#128. Building Humboldt’s Future: Jobs, Housing, and Samoa | Dan Johnson

Scott Hammond: Ladies and gentlemen, friends and neighbors, and all those out to sea, it's Scott Hammond with the 100% Humboldt podcast, with my, uh, new, brand new best friend, uh, Dan Johnson.

Scott Hammond: Hi, Dan.

Dan Johnson: Hi. How are you?

Scott Hammond: How's it going?

Dan Johnson: Doing good.

Scott Hammond: Nice. Uh, how about name, rank… I always think of name, rank, and serial number. How about, how about just your name and what you do?

Dan Johnson: Yep. Uh, my name's Dan Johnson, and I am the president CEO of a company called The Danco Group.

Scott Hammond: Gotcha. You guys are up there in Arcata.

Dan Johnson: We are in Arcata.

Scott Hammond: You been in Arcata from the get-go?

Dan Johnson: We… No, we started out in, uh, the back of Carl Johnson's.

Scott Hammond: Is that right?

Dan Johnson: Um, the-

Scott Hammond: Is that your uncle?

Dan Johnson: Uh, it was my dad.

Scott Hammond: Your dad.

Dan Johnson: Well, my dad is Don Johnson.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Dan Johnson: Carl Johnson was my grandpa.

Scott Hammond: He was grandpa.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And did I… Did Dan, Dan just pass or Dad just pass?

Dan Johnson: Dad passed about three years ago.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: He was a bit of a legend, right?

Dan Johnson: Yeah. Yeah, he did a lot of philanthropy in the area with, with all of the auctions that he ran, for sure.

Scott Hammond: Nice, nice man. Yeah, I remember. Uh, I was raised around auctions in San Diego down in Chula Vista, so diff- different world.

Dan Johnson: Yeah. We grew up on it. We, uh, they had the Monday auction, uh, furniture auction and livestock auction, and we used to not go to school on Mondays so that we could work the auction.

Scott Hammond: Get it all set up and you'd like-

Dan Johnson: Yeah, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Oh, I remember it well. Yeah, it was… It's hard work and, and yet my mom's boss, his name was Roy Small, he's a big guy, and as he got more angry at the audience as an auctioneer, I mean, he was borderline abusive, the bids would go up.

Dan Johnson: Oh, yeah.

Scott Hammond: He, he knew how to kind of play them like an instrument. It's, uh, like kind of a weird, uh, version of that. But, uh, so tell, tell us the Dan story. Where'd you grow up?

Dan Johnson: I grew up in Humboldt County. Went to Eureka High.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: Went to Washington Elementary, Zane Junior High-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Dan Johnson: … and then Eureka High. Uh, lived here my whole life.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: Um, moved to Redding for about a year.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: Um, uh, went over there and, uh, yeah, when I was 18, you know, trying to get away from the family, but-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Dan Johnson: … quickly realized that Chuck E. Cheese wasn't gonna-

Scott Hammond: Do it

Dan Johnson: … wasn't gonna do it for me. So I came back and started working in the family business.

Scott Hammond: Nice.

Dan Johnson: Um, and then realized that that really wasn't, uh, my gig, you know-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Dan Johnson: … and, and the business didn't produce enough to be able to fulfill on my dad, my mom, my, my brother. And so I decided to go start a company.

Scott Hammond: Wow. So you got a contractor's license and-

Dan Johnson: I did

Scott Hammond: … contractor.

Dan Johnson: Uh, that, that… How that story happened is that, uh, I, I was a, a competitive snow skier, and I got injured.

Scott Hammond: Oh, wow.

Dan Johnson: And, um, I, uh, ended up with Dr. Farnham. Uh, you, you may know Dr. Farnham. He was-

Scott Hammond: Great guy

Dan Johnson: … a legendary orthopedic surgeon in the area here, and Dr. Farnham was about to build the car wash down on Broadway.

Scott Hammond: Oh, is that right?

Dan Johnson: Um, the Carriage Car Wash, which is still there.

Scott Hammond: Still there.

Dan Johnson: He, he, he actually just recently sold it. Um, so he owned it up until now.

Scott Hammond: Oh, I didn't know that.

Dan Johnson: And, uh, and that was 40 years ago, 'cause this is our, this is our 40th year in business.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Dan Johnson: And, and, um, uh, he hired me by the hour-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … um, at, uh, eight bucks an hour to- … to, to run that job. And-

Scott Hammond: Big money

Dan Johnson: … and then during the course of that project, I drove down twice a week to Santa Rosa in the afternoon on Tuesdays and Thursdays and took a contractor class-

Scott Hammond: Hmm

Dan Johnson: … and then went and got my contractor's license.

Scott Hammond: And that's Dan Farnham.

Dan Johnson: Uh, Dan Farnham, yeah.

Scott Hammond: What a great guy.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I didn't know he was still around. He's still doing okay.

Dan Johnson: He is still around, yeah. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Gosh, uh, is… What's his wife's name?

Scott Hammond: Lo- Lorana?

Dan Johnson: Lorana, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Lorana.

Dan Johnson: We're, we're partners with them, uh, in the Timber Ridge Assisted Living-

Scott Hammond: Okay

Dan Johnson: … um, locally.

Scott Hammond: All right.

Dan Johnson: And so I still am in very close contact with Lorana.

Scott Hammond: Gotcha.

Dan Johnson: Don't talk to Dan much.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: Uh, but Lorana quite a bit.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. She's… Does she still run that?

Dan Johnson: She's still working. Uh-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Dan Johnson: … se- seven days a week.

Scott Hammond: Remember, uh, Victor Green?

Dan Johnson: Oh, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Victor, uh, he, he died there actually-

Dan Johnson: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … uh, last year. And it was cool 'cause he was such a good friend. He came back and he worked at In-N-Out Burger.

Dan Johnson: Mm.

Scott Hammond: He was so proud of this career, late, late life career that he had. And, um, man, y- you know, he would chase the wrong folks away and, and it was c- he did a really good job. And, "Scott, you're here."

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I go, "Yeah." He- he goes, "Give me your ticket." And I go, "Here it is." He goes, "Go outside and sit down. I'll get it for you."

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: It was like-

Dan Johnson: That's funny

Scott Hammond: … and they invited me over to say hi, uh, as he was passing. And, um, sweetheart. Yeah. Youngest mayor of Arcata.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: He was, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. An interesting dude, but-

Dan Johnson: He was the, he was the mayor-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Dan Johnson: … when we did our first affordable housing project in Arcata.

Scott Hammond: That's way back.

Dan Johnson: That's way back, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Where was that property?

Dan Johnson: Uh, over, uh, on… Right by our office over there off of Giuntoli.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Dan Johnson: Uh, right off of 299 there. There's a 100-unit-

Scott Hammond: All right

Dan Johnson: … apartment project there, you know.

Scott Hammond: Over by TP Tire up in-

Dan Johnson: Yeah, right kind of behind that.

Scott Hammond: Do you know the Della Balmas?

Dan Johnson: Yep. Oh, yeah. Yep.

Scott Hammond: Ah.

Dan Johnson: We used to do a lot of tire business with them.

Scott Hammond: We're gonna name drop a lot here today.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Della Balmas, Greens.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Farnhams.

Dan Johnson: Yep.

Scott Hammond: That's cool. Yeah. Uh, Dan was a big hero of our family. We lived way out in Dows Prairie Road out toward the end in an old Miller Farms house, and, uh, had a little girl, she, she's a 30-year-old girl now, uh, named Michaela Hammond, and she, um, he heard of our situation and he offered to, uh, do some casting on her legs that was really sweet and useful, and cool, cool move on his part.

Dan Johnson: Oh, neat. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. What he did do wisely is they put blueberries out there not knowing that they had to, that the birds would eat every bit of it-

Dan Johnson: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … or the deer. And so-

Dan Johnson: Well, then he went from blueberries to cranberries and-

Scott Hammond: Oh, is there cranberries out there?

Dan Johnson: Yeah, we tried the cranberries which grow in water. I don't know a lot about-

Scott Hammond: They're bogs, yeah

Dan Johnson: … the farming and, and that didn't work out either. So the, he… De- definitely the orthopedic surgery was more of his niche.

Scott Hammond: Stay… That t- tells us all, stay in your lane, man.

Dan Johnson: Stay in your lane, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Stay… Do what you're good at. So, so you, uh, went to Eureka High, then so you started building. How'd you meet your wife? How'd you guys, um-

Dan Johnson: Well, interesting. We, uh, we've known each other since about the eighth or ninth grade.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: Um, she had the same last name as I have.

Scott Hammond: Oh, that's funny.

Dan Johnson: So, uh, and she was blonde and I'm blonde.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: And so we used to tell people that we were brother and sister. Um, and, and, uh, you know, she dated other people, I dated other people. We didn't have any connection in, uh, in high school. And then, um, uh, her brother, uh- … was the second employee that we ever hired at Danco.

Scott Hammond: Wow. Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: And, uh, and so I kinda had lost touch to her.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: And then we went down to… She was a nurse down in Sacramento.

Scott Hammond: Huh.

Dan Johnson: And, uh, her brother and I went down to a Bon Jovi concert.

Scott Hammond: Cool.

