years
and we have to have jobs. And who knows better how to make jobs than people that run
businesses. So -- and we also -- we kept ourselves. We said we will be 100 people.
That's all. And we also very specifically stated that we are not in competition with
the Chamber of Commerce, we can work alongside the Chamber of Commerce. Because they
have some different interactive goals among their members that we don't. Our
membership is basically of people who are willing to give of their time for the
public good, for the good of all. Without -- without expecting a direct and
immediate business return. Economic return to a particular business. The concept is
if the boat rises we all lift-- I mean, if the water rises the whole boat rises.
Okay, so that's the way we did it. And we started out, and ultimately our concern
was job creation. But as we get into this we began to realize that if we're going to
create jobs here we have to have a safe community, we have to have a community with
good public administration, and we have to have students and young people that are
coming through a good educational system. And we began to work in those areas. Not
with the idea of dictating how these things are to be done. But to say what are the
problems and how can we help. So we are now six years old, and we have since
increased our membership to 125. But that's where we're capped. And we now have a
waiting list to get in. And we feel that we, in some areas we probably have been
effective. And the Fresno Business Council worked with the County Office of
Education on the commission for the future of education in Fresno County. And we
were proud to be able to join with your organization in -- in bringing that about.
And that's -- and in areas like this that we feel that we can probably be some help.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Good. Which leads me to the Center for Advanced Research and
Technology where the Business Council really was a catalyst between Clovis Unified
and Fresno Unified and the whole theme of creating jobs. This is really exciting.
And again, you said no, you didn't say no, you said yes to being the president of
the board of CART. And so can you share just a few thoughts about CART?
>>Richard Johanson: Oh, I'd be happy to. This -- this -- this was a -- is going to
be a prime example of what can happen when school districts don't compete with each
other, they realize that if they can combine some of their assets and some of their
aspirations the two of them can be greater than either of them could be
individually. And Dr. Buster of Clovis Unified and Chuck McCully who was then
president of Fresno Unified came together and said we can create a school for junior
and senior students could come part of the day to this very lab-type environment,
high-tech school, and learn on real-world, in a real-world type environment. And go
out of there with either job-ready skills, or much more qualified to go on to higher
education. And that is -- that is -- that school is now under construction. And in
the end of 2000 it will open to its students. And I -- I -- and this -- this school
is not -- and we as -- let me explain how I happened to be there. We constructed it
so that the board of trustees, so that it would consist of the two school
superintendents, a representative from each of those school boards, each of those
school boards would appoint a community representative, and I was asked by Fresno
Unified to be the community representative. And then the Fresno Business Council
would select a seventh person. So it's -- it is a -- it is a marriage of business
and education coming together to create something that's going to be unique in the
world. This -- this school, it hasn't even opened yet, has already received
recognition all over the United States. Our executive director Pat Wright this week
is in Finland to an international conference of educators talking about CART. We
have something here that -- that this community doesn't begin to recognize, I think,
because it's not -- unless you're intimately involved in creating it, as you would
be in the educational arena, we don't know what we have here.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, I know the National Association of Secondary School
Principals acknowledge it, and so ->>Richard Johanson: It's their national project.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So it was succeed, given the support of the business council,
the business community and the cooperation of the school districts. In fact, even
manages to get into our pockets for some funding through the ROP program. So we're
eager to support it as well.
>>Richard Johanson: The educators -- let me just say this. They -- they just -- to
give you an example of how the business and education is coming together on this. To
oversimplify a little bit, but the educational community is furnishing the building
and the staff and all. And then the business community is going to underwrite the
cost of the 11 labs, 11 areas of study we're going to have in there. And that's
where -- and we have some major commitments, and some more that we'll be announcing
shortly of private businesses making substantial commitments to this new school.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Like any good teacher, one should always have an open-ended
question at the end of an exam. So I'm going to give you an open-ended question on
anything that I should have asked that I didn't ask, that you'd just like to hit
upon. It's your call on any topic that you want to hit that I didn't ask you, that
you sort of want to make sure you have down for recorded history. It's an open-ended
question.
>>Richard Johanson: All right, let me respond this way. My father was born in Sweden
and came over here when he was about 7 years old with three brothers and his mom and
dad, and settled out here in South Chestnut Avenue, out 50 miles out of Fresno. My
dad came here, he didn't know how to speak English, and he went to school and he
learned in a hurry. And he went on and got a good job for himself, and he raised my
two brothers and me, he and my mother. And I think we were raised with the
expectancy that we would -- that we would study, that we would learn, that we would
raise families, that we would try to bring credit to our -- those around us. And so
I think, Pete, that my wish is -- and I've been blessed with a wife -- my wife and I
celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary a few weeks ago with two wonderful children,
three granddaughters. So I think as a wrap-up, I think that as my life has unfolded
and -- and I have been -- I have been blessed in ways I never dreamed that would -things that would never come to me. And if I can -- if I have -- if I can have
inspired my family and my kids a little bit and I think that's -- that's maybe
pretty good. And I think if somehow, if people that would look at me later at some
point in time, young people particularly, and say gosh, if he could do it from -you know, and I -- when I was a kid, shucks, I picked a little cotton. And you
picked it by hand then. I picked some grapes. And if you can start and -- wherever
you come from, if you can just grasp a dream and work toward it, I think oftentimes
you have a chance to get at least part it. So ->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well Dick, I can assure you, and I can say this in all
sincerity that people who know you, know your family, not only have you served as an
excellent role model for them but also for the community, the community as well. And
we look at everything the Leon S. Peter's award stands for, you certainly personify
that, and you continue to give. That was one of the things that I've been most
impressed with by -- the award was given to you in 1996, and you haven't slowed down
at all. You continue to go forward. So on behalf of -- of our community I just say
thank you for giving, continuing to give, and in years to come I know that you
definitely will serve as the role model for our young people as it relates to
community involvement and excellence in business. So thank you for giving us the
opportunity to interview you.
>>Richard Johanson: Thank you.
==== Transcribed by Automatic Sync Technologies ====
recipient, Richard Johanson, that certainly is a pillar amongst community leaders in
the central valley. And Richard, we're delighted to have you here. And for the
record can you state your official name, place of birth, and age.
>>Richard Johanson: Be happy to. First let me say I'm delighted to be here. My name
is Richard Johanson; I'm now 73 years old. I was born in Fresno in 1925 at the old
Burnett Sanitarium. And I basically lived in Fresno County all of my life, and most
of those years right here in the metropolitan Fresno.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Those years that you lived in this community you've seen lots
of changes in the central valley. For future generations, can you just sort of
describe when you first grew up in this area, what was it like growing up in the
central valley, obviously a heavy agricultural area. And then seen the changes that
have occurred.
>>Richard Johanson: Be happy to, Pete. My father worked for the Standard Oil Company
in those days, and he was stationed in Kerman for a short time, went to first grade
and all through grammar school we lived in San Joaquin, and later Kingsburg, which I
still tend to call my hometown. So coming to Fresno was a big event for us as young
people. And I remember as a grammar school student, grammar school-aged kid coming
to Fresno and seeing streetcars on Fulton Street downtown, and I still recall the
original Saint Agnes Hospital being out in the wheat field and -- and streetcars
coming into Roeding Park, downtown Fresno was really a special place, and being able
to come into the city of Fresno was very exciting for me.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: In terms of watching the population growth and the change in
this area, if you had to give advice to policy makers on the future of the central
valley in Fresno, what advice would you give them in terms of -- for planning
purposes, for the quality of life in our area?
>>Richard Johanson: I think sometimes that we lose sight -- living in metropolitan
Fresno, lose sight of the significance of the city of Fresno to the central valley.
This is the queen city of the central valley, and I think sometimes we don't realize
how important it is to have a hub within a queen city. And the hub to me is
downtown. And I just hope that I can be here to see the rejuvenation of downtown
Fresno. I think from -- people from the outlying cities when they come to the city
of Fresno they like to come and they anticipate a downtown, a really focused area to
visit.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Everyone who knows about the Leon S. Peters Award knows it
stands not only for high achievement in business but in community service. Because
as you knew Leon Peters, Lee as we call him, very, very well. In terms of -- let's
first talk a little bit about your business. Because everybody knows that you
established a very successful trucking business in which your son now is very, very
much involved in. How did you get started in the trucking business and how did it
develop.
