GENE AND Sam Johnson stand with their children, Helen Johnson-Leipold (left), Winnie Johnson-Marquart, Curt Johnson and Fisk Johnson, shortly before Sam’s death in 2004.

While the Johnson family leadership continues to evolve (Helen’s brother H. Fisk Johnson, took over as CEO of SC Johnson only 18 months ago when William Perez left to take over at Nike; Fisk was previously chairman), Johnson-Leipold’s longtime friends and employees already speak of her as the “glue,” as one friend put it, holding the family together. John Fahey, president and CEO of the National Geographic Society and former chairman of Time Life, got to know Johnson-Leipold and her father during his roughly six years as a director of Johnson Outdoors. She shares many of her father’s best qualities: natural leadership skills, a love for the business, value for her employees and a mix of strategic intelligence and common sense, he says. “It seems that she has taken on many of the roles that her father had as the head of the family,” he adds.

Sam Johnson remains a presence. Johnson-Leipold quotes him in conversation and speeches. The family still screens a film he made, Through His Words, and displays a collection of nature photographs—Through His Eyes—that he took on travels with Gene around the globe, from Antarctica to Wisconsin. The 160 shots made their way to a cocktail reception at the Johnson Bank in Kenosha, Wis., in April, drawing a crowd of nearly 100 of the bank’s private clients. They ate shrimp and sipped wine, looking at images, including an Indian tiger and local girls trekking in Nepal. The popular favorite? A shot of Sam with a fish he caught in Wisconsin.

Floating Ideas
Meanwhile, Johnson-Leipold continues to reshape the family businesses by selling noncore brands such as Jack Wolfskin and focusing on bringing new ideas to market for the remaining ones. “It’s the challenge of change: knowing what to change and what not to change,” she says.

SIBLINGS AND LEADERS Fisk Johnson Chairman, CEO: SC Johnson Helen Johnson-Leipold Chairman, CEO: Johnson Outdoors Chairman: Johnson Financial Group Board of directors: SC Johnson and JohnsonDiversey Chairman: Johnson Foundation Trustee: SC Johnson Fund Chairman: Johnson Keland Management (family office) Curt Johnson Chairman: JohnsonDiversey Board of directors: Johnson Financial Group Winnie Johnson-Marquart President: Johnson Family Foundation Board of directors: Johnson Financial Trustee: Johnson Foundation

Bound for Nashville on a private jet packed with her family and friends, Johnson-Leipold displays the cooperative spirit her father encouraged. Her 13-year-old son, Connor Leipold, wows her with a new kayak designed with a unique hovercraft lift that he spotted in Popular Science. Mark Leopold, a family friend and group vice president of Johnson Outdoors’ watercraft division, agrees. “This could be huge,” he says, and plans to explore its patent history. Connor suggests he watch an online video of the boat in motion. Gene wonders how it fares in shallow water.

Much of the reshaping work has already taken place at Johnson Outdoors, which reported annual sales of $380 million in 2005 and has 23 facilities worldwide. The company today enjoys some direct returns on these changes; Johnson-Leipold’s goal is to grow revenue to $500 million over the next few years. Nearly every line features new products. In April, Johnson Outdoors won two government contracts for military tents, totaling $5.5 million. It has engineered a new rapid-deploy system tent, a 500-square-foot military tent that fits in the back of a Humvee and unfolds in minutes. New products represent 40 percent of revenues in the watercraft division, driven by demand for new fishing kayaks and lighter boats that appeal to aging baby boomers and women. So far, however, these improvements have not registered substantial profits—the company reported $4.2 million net income in the second quarter—or moved its stock price, which continues to hover in the range of $18 per share.

But this spring marked the first time the company introduced new products in time for an entire season, while enjoying a deep well of other new products in the pipeline. Johnson-Leipold is counting on these innovations to help Johnson Outdoors attain elusive growth in a market that traditionally exhibits little natural expansion. At a meeting with employees of Minn Kota, which manufactures electric trolling motors and accessories for fishing, she summarizes the company’s strategy: “We’re the innovator,” she points out, “and we will create our own growth.”  

Elizabeth Harris is a staff writer for Worth.

Photograph of Helen Johnson-Leipold by John Nienhuis.

Additional Information
The Johnson Business History