Lee Johnson Capital Management
6300 Ridglea Place
Fort Worth 76116
817-738-1451
www.ljcm.com/
Sometimes fate chooses to take its time instead of making a spur-of-the-moment decision.
Take, for example, the friendship and professional relationship between Andy Heinz and Lee Johnson. It began over two decades ago, when Johnson was in the prime of his career and Heinz was a young man with a check wondering where to spend it.
“When I graduated from high school [Arlington Martin] in 1993, I received a graduation gift that changed the course of my life forever,” Heinz recalled. “My grandparents gave me a check for a small sum of money.”
Not knowing what to do with it, Heinz decided to make an investment, but where and with whom?
He drove around town with the Yellow Pages on the front seat of his car, looking for a financial adviser. After doing his due diligence and interviewing several, he met a man who lit a fire in him, inspiring him to pursue his own career in finance.
Two years later, Heinz’s grandfather introduced him to Lee Johnson, who hired him as an intern. After doing everything from washing dishes to research, Heinz was given a job at Lee Johnson Capital Management Inc. after graduating from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Now, more than two decades later, Heinz is running the company after Johnson retired at the beginning of the year.
“I always kind of looked at him as my adopted father-in-law,” Heinz said of Johnson. “I never had one, and he never had a son.”
Johnson remembers vividly the moment he hired Heinz. Even then he knew there was something special about this young man.
“His granddad stood up and said, ‘You couldn’t use a sharp young mind about to graduate from UTA, could you?’ He’s been here ever since, and that was one of the smartest decisions I ever made.”
Heinz watched closely and learned from Johnson over the years. In 2008, Johnson made Heinz a partner in the firm.
Johnson was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease 15 years ago. He continued doing the work he loved daily until he realized the time had come to turn it over to his dear friend.
“Andy is one in a million,” Johnson, 67, said of his 42-year-old protégé. “The main thing is it’s Andy’s day. He’s paid the price and earned this, and when my head hits the pillow at night I fall asleep like a baby knowing Andy’s in charge.”
Heinz said perhaps the biggest influence Johnson has had on him is his ability to make everyone around him feel special, not only clients.
“He doesn’t care if you are the team lady at Luby’s or a large investor, Lee wants to make everyone a little happier, to make everyone’s day a little better,” Heinz said. “People don’t care how much you know until they see how much you care.
“Lee is just a kind person, and generous.”
Heinz also recalls Johnson pushing him out of his comfort zone. He created opportunities that would make Heinz uncomfortable, but in turn would enhance his confidence and help make him a success.
Heinz recalled one particular instance at a workshop at Ridglea Country Club.
“Lee said, ‘I’m going to have you introduce me,'” Heinz said. “I froze. I have a client today who still teases me about that.”
Johnson also knows how to get the most fun out of any situation, something else that set an example for Heinz. For example, Johnson even learned to play a ukulele for a keynote speech he was giving. He got a standing ovation to his rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow.
“I think I had several people ask if we could do weddings,” Johnson said with a laugh.
Johnson also taught Heinz his “Never wrestle with a pig” rule. It’s his way of handling unruly clients/potential clients.
“Some people are just ornery and cranky. Never take them as a client,” Johnson said. “There are plenty of nice, good people to work with and you don’t need that headache.
“If we think somebody’s going to be a stinker, we let them go.”
Ultimately, said he, was comfortable stepping aside because the clients trust Heinz. After all, he and Heinz agree, it is all about the clients.
“All of our clients feel the same way about Heinz,” Johnson said. “Not a single client has a concern. Everybody loves Andy.”
Johnson officially turned the reins over to Heinz on Jan. 1 with a New Year’s Eve passing of the torch ceremony. However, he cleared out his office earlier to help ease the transition for Heinz.
Nonetheless, Heinz found it daunting at first to move into the office of the man from whom he learned so much.
“I sat down in this office and it was empty. It took me two to three weeks to move in. It felt strange,” he said. “That night I sat in here, looking around at the empty space, and it was scary.”
Now, Heinz has learned to embrace the corner office. It is filled with his own memorabilia, including a small replica of the entrance to Wrigley Field, home of his beloved Chicago Cubs, created by another good friend.
“I think it’s interesting the Cubs win the World Series the same year I take over the business,” Heinz said, smiling.
On another wall is a drawing of Babe Ruth’s face by his youngest son. The attention to detail is incredibly accurate.
“Pretty amazing, isn’t it?” Heinz said.
But no matter how many items go into the office, there will always be room for memories of Johnson. Though Johnson seldom comes to the office, they speak daily.
Heinz has no intention of changing the name of the company from Lee Johnson Capital Management, he said.
“Not now. It’s a 46-year-old brand. Lee built this business and there’s name recognition,” Heinz said. “It never really was about me. Clients know me and I hope to leave my own mark, sure, but there will be someone behind me.
“If I can give back to them the way Lee gave to me, that’s what I want to do. Lee wears a size 16 shoe, and those are big shoes to fill.”
Heinz has proven he knows something about investments. Look at what happened with that check he was driving around with as a young man.
“I bought my wife her wedding ring,” Heinz said. “Well, I left my initial investment and took my earnings to buy it.”
