Claude Johnson

Claude Johnson

Founder & President, Black Fives, Inc., Historian, Writer, Blogger, Author-To-Be, History Maker

Greater New York City Area

Current
  • Founder & President at Black Fives, Inc.
Past
Education
  • Stanford University
  • Carnegie Mellon University
Connections
456 connections
Industry
Sports
Websites

Claude Johnson’s Summary

Black Fives is for basketball fans, black culturistas, vintage fiends, brothas and sistas, sneaker heads, positive thinkers, culture lovers, risk takers, growth seekers, thrivers, and history makers.

Black Fives combines pre-NBA African American basketball history with modern culture to produce meaningful engagement, teaching, enlightenment, and inspiration you can use today. Our slogan: Make history now!

Black Fives researches, preserves, teaches, and promotes the early history of African American participation in basketball.

Black Fives is dedicated to being the best, the most authoritative, the most extensive, and the only company devoted exclusively to providing education, entertainment, events, merchandise, and intellectual property relating to the history of the Black Fives Era.

Black Fives is devoted to using the lessons, stories, and experiences of the Black Fives Era to teach, train, and inspire others toward personal growth to be, do, and have all that they dream; to building inter-generational and inter-cultural bridges of understanding; and to cultivating a wide appreciation and understanding of the significance of this history in modern-day society.

Claude Johnson’s Specialties:

Licensing, basketball history, African American history, sports marketing, merchandising, personal improvement, marketing, promotions, youth culture.


Claude Johnson’s Experience

  • Founder & President

    Black Fives, Inc.

    (Privately Held; 1-10 employees; Sports industry)

    October 2001Present (7 years 10 months)

    Black Fives combines insights about pre-NBA African American basketball history with popular elements of black culture to produce meaningful motivation, inspiration, and enlightenment you can use today. That's why our slogan is “Make History Now!"

  • Vice President, Marketing

    Benetton SportSystem

    (Sporting Goods industry)

    January 2000October 2001 (1 year 10 months)

  • Vice President

    Phat Licensing

    (Privately Held; Apparel & Fashion industry)

    January 1999December 1999 (1 year)

    Vice President at Phat Licensing, the licensing operation of the Phat Farm brand.

  • Product Line Manager

    Nike, Inc.

    (Public Company; Sporting Goods industry)

    January 1997January 1999 (2 years 1 month)

  • Director, International Licensing

    NBA Properties

    (Sports industry)

    January 1994January 1997 (3 years 1 month)

  • Senior Marketing Manager

    American Express

    (Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; Financial Services industry)

    January 1990January 1994 (4 years 1 month)

  • Marketing Representative

    IBM

    (Public Company; Information Services industry)

    January 1985January 1990 (5 years 1 month)


Claude Johnson’s Education

  • Stanford University

    MS , Mechanical Engineering , 19821984

    Activities and Societies:
    National Society of Black Engineers
  • Carnegie Mellon University

    BS , Civil Engineering , 19781982

    Activities and Societies:
    National Society of Black Engineers
    Tau Beta Pi Civil Engineering Honor Society

Additional Information

Claude Johnson’s Websites:

Claude Johnson’s Interests:

My children. Then ... sneakers, basketball, personal improvement, sports, vintage, history, culture, history makers. Specialties include licensing, basketball history, African American history, sports marketing, merchandising, personal improvement, marketing, promotions, youth culture.

Claude Johnson’s Honors:

Stuff Magazine Vintage Label of the Year, 2004 ("Black Fives")


Claude Johnson’s Contact Settings

Interested In:

  • career opportunities
  • consulting offers
  • new ventures
  • job inquiries
  • expertise requests
  • business deals
  • reference requests
  • getting back in touch

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