Dan Johnson: And, uh, ended up staying with her at her apartment, and here we are today.

Scott Hammond: The rest is history

Dan Johnson: … 33 years later.

Scott Hammond: That's cool, man.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: You guys have some kids too?

Dan Johnson: Uh, we have three. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Oh, grandkids.

Dan Johnson: But, uh, we have, uh, three biological grandkids and then two bonus grandkids.

Scott Hammond: Nice.

Dan Johnson: So five. And my son, Carter, uh, is about to have a baby, I think, in the next week or so.

Scott Hammond: Himself.

Dan Johnson: Uh, well, h- his wife.

Scott Hammond: You know how that works.

Dan Johnson: Yeah, exactly.

Scott Hammond: Bon Jovi, way to go.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: It's… I saw Bon Jovi in Vegas, and um, it was really interesting. It was a smaller venue, and they weren't doing a lot of Bon Jovi songs 'cause it wasn't the, the, the core band. But older women, like, was, were digging Jon.

Dan Johnson: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: I mean, uh, 50, 60-year-old gals are, like, up there, you know-

Dan Johnson: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … hoping for a guitar pick or something, or more.

Dan Johnson: Yeah. Jon, I mean, I think we've seen him 13 times.

Scott Hammond: Oh, wow. Wow, okay.

Dan Johnson: It's been our… And he's back out, so.

Scott Hammond: Oh, that'd be great.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: My wife would love to see him.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I'd, I'd see him again. He was great.

Dan Johnson: He ended up with some sort of a throat thing, and he stopped, uh, touring for-

Scott Hammond: Right

Dan Johnson: … for quite a while.

Scott Hammond: He overcame that, I-

Dan Johnson: But he's back out.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, their new record, it's not, like, two years ago maybe. Joni plays that all the time.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Hi, Joni.

Dan Johnson: Yep.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. So Joni and I have been married 45 years.

Dan Johnson: Oh, congratulations.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Nine kids.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: We're not-

Dan Johnson: Nine kids?

Scott Hammond: We're not even Mormon.

Dan Johnson: Holy cow.

Scott Hammond: Holy, that's what I say.

Dan Johnson: That's a full house.

Scott Hammond: It's full. Not anymore. Still got a couple, but-

Dan Johnson: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … yeah, so, uh, it's, uh, all kinds of fun in McKinleyville, raising kids, so, um, now grandkids.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: But they're all in Boise and Medford and, uh, Seoul, South Korea of all places.

Dan Johnson: Oh, wow. They're all over.

Scott Hammond: They're all over the place, man. It's not… That, that latter one's gonna be the long flight, but we'll, uh, figure that out later.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: So cool. So, so you started building Danco Group and the, the, uh, the momentum took over and you guys are, uh, s- so now hiring employees. And tell us about that, that arc.

Dan Johnson: Yeah. We, uh-

Scott Hammond: Early arc

Dan Johnson: … for many years, uh, we started out, um, in the, really building homes. After we did the car wash project, we, uh, we built homes and we ended up, uh, working with a, a developer up in McKinleyville by the name of Mark Rainerson.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Dan Johnson: And, uh-

Scott Hammond: Hey, Mark

Dan Johnson: … and Mark, um, uh, really is who ga- I mean, Dan believed in us to give us our start-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … as a 21-year-old guy. But, um, really Mark is who propelled us. Um, he, we built, I think, eight or nine buildings that are on-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Dan Johnson: … Central Avenue there-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … that Mark was the developer on.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Dan Johnson: And then, uh, we built a, a, a large subdivision called Norton Creek Subdivision out by-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Dan Johnson: … the airport.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Dan Johnson: And, um, a few hundred houses out there.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: And that was really what kinda started the Danco Group.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Dan Johnson: Um, and during those times, I was still working in the field, um, and just working hard and playing hard and-

Scott Hammond: Swinging a hammer

Dan Johnson: … in my, in my 20s.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: And swinging a hammer, pouring concrete, painting houses. And, uh, probably around 30, 32, we realized that, you know, we got a lot of people working for us now-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Dan Johnson: … and they're all kinda depending on us to, for their livelihood.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Dan Johnson: And we, we might wanna take this business a little bit serious.

Scott Hammond: Next level, yeah.

Dan Johnson: And so that's when, you know, we really started looking for-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … opportunities. And the next thing you know, now we're at over 600 people.

Scott Hammond: That's crazy. That's for… You're like the number two employer behind the government.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Cal Poly.

Dan Johnson: Yeah. I think we're lar- the largest, uh, private employer in the county.

Scott Hammond: That makes sense.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: That makes sense.

Dan Johnson: Or Lane used to be at Sun Valley, but, um-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Dan Johnson: … but unfortunately they're not here with us anymore.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Hey, Lane.

Dan Johnson: Yep.

Scott Hammond: So you guys must know each other.

Dan Johnson: We do, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: We're partners in the town of Samoa.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Dan Johnson: And so, uh, we are, um, uh, myself and Lane and then a couple of partners from-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … Holland, uh, own and are developing the town of Samoa.

Scott Hammond: That's cool. Uh, this is where I use my prop, my, uh, Cole Metzger Humboldt map. If I can get my pointer to work, I… Nick, Nick broke my pointer. No, I'm kidding. He did not. So there, here we are in Eureka right here, and Samoa's out here on the spit, right?

Dan Johnson: Yep.

Scott Hammond: The town of Samoa in Humboldt County, which is in California.

Scott Hammond: And, um, yeah, no, that, that's exciting. How many units are left to develop out there?

Dan Johnson: Uh, well, the, the town, uh, had 100 houses in it-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … uh, that were existing company, uh, houses. And then, uh, we're, we're building 200 new homes.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Dan Johnson: And then we put a 80-unit, uh, um, affordable housing project in, workforce housing project.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: And then there's a business park component to it as well.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Dan Johnson: There's a, I think it's about a 19 acre business park.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: And then also a visitor serving, uh, property that we're gonna put in 40 cabins and, uh, some hostel units, um-

Scott Hammond: Cool

Dan Johnson: … uh, for overnight stay. Um, some basically low-cost visitor serving, uh, was one of the conditions that the Coastal Commission put on the project. All of that, where we're at is we're working in Old Town. What we, we have Old Town, and then there's New Town.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Dan Johnson: And, uh, we, in Old Town we've sold 77 houses.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Dan Johnson: Uh, so there's 23 left.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: And, uh, we're renovating each one and then, and selling those, and then we've got the 200 new homes.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: We've got the business park. We've got the, we've got the, uh, visitor serving use. So there's still, still a fair amount of-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Dan Johnson: … firm work out there. I would say we'll be out there for another 10 years.

Scott Hammond: How about the Cook House? Is that part of your gig there?

Dan Johnson: It is. It's part of the visitor serving-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … uh, property, and our intent is to bring that back.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: Um, and, uh, we're just finalizing-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … building permits for that-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … and, uh, and financing and intend to be under construction-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Dan Johnson: … late this fall.

Scott Hammond: Are you familiar with the Hammond Room out there?

Dan Johnson: Oh, yeah. Yep.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Hammond Lumber.

Dan Johnson: Yep. Hammond Lumber, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yep. Uh, Alfred Hammond? Albert. He was, um, he was the original Hammond Lumber guy out there.

Dan Johnson: Yeah. We're having a community meeting in the Hammond Room in two weeks-

Scott Hammond: Hey

Dan Johnson: … uh, with the-

Scott Hammond: You could use the Hammond Room

Dan Johnson: … with the presidents out there. Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, no, that's, it's such a iconic place.

Dan Johnson: Is that a relation to you?

Scott Hammond: Yeah, I'm a multi-billionaire. I just do this for fun.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: It's my great-great-great-grandpa.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. I'll do that. I'll be, I'll be at the club or somewhere and somebody'll go, "It's Scott Hammond." They go, "Any relation?" I, and I just go off, "Yeah, he's my great-great-grandfather."

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I wanna say it was Alfred. I read some, uh, ChatGPT on him. He was a really aggressive business guy, and they went and named, uh… He sold that when, um, they de- the government divested it when he sold the redwood plant out there. He was the biggest holder-

Dan Johnson: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … of redwood-

Dan Johnson: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … in the world in the early 1900s. And then he moved up to Oregon Coast, and they, uh, named a s- a town after him. There's Hammond, Oregon, on the coast.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: So I don't know anything about him.

Dan Johnson: Yeah, there's a lot of history out there.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, probably no relation, so I, I don't know. Just a guy from Iowa via San Diego.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Anyway. So yeah, no, cool story. So you guys started growing. Uh, tell us about what, uh, maybe a little bit of… So saw you at Rotary, gave a great presentation. Um, I think it was really well-received. What, um, kind of the scope of the Danco Group, uh, maybe a, a bigger, higher level picture, and then we'll talk about the AG Network and some of the things that got you thinking big 'cause you obviously a big thinker.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I mean, Samoa would be its own legacy. I mean, just if, if one company did that, it would be, "Wow, that's cool." Or, "That's memorable." But you're, you're, you're exceeding that a little, I, I understand.

