PPB January 2019

B eing involved in philanthropy is known to deliver benefits to both the donor and the recipient. For Charley Johnson, vice president of sales and marketing for Draper, Utah- based supplier HandStands, contributing to the greater good has encouraged a shift in perspective—his own. According to Johnson, the first step toward making any sort of social impact does not start with outward action but rather, an inside job. “If you really want to help the world, you need to get your own house in order first,” he says. Johnson recently returned to the promotional products industry after a six-year hiatus— from April 2011 to September 2017—during which he served as a board member and later as president of the board for the Pay It Forward Foundation, a nonprofit inspired by the 2000 movie Pay It Forward —starring Haley Joel Osment, Kevin Spacey and Helen Hunt—which was based on Catherine Ryan Hyde’s 1999 novel of the same name. Hyde, who founded the Foundation, based her book on the simple notion that one small act of kindness can have unforeseen implications. The movie’s message then struck a chord with Johnson, who took the idea and ran with it. “It was just a natural step for me,” Johnson says about his decision to leave the promo industry and join the Foundation. “I needed to evolve and that was part of my An Inside Job Charley Johnson recently returned to the promotional products industry after dedicating six years to ‘paying it forward,’ and learning that doing good starts from within. by Danielle Renda Charley Johnson 98 | JANUARY 2019 | CONNECT Cha r l ey Johnson Being in the moment includes enjoying some down time with the HandStands team.