In fact, retailers account for approximately 75 percent of its sales, and salons for 20 percent. By Stefano Esposito Updated Mar 22, 2023, 10:28am PDT Pocket Industry insiders speculate that Mr. Gardner, flush with cash from the sale of the family business, is funding Namaste by himself. Chicago, IL 60601 Soft Sheens Edward G. Gardner showed what Black life could be He built his family a beautiful home on the South Side of the city and co-founded a business that provided steady employment so others could do the same. BLACK ENTERPRISE is the premier business, investing, and wealth-building resource for African Americans. Upon assuming her position, she almost immediately began making significant changes in the company's operations. James Gunn names decisive factor in Marvel re-hiring after Guardians of the Galaxy 3 sacking, Director was fired and rehired on the hit Marvel franchise, Fauci says the general public somehow didnt get his messaging that the vulnerable are really, really heavily weighted toward the elderly, Did we say hat the elderly were much more vulnerable? targeting: { Your Money, Your Life, LATEST LISTS WebThe 27-year-old Gary Gardner had been involved with Soft Sheen since its earliest days, when he and his siblings helped their parents by filling shampoo bottles. The Gardners married in 1950 and from their union four children were born. He leaves a legend of love and a powerful life for the world to remember. Unfortunately, the domestic market for ethnic hair care products remained in its slump, with hairstyles still tending toward a more natural, less time-intensive look. Last month he signed a law to raise the retirement age from 62 to 64, despite months of strikes, One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites, Philippines, China to discuss fishing rights in South China Sea-Marcos. In 1987, Soft Sheen moved to compensate for diminishing domestic sales by expanding its presence in overseas markets. It acquired 66 percent of Dyke and Dryden, Ltd., a London-based manufacturer of ethnic hair care products and the largest black-owned business in Europe. He served in the Army during World War II and later took advantage of the GI Bill to get a bachelors degree at Chicago Teachers College, now Chicago State University, and a masters in education from the University of Chicago. In 1964, he left a career as a popular teacher and assistant principal to start a haircare company, Soft Sheen Products, Inc. with his wife Bettiann. The post Soft Sheen co-founder, civic leader Edward Gardner dies appeared first on TheGrio. Soft Sheen finished 1997 with sales of $94.5 million. Since the 1970s, its flagship product Black Enterprise magazine has covered African-American businesses with a readership of 3.7 million. "Today our presence is almost all over the world, with the exception of people of African descent, who have very specific needs in terms of hair," Peyrelongue said. Had America and those in power listened to the Gardners we wouldnt have the murder in our streets that we have right now, if theyd listen to your voice. She also hired a third-party company to maintain inventory and positioning of Soft Sheen's products in retail stores. Since 1970, BLACK ENTERPRISE has provided essential business information and advice to professionals, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, and decision makers. } tude.cmd.push(function() { cat: 'fashion-beauty', It acquired 66 percent of Dyke and Dryden, Ltd., a London-based manufacturer of ethnic hair care products and the largest black-owned business in Europe. He also taught me how to make mistakes. Mr. Gardner died Monday at his home near 91st Street and Michigan Avenue, where he spent all but four of his 98 years, his family said. WebSoft Sheen was sold to hair care giant L'Oreal for over $100 million (US). He rallied his troops.. Please check your email for confirmation from us. Another of her initiatives involved restructuring and consolidating the company's warehouse operations, a move that increased on-time shipments and improved service levels. Edward G. Gardner, a breakthrough businessman in the beauty industry and co-founder of Soft Sheen Products, has passed away, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. tude.refreshAdsViaDivMappings([ { He donated tens of thousands of dollars to causes that sought to end gun violence; to that end, he helped create the nonprofit organization Black On Black Love. 1979: Soft Sheen introduces Care Free Curl, causing revenues to increase dramatically. 1985: Gary Gardner becomes president and CEO of Soft Sheen. 