Dan Johnson: Well, we're a… I mean, we're, we hit pretty multifaceted. We have a development company.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: Um, our primarily what we do is we develop low-income housing-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … affordable housing-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … all over the state of California, Oregon, uh, Arizona, and, uh, Texas.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: And-

Scott Hammond: Saw the, saw the photos

Dan Johnson: … and, um, and so that's really the core offer, and everything sort of feeds off of that.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: And then we have a couple of, uh, we have our development, construction, and then, um, our property management company.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: We manage, we don't manage third party. We only manage our units.

Scott Hammond: Your own stuff. Yeah.

Dan Johnson: Our own stuff. And then we have a couple of offsets. We already talked a little bit about the assisted living. Um, we've been involved in that for about 30 years. And, and then, uh, we have a small women's recovery center out in Glenwood Springs, Colorado.

Scott Hammond: Oh, wow.

Dan Johnson: Um, that's kind of a one-off business, but, uh-

Scott Hammond: That's cool

Dan Johnson: … one in which, uh, it, it really makes you feel good when you're making a difference in these people's lives.

Scott Hammond: Absolutely, man. It's paying off.

Dan Johnson: And all of those companies together is where the, the 600 folks are.

Scott Hammond: And how many of those 600 are here in Humboldt?

Dan Johnson: Uh, two-thirds.

Scott Hammond: Oh, wow.

Dan Johnson: Um, we're about a third, couple hundred-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … that are in other areas, but-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Dan Johnson: … about 400 here, uh, in Humboldt.

Scott Hammond: Part of my respect for you lies in the fact that you're a job developer and, you know, local roots, and I, um, have a 22-year-old that said, "Dad," you know, I tried to argue with him, and I couldn't. He goes, "I'll never buy a house. I, I'll… At 19 bucks an hour lifting stoves, I'm not gonna… I, uh, I don't see it." And I go, "I don't even have a good argument, Micah."

Dan Johnson: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Um, he goes, "My generation, they're, they're we- we're just hosed, man. We're screwed. We're not gonna be able to do all the things that your generation did. You and Mom on one income bought a house in McKinleyville and raised a family." He goes… And, and, and the scary point is that it caught, it caught me off guard 'cause he- hi- his truth was real.

Dan Johnson: It is, yeah.

Scott Hammond: And he's not an underachiever. The guy's a- ambitious, and he wants to be a, a bodybuilder, you know, by trade. And so and he's put in the work. So as I heard that, I realized there's so much e- so many obstructionist people in this community, and probably in the world, but in the state, California, but Humboldt County, that, you know, "Not in my backyard." It's like, how about an Amazon facility with 80 or 100 jobs? "Not here, bro." It's like, how about a fish farm? How about… Uh, you know, we've, we've bypassed dozens, and, uh, I'm not really asking you to feed in on my, my bent and my, my rage here, but I, um… It makes me respect more of what you do 'cause I think the kids that leave here i- is, is a f- freaking tragedy.

Dan Johnson: It… Well, it really is.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: I mean, my oldest daughter left. I mean, two of our kids are working in the business, which-

Scott Hammond: Hmm

Dan Johnson: … is, is one of the biggest blessings-

Scott Hammond: That's cool

Dan Johnson: … and are showing an interest in, in taking it over, but-

Scott Hammond: That's great

Dan Johnson: … you know, they're 26 and 29. When I was- … 26 and 29, I wasn't dealing with an organization the si-

Scott Hammond: Right

Dan Johnson: … the size of ours.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Dan Johnson: And so, uh, they're, they, but they're working on, on that transition. But it's really difficult for-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … young folks here. There is not, uh, that many living wage jobs.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Dan Johnson: And, you know, we pride… At Danco, I mean, we, uh, we have over 200 of our positions that are six-figure jobs. And-

Scott Hammond: That's great

Dan Johnson: … and, uh, there's just not that many companies that are providing that kind of-

Scott Hammond: Right

Dan Johnson: … uh, growth here i- uh, for kids in Humboldt County.

Scott Hammond: Right. We go up to Treasure Valley in Boise, and it's, like, um, subdivisions as far as your eye can see. And I, I don't know that that's the answer, but I do know that at least there's economic development and there's… people can have a family.

Dan Johnson: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Um, and it, and anyway, it just makes me sad 'cause I don't think I could raise a family at Starbucks or In-N-Out Burger or, or any other job-

Dan Johnson: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … that I look at.

Dan Johnson: Well, at some point, we ha- uh, the, the godfathers of the community have to figure out that we gotta have some jobs.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: And we gotta quit talking about the fish farm. We gotta get the fish farm or-

Scott Hammond: Right

Dan Johnson: … whatever it is. Um-

Scott Hammond: Right. Offshore-

Dan Johnson: And-

Scott Hammond: … wind or whatever

Dan Johnson: … you know, it's, it… like, you look at all that underutilized land out on the Samoa Peninsula.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: I mean, it's, it's zoned for industrial use, and it needs to be used for industrial use.

Scott Hammond: Right. And lots of the bay, right?

Dan Johnson: And, yeah, the bay.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: I mean, there's just so many opportunities. I mean, like you spoke earlier of the Amazon thing. It's like, come on, you know?

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: I mean, we're, we're all getting Amazon. I mean, you drive down the road, and just about every house has-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Dan Johnson: … has 10 packages on their front porch.

Scott Hammond: I don't know that I'm gonna order anymore, any more than I'm gonna smoke any more weed if there's more dispensaries.

Dan Johnson: Right.

Scott Hammond: I don't think it's gonna create… It doesn't work like that.

Dan Johnson: No.

Scott Hammond: Um, and so it's, it's… But you know what is coming up really big in this country, in this coun- county, this county, uh, thrift stores are really a going thing-

Dan Johnson: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … and dispensaries. So weed and, and used clothing and crap like that, it's, it's the future, baby.

Dan Johnson: Yeah. Wow.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, and I, I'm-

Dan Johnson: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … totally tongue in cheek. We barely know each other, so you don't know-

Dan Johnson: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … how funny I really am.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: How does that land?

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Uh, yeah, so I, it, I suppose, um, I suppose I'm jaded at 66 a little bit-

Dan Johnson: Mm

Scott Hammond: … uh, and going, "You know what? You… The dude that lives on the hill by Humboldt with a paid beautiful house on Fickle Hill that rolls in to Wildberry's and buys, you know, whatever and does… He drives his Jag or his Prius and goes back up on the hill and then says no to everything. I'm sorry, bro, you, you know-

Dan Johnson: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … I hope your days are finished here 'cause-"

Dan Johnson: Oh, well, yeah, and they're not even from the area, you know?

Dan Johnson: So-

Scott Hammond: From the area. We're gonna keep it green and not in my backyard, and hey, it's, it's eco-groovy. And it's like, there's gotta be a better balance, and I'm, I don't know that I wanna, you know, develop all of Humboldt Bay with high-rises, but it just seems to me-

Dan Johnson: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … you know, we… could we, could we just start with a few jobs?

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Like, s- throw us a bone, bro.

Dan Johnson: Well, I think Phoenix, uh, last year brought, uh, in one year brought 10,000 new jobs to the, to the area.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Dan Johnson: You know, the Phoenix metro area.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Dan Johnson: And I mean, I, I don't know that we're bringing 10.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Right.

Dan Johnson: You know, in, in a new industry.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: And so just a, a little bit-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … would be valuable.

Scott Hammond: And your friend and, and mine, Bill Barnum-

Dan Johnson: Mm-hmm

Scott Hammond: … been on the show a couple times, and he, he's, he t- I have him tell the story every time. There was that development that was supposed to go out in Pine Hill and Cutten. Uh, it was a planning department. They had, I think, 2,000 homes plus kind of figured.

Dan Johnson: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: And, and it, it, it always goes to the punchline.

Scott Hammond: "So Bill, how many homes got developed?" He goes, "Two."

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I go, "What's, what's wrong with, what's wrong with that picture?" So anyway, I, I hate to belabor that. So you guys have Samoa and, uh, a whole lot of projects. I've s- Tell us about the, the low-income housing.

Scott Hammond: Um, what, what have you done here and some of the projects around the west, I've seen them. Uh, how does that occur, and what's, what's behind that?

Dan Johnson: I mean, it simply put, it's, it's basically tax credits.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: Um, so we apply for tax credits. Um, we get awarded them.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: And then we b- basically sell them-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … to high net worth, uh, you know, companies, Fortune 500 companies-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … that have, you know, mega billion dollar tax liabilities.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: And they take and invest into these, put equity-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Dan Johnson: … into these properties-

Scott Hammond: I see

Dan Johnson: … rather than paying the tax. So they, they're incentivized to put mon- money into these affordable housing projects. So the, the difference between this and, you know, the, the housing that was built in the '60s and '70s-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Dan Johnson: … the voucher housing, is the, the residents that live in these units pay the rent.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Dan Johnson: It's just the rent is super low.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Dan Johnson: And it's kept low by the fact that there's no debt. Most of the properties that we build have either no debt or very little debt, um, on it. It's all equity that, that, you know, these companies have put in-

Scott Hammond: It keeps that rent low

Dan Johnson: … uh, to keep their tax liabilities down.

Scott Hammond: Uh-huh.

Dan Johnson: And then that's pretty much m- most of the properties. All… The rent just pays for the operations of it.