>>Richard Johanson: I finished school and I had a major in marketing and a minor in
advertising. And I figured that's where I was going to try to make my career. And I
had come out of the Marine Corps for a little time in the service many years ago.
And wanted to come back in the valley to work. And I was hired by Sun-Maid Raisin
Growers and I wanted to get in their marketing department. But the entry level
position that I accepted was in their traffic department and the logistics
department. And I worked for a wonderful person, fortunately, who became very close
to me, and took an extreme amount of his time in teaching me the business of
transportation. And it wasn't very long before I realized that was where I wanted to
be. So after four years I had a chance to go to work for a transportation brokerage
company which does with freight much like a travel agency does with people. And
after 18 years there, in 1971 I had an opportunity to start a business of my own,
which I did. And fortunately, it -- it's grown and it is now basically up -- our son
is the president. And then so I am able to do some other things. So life has been
kind. And -- and I'm gratefully -- grateful for that.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Certainly your industry experienced many, many changes, in
particularly in terms of government regulations from its early days. Certainly now
your industry is heavily regulated, isn't it?
>>Richard Johanson: Pete, actually, it's just the opposite.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas:
OK.
>>Richard Johanson: Prior to 1980 the transportation industry and particularly the
railroads and common carrier truck lines were very, very tightly regu… they all had
the same rates, they had certain routes they had to travel upon, they couldn't
change their rates without -- without federal or state approval. And getting into
the business was very difficult because you had to be approved by of the state or
federal agencies depending upon whether you wanted to engage in intrastate or
interstate commerce. So it was -- it was very tightly regulated. In 1980 about the
time they began to deregulate the airlines they began to deregulate surface
transportation. And during that time of tight regulation and when I first entered
the transportation brokerage business in 1953 there were certain exemptions, and
agricultural hauling was one, where truck lines could -- with -- with subject only
to hours to safety and hours of driving, they could basically go from where they
wish to go -- and this was necessary because as crops matured in particular areas
you had to have flexibility in bringing truck lines into those areas to handle those
seasonal crops. And the existing regulated carriers didn't have that flexibility. So
there was an exemption. And it was within that exemption that we originally built
our business. And then subsequent to 1980, and we don't want, I don't want to get
too technical here, but we were able by obtaining certain authorities to get into
the what we called regulated traffic. And now basically through contract carriage
and there still are regulated carriers with published rates, the freedom to enter
the transportation business as far as truck liners are concerned is much more
lenient than it used to be. And just to touch briefly on railroad transportation,
there used to be dozens of railroads all over the country. And you had to have -you had to have tariffs to figure out how and where you interlined one boxcar with
another, with one railroad with another, to move your freight across the country.
Well now there are only about half a dozen major railroads in the whole United
States. They'll all been merged or some of them have ceased to function, so -- so
it's a much different industry now than it was 30 years ago.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: How significant is your industry and the railroad industry to
the economic well-being of Fresno, the central valley.
>>Richard Johanson: Oh, I think it's vital. One of the things that's going to -- has
benefitted this valley and will benefit it more is the ease of moving goods in and
out of the valley. For many years before the development of the interstate highway
system particularly, this valley suffered because it was difficult to access it.
Because we are surrounded by mountains. The Los Angeles basin you can come in
basically over flat terrain, the northwest to some degree, not quite so much. But
the valley from Fresno -- to go east from Fresno was a -- we were at a disadvantage
because you had to go around the mountains. Well now with the freeways and better
equipment that situation is changing. And Fresno is now just as accessible as
anyplace else in the United States. So we're on the verge, Fresno, this valley now
is on the verge of, in my opinion, of significant economic growth in the not very
distant future.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: The young entrepreneurs, the young person starting off in
business, what advice would you give them about -- about what you've learned, about
establishing a business in the Fresno area.
>>Richard Johanson: I'll say -- first let me say in establishing a business, because
this is one of -- one of my points I like to stress. I think for anyone wanting to
enter a business and establish a business now you have to know two things. I think
you have to know what you know, but you have to know what you don't know. And I
think too many people are -- in their anxiety to start something forget the second
point. And they don't realize what they don't know. Because if you don't know what
you don't know, then you have one foot in the bucket, because you're going to fall
into potholes all over this thing. So that's what -- that's -- as far as being an
entrepreneur and starting, those are the two principles I like to tell folks that I
have a chance to talk to. As far as starting a business here in the valley I think
that the opportunity exists. I think we are going to see new type of industry coming
here. I think international business is -- well it's well known, we talk about it
all the time particularly Pacific Rim business, I think the opportunities are going
to just continue to grow because the world is contracting. Economically. So I think
there are great opportunities here. I think we have a chance to be as -- as the -just -- as the Bay Area, that area becomes saturated with business, with people, we
have space. If we use it right we can use it to our advantage to establish new
businesses. I think the Los Angeles basin, and particularly the -- in water
transportation, the harbor at Long Beach and Los Angeles is going to -- the biggest
port in the whole world is 225, 30 miles from right here. We need, we can take
advantage of those things.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: A lot of young people I talk to now as they're establishing
their business saying I'm so busy I don't have time to get involved with community
activities, whether it be the church, whether it be school bond measures. Just the
opposite. Your reputation obviously as a successful businessman, as a community
leader. But people know you for your involvement on leading school bond measures,
getting involved with, you know name it throughout the community. What would you
advise young people of the value, how did you get involved with these extra, would
you consider, community activities.
>>Richard Johanson: Probably because I was asked. I -- I don't recall in my time
that I ever -- that I ever ran around the community saying I want to be part of
this, I want to be part of this. But because I was running a business, and I think
that's important, your family is important, your church is important. Life is a
balance. If one segment blips out of proportion I think something gets kind of
haywire. But I was -- I was honored over the course of my time to be asked if I
would participate in different things. And -- and when I was asked I tried to do as
best I could. But -- so I think -- I think, Pete, in my particular case, other
people are great volunteers, they come around. But in -- in truthfulness, I was
never a very good volunteer. I was asked if I would help things, and I was happy to
do that.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: But you never said no.
>>Richard Johanson: Well no, you can't, it’s pretty hard not to, no, I don't want to
say no.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I know you knew Lee Peters very, very well. And to be the
recipient of this most prestigious award, what did it mean to give Johanson the
lifelong citizen of this area.
>>Richard Johanson: Oh, I'll never forget the day I was called and told that -- that
I was going to receive that award. It was -- it was humbling. It was -- it was
warming. I -- I just -- I still don't know how to describe it, Pete. But knowing
Leon and knowing the kind of person he was, and knowing the people who had received
it before me and all of the great things they had done, and to realize that what
little in comparison I have done still let me -- let me be recognized like that.
That was -- that was oh, that was one of the highlights of my life. I'll never
forget that. And I still don't. I have it hanging in my office at home. And I just - I'm so proud to be -- to be with some of these people. And particularly in Leon's
name, and Alice is still here, and we see her from time to time. That's pretty
touching stuff.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well I have not missed one of the Leon Peters Award
ceremonies, and you certainly, your acceptance speech moved us all. It was like you
were very, very sincere, very candid, and you still have to get that speech for me
because I want to keep it on record as we go. You certainly have many, many more
years of good living to do in the community. But as you sort of reflect back upon
your -- not only your professional career but your life as a whole in this area, all
of us have highlights of our life and as you've expressed the Leon Peters Award was
one of the highlights. Could you sort of share with us other things, I know you're
very proud of your family, but other things that you're very, very proud of, and
some of the disappointments. Because obviously you don't go through this life
unscathed without disappointments and setbacks. And as I talk with the Leon Peters
recipients all of them have had their share of setbacks, but have overcome those in
order to be successful in their life as well as their business.
>>Richard Johanson: Just from -- just from -- just from a -- a business standpoint,
starting on a business, and talk about the setbacks first, then we'll talk about -I -- one time, and I hadn't been in business very long. And I had a major account
that began to ask me to transport some things that weren't legal, candidly. And I
had to make a decision what am I going to do about that. And -- and I finally
decided, well, I've gotten this far doing things the way I felt was the right way to
do things. And that was wrong. And so I lost that account. They said well then,
we'll give it to somebody else. And okay, and that was kind of scary, because you
know, when you're a young company and you're starting out and you've got a staff
that kind of looks for you to sign their paychecks every periodically. And -- but -in reflecting back upon it, that was the right thing to do. And we have grown and we
have -- so -- and I think we have what we have within our company now, and I hope
it's still there. And it's growing as a result to try to do things as well as we
can, and stay try to stay out in front on the way we conduct our affairs. And so -but that -- but that scary instance right at the start when I gave up my... doing,
that was about 40% of my business, so it wasn't just a little bit, it was a big one.
