| What it means to be a Paul Mitchell Signature Salon! |
| We care “Success Unshared is Failure”—John Paul DeJoria John Paul Mitchell Systems® is proud to be an American company. We’re proud not only to help Americans look beautiful, but to help our country and our world heal, grow and prosper. On behalf of the giving spirit of the hair care professionals we serve, John Paul Mitchell Systems and John Paul DeJoria have made multi-million dollar contributions to social welfare, education, the arts, environmental protection, and medical care and research. Recently we have supported the following worthy organizations: Public Service/Education • Adopt-a-Minefield • American Red Cross • Amnesty International • Austin Children’s Shelter • Chrysalis • City Hearts • Costa Mesa Fallen Firefighters Widows and Orphans Fund • Dig for Kids (AVP-based children's scholarship fund) • Dress for Success • Education for Life/Thailand Foundation • First Star (national foster care reform) • GLAAD • Habitat for Humanity • Hairdressers Unlocking Hope • Horatio Alger Association (scholarship fund for disadvantaged Students showing entrepreneurial promise) • International Association of Firefighters Disaster Relief Fund • Invisible Children • Mineseekers • Project Angel Food • The Blazer House • Wonder of Reading Arts • Grammy Museum and Foundation • House of Blues Foundation • Long Center for the Performing Arts • Power Up • The Creative Coalition Health and Medical • AIDS Ride • Alzheimers Foundation • American Cancer Society • American Heart Association • Andrew Gomez Foundation • Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation • Food4Africa • Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation • Locks of Love • Make-A-Wish Foundation • Operation Smile • Starbright Foundation • Susan G. Komen Foundation Special Needs • Challenged Athletes’ Foundation • Dream Foundation • Life Rolls On Asian Rehabilitation Services • Special Olympics Environment • American Forests • Global Green • Global Heritage Fund – Mirador Basin • Matter of Trust • NRDC (National Resource Defense Council) • Riverside Alliance • Sea Shepherd • Waterkeeper Alliance • Tropical Rainforest Foundation Animal Welfare • Ace of Hearts Dog Rescue • Best Friends Animal Society • Humane Society of the United States • Last Chance for Animals • Much Love Animal Rescue • Special Equestrian Rescue Team • Wildhaven Ranch “Corporations can and should change the world for the better. We have the perspective needed to leave the world a better place for our having been here.” —John Paul DeJoria The john Paul Mitchell systems story Over 28 years ago, two friends had a vision—to found a company for hairdressers—one that would provide tools of success for hair care professionals and educators, their salons and the entire beauty industry. It all began in 1980, when John Paul DeJoria and Paul Mitchell first decided to launch their professional hair care system around a revolutionary new styling method—hair sculpting– and a revolutionary new styling product—Hair Sculpting Lotion. They established a partnership with a borrowed $700.00 which eventually became known as John Paul Mitchell Systems. The two partners began marketing their products under the brand name Paul Mitchell, as Mr. Mitchell was the hairdresser of the two. Initially, John Paul Mitchell Systems faced many challenges. According to Mr. DeJoria, “We should have gone bankrupt perhaps 50 times during the first year.” Resources were so limited that the Paul Mitchell brand’s now-famous black and white packaging was a result of not being able to afford color ink. At one point, the company consisted of a post office box and an answering machine with a female friend (with an English accent) producing the message recording to convey that there was, indeed, an "office." However, the partners had a unique and winning strategy—a company-building plan that stemmed from their convictions. DeJoria and Mitchell traveled extensively to conduct no-cost product demonstrations for salon owners. They guaranteed salon owners would sell all products purchased; if they didn’t, they could return any unsold products for a full refund. Such practices represented a first for the hair care industry, and eventually led to John Paul Mitchell Systems becoming one of the fastest growing privately-held companies in the United States. Tragically, Paul Mitchell died of pancreatic cancer in 1989. Under DeJoria’s leadership, however, the company continued to grow to one of the largest in history. The two partners’ dream has flourished. Today, John Paul Mitchell Systems has annual salon retail sales approaching $900 million. The company currently produces over 90 products (including the brands Paul Mitchell, Modern Elixirs, Tea Tree, and Paul Mitchell Professional Hair Color). All John Paul Mitchell Systems hair and skin care products are manufactured within the United States. John Paul Mitchell Systems products are sold through 25 distributors within the United States to approximately 100,000 hair salons and schools. Internationally, John Paul Mitchell Systems works with distributors in 81 countries that supply thousands of hair salons. John Paul steers the company according to its original vision. Despite hugely lucrative offers from public corporations to purchase John Paul Mitchell Systems, John Paul refuses to sell the company because of the initial vow he took to stand by the professional beauty industry. Since no public corporation can guarantee it will market John Paul Mitchell Products exclusively through salons, for John Paul—selling is simply not an option. |