1996: Gary Gardner resigns, and is replaced by his sister, Terri Gardner. Soft Sheen Products Inc. is the top U.S. producer of ethnic hair care products. url: 'honoring,the,legacy,of,a,great,chicagoan,and,black,business,giant,edward,g,gardner,passes,away,at,98', As a patron of the arts, Gardner and his wife were instrumental in the development of the New Regal Theater (now the Avalon Regal Theater) a noted venue for Black performers. The company produces embroidery application softtware for the craft and industrial market. In May, the family hired a financial advisory firm to review Soft Sheen's options, prompting a flurry of rumors that the company was for sale. divId: 'div-gpt-ad-rightrail-1', In a September 1998 interview with Black Enterprise, Gardner explained the company's decision to join L'Oreal. All rights reserved. With the backing of L'Oreal, it was expected that Soft Sheen would grow rapidly in the coming years. Outside of their business, the Gardners remained staunch community activists being actively involved in Harold Washingtons mayoral campaigns for example and together were members of several organizations including the Chicago Urban League and Chicago United. Entrepreneurs Summit ]); He reduced employment 27 percent, to 620 employees, between 1984 and 1988 by not replacing workers who left. Edward Gardners early efforts at making Black hair care products started in the family kitchen, with his wifes pots and pans. That's how executives, speaking publicly for the first time since the acquisition July 1, explained the deal Thursday. div_id: 'div-gpt-ad-rightrail-1', Keep in mind the child is an extension of youeverything that they do is a reflection of you. He was 98. We never got the wax out of the pan. Like every other event involving a red carpet these days, the White House Correspondents Association Dinner has become yet another opportunity to use a moment of image-making to generate conversation and influence public opinion. . Gary Gardner. 'We saw a strategic partner with muscle through which we could fulfill our vision for the company,' she said. Although the company gave no official reason for the resignations, industry insiders speculated that they were due to disagreement over Soft Sheen's future course. At about the time Soft Sheen and L'Oreal began courting, Mr. Gardner was already in business for himself, introducing his high-end line of products without much fanfare. Click below to see everything we have to offer. With this war chest, he mounted a campaign that registered more than 200,000 voters. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Chicago State University, https://www.csu.edu/foundation/donate.htm. As consumers, we often take for granted all the hard work that goes into building a great company. Although the company refused to release the price of the acquisition, industry analysts estimated it at more than $160 million. He helped elect the citys first Black mayor, Harold Washington, in 1983 loaning the Washington campaign his creative staff as well as helping fund a voter registration campaign. A private family service is planned. Gary Gardner. When you not only told us not to hurt and harm each other but to love each other You were trying to pastor us and nobody was ready to hear it, Pfleger said. His enterprise still isn't widely known, even among ethnic hair care industry executives and consultants. Gardner and his wife Bettiann founded the company in 1964. They are marketed under various brand names, including Alternatives, Baby Love, Care Free Curl, Frizz Free, as well as Sportin' Waves, Wave Nouveau, and Optimum Care. Soft Sheen started as a garage-based business and grew to an international empire that influenced how people all over the world beautified themselves. ]); In the 1980s, Ed and his wife Bettiann became co-owners of the Chicago Bulls basketball team, cementing their love for Chicago and its award-winning franchise. They eventually moved into an old factory at 87th and Dobson and renovated the building that would become Soft Sheens new campus. That drove him to anger, said Gary Gardner. He was the embodiment of the hard-working, family-focused, responsible Black father. She agreed in March 1996. We went from small mom and pop to a major player in the business, said Gary Gardner. INFORMATION By the late 1980s, the company was one of the largest Black-owned beauty brands in the country. Impressed with Terri Gardner's leadership abilities, the Soft Sheen board of directors asked her to fill the president and CEO positions on a permanent basis. Black Enterprise is a black-owned multimedia company. As the years went by, the Gardners continued to work hard and Soft Sheen flourished. Mr. Gardner was a well-known philanthropist and activist. He stuttered as a child. Terri had previously served as Soft Sheen's executive vice-president of advertising, as well as president of Brainstorm Communications, the company's ad agency. Edward G. Gardner, co-founder of Soft Sheen Products and beloved philanthropist, dead at 98 Mr. Gardner donated tens of thousands of dollars to causes that sought to end gun violence and helped create the nonprofit Black On Black Love. I looked up to him Gary Gardner stated on Wednesday. }); !function(n){if(!window.cnx){window.cnx={},window.cnx.cmd=[];var t=n.createElement('iframe');t.display='none',t.onload=function(){var n=t.contentWindow.document,c=n.createElement('script');c.src='//cd.connatix.com/connatix.player.js',c.setAttribute('async','1'),c.setAttribute('type','text/javascript'),n.body.appendChild(c)},n.head.appendChild(t)}}(document); Blitzing the city with banners, print and radio advertisements, the campaign registered over 200,000 new voters and helped secure Harold Washingtons victory. Soft Sheen was founded in 1964, in the basement of a home on the south side of Chicago. Education Bachelor of Science, University Illinois, Chicago, 