But -- that was right. And it came out. So that was -- that was a hard part. The -I think the satisfaction over the years has come to -- to be able to start something
and hatch this little baby and watch it grow. And it's exciting for me to go in our
office and see the staff, the people we have there, and the way in which they
interact with Larry and with me. And that feels good. Because I know you like to use
quotes. And I do too. And I read one time that nobody's successful unless a lot of
other people want them to be. And I think that doesn't apply to anybody more than to
me, is that success isn't -- or another one, the road to success is always under
construction. See and I think so. As you go through life you never get there. So
it's always -- always a constant effort to try to make sure you're doing what you
say you're doing. But to try to raise the bar a little bit. So I don't know if I
answered your question very well.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yes, gave me some good quotes I can use down the road. Not
that I'm writing your epitaph know, because there's many more good years to come,
but all of us, as we look at our career and look at ourselves, how would you like
people in future generations to -- when they speak of Dick Johanson, how would you
like them to remember you as a person?
>>Richard Johanson: I -- Pete, I think if people could think of me as someone that - that tried to do the right thing, that -- that recognized there are -- there are
business laws and there are moral laws and those laws interact or need to interact.
And in my own way that I tried as best -- as best I could to -- to perhaps in some
small way influence younger people coming along, that if you do it right you can
last and you can create something successful. I think -- I think in looking back in
my type of business I've seen just too, too many people tried to take shortcuts to
success and cut corners, cut ethical corners or cut this kind of corners, or those
kind of corners. Temporarily it may be okay. But over an expanded period of time,
doesn't work. So I -- that to me, I think that's -- that's -- if people could say
that he tried to do it right, I think that would be -- that would be what I could
wish for.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Good. I just have to ask this question, although it doesn't
directly relate to the Leon S. Peters Award. But the Valley Business Council, Fresno
Business Council has been a recent creation, and you were an integral part of that
creation and the involvement. And it has had in its short period of time some
profound impact upon our community and our life. Can you just share a little bit,
you're still currently the president of the council. And I just think it's very
important that we have this bit of history as to how it got started and what the
objectives are and how you feel it's going.
>>Richard Johanson: Okay, Bob Carter, also Leon Peters Award winner, had heard about
organizations similar to -- to a business council in other places. And he brought
eight of us together. And we began to talk about this. And we had -- we had a -- a
representative of another business council come into Fresno and talk about what they
were doing. And after a series of meetings we decided that we would commit to
starting a Fresno Business Council here to represent this central part of the
valley. And from that we built a board of directors, a key board of directors, about
23 people, and brought those folks together. And we went up to -- into the mountains
for a couple of days and just talked and exchanged ideas and listened to what
councils were doing in other communities. And on the basis that -- that -- if a
small group of CEOs could come together and bring their expertise and focus on real
critical needs maybe we could make -- maybe we could make a difference. Not to do
it, but to come alongside other people who were doing it and bring what we had to
offer to the table. Then we could -- we could work together and bring things -bring things up to a little higher level. Our ultimate goal was to recognize that
the population in this valley is going to be expanded dramatically in the next years
and we have to have jobs. And who knows better how to make jobs than people that run
businesses. So -- and we also -- we kept ourselves. We said we will be 100 people.
That's all. And we also very specifically stated that we are not in competition with
the Chamber of Commerce, we can work alongside the Chamber of Commerce. Because they
have some different interactive goals among their members that we don't. Our
membership is basically of people who are willing to give of their time for the
public good, for the good of all. Without -- without expecting a direct and
immediate business return. Economic return to a particular business. The concept is
if the boat rises we all lift-- I mean, if the water rises the whole boat rises.
Okay, so that's the way we did it. And we started out, and ultimately our concern
was job creation. But as we get into this we began to realize that if we're going to
create jobs here we have to have a safe community, we have to have a community with
good public administration, and we have to have students and young people that are
coming through a good educational system. And we began to work in those areas. Not
with the idea of dictating how these things are to be done. But to say what are the
problems and how can we help. So we are now six years old, and we have since
increased our membership to 125. But that's where we're capped. And we now have a
waiting list to get in. And we feel that we, in some areas we probably have been
effective. And the Fresno Business Council worked with the County Office of
Education on the commission for the future of education in Fresno County. And we
were proud to be able to join with your organization in -- in bringing that about.
And that's -- and in areas like this that we feel that we can probably be some help.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Good. Which leads me to the Center for Advanced Research and
Technology where the Business Council really was a catalyst between Clovis Unified
and Fresno Unified and the whole theme of creating jobs. This is really exciting.
And again, you said no, you didn't say no, you said yes to being the president of
the board of CART. And so can you share just a few thoughts about CART?
>>Richard Johanson: Oh, I'd be happy to. This -- this -- this was a -- is going to
be a prime example of what can happen when school districts don't compete with each
other, they realize that if they can combine some of their assets and some of their
aspirations the two of them can be greater than either of them could be
individually. And Dr. Buster of Clovis Unified and Chuck McCully who was then
president of Fresno Unified came together and said we can create a school for junior
and senior students could come part of the day to this very lab-type environment,
high-tech school, and learn on real-world, in a real-world type environment. And go
out of there with either job-ready skills, or much more qualified to go on to higher
education. And that is -- that is -- that school is now under construction. And in
the end of 2000 it will open to its students. And I -- I -- and this -- this school
is not -- and we as -- let me explain how I happened to be there. We constructed it
so that the board of trustees, so that it would consist of the two school
superintendents, a representative from each of those school boards, each of those
school boards would appoint a community representative, and I was asked by Fresno
Unified to be the community representative. And then the Fresno Business Council
would select a seventh person. So it's -- it is a -- it is a marriage of business
and education coming together to create something that's going to be unique in the
world. This -- this school, it hasn't even opened yet, has already received
recognition all over the United States. Our executive director Pat Wright this week
is in Finland to an international conference of educators talking about CART. We
have something here that -- that this community doesn't begin to recognize, I think,
because it's not -- unless you're intimately involved in creating it, as you would
be in the educational arena, we don't know what we have here.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, I know the National Association of Secondary School
Principals acknowledge it, and so ->>Richard Johanson: It's their national project.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So it was succeed, given the support of the business council,
the business community and the cooperation of the school districts. In fact, even
manages to get into our pockets for some funding through the ROP program. So we're
eager to support it as well.
>>Richard Johanson: The educators -- let me just say this. They -- they just -- to
give you an example of how the business and education is coming together on this. To
oversimplify a little bit, but the educational community is furnishing the building
and the staff and all. And then the business community is going to underwrite the
cost of the 11 labs, 11 areas of study we're going to have in there. And that's
where -- and we have some major commitments, and some more that we'll be announcing
shortly of private businesses making substantial commitments to this new school.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Like any good teacher, one should always have an open-ended
question at the end of an exam. So I'm going to give you an open-ended question on
anything that I should have asked that I didn't ask, that you'd just like to hit
upon. It's your call on any topic that you want to hit that I didn't ask you, that
you sort of want to make sure you have down for recorded history. It's an open-ended
question.
