By Donna Purchase
Southwest DC is “the place to be.” We continue to spotlight the dedicated staff of the SWBID who are focused on making Southwest a clean, safe, vibrant community in which to live, work, visit and play!
Willie Johnson is one of the original SWBID staff. He says he loves the BID family, the teamwork and the support. Willie is an all-around guy on the job, but his main responsibility is on the cleaning team. He works all over the neighborhood.
Willie is a native Washingtonian; he grew up on M St., SW and attended DC public schools. He loved his childhood neighborhood where he felt he was part of a community. Everyone knew each other and took care of each other. Today, it is a different type of community but he loves being out and about where he has made many new neighbor friends.
The SWBID profiles always include a “favorites” section, but clearly Willie’s “favorite” is his daughter. You can see his pride when he talks about her. He says she is “wow factor.” They spend a lot of time together—his favorite activity is riding bikes with her.
SWBID COO Andre Witt says, “Willie is one of our senior staff who comes to work and does an exceptional job each and every day. We count on Willie to assist in many areas of operations, yet the one area where he truly stands out is painting. Willie was responsible for the painting of more than three hundred unsightly light pole bases. Willie performed at such a professional level that many of our customers thought new light pole bases had been installed.”
Willie’s Favorites:
Movie: “John Wick”
Music: Hip Hop
Sport: Basketball
DC spot: Mary McCloud Bethune Park
Best thing about his job: Coming to work every day and helping people. Willie has lots of regular neighbors who greet him with a smile. That smile is what makes his day. He loves the communication of the smile.
So when you’re out and about, be sure to say hello to Willie!