Scott Hammond: What a great model.

Dan Johnson: And it is a good model. A- And it's bipartisanly s- supported.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Dan Johnson: There's definitely issues with it.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: There's tweaks that need to be made-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Dan Johnson: … in terms of what it costs per door. It's gotten a l- We've been in it for about 25 years, and it's gotten a little bit bureaucratic, and-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … everybody wants a little bit more here and a little bit more there, and the next thing you know, you're paying, uh, you know, a per door price that really isn't consistent with what affordable housing should be.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Dan Johnson: And so they're… Uh, you know, then the unions are getting their hand in it, and they're-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Dan Johnson: … wanting everything to be paid, uh, at state prevailing wages, you know, and i- which then increases the cost by about double and-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Dan Johnson: … you know, which defeats the purpose of creating affordable housing. So it's not perfect-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Dan Johnson: … um, by any stretch.

Scott Hammond: Mm.

Dan Johnson: But, um, it's, it's what is providing housing right now in the state, um-

Scott Hammond: Correct. Yeah

Dan Johnson: … that, that-

Scott Hammond: And you're number two in the state? Is that what I-

Dan Johnson: Uh, in the, on the market rate side, yes.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Dan Johnson: There's a couple of large nonprofits.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: Uh, but on the market rate development side, yeah, we're the s- second.

Scott Hammond: So privately held company-

Dan Johnson: Private

Scott Hammond: … versus a nonprofit.

Dan Johnson: Right. There's Bode Housing and a couple big guys in LA and, and-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … Bay, uh, I think it's called Bay Bridge Housing down in-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … San Francisco that are-

Scott Hammond: Hmm

Dan Johnson: … some big, uh, uh, nonprofit-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … developers. Uh, but in terms of for-profit market rate-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … deve- uh, companies, we're the second largest.

Scott Hammond: Wow. That's chops.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Did you say there's an aviation division in the group too?

Dan Johnson: Uh, we do, yep.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: We have, uh, two pilots that work for us, and then three-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Dan Johnson: … three or four contract pilots that bring in, you know-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Dan Johnson: … fill in flights when we need them.

Scott Hammond: So when you-

Dan Johnson: Yeah

Scott Hammond: … need to go to Texas, you can make a phone call.

Dan Johnson: We go out in one of our planes and-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Dan Johnson: … you know, a lot of it is used to, i- as like a backhoe for us.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: Um, you know, it, it allows our employees… We're able to move our employees back and forth to jobs.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: We, we have a pretty vast self-perform, uh, piece to our organization.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: Um, we have about 16 different trades, you know, rough carpentry, cabinet shop, electricians, plumbers, uh, et cetera, that we self-perform, and we'll do a lot of that work in a lot of these different communities.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: And so we'll fly our people back and forth so that they can-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … be with their families on Friday, you know, over the weekend-

Scott Hammond: That's pretty cool

Dan Johnson: … and not spend their whole weekend driving.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Dan Johnson: And so, um-

Scott Hammond: Which it would be to Texas

Dan Johnson: … and… Well, Texas is, yeah, we're mostly subcontracting out there.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: So we haven't sent any crews out to Texas yet.

Scott Hammond: Even Colorado or Arizona. Yeah.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: But we have to Colorado and we have to Arizona.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: That's a long drive.

Dan Johnson: Yep.

Scott Hammond: Long haul. Love it. Hey, um, let's do the quiz. Let's have some fun. Lucky you. Oh, we have one of these left, a hazelnut milk chocolate by Dick Taylor.

Dan Johnson: Oh, nice.

Scott Hammond: You know these guys?

Dan Johnson: I do, yeah.

Scott Hammond: That's-

Dan Johnson: I don't know them, but I, I-

Scott Hammond: Oh

Dan Johnson: … I know the company.

Scott Hammond: I gotta introduce you. Dustin and Adam are just two great guys.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: They're just two builders, just not quite as large as your company. They, they started out at Almquist Lumber.

Dan Johnson: Oh, did they?

Scott Hammond: Oh, yeah.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: No, great story, man. Great guys.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And Huckleberry Flint, uh, their band is playing at Fieldbrook Winery. How do I know this? Sunday the 13th of September, 1:00 or 1:30. Tickets are available today.

Dan Johnson: Oh, nice.

Scott Hammond: I don't even… Wow, how-

Dan Johnson: How do you know that?

Scott Hammond: 'Cause I just bought a pair. I'm just, I'm trying to stand this up so we could see it.

Scott Hammond: Um, yeah, Joni and I d- never miss a show. We try to see those guys, 'cause they're 100%, um… You would know this. To be blessed and accepted in a community and to do well, you know, and to create jobs and to create a good product is, is a… I don't know if it gets any better.

Dan Johnson: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: You know, good family guys, and sit here and brag on these guys. I don't know if I wanna do that too much longer.

Scott Hammond: Hey-

Dan Johnson: Well, well, and I think, I think that is, is, isn't Dick the dad?

Scott Hammond: Uh, Dick, uh, Dick is, uh, is his last name. It's Adam Dick. And, uh, Dustin Taylor, his dad is Steve Taylor, who's a painter.

Dan Johnson: Okay, 'cause w- somebody connected to, uh, Dick Taylor chocolate is, w- was at Timber Ridge.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Dan Johnson: I, I-

Scott Hammond: Could be

Dan Johnson: … yeah, I don't know.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Um, yeah, they, uh, just terrific guys. I've had Deanna Dick on the show.

Scott Hammond: She's a, kind of a famous midwife.

Dan Johnson: Hmm.

Scott Hammond: Traveled the world more than you and me.

Dan Johnson: Oh, neat.

Scott Hammond: S- like went crazy places and, and delivered babies and everything. So, hey, uh, you're playing for the bar, so let's get going.

Dan Johnson: All right.

Scott Hammond: Dan's going, "I don't even know what to expect." "I said yes to this guy?" Dan Johnson, for all the, uh, marbles. Actually, I'm gonna make you earn this one, so this is not coming to you free. And I guarantee your other half loves chocolate. Just gonna guess.

Dan Johnson: Yep. Oh, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Joni says this, so I can get away with it live on the air. Women love chocolate.

Dan Johnson: Yep.

Scott Hammond: I'm going, "I j- I can't comment, honey, but if y- you're one and you can say that, so."

Dan Johnson: Yep.

Scott Hammond: Hi, Joni. And by the way, before I forget, uh, Mark Reierson, stellar dude.

Dan Johnson: Really stellar dude.

Scott Hammond: A nice guy.

Dan Johnson: Yep, yep.

Scott Hammond: You know, I, I always know a nice man or a nice person when, uh, as an outside sales guy, I used to work for the Tri-City Weekly, Ron Pileggi and George Vaughn. They, all those Gospel Outreach guys owned it for a while, and then Ron took it private and, and, uh, grew it. Um, when I was on my sales route and I would see Mark or others, Don, Don at Beaupre, Harling, um, Dick Miller, Don Miller-

Dan Johnson: They're good

Scott Hammond: … you know, all the guys there.

Dan Johnson: Good, good people.

Scott Hammond: Lovely people. And, and, uh, Mark was, Reierson, always a great guy.

Dan Johnson: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: Gary's a nice guy too, his brother.

Dan Johnson: Yep.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: Yeah, I think Gary's retired now.

Scott Hammond: I think so, yeah.

Dan Johnson: I think so, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Was he Simpson?

Dan Johnson: Yeah, he was with Simpson, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Great guy. Question number one. What was your best day of your life, Dan Johnson?

Dan Johnson: Oh, I would have to say the day that I got married.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Dan Johnson: You know, I mean, that's the most memorable day.

Scott Hammond: Tell us about it. What was that like?

Dan Johnson: Um, it was at, you know, we got married here at the Episcopal Church on H Street.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Dan Johnson: And, uh, and then, uh, ended up down at the Ingomar for our, uh, wedding reception.

Scott Hammond: Sweet.

Dan Johnson: And it was, uh, just a really special day to be able to celebrate that with all of your friends and-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … you know, you don't realize… You know, weddings, you know, you go to a lot of weddings.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: And, and but when it's yours and/or one of your family members, um, it really, it changes. You know, I think most weddings are for that immediate family-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … and everyone e- else is there to support that group.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Dan Johnson: And so that, you know, it was just one of those days that you can't forget.

Scott Hammond: Nice. Good one. 33 years?

Dan Johnson: 33, yeah. I think we're 34 in a couple weeks.

Scott Hammond: You're not supposed to be guessing on the air on this one. It's gotta be.

Dan Johnson: Yeah, yeah.

Scott Hammond: 45 years, three weeks, four days, Joni.

Dan Johnson: Yeah, yeah.

Scott Hammond: No, I'm probably wrong.

Dan Johnson: That's pretty good.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, we're, uh, we're really mature. I was, uh, you know, 21 and really had it together, bro, and she was 20 and we had the world by the tail.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And little did you know.

Dan Johnson: And nine kids later.

Scott Hammond: And nine kids later, I, I s- now I really don't know what I'm doing, so.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: So, uh, uh, question number two. Dan Johnson, worst day of your life?

