Richard Johnson (entrepreneur)
Encyclopedia
Richard Johnson is a graduate of Bucknell University, and while at Bucknell, Johnson was a member of Kappa Sigma
. He is a lifelong entrepreneur
and started his first company in 1988. As one of the first Silicon Alley
pioneers, he started Hotjobs.com in 1996. In 1999, Johnson took a huge risk by mortgaging his house and all of his assets to raise around $1.5 million to run a 30-second ad during the Super Bowl
. The gamble paid off, as HotJobs became the sixth-most recognized Internet brand in the world, went public and raised over $165 million before the year was over.
HotJob's revenue growth was equally astounding. By 1998, the company produced $4 million; in 1999, $20 million; and by 2000, more than $100 million. By 2001, the company was one of the few profitable dot-com businesses; and by years end, it was acquired by Yahoo!
for nearly a half billion dollars. ($468 million)
During his tenure as CEO of HotJobs, Johnson made dozens of television appearances and was frequently quoted in print media. He has appeared on the major network morning and evening news programs and is a featured keynote speaker at several business conferences.
After stepping down as CEO in 2001, Johnson has been active on several non-profit boards focusing on those with community and conservation missions. He and his family currently reside in Wilmington, North Carolina
.
Kappa Sigma
Kappa Sigma , commonly nicknamed Kappa Sig, is an international fraternity with currently 282 active chapters and colonies in North America. Kappa Sigma has initiated more than 240,000 men on college campuses throughout the United States and Canada. Today, the Fraternity has over 175,000 living...
. He is a lifelong entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
and started his first company in 1988. As one of the first Silicon Alley
Silicon Alley
Silicon Alley is a nickname for an area with a concentration of Internet and new media companies in Manhattan, New York City. Originally, the term referred to the cluster of such companies extending from the Flatiron District down to SoHo and TriBeCa along the Broadway corridor, but as the location...
pioneers, he started Hotjobs.com in 1996. In 1999, Johnson took a huge risk by mortgaging his house and all of his assets to raise around $1.5 million to run a 30-second ad during the Super Bowl
Super Bowl
The Super Bowl is the championship game of the National Football League , the highest level of professional American football in the United States, culminating a season that begins in the late summer of the previous calendar year. The Super Bowl uses Roman numerals to identify each game, rather...
. The gamble paid off, as HotJobs became the sixth-most recognized Internet brand in the world, went public and raised over $165 million before the year was over.
HotJob's revenue growth was equally astounding. By 1998, the company produced $4 million; in 1999, $20 million; and by 2000, more than $100 million. By 2001, the company was one of the few profitable dot-com businesses; and by years end, it was acquired by Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
for nearly a half billion dollars. ($468 million)
During his tenure as CEO of HotJobs, Johnson made dozens of television appearances and was frequently quoted in print media. He has appeared on the major network morning and evening news programs and is a featured keynote speaker at several business conferences.
After stepping down as CEO in 2001, Johnson has been active on several non-profit boards focusing on those with community and conservation missions. He and his family currently reside in Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington, North Carolina
Wilmington is a port city in and is the county seat of New Hanover County, North Carolina, United States. The population is 106,476 according to the 2010 Census, making it the eighth most populous city in the state of North Carolina...
.