Kevin Johnson?
Managing Director
Crystal Group
Brooklyn, NY
Age: 39
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Born in England to parents from Barbados and St. Vincent, Kevin Johnson looked no further than his family for examples of entrepreneurship. Managing director of the family?s Crystal Group, he co-owns, operates and manages Crystal Manor Catering Hall and JHSC Inc., a full service nursing home agency, and manages the Johnson family real estate investments. Recently, he successfully negotiated a joint venture to build 123 units of affordable housing in Brooklyn, New York?s Flatbush area, a $57 million-plus project slated for completion in April 2018.?
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Johnson has made lucrative investments, but he is most proud of being able to use his position to assist others. ?The most rewarding aspect of entrepreneurship is being able to help employees purchase homes, buy cars, put their kids through school and pursue their own entrepreneurial endeavors, which makes me really proud,? he explains. Deeply invested in improving his community and passionate about philanthropy, he serves as the chairman of the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts (MoCADA) and the Flatbush Business Improvement District (BID). ??
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Johnson graduated magna cum laude from Clark Atlanta University with a bachelor?s degree in accounting. Before joining his family businesses, he worked at renowned accounting firms PricewaterhouseCoopers and Arthur Anderson LLP. A man of many interests, he put his business skills to use in the music business, establishing the entertainment company, CUT Entertainment, and for several years managing and executive producing an artist signed to Virgin Records. ?
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Johnson practices Brazilian jujitsu, Tai Chi and transcendental meditation, saying, ?These are great stress relievers and help to keep me balanced.? He is writing a book about his experiences, with a view toward helping other entrepreneurs find success. With enough time and money, he says, he would work full time to eliminate the wealth inequality of people of African descent worldwide through global partnerships in various disciplines. ?
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