Dan Johnson: Uh, I would say in 2010, um, April 15th, uh, we, the housing market crashed.

Scott Hammond: Mm.

Dan Johnson: Uh, and we were very heavily invested in building single-family housing all over the state. We had projects in Chico and Bakersfield and, and, uh, a lot of stuff up here and-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … and, uh, literally overnight we had to lay off about 70 people out-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Dan Johnson: … of our organization of-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Dan Johnson: … of about 150.

Scott Hammond: Crazy.

Dan Johnson: And we're having, you know, very serious conversations with lenders and, and, uh, investors around the potential of, you know, filing bankruptcy in the organization.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Dan Johnson: And, and, uh, thr- uh, I didn't… You know, our, our advisors w- were saying, you know-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Dan Johnson: … "You'd, you'd be better off, uh, if you file bankruptcy-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … you, you and your wife-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … um, financially." And but there was no way that I could, uh, do that to the local, uh, vendors.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: Um, we had-

Scott Hammond: Good for you

Dan Johnson: … some fairly large debts with, you know, George Spitbauer, um-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Dan Johnson: … and, uh, and the, the fellows at O&M and-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … and there's no way I could just walk away from that unless I was gonna move out of the community.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: You know? And that's just-

Scott Hammond: Right

Dan Johnson: … that's just not who we are, so-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Dan Johnson: … you know, we said that we're gonna, we're gonna stick this out and, you know, proved to be the right decision.

Dan Johnson: But-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … definitely that April fif- April 15th was the actual day that we did the layoffs, and I had to lay off a, a guy that was in my wedding. Um-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Dan Johnson: … it was pretty difficult decisions and-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Dan Johnson: … and, uh, clear- it was definitely the worst day.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. That's tough, tough… That'd be a tough day. The cool thing is you pivoted.

Dan Johnson: Yeah. We did. Yeah, we, we had some great, uh, advisors, you know, and-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … and, uh, I think it's one of the things in business that, you know, is, is really imperative-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Dan Johnson: … is to have, you know, the mentors and the advisors-

Scott Hammond: Amen

Dan Johnson: … that you, that you have that… And then not just have them, but-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … actually listen to them and act-

Scott Hammond: Right

Dan Johnson: … w- act with what they, you know-

Scott Hammond: Right

Dan Johnson: … be coachable.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: You know? And, and we were coachable, and we didn't listen to everything that they said.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Dan Johnson: But, um, 'cause we still had to be the ones swinging the club.

Scott Hammond: That's right.

Dan Johnson: But, uh, but we did a lot of it-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … and it helped us, you know, navigate through it.

Dan Johnson: It, it-

Scott Hammond: That's cool. I like it. Teachable. Be, be humble and teachable.

Dan Johnson: Mm.

Scott Hammond: Coachable. I like… The coach approach is what my coach calls it. So I have a two-star general, retired, Pete Peterson, in Dallas I get on the phone with every other Saturday, and he, um, he has a way of calling me out.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: "You know, I don't wanna fuss over this, Scott, but h- here's the deal."

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: I go, I go, "I'm lathered up. Hit- shave me."

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And he hits me, man. It's like, "You know, this wasn't my goal, Scott. This was your goal, and I don't know why you're not doing it." It's like, come on, man.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And, um, I walk away from those calls going, "Man, I can't wait to, um, get off this call." And then, and I, and I regroup and I get my crap together and I go, "You know what? Yeah. Yeah, he's probably right."

Dan Johnson: Hmm. Sounds like he's a good one.

Scott Hammond: He's great. He coaches, uh, ex-military, uh, that are coming out of, um, you know, being a f- a full star, five-star bird colonel to a guy working at Starbucks the next week, where they don't salute him.

Dan Johnson: Hmm.

Scott Hammond: So these are guys that, you know, that are coming back into civilian life and have, um, uh, everything, you know, have to r- re- regroup in every way.

Dan Johnson: Hmm.

Scott Hammond: Reorient the compass and their identities and… So yeah, he's, he's something else. Uh, uh, hi, Pete. How you doing? Love you, man. Uh, okay, number, question, uh, we're on question number two already.

Dan Johnson: Uh.

Scott Hammond: You're doing pretty good so far.

Dan Johnson: I think three. We're on three.

Scott Hammond: Okay. That was, well, that was t- two, that was one A and B.

Dan Johnson: One, one and… Okay.

Scott Hammond: We'll get back to Bon Jovi here in a minute. Uh, what do you find life-giving in your life? What gives you life when you're, uh, not doing, you're not being Danco?

Dan Johnson: You know, I, I, I'm a worker, you know, and, and my father, Don, uh, was a worker.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: So not a lot of ha- hobbies outside of-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … uh, uh, work. Um, I love being with my family.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: Um, I know that's cliché, but I, I really do.

Dan Johnson: It's-

Scott Hammond: Awesome

Dan Johnson: … you know, they're my friends, you know.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: And, and, uh, yeah, had dinner with my son and his wife last night, uh, you know, just the three of us, but, uh, you know, we enjoy being around each other.

Scott Hammond: That's cool.

Dan Johnson: I think if I had to say one pastime that's my favorite is I'm a real diehard 49er fan.

Scott Hammond: Nice.

Dan Johnson: And, uh, we're, uh, we've been season ticket holders there for about 40 years.

Scott Hammond: Oh, that's great.

Dan Johnson: Started when I was 21 and had two tickets, and-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … we've grown to have, and now we have 20.

Scott Hammond: So-

Dan Johnson: And, uh-

Scott Hammond: So do you fly to away games?

Dan Johnson: We go, we usually hit four or five-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … um, uh, away games a year. Um, we haven't really mapped it out.

Scott Hammond: But who, who'd you go to, like Green, Green Bay? Would they play Green Bay?

Dan Johnson: We went, we went to Green Bay. We were at the game that was that third coldest game ever a few years ago.

Scott Hammond: Nice.

Dan Johnson: And that playoff game. And so, you know, we usually go to Dallas.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: We'll hit that one this year and go to Mexico City.

Dan Johnson: And so I, I, I enjoy, uh-

Scott Hammond: All right

Dan Johnson: … I enjoy that, you know, that competition and the… And it's something that our whole family enjoys.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Dan Johnson: And so it's nice to-

Scott Hammond: They're supposed to be good this year, right?

Dan Johnson: … get everybody together. Well-

Scott Hammond: Had a shot

Dan Johnson: … they're getting old, you know. And so they, they're, you know, they've been pretty good for the last decade.

Scott Hammond: Good coach. Good coach.

Dan Johnson: They've got, you know, one of the best in the league, and-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … leadership matters.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: And, and so, but they're getting old.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: So we'll see how they hang in there.

Scott Hammond: See how they do.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: But I'm about an 80, 90 hour a week guy, so-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Dan Johnson: … I, uh, I don't, uh, I don't have a whole lot. My son really enjoys golfing and my, uh, daughter, the two that live here.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: And so I en- I enjoy going out with them.

Scott Hammond: That's cool.

Dan Johnson: And I'm, I'm not a golfer, but-

Scott Hammond: Swing the club

Dan Johnson: … I like to go out with them and be with them.

Scott Hammond: But having a good time with them.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. No, I love that. Great. Uh, other side of question two. What drains you? What do you find that saps, z- zaps your strength and sucks your soul dry?

Dan Johnson: You know, it, it's, it's interesting. I, I, uh, I have an inherit… Like, I don't have a problem sleeping, you know, uh, uh-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Dan Johnson: … and, uh, you know, I think, you know, from a business po- you know, uh, from a personal point of view, I think what zaps you is when all the kids and stuff aren't getting along, you know?

Scott Hammond: Right.

Dan Johnson: You know-

Scott Hammond: Oh, yeah

Dan Johnson: … you know, you just want them… You know, I don't know what happened to our generation, but it feels like when the kids aren't getting along, then we're not getting along, you know?

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: We, we kinda carry that with us.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Dan Johnson: Uh, on the, uh, on the business side, I mean, I would say if, if I had to choose something, you know, the cashflow part of the business is one-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … that, you know, we consistently outpace ourselves a little bit-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. Sure

Dan Johnson: … which then puts us, uh, in a situation where, you know, we're kinda always chasing the, the cashflow.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: Uh, and, and that can be draining.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Dan Johnson: Um, but, um, but at the end of the day it's, it's, uh, it's not really… I mean, it's something that is part of business, so-

Scott Hammond: It is, yeah

Dan Johnson: … you know, we deal with it. But if I had to say one thing to go away, it would be that.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: You know?

Scott Hammond: Well, this comes with stress, it comes with business. We always call that feeding the beast.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Gotta g- gotta fight, gotta feed that beast again.

Scott Hammond: Here he is.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Good, good answers. Um, what have been your best… Question number three. You're really gonna earn this chocolate, man. You better share it too. Uh, question number three. What are your best lessons that you've learned in life from, from failure, defeat, or loss? I, I heard the term today, uh, be an, be an elegant failure in terms of when you do lose, do it, do it with class and panache and, and do it well with good attitude and mindset.

