Bud Johnson: Strengthening a Community

When Bud Johnson moved to Monticello 31 years ago, he had little more than a U-Haul truck and an idea to establish the Iowa branch of MinnTex Citrus, an already budding company that started two years prior in Windom, Minnesota. He has called Monticello home ever since.

“I should not be where I am today by any means,” says Bud. “I’ve been blessed. If that is one of your core beliefs, you need to share.”

Bud loves change and believes in the importance of giving back and creating a legacy. He also credits Monticello with fueling his success and wanted to see his community thrive, so with the help of the Jones County Community Foundation, Bud and his wife Georgia started three funds: a donor-advised fund to support sports and recreation, a corporate fund supporting a local FFA scholarship program, and the Monticello Youth Baseball and Softball Association Fund, which is particularly important to him.

The Monticello Youth Baseball and Softball Association (MYBSA) is focused on building confidence, self-esteem, and enjoyment of sports through participation in baseball and softball. Bud likes to motivate others to give back to their community and appreciates the MYSBSA fund because it allows other people to be involved and contribute.

“It’s really neat to see other people join in donating their resources towards projects,” he says. “Using the Community Foundation as the vehicle for this is the greatest thing we have going for us. That’s the good part about it for us.”