Staying in orbit

Greg Johnson has a favorite anecdote he often shares with the entrepreneurs and students he mentors, dating to the late 1980s when he was marketing director for the Nike team building the Jordan Brand of shoes created by basketball legend Michael Jordan. [...]is the power of a simple idea executed well, says Johnson, a Rocky Mount native who returned to North Carolina to work at Charlotte's BooneOakley ad agency and later started Orbital Socket, a Charlotte-based marketing and brand-engagement company. Community service To support entrepreneurs, Johnson worked with Charlotte City Manager Marcus Jones to establish NXT I CLT, a business accelerator for minorityowned businesses.