Member Spotlight

Fitz Johnson

What is the most rewarding aspect of your career
The most rewarding part of my career is being a public servant. I spent 21 years in the US Army as a Medical Service Corps Officer. I spent 10 years on active duty and 11 years in the Reserves. I followed in the footsteps of my father, retired Brigadier General Walter F. Johnson, and my son is now a Captain in the US Army – stationed in Fort Belvoir, Virginia. I will tell you, public service just runs through our blood. Being a REALTOR is no different. Helping people, helping young families or older families into those new homes or into a home that they want to redo special just for them… being a REALTOR gives you great pride to know that when you go to bed at night you’ve helped somebody secure a place to live. That, as a public servant, is really what gets me fired up when you talk about what’s the best part of your career.

What are your hopes and goals for 2021
Through the rest of the year as a newly appointed public service commissioner, I want to learn my job and I want to make sure I’m doing the best I can to serve the ratepayers and the great Georgians who are out there. As a REALTOR, I still go back to being the public servant and helping folks. This is no different. When you get into this role, you’re doing different things but you still have that REALTOR background that’s pushing you to make sure you are taking care of Georgians.

Career advice/words of wisdom
First thing I do is I count on my God, whoever you pray to, that’s what I do. I count on my God every morning and when I wake up I thank Him – that I am able to come out here and serve. There’s a few other things – I read. You want to make sure you read and you want to mentor people. I have a whole list of folks that I mentor and it’s a way of giving back. We’ve been through a lot in my career, I’ve bought and sold businesses, I’ve been involved on several boards, across profit and nonprofit, worked in organizations, worked with my church… so I’m always going. Don’t let any grass grow under my feet so to speak. If you get up, read a good book, pray a little bit, laugh a lot, make sure you get out there and enjoy your life. This [life] only comes around once so you might as well have a good time while you’re doing it. So my advice is to go out and do those types of things.

Would you advise fellow REALTORS to get involved in political advocacy?
Absolutely. If you’re a REALTOR and you have an interest in helping people and being a part of how our society operates, then absolutely get involved. Public servants come from all walks of life, we need a wide variety to run this society it’s very important for us to get the REALTORS involved because you do work with people every single day and that’s exactly what you’re doing to care of society – to take care of Georgians – so I would get involved.