Scott Hammond: What-

Dan Johnson: Yeah. Well, I think that that's definitely a, a big piece of it is- … you know, be graceful with the, with the loss. Um, you know, I'm extremely competitive, uh-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. No, no way

Dan Johnson: … and, and, uh- … and so, you know, I don't even really like to play board games with the kids 'cause-

Scott Hammond: Stop 'em

Dan Johnson: … I get ticked off when I l- when I lose, you know? And, uh, and so, uh, eh, there, you know, that, that whole piece of it, I think you have to have that competitive drive.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Dan Johnson: But, you know, I, in our business, um, it feels like that failure is a part of what we do, and we-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Dan Johnson: … encourage it. Um, just had a conversation last night with one of our project managers who had a, a little, uh, issue, and we're, if you don't-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Dan Johnson: … if, if you're not learning, if you're not failing, you're not learning-

Scott Hammond: Correct

Dan Johnson: … and, and you're not growing-

Scott Hammond: Correct

Dan Johnson: … and you're not stretching yourself out there.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: And so it, it feels… You know, hardly ever does anybody come into my office and say, "Hey, I wanna tell you everything's going great." You know, by the time-

Scott Hammond: Right.

Dan Johnson: … by the time it gets to me-

Scott Hammond: Hey, boss

Dan Johnson: … it's, it's pretty much a screwed up mess, you know?

Scott Hammond: Right. It's got cancer.

Dan Johnson: And, and-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Dan Johnson: … and so, um, I think our biggest, uh, my biggest, our biggest failure-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Dan Johnson: … is actually a project that we're just finishing, uh, two of them-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Dan Johnson: … in s- in San Jose.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Dan Johnson: And, uh, we, uh, kinda stretched out in, they're mid-rise buildings. Um, and you know, that's not really… You know, we've been more in the rural and the suburban markets-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Dan Johnson: … is where we've developed. But, you know, you start, start getting going and you're like-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Dan Johnson: … "Oh, we can do anything," you know? And, and we went into this San Jose market, um, and I don't think we really understood, you know, there's, the, the, first of all, the city of San Jose, you, you know, here-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Dan Johnson: … in most communities we work, we can call the city manager. Well, in the city of San Jose, that ain't happening.

Scott Hammond: That's different.

Dan Johnson: And, and, uh, unions are really strong down there-

Scott Hammond: Very. Sure

Dan Johnson: … and, and have been an extreme challenge.

Dan Johnson: And-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … and so, uh, what we learned from that is we all have our limits.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: You know? And we all, eh, you know, I don't care who you are as a leader-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Dan Johnson: … who, who, who you are as a, as a company-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … um, we all have our limits.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: And w- you know, we knew that going in-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Dan Johnson: … but it seems like-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … at least the way that the Danco folks have done it is we, we don't really learn until we go do it, and then we're like-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Dan Johnson: … "Everybody told us-"

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Dan Johnson: … 'Hey, watch out for this,'" and-

Scott Hammond: And then, yeah.

Dan Johnson: … we did it, and it's like, ah. You know, so it's, they, they've been, it, it's been tough.

Scott Hammond: It's a human thing, man. We, you can tell me all day long and I… Or my kid, he'll, he'll have to go do it.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: "Oh, wow. You were right."

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: "Well, I tried to tell you 17 times, but you weren't listening."

Dan Johnson: You gotta, you gotta experience it, I guess.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: So Dolly Parton and the country folks had a saying, uh, "Don't live above your raisin."

Dan Johnson: Mm-hmm.

Scott Hammond: I go, "It's a ra- like a raisin. Don't live above your raisin." And that was that whole idea of, I guess, overplaying your hand and, yeah, I don't know. And good, good, good lesson.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Good perspective.

Dan Johnson: And the question is, can we , can we learn from it and not, uh, you know, now we're expanding-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Dan Johnson: … into Texas, you know?

Scott Hammond: Right.

Dan Johnson: Is that a stretch, you know?

Dan Johnson: And-

Scott Hammond: Downtown Dallas.

Dan Johnson: And so we're actually in Corpus Christi, but still-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Dan Johnson: … I mean, it's not a tiny, it's a pretty good sized town.

Scott Hammond: It's a good, good sized town. Yeah.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. No, good. I think that's great. And, you know, those, those key lessons.

Scott Hammond: Um, top three takeaways in life. If you had three lessons and I was your kid, your employer, employee, ment- mentee, what would you tell me, what three things have worked for you?

Dan Johnson: Well, one is, uh, w- you gotta, you gotta work harder than the next guy.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: You know, and that's what my grandfather and my father-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Dan Johnson: … taught me, is that, you know, if you wanna get better at basketball, you can't just go to practice.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Dan Johnson: You know, if everybody's practicing two hours a day, then you need to go three.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Dan Johnson: You know, and so I used to, uh, back when my offices were at Carl Johnson's, I would, uh, drive down Jacobs Avenue and Resco Construction, which was a fairly large-

Scott Hammond: Right

Dan Johnson: … builder in the area.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: Um, uh, they were on the other end of Jacobs Avenue, and-

Scott Hammond: Is that Roger? Was that him?

Dan Johnson: Roger, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: And, uh, if their light was on, I would turn around and go back to the office.

Dan Johnson: Uh-

Scott Hammond: Huh.

Dan Johnson: … you know, like if, if they're still going, then I gotta get g-

Scott Hammond: I

Dan Johnson: … I gotta stay in it. So-

Scott Hammond: Just have to run faster than the other guy Running from the bear.

Dan Johnson: Yeah. Well, that, you know, that, that just… It seems simple, uh, you know-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Dan Johnson: … but you hear people like Kobe Bryant and-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … some of these, you know, highly successful, you know, superstars and, you know, everybody practices and then they stay in the gym two more hours and-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Dan Johnson: … K- Kobe practices after a game is over.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: You know, he keeps going and-

Scott Hammond: There's Tiger Woods hitting balls after-

Dan Johnson: There's a reason why they're good at what they do.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: And, and it's because they put in the time, and seems, seems simple but yet so difficult. Um-

Scott Hammond: Not everybody wants to. Yeah.

Dan Johnson: Yeah. Not everybody wants to. And then I'd say another one is, uh, the people. Um, you know, we can't do anything alone.

Scott Hammond: Mm.

Dan Johnson: You know, somebody had-

Scott Hammond: Good word

Dan Johnson: … somebody had to put all this together. Somebody had to design that light right there.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: I mean, if you had to do that, then you wouldn't have time to do this.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Dan Johnson: And, and, uh, and so we really have worked hard and, and diligently to build a culture in our organization-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Dan Johnson: … that really takes care of the people.

Dan Johnson: And-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Dan Johnson: … one of the things that, um, you know, we have key results that we look to produce.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: And, you know, one of those key results is to provide a space-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … for our team to live their lifestyle ambition-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … whatever that is.

Scott Hammond: Mm.

Dan Johnson: Whether if they wanna own a cabin in Willow Creek or a-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … fishing boat or… Let's help them do that. Let's provide them… Now they have to make the offers and, and grow in the organization, but y- you look at the president of our, our development, um, company, Chris Start, he's been with me for 34 years. I-

Scott Hammond: He's the guy that's been from the beginning, right?

Dan Johnson: I- Almost.

Scott Hammond: Mm.

Dan Johnson: Yep. Uh, six years-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … after we started.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Dan Johnson: And he started when he was 18 as a, you know, construction labor, and now-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Dan Johnson: … he runs the, uh, the development company. And so we really work to, uh, provide a space for people to grow-

Scott Hammond: I like it

Dan Johnson: … um, in the organization.

Dan Johnson: And-

Scott Hammond: What do you call it? Am- ambition, lifestyle-

Dan Johnson: Lifestyle ambition. Yeah. It's-

Scott Hammond: Lifestyle. I like that

Dan Johnson: … for the, for people to fulfill on their lifestyle ambition.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: And, and, uh, we have a whole culture that we've created. We call it the promise base culture.

Scott Hammond: Mm.

Dan Johnson: And it's like a whole nother conversation.

Scott Hammond: I love it.

Dan Johnson: We're actually writing a book right now-

Scott Hammond: Cool

Dan Johnson: … uh, w- with Forbes, uh, Business-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Dan Johnson: … um, and, uh, uh, uh, called Build to Last.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: And it talks about building a culture within an organization that will last.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Dan Johnson: And so, and so-

Scott Hammond: Love that.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Hmm. So I wanna go to Bon Jovi concerts all year long and follow him like the Grateful Dead.

Dan Johnson: Yeah. That'd be fun.

Scott Hammond: Can you help me, boss?

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Dan Johnson: Ex- yep.

Scott Hammond: How hard can you work for that?

Dan Johnson: How hard can you work for it?

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. No, whatever it is. I, and I think that that's so brilliant because you play on, on my motivation at that point. You know, I'm trying to raise a family. How can I get everybody to college? Maybe, maybe we could work together on that.

Dan Johnson: Like-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Dan Johnson: … and let's figure out how you can make an offer that is consistent with, uh, what your ambition is.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. I love that. Love that. Hey, question number 17.

Scott Hammond: Um, what's your biggest victory?

Dan Johnson: Uh, well, I mean, I would say raising a family is, is, is not an easy task.

Scott Hammond: Amen.

