Mourners remember George E. Johnson as builder of Black business
<p>Many of Chicago’s Black-owned businesses may not be open today if not for George E. Johnson Sr.</p><p>That was the message echoed Thursday by friends, colleagues and admirers who gathered at Leak and Sons Funeral Home in Greater Grand Crossing to pay respect to the Johnson Products Company founder, <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/obituaries/2026/07/06/george-e-johnson-founder-of-johnson-products-company-dies-at-99" >who died July 6 at age 99</a>.</p><p>“Many of the Black businesses didn’t know about LLCs, they didn’t know about corporation, they didn’t know about the back end of the business.
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<p>Many of Chicago’s Black-owned businesses may not be open today if not for George E. Johnson Sr.</p><p>That was the message echoed Thursday by friends, colleagues and admirers who gathered at Leak and Sons Funeral Home in Greater Grand Crossing to pay respect to the Johnson Products Company founder, <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/obituaries/2026/07/06/george-e-johnson-founder-of-johnson-products-company-dies-at-99" >who died July 6 at age 99</a>.</p><p>“Many of the Black businesses didn’t know about LLCs, they didn’t know about corporation, they didn’t know about the back end of the business. And he took many of them under his wing and taught them,” said Charles Reynolds, 64, Johnson’s personal driver for several decades.</p><p>After launching the hair care product company in 1954, tailored to Black consumers, Johnson built it into a multimillion-dollar enterprise that became a symbol of Black business success.</p><p>In 1971, the pioneering company became the first Black-owned business on the American Stock Exchange. Johnson Products also had a sponsorship with the weekly music and dance show “Soul Train,” one of the most influential Black television programs.</p><p>“His impact in business created a demand for the city and the country to recognize that Black people are consumers and Black people are part of the community,” said Lyle Logan, 66, a longtime family friend and business associate who spent 45 years in banking.
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- <p>Many of Chicago’s Black-owned businesses may not be open today if not for George E. Johnson Sr.</p><p>That was the message echoed Thursday by friends, colleagues and admirers who gathered at Leak and Sons Funeral Home in Greater Grand Crossing to pay respect to the Johnson Products Company founder, <a class="Link" href="https://chicago.suntimes.com/obituaries/2026/07/06/george-e-johnson-founder-of-johnson-products-company-dies-at-99" >who died July 6 at age 99</a>.</p><p>“Many of the Black businesses didn’t know about LLCs, they didn’t know about corporation, they didn’t know about the back end of the business.
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Mourners remember George E. Johnson as builder of Black business
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