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Derrick Johnson Highlight
Stay focused and don’t let anyone talk you out of your dreams.
About Derrick
- I was born and raised in Oakland, California.
- When I went to college, my first goal was to become a dentist, but I realized it wasn’t the right fit for me as I gained more experience.
- I decided to look into business instead—I got an internship at IBM during my junior and senior years, which helped to solidify my interest in business.
- I earned my bachelor’s degree in business administration from Fisk University, an HBCU in Nashville, Tennessee.
- While the corporate experience at IBM was valuable, I realized that I would rather work for myself than a corporation.
- My father is one of the original founders of Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffles and my cousins had a franchise in Oakland—I became an investor when they wanted to reopen the restaurant.
- I ended up completing the remodel and rehabilitation, and then took over as lead—I’ve been running the restaurant now for over 20 years.