VEGAS INC Magazine - Latest Las Vegas business news, features and commentaries about gaming, tourism, real estate and more
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/36751
SPOTLIGHT by Erin Dostal photography by Ray Gutierrez side. How cool is this woman? Johnson says she was intrigued by the idea that women don’t drive 4x4s. W 22 Particularly, not attractive women with children. “I’m always motivated when people tell me there’s something I can’t do,” she says. “I think: ‘Oh yeah? I’ll show them.’ ” Today, she owns Johnson Motorsports LLC and, boy, does she know how to market hen Nicole Johnson, a co-owner of Koplin Construction and mother of two boys, tells you she’ll be a television host for a badass show about off-road vehicles someday—and hopefully soon—it’s easy to believe she’d be perfect for such a gig. In fact, you visualize that goal and it works—you want to watch. Her résumé is ridiculous (as in good), and has a personality to make her memorable (also good). And, oh yeah, she drives monster trucks and 4x4 vehicles professionally, on the her image. Just watch videos of her driving and passionately discussing her sport and sponsors—and, trust us, you, too, will become a fan. It’s the sponsors, she says, and making them happy, that takes a lot of business and marketing savvy. “If I’m going to do a whole series and get sponsors, I’m going to give them a return on their investment: Media,” she says. “If I’m going to take their vehicle and roll it, burst into flames, I’m always going to go that extra mile for them. Not all drivers recognize that.” The lady knows business. Johnson got into monster truck driving by way of rock crawling, an off-road racing activity where drivers drive 4x4s up and over giant rocks. Johnson’s husband, Frank, who got the brunette bombshell hooked on the sport, serves as her “spotter”; He helps her drive around and over the rocks, and lets her know when to kick it into gear. In her day job as a general contractor, Johnson says, she lives a very normal life. She loves spending time with her kids, now 10 and 13, and runs Koplin with her husband, a business she dubs a “mom-and-pop operation.” | 18 JULY 2011 | Nicole Johnson: General contractor, wife, mother, monster truck driver. Cool, right?