Employee Stories: LJay Johnson
There was a time when LJay Johnson spent almost 6 years looking for permanent employment. He said he wasn’t sitting around waiting for the phone to ring either. He was hitting the pavement everyday, going from business to business discussing his resume with various companies. LJay said he did quite a bit of volunteer work during this period with the hope he could “sneak” his way into a job.
“I think you really have to be there before you understand the frustration that comes from being unemployed,” he said. “The impact it has on a person’s self-esteem is just so difficult. It’s really not about the money as much as you feeling like you are contributing.”
A native Oregonian, LJay grew up on a farm. He spent two years of his life as a “ground pounder” in the Vietnam War. He has a strong sales background and acted as a division sales manager, later owning his own consulting business. Needless to say, LJay is not adverse to hard work.
“One of the hardest things about being disabled is admitting to yourself that you can’t do certain things,” he said. “I come from the generation that believes the man should be the one bringing in the money, and seeing my wife work so hard was a real tough thing.”
A couple years ago, LJay was in the process of going through the state vocation rehab program for the third time when someone mentioned something about PHCNW. He decided to attend one of the intake classes for janitorial/landscape training knowing there was no way he could physically handle the requirements. He attended anyway and made it known he was interested in any clerical opportunities PHCNW may have.
“It’s just one of those crazy things, because someone later came up to me and said ‘you’re looking for clerical work right?’ Next thing I know I was employed and here it only took six years,” he said with a chuckle. “I did a couple back flips when they called me in for an interview, and when they offered the job to me I was just dumbfounded.”
“If you look at the job description, it’s not that big of a deal, but to me it is,” he said. “I try to do the best I possibly can. I am absolutely thrilled to have the opportunity to work for PHCNW. The more I work with them the more fascinated I am.”
LJay's focus for the future is on staying healthy, staying employed and working hard in physical therapy. He has six kids and six grandchildren, which are “quite the handful.” LJay loves working on his hot-rod, playing with his grandkids, working in the yard and working on the house while his wife enjoys her favorite book.
