Jeff Johnson

Johnson Oversees Success at Little Rock Computer Company

In 1984, Jeff Johnson wasn’t even a pixel on the computer screen. At the time, Johnson was a men’s sportswear buyer for Dillard’s Inc. in another state, handling large transactions and dreaming of owning his own business.

In search of something better, Johnson moved to Little Rock to work as a salesman for his brother, who owned a store called Microcomputer Center.

“I was really interested in the computer field,” Johnson says. “I knew that it was a fast-growing area, and I knew that it would give me the opportunity to one day have my own business.”

In 1989, Johnson went out on his own with the first version of Custom Microsystems, which manufactured computer hardware. Johnson and two other investors then formed the present Custom MicroSystems in May 1993. In 1997, Johnson made the critical decision to transform the company from a manufacturer to a company offering a full range of computer services.

The change was natural, as computer hardware purchases were beginning to be dominated by large manufacturers that could sustain thin profit margins.

“The more hardware that you pushed, the lower prices that you got,” Johnson says. “It got to a spot to where you just couldn’t make any money doing it.”

Custom MicroSystems exceeded $10 million in revenue last year, and has experienced an average revenue growth of 39 percent over the past three years. Johnson says he expects revenue to double next year to more than $20 million with the opening of new offices in Memphis and Tulsa. Still, he insists that the rapid growth hasn’t hurt cash flow.

In his spare time, Johnson dotes on his two sons, one of whom – a 9-year-old – he coaches on a Boys & Girls Club basketball team, and enjoys boating and piloting.

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