Employee Spotlight–Meet Jack Johnson

For this edition of our Employee Spotlight, get to know Jack Johnson.

“Jack has been an integral part of our PD&L team at Smith System for the last five years. His hands-on approach and ability to lead our Product Engineering team is what allows us to launch new product twice a year. The skills he possesses are invaluable allowing us to rapid prototype and turn around requests for product modifications in a matter of days. In addition, his infectious sense of humor adds to making Smith System a great place to work." – Randy Kastalanych, Vice President of Operations

Discover what Jack does at Smith System, what he likes most about his job and what he enjoys doing outside of Smith System.

Jack is using the testing fixture to do a back pull test on a Flavors chair.

When did you start working at Smith System?

I started working at Smith System on June 2nd of 2015.

What is your job title?

I am a Senior Product Design Engineer.

Why do you choose to continue to work at Smith System?

I enjoy the people and the environment at Smith System. I enjoy what I do day in and day out, and I also love that the products I develop are tangible and improving the lives of children.

What is the most challenging aspect of your job?

The most challenging aspect of my job is knowing when to apply structure to a process that requires a lot of flexibility.

What are some of your favorite aspects of your job?

I have several favorite aspects of my job. The repeated opportunities to apply creativity, the development process, the people that I work with–being a part of the Smith System family and the environment that has been created. I love having the opportunity to create and develop a product that will benefit the learning process and environments for future generations.

Now it's time for some fun questions! If you could travel back in time, who would you want to meet?

Mother Teresa, Gandhi and Jesus.

What has been your favorite vacation?

My favorite vacation is being anywhere with my wife and without the kids. 😆

What do you like to do outside of Smith System?

I really like hunting and shooting sports and just spending quality time with my family–my wife Paty and my three boys. I also love cooking out on the weekends.

What is your favorite food or restaurant?

Hm...my favorite food is green chile enchiladas, and my favorite restaurant is Cattleman's Steakhouse in El Paso. It is this really cool restaurant that is in the middle of the desert on a ranch with animals. And the steak is amazing.

If you could be a superhero for a day, who would you be?

Superman – He can do everything.

What's one thing you could never live without?

Definitely Coffee.

Jack is using a force gauge to push on the side of a pedestal cabinet to see if the reinforcements to the pedestal were an improvement over the previous pedestal. The angle gauge in front shows what the angle is at before he started pushing. As he pushes up to a certain force in pounds, Matt Dewey (not shown in photo) then was adjusting the angle gauge to see if the angle had changed at all.