>>Richard Johanson: All right, let me respond this way. My father was born in Sweden
and came over here when he was about 7 years old with three brothers and his mom and
dad, and settled out here in South Chestnut Avenue, out 50 miles out of Fresno. My
dad came here, he didn't know how to speak English, and he went to school and he
learned in a hurry. And he went on and got a good job for himself, and he raised my
two brothers and me, he and my mother. And I think we were raised with the
expectancy that we would -- that we would study, that we would learn, that we would
raise families, that we would try to bring credit to our -- those around us. And so
I think, Pete, that my wish is -- and I've been blessed with a wife -- my wife and I
celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary a few weeks ago with two wonderful children,
three granddaughters. So I think as a wrap-up, I think that as my life has unfolded
and -- and I have been -- I have been blessed in ways I never dreamed that would -things that would never come to me. And if I can -- if I have -- if I can have
inspired my family and my kids a little bit and I think that's -- that's maybe
pretty good. And I think if somehow, if people that would look at me later at some
point in time, young people particularly, and say gosh, if he could do it from -you know, and I -- when I was a kid, shucks, I picked a little cotton. And you
picked it by hand then. I picked some grapes. And if you can start and -- wherever
you come from, if you can just grasp a dream and work toward it, I think oftentimes
you have a chance to get at least part it. So ->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well Dick, I can assure you, and I can say this in all
sincerity that people who know you, know your family, not only have you served as an
excellent role model for them but also for the community, the community as well. And
we look at everything the Leon S. Peter's award stands for, you certainly personify
that, and you continue to give. That was one of the things that I've been most
impressed with by -- the award was given to you in 1996, and you haven't slowed down
at all. You continue to go forward. So on behalf of -- of our community I just say
thank you for giving, continuing to give, and in years to come I know that you
definitely will serve as the role model for our young people as it relates to
community involvement and excellence in business. So thank you for giving us the
opportunity to interview you.
>>Richard Johanson: Thank you.
==== Transcribed by Automatic Sync Technologies ====
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: We're delighted today to have the 1996 Leon S. Peters
recipient, Richard Johanson, that certainly is a pillar amongst community leaders in
the central valley. And Richard, we're delighted to have you here. And for the
record can you state your official name, place of birth, and age.
>>Richard Johanson: Be happy to. First let me say I'm delighted to be here. My name
is Richard Johanson; I'm now 73 years old. I was born in Fresno in 1925 at the old
Burnett Sanitarium. And I basically lived in Fresno County all of my life, and most
of those years right here in the metropolitan Fresno.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Those years that you lived in this community you've seen lots
of changes in the central valley. For future generations, can you just sort of
describe when you first grew up in this area, what was it like growing up in the
central valley, obviously a heavy agricultural area. And then seen the changes that
have occurred.
>>Richard Johanson: Be happy to, Pete. My father worked for the Standard Oil Company
in those days, and he was stationed in Kerman for a short time, went to first grade
and all through grammar school we lived in San Joaquin, and later Kingsburg, which I
still tend to call my hometown. So coming to Fresno was a big event for us as young
people. And I remember as a grammar school student, grammar school-aged kid coming
to Fresno and seeing streetcars on Fulton Street downtown, and I still recall the
original Saint Agnes Hospital being out in the wheat field and -- and streetcars
coming into Roeding Park, downtown Fresno was really a special place, and being able
to come into the city of Fresno was very exciting for me.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: In terms of watching the population growth and the change in
this area, if you had to give advice to policy makers on the future of the central
valley in Fresno, what advice would you give them in terms of -- for planning
purposes, for the quality of life in our area?
>>Richard Johanson: I think sometimes that we lose sight -- living in metropolitan
Fresno, lose sight of the significance of the city of Fresno to the central valley.
This is the queen city of the central valley, and I think sometimes we don't realize
how important it is to have a hub within a queen city. And the hub to me is
downtown. And I just hope that I can be here to see the rejuvenation of downtown
Fresno. I think from -- people from the outlying cities when they come to the city
of Fresno they like to come and they anticipate a downtown, a really focused area to
visit.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Everyone who knows about the Leon S. Peters Award knows it
stands not only for high achievement in business but in community service. Because
as you knew Leon Peters, Lee as we call him, very, very well. In terms of -- let's
first talk a little bit about your business. Because everybody knows that you
established a very successful trucking business in which your son now is very, very
much involved in. How did you get started in the trucking business and how did it
develop.
>>Richard Johanson: I finished school and I had a major in marketing and a minor in
advertising. And I figured that's where I was going to try to make my career. And I
had come out of the Marine Corps for a little time in the service many years ago.
And wanted to come back in the valley to work. And I was hired by Sun-Maid Raisin
Growers and I wanted to get in their marketing department. But the entry level
position that I accepted was in their traffic department and the logistics
department. And I worked for a wonderful person, fortunately, who became very close
to me, and took an extreme amount of his time in teaching me the business of
transportation. And it wasn't very long before I realized that was where I wanted to
be. So after four years I had a chance to go to work for a transportation brokerage
company which does with freight much like a travel agency does with people. And
after 18 years there, in 1971 I had an opportunity to start a business of my own,
which I did. And fortunately, it -- it's grown and it is now basically up -- our son
is the president. And then so I am able to do some other things. So life has been
kind. And -- and I'm gratefully -- grateful for that.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Certainly your industry experienced many, many changes, in
particularly in terms of government regulations from its early days. Certainly now
your industry is heavily regulated, isn't it?
>>Richard Johanson: Pete, actually, it's just the opposite.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas:
OK.
>>Richard Johanson: Prior to 1980 the transportation industry and particularly the
railroads and common carrier truck lines were very, very tightly regu… they all had
the same rates, they had certain routes they had to travel upon, they couldn't
change their rates without -- without federal or state approval. And getting into
the business was very difficult because you had to be approved by of the state or
federal agencies depending upon whether you wanted to engage in intrastate or
interstate commerce. So it was -- it was very tightly regulated. In 1980 about the
time they began to deregulate the airlines they began to deregulate surface
transportation. And during that time of tight regulation and when I first entered
the transportation brokerage business in 1953 there were certain exemptions, and
agricultural hauling was one, where truck lines could -- with -- with subject only
to hours to safety and hours of driving, they could basically go from where they
wish to go -- and this was necessary because as crops matured in particular areas
you had to have flexibility in bringing truck lines into those areas to handle those
seasonal crops. And the existing regulated carriers didn't have that flexibility. So
there was an exemption. And it was within that exemption that we originally built
our business. And then subsequent to 1980, and we don't want, I don't want to get
too technical here, but we were able by obtaining certain authorities to get into
the what we called regulated traffic. And now basically through contract carriage
and there still are regulated carriers with published rates, the freedom to enter
the transportation business as far as truck liners are concerned is much more
lenient than it used to be. And just to touch briefly on railroad transportation,
there used to be dozens of railroads all over the country. And you had to have -you had to have tariffs to figure out how and where you interlined one boxcar with
another, with one railroad with another, to move your freight across the country.
Well now there are only about half a dozen major railroads in the whole United
States. They'll all been merged or some of them have ceased to function, so -- so
it's a much different industry now than it was 30 years ago.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: How significant is your industry and the railroad industry to
the economic well-being of Fresno, the central valley.
>>Richard Johanson: Oh, I think it's vital. One of the things that's going to -- has
benefitted this valley and will benefit it more is the ease of moving goods in and
out of the valley. For many years before the development of the interstate highway
system particularly, this valley suffered because it was difficult to access it.
Because we are surrounded by mountains. The Los Angeles basin you can come in
basically over flat terrain, the northwest to some degree, not quite so much. But
the valley from Fresno -- to go east from Fresno was a -- we were at a disadvantage
because you had to go around the mountains. Well now with the freeways and better
equipment that situation is changing. And Fresno is now just as accessible as
anyplace else in the United States. So we're on the verge, Fresno, this valley now
is on the verge of, in my opinion, of significant economic growth in the not very
distant future.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: The young entrepreneurs, the young person starting off in
business, what advice would you give them about -- about what you've learned, about
establishing a business in the Fresno area.
>>Richard Johanson: I'll say -- first let me say in establishing a business, because
this is one of -- one of my points I like to stress. I think for anyone wanting to
enter a business and establish a business now you have to know two things. I think
you have to know what you know, but you have to know what you don't know. And I
think too many people are -- in their anxiety to start something forget the second
point. And they don't realize what they don't know. Because if you don't know what
you don't know, then you have one foot in the bucket, because you're going to fall
into potholes all over this thing. So that's what -- that's -- as far as being an
entrepreneur and starting, those are the two principles I like to tell folks that I
have a chance to talk to. As far as starting a business here in the valley I think
that the opportunity exists. I think we are going to see new type of industry coming
here. I think international business is -- well it's well known, we talk about it
all the time particularly Pacific Rim business, I think the opportunities are going
to just continue to grow because the world is contracting. Economically. So I think
there are great opportunities here. I think we have a chance to be as -- as the -just -- as the Bay Area, that area becomes saturated with business, with people, we
have space. If we use it right we can use it to our advantage to establish new
businesses. I think the Los Angeles basin, and particularly the -- in water
transportation, the harbor at Long Beach and Los Angeles is going to -- the biggest
port in the whole world is 225, 30 miles from right here. We need, we can take
advantage of those things.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: A lot of young people I talk to now as they're establishing
their business saying I'm so busy I don't have time to get involved with community
activities, whether it be the church, whether it be school bond measures. Just the
opposite. Your reputation obviously as a successful businessman, as a community
leader. But people know you for your involvement on leading school bond measures,
getting involved with, you know name it throughout the community. What would you
advise young people of the value, how did you get involved with these extra, would
you consider, community activities.
