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“A gentleman is one who puts more into the world than he takes out.” – George Bernard Shaw
Spirited and Always a Gentleman
40 | Water Hero Springs a Well of Opportunity 46 | Some Truths About His Kindness 52
opportunity
SPIRITED AND ALWAYS A
GENTLEMAN WHAT INSPIRES JOHN PAUL DEJORIA
WRITTEN BY Darci Hansen
What inspires you? It really is a great question. Perhaps feeding a starving child moves you? Helping the homeless? Rescuing an animal from abuse? Working to keep the environment clean? Assisting our veterans? Advocating on behalf of bullying, mental illness, or domestic violence? It would take a lifetime to make a dent in that on-growing list of social issues. John Paul DeJoria has a lifetime. And he’s making the most of it. DeJoria is the Co-Founder of the internationally iconic hair care brand Paul Mitchell. If that name doesn’t ring your bell than perhaps a sip of smooth tequila will. Tossing the proverbial salt over his shoulder, DeJoria also founded Patron Spirits whose unique production of sophisticated ultra-premium tequila is now the world’s top selling. Clearly, John Paul is a creatively charged and widely successful entrepreneur. His calm yet matter-of-fact demeanor is symbolic of the peace sign he genuinely flashes in lieu of a wave. He is the face of his products - the distinguished looking man with a ponytail. It is no secret that DeJoria is passionate about preserving the environment and empowering others to be self-sufficient. He is spirited about politics and consistent in his positioning – collaboration in government is key. DeJoria holds his own in a heated debate while remaining true to his core values and most impressively, is always a gentleman. Listed consecutively on the Forbes 400 list of Richest People In America, John Paul (or JP as he is known) is a self-made billionaire; a title he has well earned but talks the least about. A large portion of his financial success is reinvested into an array of causes that sustain humanity. “My own misfortunes have built the foundation for my success,” he says. Maybe its because DeJoria knows from experience what it’s like to ‘have and have not.’ His compelling story is simply epic.
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MEN’S ISSUE 2013
Family knows no boarders: Shot on location in South Africa, Paul Mitchell CEO and co-founder John Paul DeJoria, wife, Eloise, and son, John Anthony, are all prominently featured in this photo, along with a few of the children who are part of the thousands that Food4Africa’s outreach program feeds and educates daily. The ad campaign focused on the company’s outreach to aid poverty and children’s needs worldwide.
“WE DIDN’T KNOW WE DIDN’T HAVE ANYTHING BECAUSE WE HAD NOTHING ELSE TO JUDGE THINGS BY.”
- JPD
John Paul’s beginnings are well documented. He grew up in Echo Park, a low-income, immigrant neighborhood of Los Angeles. His mother is Greek, his father Italian. He was only 2 when his mother became a single parent. John Paul’s first job was selling Christmas cards door-to-door to assist with family finances. He was 9 years old. He and his brother also took on paper routes. “We’d get up at 4 o’clock, fold our papers, deliver them and get ready for school,” he reflects. “I needed to help out. I learned early on how to work.” Graduating from high school at 17, DeJoria enlisted in the Navy where he completed two years of service. “When I got out of the service in 1964, I didn’t have the money to go to college, so I worked as a salesman for Collier’s Encyclopedia. Everyone should have to sell encyclopedias,” he says. “Having the door slammed in your face 30 or 40 times before you get the chance to talk to someone teaches you how to handle rejection. You learn to never give up.” And he didn’t. He was first married at a young age. He was 22 when JP’s wife up and left, taking his money and leaving behind their two-year-old son. “I gathered glass Coke bottles and cashed them in for extra money,” he recalls. But the rent was overdue and DeJoria found himself on the streets with his son. It was Lee Meyer, a fellow ‘biker’ and friend that offered he and his son a room for $22 a month, which was all JP could afford. That kindness from his friends in the biker community would not be forgotten.
“OBSTACLES ARE THINGS WE SEE WHEN WE TAKE OUR MINDS OFF OUR GOALS.” - JPD
In 1971 DeJoria went to work in the beauty industry for Redkin. In less than two years he was overseeing both the chain salon and scientific schools divisions. Short staffed and refusing to play office politics, JP was fired for, “Not being their type of manager,” he says. The same scenario would play out again and again before DeJoria decided it was enough. “When people fire you because you’re not their type of manager, it makes you want to be your own manager.” Before long it would be JP putting fuel on the word ‘fire.’ During his days at Redken, DeJoria became friends with stylist Cyril (Paul) Mitchell. Mitchell had built a name for
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DeJoria with business partner and dear friend, Paul Mitchell.
