Economic impact
Founded the Johnson Publishing Company (JPC) in Chicago in 1942, starting with *Negro Digest* and launching *Ebony* in 1945 and *Jet* in 1951. At its operational peak in the 1970s, JPC employed more than 400 people at its 11-story headquarters at 820 S. Michigan Avenue, designed by architect John Moutoussamy. JPC expanded into cosmetics (Fashion Fair Cosmetics in 1973) and radio broadcasting, generating annual revenues exceeding US$100 million, per company reports.