George E. Johnson Sr. dies at 99 in his Chicago home after a life spent building Johnson Products Company from a $250 loan into a business that reached about $37M in revenue by 1975.His company, known for Afro Sheen and Ultra Sheen, becomes the first Black-owned firm listed on the American Stock Exchange in 1971 and raises its public profile by sponsoring the television show “Soul Train”; Johnson sells the firm in 1993 for more than $60M.Beyond cosmetics, Johnson founds
Independence Bank, serves on the board of
Commonwealth Edison and on the board of the
U.S. Postal Service, runs an educational fund that awards over 1,000 scholarships and is survived by his wife
Madeline Murphy Rabb and four children.