Storm & Security

Overcoming a shaky start to become an industry leader, Thomas Johnston is named to Storm & Security Protection's People in the Know. In the early 1980s,a young man with a college background in general business entered the world of hurricane and storm protection as a salesman for a local shutter from 12 STORM&SEcURITY PROTEcTION / PEOPLE IN THE KNOW 2012 company. With some sales leads and no training to speak of, he began by making cold calls on condominium managers along Florida's east coast. It might not have been an auspicious or promising start, but it's how Thomas Johnston became director of research and development for Town & Country Industries, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and president of the International Hurricane Protection Association (IHPA). THE GROUND UP | by Howard Shingle | Through hands-on effort, trial and error, and by working with and learning from experts who have helped along the way, Johnston today is someone who knows every aspect of the hurricane protection business and the importance of storm mitigation. Position to Learn Johnston's first job with hurricane shutters got off to a shaky start. "I had virtually no idea of what I was selling and did not make enough to cover my gas," he says. But it began building his career and industry involvement. "My boss called me one day and asked if I could fill in for a helper that had the 'Monday morning no-shows,' which would bail the company out of a bind and I could make some extra money. I did, which led to more fill-ins and then some installs and so on." Before long Johnston was offered a management position in which he was responsible for all manufacturing, scheduling and purchasing. "Basically, I found myself in a position to learn the business from all aspects, which was invaluable to my career," he says. Johnston started at Town & Country in the spring of 1995 as an inside salesperson for the company's industrial division, which also sold generic accordion components. Three years later he was named director of R&D and has designed almost every product the company brings to market. He is responsible for all the manufacturers in the company's program and along with Len Scibilia, whom he describes as his right hand, handles all quality assurance, manufacturer inspections, training, testing and technical assistance. But things were different in those early days. Hurricane Andrew in 1992 brought about the implementation of the South Florida Building Code and Dade County product approvals. Johnston found himself working with one of the top aluminum extrusion mills to develop a system that T&C could bring to market as an entry into impact-rated accordion shutters. Back then, accordion shutters were pretty much identical. "You could almost put any blade in any track and everything would work," Johnston remembers. "That did not create any great marketing advantages, so I began to redesign the accordions from the ground up." The result was the 6.8 Accordion, likely the product line for which Town & Country is best known. Next came the FullView Bahama shutter, a patented articulating blade shutter that

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