Piper Fire Executive Team

Terry Johnson- Founder, Piper Fire:

Mr. Johnson, also known as “Mr. J”, founded Piper Fire in 1986 after working for other fire protection companies for more than twenty years in the Midwest and here in Florida. He began his career in the Midwest as a sprinkler apprentice and continued on his career path as a journeyman, foreman, and superintendent, learning at each step. Once he moved to central Florida, his work as a sprinkler fitter, service technician and superintendent prepared him to open his own shop focused on servicing and inspecting fire protection systems, first on the beaches and eventually expanding to include west central Florida. His work ethic gave Piper Fire the reputation for honesty and integrity that continues today. Mr. Johnson currently holds a State of Florida Class 2 Fire Protection Contractor’s license and attends training classes annually.

Chris Johnson- President:

As the President Co-Founder of Fortis Fire, Chris Johnson is responsible for managing multiple facets of the business including the Sprinkler Construction, Human Resources, Sales and Marketing departments. He is a NICET certified fire protection engineer, holding a level III certification in fire sprinkler design as well as a State of Florida Class I Fire Protection Contractor’s license and Class A and Class D Fire Equipment Dealer’s license for fire extinguishers and pre-engineered systems. Chris is also a High Piled Storage and Anechoic Chamber specialist.

Recently Chris has focused most of his efforts on advocating for the life safety industry through the Florida Chapter of the American Fire Sprinkler Association (A.F.S.A.). He is the Chairman for the Florida Chapter and the Legislative Committee, serves on the Board of Directors and in 2018 was invited to serve on the A.F.S.A. National Board as a member of the Legislative, Chapter Development and Public Education committees. Chris has served on the executive board of the Gulf Coast Chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors Association since 2015 and currently is a state board member representing the Gulf Coast Chapter.

Chris is very involved with local organizations and causes. He is the current Chairman for the Government Advocacy Panel (G.A.P.) for the Central Pinellas Chamber of Commerce and previously served on the Executive Committee, which included one year as the Chairman in 2015. He is the current Chairman of the board for the Largo Medical Center’s Board of Trustees and sits on two different boards at his church. Chris has a passion for youth soccer and has served in many volunteer positions including President of the Osceola Youth Soccer League, is a certified referee and referee assignor and opens up the training and meeting rooms to many soccer association meetings.

In addition to all of his advocating and local commitments, Chris is a dedicated husband and father of six.

Don O’Lone- Vice President of Finance:

Don O’Lone joined our team in 1996 and is currently the Vice President of Finance for Piper Fire Protection. In this role, Don manages all business operations for the company including, but not limited to, Accounts Payables/Receivables, Accounting/Billing, etc.

Don holds a bachelor’s degree in Business from the University of Florida. He continues to further his knowledge through continuing education and seminars in all aspects of business, loss prevention, risk mitigation, and finance.

Don is married and has 3 children.