In 1988, former Great Clips CEO and current chairman, Ray Barton, set what seemed like a crazy goal. He said Great Clips would one day reach 3,000 salons... and at the time we were sitting at 125.
Many of us thought Ray was a little off his rocker at the time... but, he kept hammering home that magic number 3,000 and we here at Great Clips are extraordinarily proud to announce that Great Clips has met that milestone!
On July 15, 2011, we opened our 3,000th salon in Albert Lea, MN.
Our story
Back in 1982, the year of mullets, side ponytails, poofy bangs and LOTS of hairspray, Ray Barton joined the small company of only four salons with a mission to expand and franchise. He called his personal friends, the Ledebuhrs, every night for well over a month, hounding them to open the first Great Clips franchise. Partially in an effort to stop Ray from calling and to get some peace and quiet, the Ledebuhrs agreed to open the first Great Clips franchise with Ray's wife, Mary Lou Barton.
That first franchised location opened on July 16, 1983 in Brooklyn Center, MN. Twenty eight years later, almost exactly to the day, the Ledebuhrs and their adult children are the proud owners of 18 salons, including the 3,000th in Albert Lea and they plan to continue expanding.
When Great Clips opened the first salons back in 1982, the founders were just a few dreamers, but with hard work, solid business practices and the right people, they truly revolutionized the hair care industry.
Ray Barton, one of the early Great Clips leaders and now Chairman, recalls, "In 1988, I set a goal to reach 3,000 salons and everyone thought I was crazy. I was naive enough to believe we could do it, and we did! We were customer-focused; we had a great system, a focused development strategy and a strong relationship with our franchisees (salon owners)."
This week Great Clips celebrated this accomplishment in our company history, and we look forward to the future of the company as we continue to expand into new markets around North America and the world.
I'd love to hear your success stories, as well. Leave stories and links in the comments, so we can all learn and celebrate together.