>>Richard Johanson: Probably because I was asked. I -- I don't recall in my time
that I ever -- that I ever ran around the community saying I want to be part of
this, I want to be part of this. But because I was running a business, and I think
that's important, your family is important, your church is important. Life is a
balance. If one segment blips out of proportion I think something gets kind of
haywire. But I was -- I was honored over the course of my time to be asked if I
would participate in different things. And -- and when I was asked I tried to do as
best I could. But -- so I think -- I think, Pete, in my particular case, other
people are great volunteers, they come around. But in -- in truthfulness, I was
never a very good volunteer. I was asked if I would help things, and I was happy to
do that.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: But you never said no.
>>Richard Johanson: Well no, you can't, it’s pretty hard not to, no, I don't want to
say no.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I know you knew Lee Peters very, very well. And to be the
recipient of this most prestigious award, what did it mean to give Johanson the
lifelong citizen of this area.
>>Richard Johanson: Oh, I'll never forget the day I was called and told that -- that
I was going to receive that award. It was -- it was humbling. It was -- it was
warming. I -- I just -- I still don't know how to describe it, Pete. But knowing
Leon and knowing the kind of person he was, and knowing the people who had received
it before me and all of the great things they had done, and to realize that what
little in comparison I have done still let me -- let me be recognized like that.
That was -- that was oh, that was one of the highlights of my life. I'll never
forget that. And I still don't. I have it hanging in my office at home. And I just - I'm so proud to be -- to be with some of these people. And particularly in Leon's
name, and Alice is still here, and we see her from time to time. That's pretty
touching stuff.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well I have not missed one of the Leon Peters Award
ceremonies, and you certainly, your acceptance speech moved us all. It was like you
were very, very sincere, very candid, and you still have to get that speech for me
because I want to keep it on record as we go. You certainly have many, many more
years of good living to do in the community. But as you sort of reflect back upon
your -- not only your professional career but your life as a whole in this area, all
of us have highlights of our life and as you've expressed the Leon Peters Award was
one of the highlights. Could you sort of share with us other things, I know you're
very proud of your family, but other things that you're very, very proud of, and
some of the disappointments. Because obviously you don't go through this life
unscathed without disappointments and setbacks. And as I talk with the Leon Peters
recipients all of them have had their share of setbacks, but have overcome those in
order to be successful in their life as well as their business.
>>Richard Johanson: Just from -- just from -- just from a -- a business standpoint,
starting on a business, and talk about the setbacks first, then we'll talk about -I -- one time, and I hadn't been in business very long. And I had a major account
that began to ask me to transport some things that weren't legal, candidly. And I
had to make a decision what am I going to do about that. And -- and I finally
decided, well, I've gotten this far doing things the way I felt was the right way to
do things. And that was wrong. And so I lost that account. They said well then,
we'll give it to somebody else. And okay, and that was kind of scary, because you
know, when you're a young company and you're starting out and you've got a staff
that kind of looks for you to sign their paychecks every periodically. And -- but -in reflecting back upon it, that was the right thing to do. And we have grown and we
have -- so -- and I think we have what we have within our company now, and I hope
it's still there. And it's growing as a result to try to do things as well as we
can, and stay try to stay out in front on the way we conduct our affairs. And so -but that -- but that scary instance right at the start when I gave up my... doing,
that was about 40% of my business, so it wasn't just a little bit, it was a big one.
But -- that was right. And it came out. So that was -- that was a hard part. The -I think the satisfaction over the years has come to -- to be able to start something
and hatch this little baby and watch it grow. And it's exciting for me to go in our
office and see the staff, the people we have there, and the way in which they
interact with Larry and with me. And that feels good. Because I know you like to use
quotes. And I do too. And I read one time that nobody's successful unless a lot of
other people want them to be. And I think that doesn't apply to anybody more than to
me, is that success isn't -- or another one, the road to success is always under
construction. See and I think so. As you go through life you never get there. So
it's always -- always a constant effort to try to make sure you're doing what you
say you're doing. But to try to raise the bar a little bit. So I don't know if I
answered your question very well.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yes, gave me some good quotes I can use down the road. Not
that I'm writing your epitaph know, because there's many more good years to come,
but all of us, as we look at our career and look at ourselves, how would you like
people in future generations to -- when they speak of Dick Johanson, how would you
like them to remember you as a person?
>>Richard Johanson: I -- Pete, I think if people could think of me as someone that - that tried to do the right thing, that -- that recognized there are -- there are
business laws and there are moral laws and those laws interact or need to interact.
And in my own way that I tried as best -- as best I could to -- to perhaps in some
small way influence younger people coming along, that if you do it right you can
last and you can create something successful. I think -- I think in looking back in
my type of business I've seen just too, too many people tried to take shortcuts to
success and cut corners, cut ethical corners or cut this kind of corners, or those
kind of corners. Temporarily it may be okay. But over an expanded period of time,
doesn't work. So I -- that to me, I think that's -- that's -- if people could say
that he tried to do it right, I think that would be -- that would be what I could
wish for.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Good. I just have to ask this question, although it doesn't
directly relate to the Leon S. Peters Award. But the Valley Business Council, Fresno
Business Council has been a recent creation, and you were an integral part of that
creation and the involvement. And it has had in its short period of time some
profound impact upon our community and our life. Can you just share a little bit,
you're still currently the president of the council. And I just think it's very
important that we have this bit of history as to how it got started and what the
objectives are and how you feel it's going.
>>Richard Johanson: Okay, Bob Carter, also Leon Peters Award winner, had heard about
organizations similar to -- to a business council in other places. And he brought
eight of us together. And we began to talk about this. And we had -- we had a -- a
representative of another business council come into Fresno and talk about what they
were doing. And after a series of meetings we decided that we would commit to
starting a Fresno Business Council here to represent this central part of the
valley. And from that we built a board of directors, a key board of directors, about
23 people, and brought those folks together. And we went up to -- into the mountains
for a couple of days and just talked and exchanged ideas and listened to what
councils were doing in other communities. And on the basis that -- that -- if a
small group of CEOs could come together and bring their expertise and focus on real
critical needs maybe we could make -- maybe we could make a difference. Not to do
it, but to come alongside other people who were doing it and bring what we had to
offer to the table. Then we could -- we could work together and bring things -bring things up to a little higher level. Our ultimate goal was to recognize that
the population in this valley is going to be expanded dramatically in the next years
and we have to have jobs. And who knows better how to make jobs than people that run
businesses. So -- and we also -- we kept ourselves. We said we will be 100 people.
That's all. And we also very specifically stated that we are not in competition with
the Chamber of Commerce, we can work alongside the Chamber of Commerce. Because they
have some different interactive goals among their members that we don't. Our
membership is basically of people who are willing to give of their time for the
public good, for the good of all. Without -- without expecting a direct and
immediate business return. Economic return to a particular business. The concept is
if the boat rises we all lift-- I mean, if the water rises the whole boat rises.
Okay, so that's the way we did it. And we started out, and ultimately our concern
was job creation. But as we get into this we began to realize that if we're going to
create jobs here we have to have a safe community, we have to have a community with
good public administration, and we have to have students and young people that are
coming through a good educational system. And we began to work in those areas. Not
with the idea of dictating how these things are to be done. But to say what are the
problems and how can we help. So we are now six years old, and we have since
increased our membership to 125. But that's where we're capped. And we now have a
waiting list to get in. And we feel that we, in some areas we probably have been
effective. And the Fresno Business Council worked with the County Office of
Education on the commission for the future of education in Fresno County. And we
were proud to be able to join with your organization in -- in bringing that about.
