He taught for several years in Chicago Public Schools and was also an administrator. He got up early in the morning, telling us Were not going to make it this way meaning lets get to work. 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. 2023 The Citizen Newspaper Group, All Rights Reserved. Terri Gardner. Copyright (c) 2022 Company-Histories.com. ABOUT His and his wifes love of theater inspired him to re-create one of Chicagos most historic entertainment venues, the Regal Theater. Master of Business Administration, Northwestern University, 1980. Gardner and his wife Bettiann founded the company in 1964. Although his Organic line isn't as widely distributed as Soft Sheen's products, it is being sold in beauty supply stores and professional salons nationwide, including industry leader Sally Beauty, owned by Melrose Park-based Alberto-Culver Inc. One Sally operator says he increased the store's monthly order of Organic products from 84 items to 336 in just four months -- and still sells out within two or three days of delivery. Food -- how it is prepared and consumed -- can be a reflection of social status. Also, please download theGrio mobile apps today! Soft Sheen Products officially launched in 1964 while Mr. Gardner was still an assistant principal at a local school. Its an entrepreneurial quality that allowedhim to create a business despite the challenges of institutional and individual racism. INFORMATION CHICAGO (CBS) -- Many are mourning the loss of Edward Gardner, a Chicago titan in business and philanthropy. "Gary slipped this line in through the back door very discreetly, but it's hot as a firecracker," says Kelly Murphy, president of New Jersey-based distributor East West Sales Network, who isn't representing Namaste's products but wishes he were. Gary Gardner described the goings on in the family kitchen as somewhere between a science lab and a cooking experiment.. div_id: 'div-gpt-ad-rightrail-3', "Gary and Denise have found another category where there is a tremendous need, another major niche," says Lafayette Jones, president and CEO of industry consulting firm Segmented Marketing Services Inc. in North Carolina. He believed that with access to opportunity, hard work, a quality education and safe neighborhoods, there is nothing we cant achieve.. 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. cat: 'fashion-beauty', 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. 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. Gardner, a co-founder of Soft Sheen Products Inc., died Monday at his home in the West Chesterfield neighborhood, where he spent almost all of his life. (Photo by Jerome Photography). cat: 'fashion-beauty', Soft Sheen markets its products in several countries, including Africa, Brazil, and the Caribbean, as well as in the United States. According to CBS News, a private family service is planned. Instead of flowers, donations to Chicago State University can be made here. 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. 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. The gentle, conditioning Optimum Care quickly became the industry's best-selling relaxer. 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. subcat: '', The answer seemed to lie, first, in research and development. Its distribution system was inefficient and slow, with orders taking ten days to be filled. Although the company refused to release the price of the acquisition, industry analysts estimated it at more than $160 million. By May 1997, Soft Sheen had released two new lines, Mizani and Hair Werks, that were designed exclusively for use in salons. He was my father, my hero, my teacher, said Gary Gardner, one of Mr. Gardners four children. 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. Edward G. Gardner, co-founder of Soft Sheen Products and precious philanthropist, dead at 98 by Elwood Hill March 22 2023 Edward G. Gardner's hair care line began in his home basement and grew to be one the largest Black-owned organizations of its kind in the country. 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. targeting: { Throughout his ownership of the company, he continued to offer exclusive products for his beloved salon customers. 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. In a September 1998 interview with Black Enterprise, Gardner explained the company's decision to join L'Oreal. Yes. On Thursday, the lives and efforts of these civic pillars were celebrated by hundreds of people including dignitaries, public officials, and former Soft Sheen employees. 1964: Gary and Bettiann Gardner begin Soft Sheen in the basement of their home. 