PELHAM - On paper, Brian Johnson may not have been the ideal candidate to become Pelham’s new parks and recreation director. He had never held a similar position in another town. But Johnson, 37, was extremely enthusiastic about taking on the Pelham job.

“I really do think that was my selling point,” he said.

Johnson, who started his new job Feb. 4, succeeds Darren Mc- Carthy, who encouraged him to apply for the position before he moved to Texas in October.

“My eyes lit up like you wouldn’t believe,” when he learned the job would be available, Johnson recalled.

Johnson knew McCarthy through a successful youth flag football program that Johnson and his partner in a commercial cleaning business, Dan Provencal, started in town in the fall of 2006. Johnson, a Londonderry resident, fell in love with his work with flag football and spent 40 to 50 hours a week at it – so much time that Provencal joked if he spent a fraction of that time on their business, it would be a Fortune 500 company.

Johnson has spent 15 years in the commercial cleaning industry, first working for others, and then later running his business with Provencal. Before teaming up with his partner, Johnson was putting in long hours and rarely saw his kids.

“To me, it was important to coach Little League,” he said. “To put my kids on the bus in the morning. To be around for dinner. A lot of times when you’re working for someone else in a high position, the job comes first.”

Johnson, a father of three, grew up in Lawrence, Mass.

“My neighborhood was like a camp,” he said. “We had 12, 15 kids in the neighborhood, so we were out playing every day.”

Johnson played hockey, football and baseball in high school and graduated from Southeastern Massachusetts University – now UMass Dartmouth – with a degree in business management in 1993.

His enjoyment with flag football, along with two years of substitute teaching in Londonderry, got him thinking of pursuing a new career path. He interviewed with Town Administrator Tom Gaydos and selectmen before being hired.

“I think they were taken with my business background, the success of the football program, but more importantly I think it was the enthusiasm for this job,” he said. “It wasn’t really a need per se. It was more of a want.”

In his position, he oversees year-round recreational opportunities for kids and adults.

“I want them to have fun. That’s number one,” Johnson said. “I really want them to come and enjoy and look forward to the programs. And learn something, whether it’s basketball, yoga, dance, whatever it may be. Enjoy themselves and learn.”

Johnson is working to provide a baseball camp during April school vacation that caters to advanced baseball players. He also wants to provide opportunities for older teens and hopes to launch a summer night basketball league for them at Lyons Park.

“There’s a million things going on in my head right now, and I’m trying to put them on paper and get them solidified,” he said. “I think I bring in a whole new set of ideas.”

Johnson comes to the department at an ideal time of the year. Work is slower during the winter, and he has time to prepare for summer camp, the department’s largest recreation program.

He credits two women for helping make his transition into his new job easier: Kelly Ciampa, who filled in after McCarthy left, and Kathy Carr, who’s been the department’s secretary for a dozen years.

“Without (Kathy), the job would be almost impossible for me,” said Johnson, who runs ideas by her. “She’s just been an amazing crutch to lean on. She’s been a rock in this program for 12 years, and I’m not sure she gets the credit she deserves.”