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A. Stanley Johnson recalls his "burning desire to succeed" when he joined The Van Leunens Corp. straight out of high school.
A decade later, in 1965, he became president and was on his way to ownership.
Now, after almost 30 years at the helm, he is proud of many achievements. But he's also troubled because he sees it as his "duty and responsibility" to restructure the Cincinnati-based company--including shutting down a money-losing division of seven department stores and other actions that are eliminating jobs for many of more than 1,100 Van Leunens workers.
"I've had the very good fortune of having employees at all levels commit themselves to this organization," a teary-eyed Johnson said last week in a rare interview. He described how on Oct. 6 he made "the toughest decision of my life" when he announced the closing of all seven Van Leunens stores.
"I've watched their children grow up, I've watched them buy homes. Many of their children have come to work for this corporation. This was more of a family than it was a company," said the 58-year-old executive, who lives in Anderson Township with his wife of nine years, Christine.
"To have to stand up in front of those individuals that I considered not only employees but friends and loved ones in a lot of respects took a toll on me that will never, ever be brought back. It was extremely personal."
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