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. Gardners charitable contributions were in the tens of thousands of dollars to fight gun violence. Blitzing the city with banners, print and radio advertisements, the campaign registered over 200,000 new voters and helped secure Harold Washingtons victory. On the side, he would deliver hair care products out of the back of his car to South Side beauty salons. Now, retail outlets can't stock enough of the products. Soft Sheen started as a garage-based business and grew to an international empire that influenced how people all over the world beautified themselves. He believed in himself and his ability to not just hope things worked out, but to make sure things worked out. } Disagreement or no, Gary Gardner retained his seat on the board of directors, while the company installed his sister, Terri Gardner, as interim president and CEO. Your Money, Your Life, LATEST LISTS '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. Did we say it over and over and over again? These operational shortcomings, along with adverse market conditions, put the brakes on Soft Sheen's sales growth. Words of remembrance and condolences are invited at Edward Gardner In Memoriam Facebook Group page https://www.facebook.com/groups/3117330031746372 TheGrio is FREE on your TV via Apple TV, Amazon Fire, Roku and Android TV. According to Terri Gardner, One of my dads greatest qualities was his perseverance. Gary Gardner. Click below to see everything we have to offer. According to CBS News, a private family service is planned. Gardner, the co-founder of the hair care company Soft Sheen Products Inc., died Monday surrounded by family. The post Soft Sheen co-founder, civic leader Edward Gardner dies appeared first on TheGrio. Soft Sheen Products Inc. is the top U.S. producer of ethnic hair care products. 'We saw a strategic partner with muscle through which we could fulfill our vision for the company,' she said. I feel blessed to have had Ed Gardner as my father. He was my father, my hero, my teacher, Gary Gardner said in a news release. 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. url: 'honoring,the,legacy,of,a,great,chicagoan,and,black,business,giant,edward,g,gardner,passes,away,at,98', In 2001, After retiring from business, Gardner trained as a spiritual leader and social worker in keeping with her roots of community action. Mr. Gardner, the son of a warehouse worker and a seamstress, had to overcome much in his early years. Soft Sheen Products Inc., a relatively small Chicago-based company, will help its new parent fill that hole. Testing various mixtures on their children, the Gardners developed several products that were specifically formulated to address the needs of African Americans. These industry giants, with their vast distribution networks and their huge marketing budgets, were formidable competitors. We see them around but we don't know what goes on behind the scenes. He made his own way.. 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. He was 98 years old. As a side job, Gardner would personally deliver the products out of the back of his car to beauty salons on Chicagos South Side, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. 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. targeting: { Beloved Chicago philanthropist Edward Gardner, the co-founder of Soft Sheen Products hair care company, died Monday at age 98, CBS News reports. She made good on her promise. If he wasnt at work, he was home with family. Please check your email for confirmation from us. In 1994, the company posted only a .6 percent increase over 1993 sales. He stuttered as a child. The company sells its products to salons, beauty supply houses, and such retailers as drug stores and department stores. By the middle of 1995, Soft Sheen's stalled growth led the Gardners to begin questioning the wisest course of action for the company's future. Mr. Gardner was also a well-known philanthropist. Ads tout the products' natural ingredients, herbs and vitamins. 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. Beloved Chicago philanthropist Edward Gardner, the co-founder of Soft Sheen Products hair care company, died Monday at age 98, CBS News reports. 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. Gardner and his wife Bettiann founded the company in 1964. His survivors also include two other children, Guy and Tracy, his wife, seven grandchildren and a great-grandson, the Sun-Times reports. pos: 'right_rail_2', Early in 1998, they began talks with French-owned cosmetics company, L'Oreal S.A. L'Oreal--which operated in 150 countries and had a collection of brands that included Maybelline, Redkin, and Lancme--needed a portal to the ethnic market. As consumers, we often take for granted all the hard work that goes into building a great company. She also hired a third-party company to maintain inventory and positioning of Soft Sheen's products in retail stores. tude.cmd.push(function() { "I'm very comfortable that this organization is capable of helping Soft Sheen meet the vision that we set years ago.". He was my father, my hero, my teacher, Gary Gardner said in a news release.