1975. The new signage will hang at 87th and Dobson near the site of the former home of Soft Sheen Products. At some point during his tenure as a salesman, Mr. Gardner learned that Black salons were unhappy with the limited supply of beauty products available to the African American consumer and therefore decided to take matters into his own hands. Ads tout the products' natural ingredients, herbs and vitamins. WELCOME TO THE FAMILY! He believed that with access to opportunity, hard work, a quality education and safe neighborhoods, there is nothing we cant achieve. Terri Gardner. View our. You replace crime by realizing that as a mother and as a father you have a responsibility to do all you can to give that child the best chance for a happy life. See Photos. In 1992, his in-house communication agency, led by his daughter Terri, created a second highly successful voter registration campaign in partnership with Project Vote, led by Barack Obama. In a November 1996 interview with Drug Store News, she promised that consumers would see new Soft Sheen products in the stores in the first quarter of 1997. Despite the success, Mr. Gardner never moved from his neighborhood. Ed and Betty Gardner, the driving force behind Soft Sheen Products were honored last Thursday with a street naming dedication ceremony not too far from where their company was once located. Three boys and one girl: Gary, Guy, Tracy and Terri. She made good on her promise. Staying current is easy with Crain's news delivered straight to your inbox, free of charge. Around 1960, he began working for another beauty supply business and when it went bankrupt, Gardner took its customers and began producing his In 2012, at age 87, Gardner organized more than 1,000 protesters in response to a South Side construction sites lack of Black workers. If there was a violent event where someone was at the hospital and needed help, he would write a check to that family, Gary Gardner said. cnx({ He taught me how to build, how to fix things, how to drive, and how not to drive. Here's how to figure out what's wrong with your pup. Throughout the decades, Eds faith in God and humanity, and his belief in the power of the written word to stop the violence, persisted. He was 98 years old. In September 2012, at the age of eighty-seven, Edward Gardner led over a thousand demonstrators protesting the lack of Black workers on local construction crews. tag: 'mandc,black-haircare,edward-g-gardner,hair-products,haircare,soft-sheen-products', 1-877-812-1590, Companies scramble to keep abortion off annual meeting agendas, With WWE deal, Ari Emanuel doubles down on contact sports, Gunman kills three at Michigan State; suspect found dead, Sponsored Content: Food insecurity set to grow as emergency SNAP benefits end, Outcome Health execs convicted in federal fraud case, The Most Powerful Women In Chicago Business. Copyright (c) 2022 Company-Histories.com. or. 'We grew so fast, we were afraid the franchise would be taken away from us,' Gardner said in a February 1991 interview with USA Today. Targeting these 'Generation Y' consumers--which research showed to be an underserved segment of the market--Soft Sheen went for an innovative, fresh look and feel in its product packaging and ad copy. In early July 1998, Soft Sheen announced that it had agreed to be acquired by L'Oreal's New York-based U.S. subsidiary, Cosmair Inc. Mr. Gardner sold the business in 1998. In the middle of Soft Sheen's astonishing growth spurt, Edward and Bettiann Gardner turned the company's presidency over to their oldest son, Gary. CHICAGO PUBLIC LIBRARY ANNOUNCES PLANS TO OPEN TWO NEW LOCATIONS IN MIXED-USE DEVELOPMENTS, AND FUNDING FOR A NEW BRANCH IN WOODLAWN, Cubs Adbert Alzolay Helps Distribute Food at Advocate Health Cares Food Farmacy Day, REP. KELLY, SENATORS DUCKWORTH, DURBIN INTRODUCE TWO BILLS TO INCREASE YOUTH EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES, Cook County Commissioner Monica Gordon Gives Employers Incentive to Hire Formerly Incarcerated Individuals, CONGRESSMAN DANNY K. 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CHICAGO (CBS) -- Many are mourning the loss of Edward Gardner, a Chicago titan in business and philanthropy. Melbourne (AFP) - Coach Eddie Jones insisted Monday he had enough time to transform the Wallabies into a World Cup winning team, boosted by the imminent return of some key players from injury. He got teased a lot, Terri Gardner said. My mother let him know that the pans were off limits because we needed to eat.. WebLater, she executed the merger of a major competitor, as president of Soft Sheen/Carson division of LOral USA, overseeing 500 worldwide employees and revenues over $150 million by 2000. . The line is being distributed nationwide through retailers including the nation's largest beauty supply chain, Sally Beauty Co. The Rev. Get the best business coverage in Chicago, from breaking news to razor-sharp analysis, in print and online. Read news from 100s of titles, curated specifically for you. Ed Gardners greatest contribution to the city he loved was doing everything he could to help Chicago elect its first Black Mayor, Harold Washington, in 1983. Betty and Ed Gardner celebrate their street dedication ceremony