Executive Q&A: Sherry Cameron, Bill Johnson's Big Apple Restaurants

Generations of Arizonans have dined at Bill Johnson's Big Apple restaurants since 1956 and now a third generation Johnson family member is running the family business. Sherry Cameron, the granddaughter of the company's founder has been CEO for just over a year. She's the subject of our latest Executive Q&A.

Q. What was your first job?
A. It’s probably no surprise that my first job was with Bill Johnson’s Big Apple. I was born into the family business and started interacting with customers while in my mother’s arms. My first official job was that of bus girl.

Q. What was your path back to the family business?
A. After graduating from the Thunderbird School of Global Management, I had several different jobs in various places around the world. I’m in this position now because my grandmother asked me to come back and lead the business. She passed away last year and I am here to honor to her legacy.   

Q. Do you have advice for those working in family-owned companies?
A. Working in a family-owned and operated business can be challenging and rewarding. Recently I lectured at Thunderbird in a family enterprise class and we discussed the issue of choice versus obligation. There are all these wonderful things but it comes with a sense of obligation that doesn’t normally exist.

Q. What do you think of as your key to success?
A. Getting out into the world at a young age gave me a very real understanding that there are other ways to do things that are just as good as mine…just different. It’s translated into an ability to better understand and accept others.

Q. How do you approach your job?
A. I approach every situation as if I’m dealing with a friend or family member. In fact, we consider our employees and customers to be family as we see some of them almost every daily.

Q. What about you might surprise others?
A. My dream holiday is a silent retreat. I participated in a 12-day silent retreat once and it was complete sensory deprivation. It was one of the hardest and most rewarding things I’ve ever done.

Q. What other career path holds an interest for you?
A. Before I returned to Arizona, I was working in philanthropy and really enjoyed it. In fact, I’d like my future to include a greater level of service using my professional skills to give back to the community.

This story, written by Kay Sperduti, is part of the Chamber's new monthly Businesswise for Women email. To receive any or all of our email newsletters, click here.