Johnny Opara emigrated from Nigeria to the U.S. when he was 3 months old. His family moved across the South before landing in the Twin Cities. Opara’s dad later suffered a health crisis that limited his ability to work, his income, and his access to quality housing. His struggles led Opara to quit a corporate job to become a developer focused on high-quality housing for people of limited means. He worked five jobs, liquidated his 401(k), and endured four years of “no,” but eventually he found mentors and closed on his first property in 2021, The Hollows on St. Paul’s East Side. Today, JO owns 116 units, with $200 million of development in the pipeline, and is one of the developers on The Heights in northeast St. Paul. In 2025, Opara expects full occupancy of his Wangstad Commons in Brooklyn Center and hopes to close financing for one phase of The Heights and the Penn Station Apartments in Richfield.