Sandra Johnson started her career nearly 20 years ago out of Central Texas Commercial College. She trained as a legal secretary, honing her stenography, business math and accounting skills. She soon joined Pioneer Capital, where she learned the imperatives of the equipment finance business. After a stint with Restaurant Depot following the sale of Pioneer, Johnson reunited with her old team at Centra Funding, also known as 4 Hour Funding.

“I went to school to be a legal secretary and ended up in the finance business starting in 1995. I went to work for a restaurant supply company in 2009 and came back to the finance business in 2019,” Johnson says. “When I came back to this industry, I realized this industry was one I excelled at and missed for nine years.”

Since Johnson joined the team as operations manager, 4 Hour Funding has seen significant growth, resulting in Johnson’s team doubling in headcount and the company’s monthly originations tripling over the last four years alone. Johnson has greatly improved 4 Hour Funding’s titled vehicle product by creating a network of industry contacts to ensure solid execution on hundreds of titled transactions with titling agencies and state departments.

“Everyone at 4 Hour Funding keeps a mantra: ‘Make Sandra Happy,’” Jay Libowitz, treasurer and vice president of finance, strategy and corporate development of CVHoldings, says. Those around Johnson are keenly aware of her high standards and her drive to consistently execute on thousands of transactions.

Johnson’s work ethic and attention to detail are extraordinary, and her commitment infects other people on her team. She is the first to arrive at the office each day to make sure she can advance as many transactions as possible for her team. She leads the entire frontline operations staff to ensure transactions are documented and funded efficiently and accurately, a requirement to compete in the small-ticket equipment space in today’s world.

“We’ve had several employees become motivated by Sandra simply by working around her,” Libowitz says. “They see how diligently she works for the customers. Sandra is that rising tide that lifts all boats. She has laid the foundation for a successful operations department that will last long beyond Sandra’s time with us.”

Johnson’s mission is to create the best documentation and funding department in the small-ticket industry to help her brokers close transactions as seamlessly as possible. She is an advocate for brokers and customers and always aims to do right by them, while still protecting 4 Hour Funding. She is personally inspired by the Charlie Day quote, “You cannot let a fear of failure or a fear of comparison or a fear of judgment stop you from doing the things that will make you great. You cannot succeed without the risk of failure. You cannot have a voice without the risk of criticism. You must take these risks.”

When Johnson isn’t funding a transaction, she can be found fishing, singing karaoke or cheering on the Dallas Cowboys.

“Do not ever be afraid to change your career path along the way. Sometimes those changes are what you truly need to find that job that you will love and enjoy doing for long-term.”