Ashley Briley Johnson received the Young Business Person of the Year Award from the by the Ruston/Lincoln Chamber of Commerce.

Johnson was an honoree at the Business Awards Breakfast Oct. 5 at the La. Tech Student Center.

Other honorees were James Davison, Small Business Champion; Small Business of the Year Hi-Tech Computers; and Business of the Year Jim Taylor Ford.

 Johnson manages the Ruston branch of Manpower. She services over 25 external customers with 330 employees.

The award recognized her, through her branch, for being a supporting member of Ruston Chamber of Commerce.

Johnson supports the chamber by attending ribbon cuttings, open houses and host job fairs. She speaks at business and industry forums on such topics as quality employee retention.

She supports the community by utilizing local vendors, promoting local events and supporting local charities. She utilized local contractors and building supply companies for an in-house remodel. The surplus office furniture an equipment were donated to area business and religious charities.

Johnson ensures the Manpower office promotes the Peach Festival by having framed Peach Festival posters hanging throughout the office. She purchases Peach Festival T-shirts for branch staff to wear at work prior to the festival. She also arranged to have Manpower donate cooler bags and gift cards to Miss Louisiana Tech (now Miss Louisiana) as gifts for the contestants in her Mr. Tech Auction. All money raised from the auction went to the Children’s Miracle Network.

Johnson has organized other donations from Manpower such as footballs to area high school football departments, money to purchase children’s books for local public schools and an office “lock-up” to raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).

Johnson supports several charities on a personal basis as well to include financial donations to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, item donations to local Goodwill and a personal “lock-up” to raise money for MDA. In late 2011, she and her husband sponsored a young boy through the Ruston Christmas Clearinghouse.

Johnson promotes the Manpower culture and policies from the minute one walks in the front door. She embraced the concept of “house-proud.” House-proud is “about being a great host, and welcoming candidates into an environment you are proud of and in which they feel comfortable,” states the Manpower Internal Website.

She makes certain the office is clean, orderly and welcoming for new candidates, current employees and customers.

Johnson is a graduate of NSU where she received a degree in hospitality management. She is a graduate of Natchitoches Central High School and is the daughter of Louis and Bridgett Briley.