The longer version...

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Dionte' Johnson is a full-time husband and father who moonlights as an entrepreneur and creative director. Squeezing each hour out of the day, Dionte' owns and operates Sole Classics; Central Ohio's leading sneaker and lifestyle boutique, he is also co-owner of Canvaas Consulting, LLC. a full-service branding firm where he serves as lead designer. Dionte' serves as Creative Director for Prime Social where he handles brand direction for the largest traveling festival series in the nation. He is also the President of Look Ma' No Hands Non-Profit Organization and a High School Football Coach at his alma mater, Eastmoor Academy.

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Born to Monica Hawkins and Thomas "Pepper" Johnson, Dionte' was raised on the Eastside of Columbus, OH by his mother. From Kindergarten until 8th grade, Dionte' attended Columbus Spanish Immersion Academy where he would become bilingual and firmly rooted in cultural diversity. From there he would then go on to attend Eastmoor Academy where he was accepted into the National Honor Society while participating in four varsity sports: football, wrestling, track and baseball. Excelling in football, Dionte’ would go on to receive All-State honors as well as a full athletic scholarship to The Ohio State University. During his four years as a Buckeye, Dionte' would earn the trust and respect of his coaches and peers who would go on to vote him to join its rich history as Captain for the 2007-2008 season. After leading his team to a National Championship appearance in 2008 (followed by the most disrespectful Adult Swim commercial known to man), Dionte' would graduate that Spring with a marketing degree from the Fisher College of Business while maintaining above a 3.0 GPA.

Off the field and outside of the classroom during his time at The Ohio State University, Dionte' pledged the World's Greatest Frat, the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Inc. and met Jessica Ingram, the love of his life, who pepper sprayed him on the first day they met (moral of the story: do not spray strangers with a water gun on campus). The two were married in June of 2013 and together introduced four very highly energetic and brilliant children into the world; Dionte' Johnson, Jr. (2014), Aarin Johnson (2016), Amari Johnson (2016) and Jamir Johnson (2019).

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After college and a very (very very) brief summer in the NFL, Dionte' would end up released from the Arizona Cardinals and searching for what life would offer post-football. Believing that a letter of recommendation from Coach Jim Tressel would land him a career as CMO of any company that he chose, Dionte' soon became familiar with rejection as he did not land a single position as a senior marketing agent. Instead he learned of an opportunity to purchase a local and not-so-well known sneaker shop called Sole Classics. In the Winter of 2009, at just 23-years-old and a handful of bank loan rejections, Dionte' would round up the cash to buy the 3-year-old business from its previous owners. In 6 years, he would expand the budding sneaker shop from a $200,000 local small business to a million-dollar footprint with sales reaching across the planet. Sole Classics is still evolving and, through collaborative partnerships with brands like Vans and Nike, it continues to set the barometer for lifestyle fashion in Central Ohio. Now, while this all sounds amazing, it is not all happily ever after. In 2012, Dionte' opened a shop for his clothing brand Kingsrowe, and it would eventually close in 2014. We will save that story for later.

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Before a career in footwear and even before his athletic journey, Dionte' had always found his peace through design. In 10 years as the owner of Sole Classics, Dionte' would turn that hobby into a discipline in design. Self-taught, Dionte' would use Sole Classics to learn great branding through interaction with dozens of brands and thousands of clients, landing him the opportunity to collaborate with Vans by designing 12 shoes since 2013. After over a decade of sharpening his skill-set in design, Dionte' would join forces with partner Yaves Ellis in a branding and consulting venture under the name Canvaas Consulting, LLC. Within the first year of operation, Canvaas has become a respected force, landing projects with the City of Columbus, the State of Ohio, and global brands such as Pepsi.

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Although he has found successes (and failures) as an entrepreneur, Dionte' remains the most passionate about his impact with youth. In 2009, Dionte' founded Look Ma' No Hands Non-Profit Organization devoted to inspiring inner-city youth through action and leadership development. 2009 proved to be a pivotal year for Dionte'. After injuring himself in Arizona, Dionte' came home to rehab and in turn found himself on his old stomping grounds, training at Eastmoor Academy, home of two-time (two-time!) Heisman Trophy winner Archie Griffin. Working out in front of his former head coach would lead to offering pointers, which would turn into advising the student-athletes, which would then turn into volunteering as an assistant. Before anyone could blink, 10 years had passed and Dionte' would find himself as the Offensive Coordinator for a Warrior team that would eventually make a run to a Regional Championship and State Final Four (semi-finals) appearance in 2018.

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As if this bio isn't long enough, Dionte' added 'author' to his resume in 2019 after writing a children's book about diversity and acceptance. Under the umbrella of Writer Blocks of America, Dionte' plans on self-publishing several children's books themed after his children and their amazingly reckless experiences together.

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Dionte' is a member of Rhema Christian Center, and when he does find free time he is usually traveling with his wife and children. Finally, the end... for now.

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