Dan Johnson: I, I would say it's, uh, uh, you, you could speak this better than I with, with nine, but it's the most difficult piece.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: Um, I think right now, uh, bringing two of our children into the business.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: Um, we've not really been a family business.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: Um, it's been more of a professionally run business-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Dan Johnson: … if you will. Um, and we brought our, our son and one of our daughters wanted to work in the business.

Scott Hammond: Mm.

Dan Johnson: And so, uh, that is proving to be an accomplishment, but it-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Dan Johnson: … it's not full-

Scott Hammond: It's gonna be a pr-

Dan Johnson: It's not a full accomplishment yet.

Scott Hammond: A process co- accomplish-

Dan Johnson: Um-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Dan Johnson: … and, uh, but, you know, so far, I mean, my son's been there about 10 years.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Dan Johnson: And, and, uh, the daughters, uh, our youngest daughter, I mean, they've both been there their whole lives. But, um, so I think raising the family, you know, the, the business, um, I, I don't feel like it's, it's my accomplishment.

Scott Hammond: Hmm.

Dan Johnson: I feel like it's the people that are there's-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … accomplishment.

Scott Hammond: I love it.

Dan Johnson: Um, you know, it, it, it-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … I couldn't do the business without the people.

Scott Hammond: It's the team. Yeah.

Dan Johnson: And, and so, um, I do get that leadership matters. Um-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … you know, and head coaches matter.

Scott Hammond: Big time.

Dan Johnson: And, and, and, uh, but I think, uh, seeing, uh, our team me- members go out and buy a home.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: We talked about that before we started.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Dan Johnson: The difficulty for that.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: Um, or buy a fishing boat.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: To me is, is what it's all about.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: You know, a- and is that, that they've been able to, to do th- do that, create that worth, that, that cash, that net worth-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … within our company, that then has allowed them to go out and, and do what they care about.

Scott Hammond: That's a big achievement. Yeah. I love that. And having the kids will… That'll be fun as you watch them earn their, make their mistakes and earn their chops.

Dan Johnson: Yeah. It's a, it's definitely a different dynamic.

Dan Johnson: Um-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Dan Johnson: … you know, y- you know, having the family there and-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … uh, but you know, they're passionate about it, and they work hard.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: And they, they both hold big roles and, and, uh-

Scott Hammond: That's cool. And I think it's cool to have an exit strategy too at some point.

Dan Johnson: Well, yeah.

Scott Hammond: I know, I know you're only, like, 40, but-

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: … inside, inside.

Dan Johnson: Si- 62, but you know, we, we're gonna… You know, we're not here forever.

Scott Hammond: That's true.

Dan Johnson: You know, that's one thing that's, we all have in common.

Dan Johnson: And-

Scott Hammond: I'm starting to see that

Dan Johnson: … and I don't, you know, it's important to my wife and I that it's, that it is a legacy business.

Scott Hammond: Mm.

Dan Johnson: That it, that it lives on.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: Um, that it's not just a one-off, uh, you know.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: And, and, uh, and so, you know, the kids, uh, appear to be-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … in line, uh, to, to do that.

Scott Hammond: Mm.

Dan Johnson: Uh, you know, and take that on in the future.

Scott Hammond: Love it, man. Good, good answer. Hey, bonus question. You're going, "When's he gonna stop with the bell?" Uh, what's your, uh- If you had to relive one day in the history of m- man and women, if you had to pick a history day to, to go back and be part of, what day would that be? Where would that be?

Dan Johnson: Hmm.

Scott Hammond: And it doesn't have to be in our lifetime.

Dan Johnson: Yeah. I'm not, you know, I, I'm, I'm a forward-thinking guy.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: You know?

Scott Hammond: Or you go to the future.

Dan Johnson: You know, and, and, and, uh, but if I had to say a day in history, uh, I'm just thinking through that. You know, uh, my mind goes to, uh, you know, the 49er, uh, Super Bowls, you know?

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Dan Johnson: Be, be fun, be fun to be a part of those. But, but, um, I think it, you know, probably going to the moon.

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Dan Johnson: You know? Uh, uh, or, uh-

Scott Hammond: Good one

Dan Johnson: … an- another one that, uh, you know, kinda hits me is the s- you know, September 11th as that comes up.

Scott Hammond: Wow, yeah.

Dan Johnson: And not that I'd wanna, to relive that, but-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … uh, but the way that brought the country together-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Dan Johnson: … uh, you know, during that time I think was, was pretty special.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. Good answer, yeah. C- counterintuitively, great answer 'cause it, it shifted a lot of things in the good way.

Dan Johnson: It really did.

Scott Hammond: As hard things tend to do.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, I like that. Uh, real quick, uh, super bonus. Uh, real quick, favorite restaurants you like to eat at in Humboldt?

Dan Johnson: Um, well, the, you know, we really enjoy going to the Ingomar, you know?

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Dan Johnson: I, I mean, I, and, uh-

Scott Hammond: Rocco's got great food

Dan Johnson: … it, it really is, uh-

Scott Hammond: Mm

Dan Johnson: … I think one of the nicer dining places in-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Dan Johnson: … in town. And then, um, and I'm, I'm drawing a blank on the name, but the one that's up on F Street.

Scott Hammond: Oh, uh, Brick and Fire.

Dan Johnson: Brick and Fire.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: You know, I think Brick and Fire-

Scott Hammond: Awesome

Dan Johnson: … has some of the best service.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: Uh, and you know, I, I think when, you know, the food, I'm not a big foodie.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: Um, but I do enjoy having good service.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Dan Johnson: Uh, and, uh, and I think, uh, you know, another one that is, just gives impeccable service is, uh, El Chipotle, uh-

Scott Hammond: Oh, right

Dan Johnson: … Mexican restaurant in Sunny Brae.

Scott Hammond: Sunny Brae.

Dan Johnson: You know? And Marcos just does a beautiful job in there and-

Scott Hammond: Yeah, they're great guys in there

Dan Johnson: … you know, and, and, uh, and so we really enjoy going there.

Scott Hammond: And they have that El Molcajete, whatever. Molcaje- with… It's, like, it's that ceramic thing with, like, meat hanging off of it and shrimp.

Dan Johnson: Oh, yeah. I don't know what it's called, but I know what you're talking-

Scott Hammond: Molcaje- molcajete

Dan Johnson: … and then their birthday celebrations. They just do a nice job, you know-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Dan Johnson: … uh, and make people feel special.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. That's a fun place. Yeah, I like that. So if you had the day off, where would you, what would you do with… So you and your sweetheart get a 10-hour day from 9:00 to… A 12-hour day. What, what… And you could just do whatever you wanted to do, what would you guys do?

Dan Johnson: It'd be a 49er game for-

Scott Hammond: A 9er game

Dan Johnson: … I, it, it, I mean, if, if there was one going.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: I mean, you know, I don't really take days off when I'm in Humboldt.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: Um, you know, for me, working seven or eight hours on a Saturday is like a day off. Um-

Scott Hammond: Okay.

Dan Johnson: And, uh, and so, uh, I would say that, you know, a day, if, if we were taking a day off, my wife and I, it would be get up, go for a hike. We're both pretty active that way.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: We exercise a lot.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: You know, go to Brio for, uh-

Scott Hammond: There you go

Dan Johnson: … a little bit of breakfast i- in the morning and-

Scott Hammond: Delicious

Dan Johnson: … and, uh, come back home and do chores.

Dan Johnson: You know?

Scott Hammond: And watch a 9er game.

Dan Johnson: A- and watch the 9er game, yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah, we were faced with that in Or- I was telling you we were in Oregon last week, and it's like I'm sitting around the Airbnb going, "I'm get- it's, I'm feeling antsy, man. I'm gonna get bored here in a minute."

Dan Johnson: Yep.

Scott Hammond: And, and we have a really great discussion about boredom and how, uh, it's, it can cause a lot of, uh, restlessness and uneasiness, but there's a creative element to it, to go, oh. Uh, so she wrote a book about this guy on a podcast. He, he's, uh, a writer, and he went up, uh, on a hike on a backpack, seven days, no, no pencil, no devices, and sat there. I mean, I, I go, "That'd just drive me crazy." But he goes, "It was re- revelation- revolutionary and revelational" and all the, all the rev words. He said it changed him. He came back and wrote a book about it.

Dan Johnson: Yeah. I-

Scott Hammond: So-

Dan Johnson: … I think about that, and it makes me-

Scott Hammond: Oh

Dan Johnson: … it makes me quiver, but-

Scott Hammond: Some, some people twitch hard with that one.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: Yeah. I, uh… So you're writing a book.

Scott Hammond: That's cool.

Dan Johnson: Yep.

Scott Hammond: Yep. Oh, before we talk about the book, congratulations, Dan Johnson.

Dan Johnson: Oh, we got the chocolate.

Scott Hammond: Hazelnut milk chocolate, 55% Alexand- Alexandri Farms chocolate.

Dan Johnson: Well-

Scott Hammond: Congrats

Dan Johnson: … well, thank you.

Scott Hammond: You did so good, man. Thank you.

Scott Hammond: Um, so yeah, Bon Jovi concerts. 15, that's cool.

Dan Johnson: Yep. They're, they're fun.

Scott Hammond: He's a great entertainer.

Dan Johnson: He really is.

