Carl Johnson; Building Contractor

Carl Johnson, 84, building contractor whose company remodeled complexes for Lockheed and handled other major projects. Among Johnson’s other clients were General Motors, AT&T;, Western and United Airlines and the U.S. government. He was a graduate of UC Berkeley. Johnson operated his Carl W. Johnson Co. based in Burbank and specializing in industrial and commercial projects for several decades. He managed to weather the early 1980s recession, although it meant cutting his staff from 59 to 14 people. Laying off loyal employees, Johnson told The Times in 1982, “is a very tough thing,” adding, “A lot of us are taking jobs at cost just to keep good people busy.” On Thursday in Newport Beach.