Roger Johansson has worked for Hallberg-Rassy since 1989, so now for 22 years.
Roger says: ‘I was born and raised in Göteborg, Sweden, and we always had a summer house, my dad’s old family farm, on Orust. Orust is the island where Hallberg-Rassys are
built. We left Göteborg for good in 1980 and moved out to Orust. This is when I started sailing around the island and up to the fjords of Norway. I began my career in the automotive industry as an auto electrician trouble-shooter for Volvo and GM. I left for the US in 1989 and got involved with Free State Yachts and Hallberg-Rassy, helping out delivering Hallberg-Rassy 49s to various shows here on the east coast between Newport Rhode Island and Miami. The first few years I was over here I did some travelling around and worked with Free State on and off before deciding to settle in the US. Then I started to work full time for Free State Yachts, taking care of their charter fleet and the commissioning and warranty of the new Hallberg-Rassys. After working closely for many years with Mr. Bill Adams, the founder of Free State Yachts, and getting to know the business well, I was given the opportunity to buy the company - which I did on February 1st 2005. We, the staff here at Free State Yachts, are looking forward to continuing our work of marketing and selling Hallberg-Rassys in the years to come.’

Leif Gunnar Roger Johansson