And that's -- and in areas like this that we feel that we can probably be some help.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Good. Which leads me to the Center for Advanced Research and
Technology where the Business Council really was a catalyst between Clovis Unified
and Fresno Unified and the whole theme of creating jobs. This is really exciting.
And again, you said no, you didn't say no, you said yes to being the president of
the board of CART. And so can you share just a few thoughts about CART?
>>Richard Johanson: Oh, I'd be happy to. This -- this -- this was a -- is going to
be a prime example of what can happen when school districts don't compete with each
other, they realize that if they can combine some of their assets and some of their
aspirations the two of them can be greater than either of them could be
individually. And Dr. Buster of Clovis Unified and Chuck McCully who was then
president of Fresno Unified came together and said we can create a school for junior
and senior students could come part of the day to this very lab-type environment,
high-tech school, and learn on real-world, in a real-world type environment. And go
out of there with either job-ready skills, or much more qualified to go on to higher
education. And that is -- that is -- that school is now under construction. And in
the end of 2000 it will open to its students. And I -- I -- and this -- this school
is not -- and we as -- let me explain how I happened to be there. We constructed it
so that the board of trustees, so that it would consist of the two school
superintendents, a representative from each of those school boards, each of those
school boards would appoint a community representative, and I was asked by Fresno
Unified to be the community representative. And then the Fresno Business Council
would select a seventh person. So it's -- it is a -- it is a marriage of business
and education coming together to create something that's going to be unique in the
world. This -- this school, it hasn't even opened yet, has already received
recognition all over the United States. Our executive director Pat Wright this week
is in Finland to an international conference of educators talking about CART. We
have something here that -- that this community doesn't begin to recognize, I think,
because it's not -- unless you're intimately involved in creating it, as you would
be in the educational arena, we don't know what we have here.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, I know the National Association of Secondary School
Principals acknowledge it, and so ->>Richard Johanson: It's their national project.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So it was succeed, given the support of the business council,
the business community and the cooperation of the school districts. In fact, even
manages to get into our pockets for some funding through the ROP program. So we're
eager to support it as well.
>>Richard Johanson: The educators -- let me just say this. They -- they just -- to
give you an example of how the business and education is coming together on this. To
oversimplify a little bit, but the educational community is furnishing the building
and the staff and all. And then the business community is going to underwrite the
cost of the 11 labs, 11 areas of study we're going to have in there. And that's
where -- and we have some major commitments, and some more that we'll be announcing
shortly of private businesses making substantial commitments to this new school.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Like any good teacher, one should always have an open-ended
question at the end of an exam. So I'm going to give you an open-ended question on
anything that I should have asked that I didn't ask, that you'd just like to hit
upon. It's your call on any topic that you want to hit that I didn't ask you, that
you sort of want to make sure you have down for recorded history. It's an open-ended
question.
>>Richard Johanson: All right, let me respond this way. My father was born in Sweden
and came over here when he was about 7 years old with three brothers and his mom and
dad, and settled out here in South Chestnut Avenue, out 50 miles out of Fresno. My
dad came here, he didn't know how to speak English, and he went to school and he
learned in a hurry. And he went on and got a good job for himself, and he raised my
two brothers and me, he and my mother. And I think we were raised with the
expectancy that we would -- that we would study, that we would learn, that we would
raise families, that we would try to bring credit to our -- those around us. And so
I think, Pete, that my wish is -- and I've been blessed with a wife -- my wife and I
celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary a few weeks ago with two wonderful children,
three granddaughters. So I think as a wrap-up, I think that as my life has unfolded
and -- and I have been -- I have been blessed in ways I never dreamed that would -things that would never come to me. And if I can -- if I have -- if I can have
inspired my family and my kids a little bit and I think that's -- that's maybe
pretty good. And I think if somehow, if people that would look at me later at some
point in time, young people particularly, and say gosh, if he could do it from -you know, and I -- when I was a kid, shucks, I picked a little cotton. And you
picked it by hand then. I picked some grapes. And if you can start and -- wherever
you come from, if you can just grasp a dream and work toward it, I think oftentimes
you have a chance to get at least part it. So ->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well Dick, I can assure you, and I can say this in all
sincerity that people who know you, know your family, not only have you served as an
excellent role model for them but also for the community, the community as well. And
we look at everything the Leon S. Peter's award stands for, you certainly personify
that, and you continue to give. That was one of the things that I've been most
impressed with by -- the award was given to you in 1996, and you haven't slowed down
at all. You continue to go forward. So on behalf of -- of our community I just say
thank you for giving, continuing to give, and in years to come I know that you
definitely will serve as the role model for our young people as it relates to
community involvement and excellence in business. So thank you for giving us the
opportunity to interview you.
>>Richard Johanson: Thank you.
==== Transcribed by Automatic Sync Technologies ====
recipient, Richard Johanson, that certainly is a pillar amongst community leaders in
the central valley. And Richard, we're delighted to have you here. And for the
record can you state your official name, place of birth, and age.
>>Richard Johanson: Be happy to. First let me say I'm delighted to be here. My name
is Richard Johanson; I'm now 73 years old. I was born in Fresno in 1925 at the old
Burnett Sanitarium. And I basically lived in Fresno County all of my life, and most
of those years right here in the metropolitan Fresno.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Those years that you lived in this community you've seen lots
of changes in the central valley. For future generations, can you just sort of
describe when you first grew up in this area, what was it like growing up in the
central valley, obviously a heavy agricultural area. And then seen the changes that
have occurred.
>>Richard Johanson: Be happy to, Pete. My father worked for the Standard Oil Company
in those days, and he was stationed in Kerman for a short time, went to first grade
and all through grammar school we lived in San Joaquin, and later Kingsburg, which I
still tend to call my hometown. So coming to Fresno was a big event for us as young
people. And I remember as a grammar school student, grammar school-aged kid coming
to Fresno and seeing streetcars on Fulton Street downtown, and I still recall the
original Saint Agnes Hospital being out in the wheat field and -- and streetcars
coming into Roeding Park, downtown Fresno was really a special place, and being able
to come into the city of Fresno was very exciting for me.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: In terms of watching the population growth and the change in
this area, if you had to give advice to policy makers on the future of the central
valley in Fresno, what advice would you give them in terms of -- for planning
purposes, for the quality of life in our area?
>>Richard Johanson: I think sometimes that we lose sight -- living in metropolitan
Fresno, lose sight of the significance of the city of Fresno to the central valley.
This is the queen city of the central valley, and I think sometimes we don't realize
how important it is to have a hub within a queen city. And the hub to me is
downtown. And I just hope that I can be here to see the rejuvenation of downtown
Fresno. I think from -- people from the outlying cities when they come to the city
of Fresno they like to come and they anticipate a downtown, a really focused area to
visit.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Everyone who knows about the Leon S. Peters Award knows it
stands not only for high achievement in business but in community service. Because
as you knew Leon Peters, Lee as we call him, very, very well. In terms of -- let's
first talk a little bit about your business. Because everybody knows that you
established a very successful trucking business in which your son now is very, very
much involved in. How did you get started in the trucking business and how did it
develop.
>>Richard Johanson: I finished school and I had a major in marketing and a minor in
advertising. And I figured that's where I was going to try to make my career. And I
had come out of the Marine Corps for a little time in the service many years ago.
And wanted to come back in the valley to work. And I was hired by Sun-Maid Raisin
Growers and I wanted to get in their marketing department. But the entry level
position that I accepted was in their traffic department and the logistics
department. And I worked for a wonderful person, fortunately, who became very close
to me, and took an extreme amount of his time in teaching me the business of
transportation. And it wasn't very long before I realized that was where I wanted to
be. So after four years I had a chance to go to work for a transportation brokerage
company which does with freight much like a travel agency does with people. And
after 18 years there, in 1971 I had an opportunity to start a business of my own,
which I did. And fortunately, it -- it's grown and it is now basically up -- our son
is the president. And then so I am able to do some other things. So life has been
kind. And -- and I'm gratefully -- grateful for that.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Certainly your industry experienced many, many changes, in
particularly in terms of government regulations from its early days. Certainly now
your industry is heavily regulated, isn't it?
>>Richard Johanson: Pete, actually, it's just the opposite.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas:
OK.