himself with an impressive list of celebrity clientele. He was also a master when it came to training and inspiring other stylists. Together the two ‘Paul’s’ decided to develop products for professional stylists that would reduce the time it took to cut hair. Both men would each own 30% of the company while a European investor contributing $500,000 would own 40%. Product was in production when the investor changed his mind. Relying upon that ‘never give up’ attitude, DeJoria borrowed $350 from his mom and Mitchell scraped up another $350 and together launched what would become John Paul Mitchell Systems with a mere $700. Simultaneously, his relationship with his then wife had gone bad and he left, giving her all of his money. “I was too embarrassed to tell my friends or ask for help so I just slept in my car that night,” he recalls. With two weeks before the first bill for product was due, John Paul did what he knew best. He knocked on doors. And they opened. JP rallied enough orders to pay the production bill all while living out of his car. DeJoria recalls, “I got a friend to watch (my son) while I was living in the car this time because he had lived in a car with me once when he was two and a half years old and that was…very difficult, but I made sure he was okay.” He also says his mom helped him out, “But she never knew how bad off I really was.” Desperate times require creative measures for John Paul. He vividly remembers the challenge to eat. “For ninetynine cents, I’d go to the Freeway Café and get a biker, trucker breakfast which was one egg, hash brown potatoes, one piece of toast and either one piece of bacon or one sausage. The sausage was bigger, so I got the sausage.” His innovation to eat didn’t stop there. Promotion of the ‘Happy Hour’ was a trend for bigger restaurant chains including the El Torito who enticed the public with early evening drink specials. “For ninety nine cents I could buy a margarita. Maybe not the best tequila of the day,” he jokes, “but they also gave you free salsa and chips or chicken wings. After fifteen or twenty chicken wings you’d be full.” A true gentleman, DeJoria made sure he always had enough to leave the waitress a small tip. MEN’S ISSUE 2013
John Paul DeJoria is among the chosen few who have received the Horatio Alger award, the only award given by the Supreme Court. The honor is bestowed upon those recipients whose achievements have been accomplished through honesty, hard work, self-reliance and perseverance over adversity. DeJoria was also recognized by the US Navy receiving the Lone Sailor Award honoring Sea Service veterans who have excelled in their civilian careers. “I joined the U.S. Navy after graduating from high school only to find that it would exceed all of my expectations. It afforded me the opportunity to visit many foreign shores on my aircraft carrier, the USS Hornet, while learning the personal management and teamwork skills that would help me later on in my career,� he said.
After a few days of seeing DeJoria in the restaurant, the waitress asked him if that was his dinner. He explained he was starting a new company and money was tight. She had also noticed the little boy who had been with him. “That is my son,” he said. Touched by his circumstances, the waitress would have the waiter sneak JP a little ‘extra’ food while he was there to make sure both were fed. “It was really nice, I never forgot that.”
“I had put my friend Martin [Crowley] in the architectural business. He had a little bad luck in his life, so he would go down to Mexico, buy stone pavers and furniture and come back to the United States and sell it to architects,” he said. Before Crowley headed out on one of his trips DeJoria asked him to bring back a few bottles of tequila. Not just any tequila. JP wanted what Mexicans considered to be their very finest.
For two weeks John Paul lived in his car while pounding the streets to sell his product. “I had parked my car on Mulholland Drive because it was safe there,” he recalls. “One day the actress Joanna Pettet knocked on my car. We knew each other from years past and she said I could have a room in her house free for two months, but I’d have to pay rent after that.” Grateful for her generosity he took her up on the offer.
Martin delivered. DeJoria indulged. “This is the smoothest tequila I ever had,” he told Martin. Martin’s reply, “I can make it smoother.”
With a $15 post office box, a couple of business cards, and the support of a few good people, John Paul Mitchell Systems was meant to be.
Along with the tequila Crowley brought back an unusual handblown glass bottle. “I can design a beautiful label for it. What do you think about going into business together?” he asked DeJoria. With that, JP purchased the first one thousand cases of what would be known as Patron Spirits. That was in 1989. The company has since exceeded DeJoria’s expectations. “It’s all about the quality,” he says. “Whether it’s a product or a service, make sure you have the best quality out there ... And make it so good people will want to buy it again.” Perhaps he supports the development of new business because DeJoria knows all too well what it takes to start one. Whether it was the cold nights on the street, the countless doors that were slammed in his face, or just the idea of helping a friend, JP has certainly embraced the opportunity of investing in good ideas. The success of those ideas means more to give. Such would be the case with all things “DeJoria.” From Paul Mitchell The School, DeJoria Diamonds, The House of Blues and John Paul Pet to the lengthy list of his other business ventures, each of his companies exist to do more than make money. “Success unshared is failure.” This is what inspires him.
