(Norfolk Southern issued the following press release on July 22.)
NORFOLK, VA – George D. Johnson Jr., chief executive officer and director of Extended Stay America Inc. has been elected a director of Norfolk Southern Corporation.
Norfolk Southern Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer David R. Goode announced Johnson’s election today, following action by the board.
Johnson has more than 30 years experience developing and managing businesses. In 1995 he co-founded Extended Stay America, one of the country’s fastest-growing companies. Headquartered in Spartanburg, S.C., ESA owns and operates 461 hotels coast-to-coast.
Johnson is managing general partner of American Storage and a founder and director of Advance America. His real estate development company, Johnson Development Assoc., manages five million square feet of retail, industrial, office and apartment space. Johnson is a director of Boca Resorts Inc. and Duke Energy Corp.
Johnson previously was president of Blockbuster Entertainment Corp.’s Consumer Products Division; managing general partner of WJB Video, the largest Blockbuster franchisee; a director of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond; and president of the South Carolina Chamber of Commerce. He served three terms in the South Carolina House of Representatives. Johnson earned degrees from Wofford College and the University of South Carolina.
Norfolk Southern Corporation is one of the nation’s premier transportation companies. Its Norfolk Southern Railway subsidiary operates 21,500 route miles in 22 states, the District of Columbia and Ontario, serving every major container port in the eastern United States and providing superior connections to western rail carriers. NS operates the East’s most extensive intermodal network and is the nation’s largest rail carrier of automotive parts and finished vehicles.