Deborah Johnson: entrepreneur markets real estate
Alumni & Friends, Summer/Fall 2004
Deborah (Taylor) Johnson is a self-made entrepreneur. How else do you explain making the jump from high school English teacher and stay-at-home mom to owner of one of the leading real estate marketing and communications firms in the nation?
“I’m very competitive and have always enjoyed taking risks,” said Johnson.
Which is exactly what has led Johnson to the success she’s experiencing today as president and owner of the Taylor Johnson Associates real estate marketing and communications firm in Chicago.
Interestingly enough, Johnson’s background is neither in real estate nor marketing. A 1970 graduate of the College of Education at UW-Whitewater, Johnson became a high school English teacher right out of college. She taught for a year before having her first child and becoming a stay-at-home mom. Being a full-time mother, however, didn’t stop Johnson from having a career. For the next six years, Johnson was a newspaper columnist, writing about health care issues, until she received a phone call that changed her life.
“Out of the blue I was contacted by a public relations agency,” said Johnson. “They said that they had read my newspaper column and were impressed with my writing, and asked if I would be interested in coming to write for them.”
Johnson agreed to come and work for the agency, which specialized in real estate public relations, and became an account executive in 1977. Two years later she became a partner, and by 1980 had acquired the agency, renaming it Taylor Johnson Associates. Twenty-six years later, Taylor Johnson has become one of the top real estate marketing and communications firms, working with big-name clients like Donald Trump.
“Planning a grand opening event for Donald Trump has been by far one of the most exciting and interesting marketing project we’ve ever done,” said Johnson about the September 2003 event held at the prestigious Peninsula Hotel in Chicago. “It was one of the bigger themed events we’ve coordinated with close to 900 privately invited guests, as well as Donald Trump. It was a lot of hard work, but a lot of fun.”
Johnson credits much of the event’s success to the “brilliant” people who surround her, including 22 associates. She especially enjoys the “exceedingly close” working relationship she shares with her daughter, Emily.
“I couldn’t imagine not working with Emily,” said Johnson. “She is a great vice president and will make an even better president in the future.”
And what does the future hold for the president and owner of one of the most successful full-service marketing and communications firms in the nation?
“Emily and I want to continue building Taylor Johnson into the kind of firm that people, both clients and associates, want to work with and grow with,” said Johnson. “I’ll handle the first 30 years and Emily can handle the next!” – Melissa DiMotto