Scott Hammond: Talk about the ASI Network for a minute. So Susan Johnson from HealthSport and others, and I… Was Lane part of that?

Dan Johnson: Uh, Lane was.

Scott Hammond: For a minute?

Dan Johnson: Yep. There was about 55 people here locally.

Scott Hammond: Locally.

Dan Johnson: Paul Lubitz from Hollyoshi and-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Dan Johnson: … uh, John McClurg from Fire and Light-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … and Chuck Petrusia from Advanced Security.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Dan Johnson: And, uh, I mean, it could, it, it goes on and on, but there was a number of folks here locally-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … that, uh, got a part of it. I, you know, I was, um, 32, 33 years old, uh, kind of at that moment in time where I spoke earlier about, you know, I could, probably should take this a little more seriously. And we were, at the time, we were more of a hard bid, bid build contractor-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … you know, working a lot with the university-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … uh, with school districts. And I had this, like, thing, you know, I, I don't have a college degree. Um, and I had this thing that, gosh, I'm in this room with the president of the university, and I-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Dan Johnson: … I had this inferior thing going on.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Dan Johnson: And so I started investigating colleges, you know, uh, opport- you know, online colleges-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Dan Johnson: … which there weren't a lot back then.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Dan Johnson: And I mean, that's 30 years ago.

Dan Johnson: And, uh, and I ended up, uh, hearing about this program, and I, uh, remember Bonnie Neely. Uh, Bonnie Neely-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Dan Johnson: … was a supervisor locally.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Dan Johnson: And, uh, we, I, I had heard that Bonnie had g- uh, gotten involved, uh, uh, with, um, Sequoia or, uh- Not Sequoia, but, uh, Simpson. Sim- not Simpson College. What was the first online college?

Scott Hammond: Oh, um…

Dan Johnson: Uh, their… Phoenix.

Scott Hammond: University of Phoenix.

Dan Johnson: Phoenix University.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: Yeah. The University of Phoenix or whatever.

Scott Hammond: So she was taking some distance education.

Dan Johnson: And she was doing some distance, so I had lunch with her one day, and then she-

Scott Hammond: Great gal, right?

Dan Johnson: Uh, she was incredible.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: Yeah. She was very, very helpful.

Scott Hammond: Hey, Bonnie. Say hi to Bonnie.

Dan Johnson: Hi, Bonnie.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: And then, uh-

Scott Hammond: She's deceased or she still living?

Dan Johnson: No, she's living yeah.

Scott Hammond: She's liv- okay.

Dan Johnson: And then, uh, and sh- so I went to lunch with her, and she said, "Yeah, you know Pat Christensen?" Uh, do you know-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Dan Johnson: … do you know Pat? Uh-

Scott Hammond: I knew personally.

Dan Johnson: And, uh-

Scott Hammond: Hey, Pat

Dan Johnson: … she says, uh, "Hey, hey, um, you know, Pat took this program. It was called, it was called the BPC at the time, Business Professionals Course."

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: "And, uh, and he, well, he really speaks highly of it, and you might wanna talk to Pat." So I didn't know Pat, and so I called him up and went down and met him at his radio station.

Scott Hammond: Sure, downtown.

Dan Johnson: Downtown. And-

Scott Hammond: Cool guy

Dan Johnson: … and, uh, I was in my 30s, and I would guess he was probably, I think he's probably 10 years older than I am.

Dan Johnson: I'm not-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Dan Johnson: … I'm not sure, for sure. And, uh, and so he was sizing me up 'cause the OG Net, you know, you don't wanna recommend somebody-

Scott Hammond: Yeah

Dan Johnson: … to the OG Net if it's gonna make you-

Scott Hammond: So he was already in the network? He was already part-

Dan Johnson: He w- had already done it.

Scott Hammond: Oh, I didn't know that.

Dan Johnson: So he is actually the first person from Humboldt to-

Scott Hammond: Makes sense

Dan Johnson: … to do it.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: And then, uh, I was the second person from Humboldt to do it.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: And, and so, uh, he said, "Yeah," you know, and he, he introduced me to it. So then you get interviewed, and they-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Dan Johnson: … determine if you're, you know, cap- you know, someone that they wanna bring in.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Dan Johnson: Um, uh, they're very specific with their customer.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: And, uh, and I mean, simply put, I would say that 50% of the success of the organization is through what, you know, the, the uncommon learning that we learned at the OG Net.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: And, um, I, I would also say that I probably wouldn't be married today if it wasn't for the OG Net.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Dan Johnson: Um, you know, 'cause it, it, it, it, it has a, a… There's a piece to it called the permanent domains of human concern-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … and there's 13 of them.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Dan Johnson: And, uh, I was living one or two of them.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Dan Johnson: You know, I was living career and, and money and work.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Dan Johnson: You know? And, and, uh-

Scott Hammond: And 40 diners

Dan Johnson: … uh, yeah. Well, yeah, I was doing that. But, you know, I'd get up on a Sunday, drive to San Francisco, go to the game, and drive home. So it was r- you know, it wasn't a, a, a big piece there. But, um, and so, uh, w- it's a, was a very emergent program.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: Um, couple, about 300 people in it-

Scott Hammond: Wow

Dan Johnson: … at a, any time. Uh, four times a year conferences.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: Four-day conferences, homework assignments due every other week. Very rigorous. Uh, the guy that ran it, his name was Toby. Um, he has since retired.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: Um, the OG Net still exists.

Scott Hammond: Was Rich Pomeraning this?

Dan Johnson: Um, Rich did it.

Scott Hammond: Hey, Rich.

Dan Johnson: Yeah, Rich w- uh, was part of it.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: Um, and, uh, um, a number of folks from out of the area that, that are part of our key network.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: Um, and, uh, and you know, really I think any kind of learning-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … can be very, very life-changing as long as-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … you can put it into practice.

Scott Hammond: Love it. Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: And I think one of the unique pieces about, uh, the Danco group, Chris Start and I did it together-

Scott Hammond: That's cool

Dan Johnson: … um, uh, is that we were able to bring the concepts and the, and the thinking of the OG Net into the organization and then bring it alive.

Scott Hammond: And do it.

Dan Johnson: And-

Scott Hammond: That's actually why-

Dan Johnson: And the thing, the thing about the OG Net that was so different is, you know, there's a lot of seminars. You know, there's T- uh, Tony Robbins.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Dan Johnson: You know, he run, you know, he… But to me, Tony Robbins is like Bon Jovi.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: Um, you know, he runs his weekend seminar.

Scott Hammond: Million, yeah.

Dan Johnson: And, and, you know, he's very successful.

Scott Hammond: Sure.

Dan Johnson: Excuse me, but he, he puts this weekend seminar on, you go there, you get all jacked up, and by Thursday, you forget everything you learned.

Scott Hammond: Amen, yeah.

Dan Johnson: Well, the OG Net was designed as a way to ch- to have you embody-

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm

Dan Johnson: … the thinking of the OG Net.

Dan Johnson: Um, now-

Scott Hammond: For a lifetime

Dan Johnson: … for a lifetime.

Scott Hammond: Yeah.

Dan Johnson: And you had to put the commitment in-

Scott Hammond: Sure

Dan Johnson: … to it. Uh, but it was just far different in that way.

Scott Hammond: That's really cool. I like that.

Dan Johnson: And, uh, and yeah, it was, it was very, it was instrumental in our organization. Uh, our company would not be what it is today-

Scott Hammond: Thanks for sharing that. That's awesome

Dan Johnson: … without that thinking.

Scott Hammond: In, in a quick sentence, what would you say you'd like to be your legacy as you, uh, as we go to your s- your funeral, your celebration of life?

Dan Johnson: Mm, I think that he was… He feeded pe- he treated people fairly.

Scott Hammond: Cool.

Dan Johnson: Um, you know, I, I, I, uh, I'm, I'm not a fighter, you know.

Scott Hammond: Mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: And, you know, we, I really work to, to have both sides be walk away feeling like they w- they w- won.

Scott Hammond: Win-win, mm-hmm.

Dan Johnson: And, and I think that that's a big piece. I think, uh, that, you know, that people that are, are… We just recently had a, a lady that's been with us for over 30 years, and she decided to move on to something different.

Scott Hammond: Wow.

Dan Johnson: And I think, um, w- but when those people move on, it's, you know, we're not always the right place.

Scott Hammond: Right.

Dan Johnson: Um, that they look at our organization as a place that they don't regret-

Scott Hammond: Amen

Dan Johnson: … being a part of.

Scott Hammond: I like that. Yeah, that's good. Hey, thanks for being here.

Dan Johnson: You're welcome.

Scott Hammond: Appreciate you sharing all that stuff.

Scott Hammond: It's great.

Dan Johnson: Yeah.

Scott Hammond: And, uh, if you're just joining us, you're way too late to meet my new best friend, Dan Johnson. But you can donate to our cause. Uh, we have all of that. I love your comments. We're on, uh, Access Humboldt. We're on YouTube. We're on all the podcast platforms. We're gonna see you next week. Uh, thanks for joining us, Scott Hammond, and 100% Humboldt. Make it a great day. Thanks, Dan.

Dan Johnson: Thank you. Yep, very fun.