Excel Text Columns read as Number

I'm trying to import an Excel file into BI Desktop. The first column in the spreadsheet is a TEXT column but when I try to load into my Power BI dashboard, it changes it to a NUMBER column. Consequently, the import errors out on all of the records where the first column contains text and strips off leading zeros for those records that contain only numbers in that column (the leading zeros need to stay). How can I get Power BI to import this column as text instead of assuming it should be numeric? Thank you.