It was a long and winding road that brought the Carter and Watt families back together but there was strong precedent for a business relationship between Carter Johnson and Susan Watt.
Back in the spring of 1946, Amon G. Carter Sr. hired W.R. Watt Sr. to run The Southwestern Exposition and Fat Stock Show. Amon was Carter Johnson’s great-grandfather and W. R. was Susan’s grandfather.
Carter Johnson is president and CEO of XIT XTREME LLC and Susan Watt is now director of operations and marketing for the company in addition to running her own marketing and business management consulting firm, Innovador LLC.
“After Carter and I met I was driving home and I recalled a passage from the book, “100 Years of Heroes,” said Watt. “It told the story of how Amon Carter hired my grandfather and they became partners running the stock show and rodeo.”
The book described Carter asking Watt to come to his office for a meeting.
“Billy Bob,” Carter supposedly said when Watt arrived.” I want you to come over here and run the stock show.”
Watt responded, “I don’t know one thing about running a stock show.”
“I didn’t call you up here to find out what you think you can or cannot do,” Carter replied. “I called you up here to tell you that you’re going to run the stock show.”
Watt was appointed president of the stock show, ran it for decades and ultimately was followed in the position by his son, W.R. Watt Jr., aka Bob Watt.
“So I remembered that from the book and I phoned Carter to say we seemed destined from decades ago to work together,” says Susan Watt.
Together, just like their famous relatives who continued to change and develop both the city and Fort Worth’s stock show and rodeo into what we see today, the two are now setting out to make history in manufacturing as they market the Penguin, a blade-free tool designed to easily and safely open anything from a pill bottle to large boxes. Carter is also working on several new ideas for products.