>>Richard Johanson: Prior to 1980 the transportation industry and particularly the
railroads and common carrier truck lines were very, very tightly regu… they all had
the same rates, they had certain routes they had to travel upon, they couldn't
change their rates without -- without federal or state approval. And getting into
the business was very difficult because you had to be approved by of the state or
federal agencies depending upon whether you wanted to engage in intrastate or
interstate commerce. So it was -- it was very tightly regulated. In 1980 about the
time they began to deregulate the airlines they began to deregulate surface
transportation. And during that time of tight regulation and when I first entered
the transportation brokerage business in 1953 there were certain exemptions, and
agricultural hauling was one, where truck lines could -- with -- with subject only
to hours to safety and hours of driving, they could basically go from where they
wish to go -- and this was necessary because as crops matured in particular areas
you had to have flexibility in bringing truck lines into those areas to handle those
seasonal crops. And the existing regulated carriers didn't have that flexibility. So
there was an exemption. And it was within that exemption that we originally built
our business. And then subsequent to 1980, and we don't want, I don't want to get
too technical here, but we were able by obtaining certain authorities to get into
the what we called regulated traffic. And now basically through contract carriage
and there still are regulated carriers with published rates, the freedom to enter
the transportation business as far as truck liners are concerned is much more
lenient than it used to be. And just to touch briefly on railroad transportation,
there used to be dozens of railroads all over the country. And you had to have -you had to have tariffs to figure out how and where you interlined one boxcar with
another, with one railroad with another, to move your freight across the country.
Well now there are only about half a dozen major railroads in the whole United
States. They'll all been merged or some of them have ceased to function, so -- so
it's a much different industry now than it was 30 years ago.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: How significant is your industry and the railroad industry to
the economic well-being of Fresno, the central valley.
>>Richard Johanson: Oh, I think it's vital. One of the things that's going to -- has
benefitted this valley and will benefit it more is the ease of moving goods in and
out of the valley. For many years before the development of the interstate highway
system particularly, this valley suffered because it was difficult to access it.
Because we are surrounded by mountains. The Los Angeles basin you can come in
basically over flat terrain, the northwest to some degree, not quite so much. But
the valley from Fresno -- to go east from Fresno was a -- we were at a disadvantage
because you had to go around the mountains. Well now with the freeways and better
equipment that situation is changing. And Fresno is now just as accessible as
anyplace else in the United States. So we're on the verge, Fresno, this valley now
is on the verge of, in my opinion, of significant economic growth in the not very
distant future.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: The young entrepreneurs, the young person starting off in
business, what advice would you give them about -- about what you've learned, about
establishing a business in the Fresno area.
>>Richard Johanson: I'll say -- first let me say in establishing a business, because
this is one of -- one of my points I like to stress. I think for anyone wanting to
enter a business and establish a business now you have to know two things. I think
you have to know what you know, but you have to know what you don't know. And I
think too many people are -- in their anxiety to start something forget the second
point. And they don't realize what they don't know. Because if you don't know what
you don't know, then you have one foot in the bucket, because you're going to fall
into potholes all over this thing. So that's what -- that's -- as far as being an
entrepreneur and starting, those are the two principles I like to tell folks that I
have a chance to talk to. As far as starting a business here in the valley I think
that the opportunity exists. I think we are going to see new type of industry coming
here. I think international business is -- well it's well known, we talk about it
all the time particularly Pacific Rim business, I think the opportunities are going
to just continue to grow because the world is contracting. Economically. So I think
there are great opportunities here. I think we have a chance to be as -- as the -just -- as the Bay Area, that area becomes saturated with business, with people, we
have space. If we use it right we can use it to our advantage to establish new
businesses. I think the Los Angeles basin, and particularly the -- in water
transportation, the harbor at Long Beach and Los Angeles is going to -- the biggest
port in the whole world is 225, 30 miles from right here. We need, we can take
advantage of those things.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: A lot of young people I talk to now as they're establishing
their business saying I'm so busy I don't have time to get involved with community
activities, whether it be the church, whether it be school bond measures. Just the
opposite. Your reputation obviously as a successful businessman, as a community
leader. But people know you for your involvement on leading school bond measures,
getting involved with, you know name it throughout the community. What would you
advise young people of the value, how did you get involved with these extra, would
you consider, community activities.
>>Richard Johanson: Probably because I was asked. I -- I don't recall in my time
that I ever -- that I ever ran around the community saying I want to be part of
this, I want to be part of this. But because I was running a business, and I think
that's important, your family is important, your church is important. Life is a
balance. If one segment blips out of proportion I think something gets kind of
haywire. But I was -- I was honored over the course of my time to be asked if I
would participate in different things. And -- and when I was asked I tried to do as
best I could. But -- so I think -- I think, Pete, in my particular case, other
people are great volunteers, they come around. But in -- in truthfulness, I was
never a very good volunteer. I was asked if I would help things, and I was happy to
do that.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: But you never said no.
>>Richard Johanson: Well no, you can't, it’s pretty hard not to, no, I don't want to
say no.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: I know you knew Lee Peters very, very well. And to be the
recipient of this most prestigious award, what did it mean to give Johanson the
lifelong citizen of this area.
>>Richard Johanson: Oh, I'll never forget the day I was called and told that -- that
I was going to receive that award. It was -- it was humbling. It was -- it was
warming. I -- I just -- I still don't know how to describe it, Pete. But knowing
Leon and knowing the kind of person he was, and knowing the people who had received
it before me and all of the great things they had done, and to realize that what
little in comparison I have done still let me -- let me be recognized like that.
That was -- that was oh, that was one of the highlights of my life. I'll never
forget that. And I still don't. I have it hanging in my office at home. And I just - I'm so proud to be -- to be with some of these people. And particularly in Leon's
name, and Alice is still here, and we see her from time to time. That's pretty
touching stuff.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well I have not missed one of the Leon Peters Award
ceremonies, and you certainly, your acceptance speech moved us all. It was like you
were very, very sincere, very candid, and you still have to get that speech for me
because I want to keep it on record as we go. You certainly have many, many more
years of good living to do in the community. But as you sort of reflect back upon
your -- not only your professional career but your life as a whole in this area, all
of us have highlights of our life and as you've expressed the Leon Peters Award was
one of the highlights. Could you sort of share with us other things, I know you're
very proud of your family, but other things that you're very, very proud of, and
some of the disappointments. Because obviously you don't go through this life
unscathed without disappointments and setbacks. And as I talk with the Leon Peters
recipients all of them have had their share of setbacks, but have overcome those in
order to be successful in their life as well as their business.
>>Richard Johanson: Just from -- just from -- just from a -- a business standpoint,
starting on a business, and talk about the setbacks first, then we'll talk about -I -- one time, and I hadn't been in business very long. And I had a major account
that began to ask me to transport some things that weren't legal, candidly. And I
had to make a decision what am I going to do about that. And -- and I finally
decided, well, I've gotten this far doing things the way I felt was the right way to
do things. And that was wrong. And so I lost that account. They said well then,
we'll give it to somebody else. And okay, and that was kind of scary, because you
know, when you're a young company and you're starting out and you've got a staff
that kind of looks for you to sign their paychecks every periodically. And -- but -in reflecting back upon it, that was the right thing to do. And we have grown and we
have -- so -- and I think we have what we have within our company now, and I hope
it's still there. And it's growing as a result to try to do things as well as we
can, and stay try to stay out in front on the way we conduct our affairs. And so -but that -- but that scary instance right at the start when I gave up my... doing,
that was about 40% of my business, so it wasn't just a little bit, it was a big one.
But -- that was right. And it came out. So that was -- that was a hard part. The -I think the satisfaction over the years has come to -- to be able to start something
and hatch this little baby and watch it grow. And it's exciting for me to go in our
office and see the staff, the people we have there, and the way in which they
interact with Larry and with me. And that feels good. Because I know you like to use
quotes. And I do too. And I read one time that nobody's successful unless a lot of
other people want them to be. And I think that doesn't apply to anybody more than to
me, is that success isn't -- or another one, the road to success is always under
construction. See and I think so. As you go through life you never get there. So
it's always -- always a constant effort to try to make sure you're doing what you
say you're doing. But to try to raise the bar a little bit. So I don't know if I
answered your question very well.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Yes, gave me some good quotes I can use down the road. Not
that I'm writing your epitaph know, because there's many more good years to come,
but all of us, as we look at our career and look at ourselves, how would you like
people in future generations to -- when they speak of Dick Johanson, how would you
like them to remember you as a person?
