Gene T. Johnson - Founder

Gene T. Johnson began his Property Management career in the early 80's serving as the General Manager of a local Company with rental assets located in Detroit. From there he went to work for a Law Firm managing their modest portfolio of Mobile home parks. For the next 13 years he was responsible for the day to day operations of this growing venture which culminated to 42,000 units in 5 states. He learned first hand about due diligence and acquisitions, having lent his expertise in the purchase of an additional 26 parks in 5 states.

In 1995, he was contracted to realign a faltering portfolio of commercial strip malls, single family houses and mobile home parks owned by a local Mortgage Company. It was during this time that Gene obtained his Housing and Urban Development inspector certification as well as FEMA disaster inspector.

In early 2000, Gene was retained by several of the world's largest lending institutions to draft scopes of repair and manage a new rehab project in Highland Park, Michigan. During this period he saw first hand the obstacles facing Real Estate agents dealing with REO properties. He saw this as an opportunity to change course and with the help of his son Brandon turned GTJ into an REO Management Company. The idea was simple, to provide a "Single point of contact" for brokers and lenders to complete all aspects of maintenance on foreclosed properties. Through the years, GTJ has developed into an industry leader through innovation and old fashioned hard work.

The future of GTJ lies with Gene's three sons whose expertise and innovative ideas have driven GTJ into the 21st Century. In 2008, Gene and his family formed the GTJ Foundation, a private charity designed to help people in need. Gene is a member of the Detroit Athletic Club and is an avid boater and sports fan. Gene loves nothing more than spending time with his grandchildren.

Send an e-mail to Gene Johnson: gene.johnson@gtjonline.com