In accordance with their culture of giving, Paul Mitchell Schools’ 9th annual FUNraising Gala held at the Beverly Hills Hilton celebrated the $2.5 million dollars raised by their ‘future professionals’ for charity. Élan Magazine Founder and Editor in Chief, Darci Hansen; Paul Mitchell The School St. George Partner and Lunatic Fringe St. George Owner Andrea Lang; Paul Mitchell Co-owner Angus Mitchell; Paul Mitchell The School St. George Admissions Leader, Tanisha K. Jensen, Paul Mitchell Co-Founder, John Paul DeJoria, Paul Mitchell The School St. George Partner and Lunatic Fringe St. George Owner, Randy Lange.
“Wealth is being happy and healthy and if you get a little extra, share it with a few.” - JPD
Sounds like a good slogan for some premium tequila. But for John Paul, it’s a sincere sentiment. Sharing is something he does well. And although an array of business ventures may not have been part of his original plan, he has combined his knowledge and finances to support a number of brilliant ideas, Patron Spirits being one of them.
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“I don’t want people to know what I have, I want them to know what I do with what I have.” - JPD
It would be difficult to find another whose successful endeavors have been utilized to care for our planet and its people in the way John Paul DeJoria has. He teaches others to do the same by maintaining a culture of giving throughout his socially conscious business empire. “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 there,” he says. With 100 Paul Mitchell The School locations across the country and some 20,000 ‘future professional’ students, monumental efforts to support a variety of causes are highly successful. In 2012 alone, $2.5 million dollars were raised by the students and gifted back to ten major charities including two Utah based non-profits: The Children’s Miracle Network and Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. The impact that the culture of giving has had locally was also acknowledged with both the St. George and Salt Lake City schools ranking in the top-ten for the most money raised. MEN’S ISSUE 2013
Beyond the schools, DeJoria’s personal philanthropic interests stretch across continents and are aimed towards organizations that help others help themselves. He is extremely passionate about Grow Appalachia, a non-profit organization John Paul founded to address the problem of food security in the region. The project supports families of Appalachia to grow, preserve and sell food locally, helping to create a sustainable food production system. As one of the first cruelty-free companies, John Paul Mitchell Systems is a leader in the fight to ban animal testing. JP makes no apologies for his feelings of disgust with “people taking advantage of the lives of animals, or the environment simply for monetary gain.” Have you been inspired yet? On the other side of the globe, DeJoria has been a major supporter of Food4Africa, sponsoring thousands of vitaminenriched meals for orphans affected by AIDS. Across the sea, he supports MINESEEKER, a European based non-profit devoted to the removal of landmines. DeJoria serves on board for both the Creative Coalition and Robert Kennedy’s Waterkeeper Alliance. A dedicated advocate for energy efficiency, DeJoria was named 2009 Goodwill Ambassador by the Intergovernmental Renewable Energy Organization at the United Nations. But wait, there’s more! He has acted as an adviser to government agencies including the U.S. Navy Seals, the CIA and the Asian-Pacific Economic Forum.
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Not only should you be inspired by all that JP has taken on, you should be exhausted just at the thought of it all. Rather than opting to retire years ago and bask in his success John Paul continues to work hard simply to give back.
“We’re able to change the world and make it a better place to live. And that’s one of the biggest motivations of being in business today.” - JPD It was only a few years ago that John Paul returned to the El Torito where he was so kindly taken care of. To his surprise, the very same waiter was still there. “I saw you on TV. I remembered you. You’re the same guy,” the waiter said to JP. DeJoria returned the favor. “I gave him one hell of a big tip.” So, what inspires John Paul DeJoria? People. People like Lee Meyer, the fellow biker that gave JP and his son a place to live; John Paul’s mother, who loaned him that $350 which translated into a global empire; the actress, Joanna Pettet, who knocked on his car and opened her home; and then there’s the waitress and waiter who fed him and his son. As a result of these humbling experiences, the world is indeed a better place because John Paul DeJoria was inspired.
INNOVATION
The 2013 St. George Area Parade of Homes promises to be the best in our 23 year history featuring 28 homes totaling over 85,000 square feet of innovation, inspiration and ideas for you to build on. St. George was recently listed in the Wall Street Journal as one of the top 10 markets in the country making it the right time to buy while mortgage rates are still low and inventory is still available. It's not just about the right market, beautiful homes or the perfect lifestyle, it's about creating dreams for you to build on.
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February 15th–24th