>>Richard Johanson: I -- Pete, I think if people could think of me as someone that - that tried to do the right thing, that -- that recognized there are -- there are
business laws and there are moral laws and those laws interact or need to interact.
And in my own way that I tried as best -- as best I could to -- to perhaps in some
small way influence younger people coming along, that if you do it right you can
last and you can create something successful. I think -- I think in looking back in
my type of business I've seen just too, too many people tried to take shortcuts to
success and cut corners, cut ethical corners or cut this kind of corners, or those
kind of corners. Temporarily it may be okay. But over an expanded period of time,
doesn't work. So I -- that to me, I think that's -- that's -- if people could say
that he tried to do it right, I think that would be -- that would be what I could
wish for.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Good. I just have to ask this question, although it doesn't
directly relate to the Leon S. Peters Award. But the Valley Business Council, Fresno
Business Council has been a recent creation, and you were an integral part of that
creation and the involvement. And it has had in its short period of time some
profound impact upon our community and our life. Can you just share a little bit,
you're still currently the president of the council. And I just think it's very
important that we have this bit of history as to how it got started and what the
objectives are and how you feel it's going.
>>Richard Johanson: Okay, Bob Carter, also Leon Peters Award winner, had heard about
organizations similar to -- to a business council in other places. And he brought
eight of us together. And we began to talk about this. And we had -- we had a -- a
representative of another business council come into Fresno and talk about what they
were doing. And after a series of meetings we decided that we would commit to
starting a Fresno Business Council here to represent this central part of the
valley. And from that we built a board of directors, a key board of directors, about
23 people, and brought those folks together. And we went up to -- into the mountains
for a couple of days and just talked and exchanged ideas and listened to what
councils were doing in other communities. And on the basis that -- that -- if a
small group of CEOs could come together and bring their expertise and focus on real
critical needs maybe we could make -- maybe we could make a difference. Not to do
it, but to come alongside other people who were doing it and bring what we had to
offer to the table. Then we could -- we could work together and bring things -bring things up to a little higher level. Our ultimate goal was to recognize that
the population in this valley is going to be expanded dramatically in the next years
and we have to have jobs. And who knows better how to make jobs than people that run
businesses. So -- and we also -- we kept ourselves. We said we will be 100 people.
That's all. And we also very specifically stated that we are not in competition with
the Chamber of Commerce, we can work alongside the Chamber of Commerce. Because they
have some different interactive goals among their members that we don't. Our
membership is basically of people who are willing to give of their time for the
public good, for the good of all. Without -- without expecting a direct and
immediate business return. Economic return to a particular business. The concept is
if the boat rises we all lift-- I mean, if the water rises the whole boat rises.
Okay, so that's the way we did it. And we started out, and ultimately our concern
was job creation. But as we get into this we began to realize that if we're going to
create jobs here we have to have a safe community, we have to have a community with
good public administration, and we have to have students and young people that are
coming through a good educational system. And we began to work in those areas. Not
with the idea of dictating how these things are to be done. But to say what are the
problems and how can we help. So we are now six years old, and we have since
increased our membership to 125. But that's where we're capped. And we now have a
waiting list to get in. And we feel that we, in some areas we probably have been
effective. And the Fresno Business Council worked with the County Office of
Education on the commission for the future of education in Fresno County. And we
were proud to be able to join with your organization in -- in bringing that about.
And that's -- and in areas like this that we feel that we can probably be some help.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Good. Which leads me to the Center for Advanced Research and
Technology where the Business Council really was a catalyst between Clovis Unified
and Fresno Unified and the whole theme of creating jobs. This is really exciting.
And again, you said no, you didn't say no, you said yes to being the president of
the board of CART. And so can you share just a few thoughts about CART?
>>Richard Johanson: Oh, I'd be happy to. This -- this -- this was a -- is going to
be a prime example of what can happen when school districts don't compete with each
other, they realize that if they can combine some of their assets and some of their
aspirations the two of them can be greater than either of them could be
individually. And Dr. Buster of Clovis Unified and Chuck McCully who was then
president of Fresno Unified came together and said we can create a school for junior
and senior students could come part of the day to this very lab-type environment,
high-tech school, and learn on real-world, in a real-world type environment. And go
out of there with either job-ready skills, or much more qualified to go on to higher
education. And that is -- that is -- that school is now under construction. And in
the end of 2000 it will open to its students. And I -- I -- and this -- this school
is not -- and we as -- let me explain how I happened to be there. We constructed it
so that the board of trustees, so that it would consist of the two school
superintendents, a representative from each of those school boards, each of those
school boards would appoint a community representative, and I was asked by Fresno
Unified to be the community representative. And then the Fresno Business Council
would select a seventh person. So it's -- it is a -- it is a marriage of business
and education coming together to create something that's going to be unique in the
world. This -- this school, it hasn't even opened yet, has already received
recognition all over the United States. Our executive director Pat Wright this week
is in Finland to an international conference of educators talking about CART. We
have something here that -- that this community doesn't begin to recognize, I think,
because it's not -- unless you're intimately involved in creating it, as you would
be in the educational arena, we don't know what we have here.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well, I know the National Association of Secondary School
Principals acknowledge it, and so ->>Richard Johanson: It's their national project.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: So it was succeed, given the support of the business council,
the business community and the cooperation of the school districts. In fact, even
manages to get into our pockets for some funding through the ROP program. So we're
eager to support it as well.
>>Richard Johanson: The educators -- let me just say this. They -- they just -- to
give you an example of how the business and education is coming together on this. To
oversimplify a little bit, but the educational community is furnishing the building
and the staff and all. And then the business community is going to underwrite the
cost of the 11 labs, 11 areas of study we're going to have in there. And that's
where -- and we have some major commitments, and some more that we'll be announcing
shortly of private businesses making substantial commitments to this new school.
>>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Like any good teacher, one should always have an open-ended
question at the end of an exam. So I'm going to give you an open-ended question on
anything that I should have asked that I didn't ask, that you'd just like to hit
upon. It's your call on any topic that you want to hit that I didn't ask you, that
you sort of want to make sure you have down for recorded history. It's an open-ended
question.
>>Richard Johanson: All right, let me respond this way. My father was born in Sweden
and came over here when he was about 7 years old with three brothers and his mom and
dad, and settled out here in South Chestnut Avenue, out 50 miles out of Fresno. My
dad came here, he didn't know how to speak English, and he went to school and he
learned in a hurry. And he went on and got a good job for himself, and he raised my
two brothers and me, he and my mother. And I think we were raised with the
expectancy that we would -- that we would study, that we would learn, that we would
raise families, that we would try to bring credit to our -- those around us. And so
I think, Pete, that my wish is -- and I've been blessed with a wife -- my wife and I
celebrated our 50th wedding anniversary a few weeks ago with two wonderful children,
three granddaughters. So I think as a wrap-up, I think that as my life has unfolded
and -- and I have been -- I have been blessed in ways I never dreamed that would -things that would never come to me. And if I can -- if I have -- if I can have
inspired my family and my kids a little bit and I think that's -- that's maybe
pretty good. And I think if somehow, if people that would look at me later at some
point in time, young people particularly, and say gosh, if he could do it from -you know, and I -- when I was a kid, shucks, I picked a little cotton. And you
picked it by hand then. I picked some grapes. And if you can start and -- wherever
you come from, if you can just grasp a dream and work toward it, I think oftentimes
you have a chance to get at least part it. So ->>Dr. Peter G. Mehas: Well Dick, I can assure you, and I can say this in all
sincerity that people who know you, know your family, not only have you served as an
excellent role model for them but also for the community, the community as well. And
we look at everything the Leon S. Peter's award stands for, you certainly personify
that, and you continue to give. That was one of the things that I've been most
impressed with by -- the award was given to you in 1996, and you haven't slowed down
at all. You continue to go forward. So on behalf of -- of our community I just say
thank you for giving, continuing to give, and in years to come I know that you
definitely will serve as the role model for our young people as it relates to
community involvement and excellence in business. So thank you for giving us the
opportunity to interview you.
>>Richard Johanson: Thank you.
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