Sandra Johnson
Title: Vice President & Business Development Officer
Company: MetroHartford Alliance
Location: 31 Pratt St., Hartford, CT 06103
Birthplace: White Plains, N.Y.
Family: Husband, Phil; 2 daughters, their husbands; grandsons, 3 and 6; twin granddaughters, 1 year
College: Lyndon State College
What your firm does now and its plans for the future: The Alliance is the city of Hartford's Chamber of Commerce and the Hartford Region's economic development leader, representing its 35 towns. Our focus is to compete aggressively for jobs, talent and capital formation. I lead the business recruitment, retention and expansion efforts for the region, working directly with business decision makers to facilitate direct access to state. We are currently analyzing another strong sector, like insurance and aerospace, that has the potential to grow and be recognized as a center of excellence.
Hobbies: Family time, dining with friends, travel, theater, music and the arts
Favorite book: "Trinity" by Leon Uris
Favorite movie: "A Few Good Men"
Person you admire most (outside of family): Nelson Mandela
Keys to success: My two tenets: "What's in it for them?" and "How does it make them feel?" At the end of the day, it needs to be a win-win; others may not remember what you did but they should have a positive memory of how you made them feel.
If you had to choose different profession, what would it be? Something to do with music