Meet Alex Johnson, whose journey is the key to understanding the depth of experience and operational expertise she brings to Casago. Her career has been shaped by a decade of industry leadership and a personal commitment to principle based decision making.
Alex’s career began in the “big data” and new media sector at Rentrek (now CommCore), where she worked with television and movie studios. This role involved extensive travel, with up to 80% of her time spent on the road, which provided her with a strong analytical foundation. Her personal values were instilled in her by her mother, a “woman of principle” who dedicated herself to law school while raising two young children. This upbringing instilled in Alex a deep-seated commitment to doing what is right, a value she now shares with her own family.
Alex Johnson’s role as VP of Franchise Operations is centered around a clear and actionable strategy: to provide tailored support to a diverse network of franchise partners. Her vision goes beyond a one-size-fits-all approach, focusing instead on empowering local operators with proven frameworks that they can adapt to their unique market realities.
Alex’s goal for her team is to be a “partner and their guide” for every franchisee. She sees her team, which includes Jackie Nord’s team of what she calls “the heroes to the franchises,” as a central business consultancy. The team’s mission is to provide consistent, knowledgeable support throughout the franchisee journey.
Alex discusses “standardized flexibility.” This concept is providing standardized principles and processes that serve as guardrails, which can then be adapted to meet the unique needs of different markets. The operational realities of a dense urban market like San Diego are vastly different from those of a mountain resort like Snowshoe. An inflexible, top-down approach can lead to the downfall of a portfolio by failing to build trust with homeowners and guests. By offering a flexible framework based on universal principles, franchisees can adapt their standard operating procedures (SOPs) to meet the specific demands of their community.
Alex’s most significant value proposition stems from her firsthand experience at Vacasa. She has witnessed the company grow from 800 to 40,000 units, gaining a unique insight into the critical points of processes and systems.
As she puts it, “It’s not always that the process is broken; it’s that the scale changes.” This perspective allows her to guide franchisees, regardless of whether they have 20 homes or 200, with proven strategies that align with their specific stage of development.
Alex’s operational framework is built upon a strong foundation of personal and corporate values, which she believes are perfectly aligned with the Casago culture.