with members of the Illinois legislature and Chicago City Council. He was 98 years old. Mr. Gardner, the son of a warehouse worker and a seamstress, had to overcome much in his early years. I feel blessed to have had Ed Gardner as my father. In 2012, at age 87, Gardner organized more than 1,000 protesters in response to a South Side construction sites lack of Black workers. pos: 'right_rail_2', Under the terms of the agreement, Terri Gardner remained on as president of the Soft Sheen division and also became a member of Cosmair's executive committee. He donated tens of thousands of dollars to causes that sought to end gun violence; to that end, he helped create the nonprofit organization Black On Black Love. In the fall of 1997, the company launched Alternatives, a line of relaxers and styling products designed for younger women who varied their hairstyles from day to day. In July 1998, L'Oreal announced that it planned to open a specialized research and development center in Chicago dedicated to ethnic products, the only such R & D center in the world. Jul 1984 - Present38 years 10 months. WebTen-year-old Gary Gardner, Soft Sheen s future president, mixed Soft Sheen Hair and Scalp Conditioner and demonstrated it at trade shows. The company sells its products to salons, beauty supply houses, and such retailers as drug stores and department stores. Conditioning was particularly important to preserve the health of black hair, which tended to dry out under the stress of styling and chemical processing. A commonly available ingredient cooked in lower- or middle-class kitchens can be seen as mediocre, but the same thing prepared by a renowned chef and served in a star-studded restaurant can be a symbol. Missing Crain's in print? It took 15 years for the business to thrive, but the company that began in 1964, would eventually expand across the Midwest and then the nation perhaps best known for the product, Care Free Curl. For more than half a century, the family has shared their husband, father, father-in- law, uncle, grandfather, and great-grandfather proudly and unselfishly with the world. Its founders, Edward and Bettiann Gardner, began the business when they became aware that there was a decided lack of hair care products formulated for people of color. The popularity of Care Free Curl drove revenues up at an almost unbelievable pace, from $500,000 in 1979 to $55 million by 1982. See Photos. Words of remembrance and condolences are invited at Edward Gardner In Memoriam Facebook Group page https://www.facebook.com/groups/3117330031746372 He taught me to garden. Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Agreement. Edward G. Gardner, a trailblazing businessman in the beauty industry as the co-founder of Soft Sheen Products, has passed away, reports the Chicago Sun-Times. The company expected its global expansion to drive sales up to $150 million by the middle of the 1990s. The house in which he died Monday was two houses down from the home where he grew up, his family said. Michelle Harris (8th) praised the Gardners saying that they are the epitome of what an African American entrepreneur is. Mr. Gardner was also a well-known philanthropist. He started off on [his wifes] stove. He believed that with access to opportunity, hard work, a quality education and safe neighborhoods, there is nothing we cant achieve.. We see them around but we don't know what goes on behind the scenes. He overcame it. WebGary Edward Gardner, American manufacturing executive. Last year, the $80-million Chicago-based company was sold to French cosmetics giant L'Oreal SA for an estimated $100 million-plus. See Photos. Meanwhile, Soft Sheen continued to introduce new products. Simultaneously, his wife Denise resigned from her position as vice-president of marketing. Michael L. Pfleger of St. Sabina Church said the Gardners warned of the impending violence in Chicago years agobut their pleas fell on deaf ears. At twelve, he took me to work with him on Saturdays, where I learned to make hair products. Privacy Policy Privacy Policy. Our purpose in life was to do all we possibly can that God (put) us here to do to make life better for all human beings. The Gardners married in 1950 and from their union four children were born. Its an entrepreneurial quality that allowedhim to create a business despite the challenges of institutional and individual racism. He also cut operational costs, in an effort to boost profits. A private family service is planned. Principal Subsidiaries: Dyke & Dryden, Ltd. (U.K.; 66%); Soft Sheen Products, Ltd. (Jamaica); Soft Sheen International. Beloved Chicago philanthropist Edward Gardner, the co-founder of Soft Sheen Products hair care company, died Monday at age 98, CBS News reports. He taught me to fish. page_type: 'article', divId: 'div-gpt-ad-rightrail-3', Gardner, the co-founder of the hair care company Soft Sheen Products Inc., died Monday surrounded by family. He melted wax in one of the pans, said one of Mr. Gardners four children, Terri Gardner. B.E. Dismayed by the level of violence in the community, in the 1980s he created the non- profit organization, Black On Black Love. Sign Up. tag: 'mandc,black-haircare,edward-g-gardner,hair-products,haircare,soft-sheen-products',