It is said that the idea for Sport Clips Haircuts was sketched out on a
cocktail napkin on a pier in Monterey Bay, and rumors are that Bloody
Mary’s may have been involved! Taking that idea to the brand it
is today, one of the fastest growing and most successful haircare franchises
with almost 1,800 locations (and the only haircutting franchise with a
presence in all 50 states and Canada), has been an incredible journey and one that required a lot
of team work.
Much has been written about the company’s founder and CEO Gordon
Logan, but like every great leader, Logan is quick to point to the strength
of the Sport Clips team as instrumental in the company’s success.
It is Sport Clips' team culture, strong values and "people first"
mentality that has helped position the brand as a leader in franchising.
Jerry Lewis, a Sport Clips team leader who was Gordon’s partner when
Sport Clips was developed, attests to this, saying, “The thing about
this company is that even with all of the growth that has gone on, its
values and culture have stayed the same. They were the same 25 years ago,
they are the same now, and they will be the same 25 years from now. It’s
about people first.”
In the early 1990s, the number of barber shops began to decline and many
men who were uncomfortable with a traditional salon environment or a “family
haircutter” began to feel left behind. Gordon felt that there had
to be a better way, that there was a huge opportunity to create a concept
designed especially for men and boys and delivering a great haircut experience.
Having been a franchisee of a failed system, Gordon had seen first-hand
what not to do, and he knew there must be a better way. Setting out to
do just that, he assembled a team of industry professionals with the mission
to provide “a championship haircut experience for men and boys in
an exciting sports environment.”
Lewis, who had also been a franchisee of the same failed system, helped
Gordon develop the “new improved” franchise system. He says,
“As franchisees and operators ourselves, we couldsee flaws in the previous system and could fine tune them. An example of this is Sport Clips Haircuts’ innovative vacuuming
system. Even during the busiest times, the salon is kept clean, adding
to the championship experience.”
Another thing Logan realized was the importance of never outgrowing the
support systems or supply line, demonstrated by thebrand’s responsible growth strategy. By developing the strong infrastructure of support and supply lines,
Sport Clips has been able to provide a solid business model that has stood
the test of time.
In honor of its 25th anniversary, Sport Clips wants to recognize some of those all-star team
members who played an instrumental role in the beginning and helped build
the infrastructure and foundation that sets the brand apart today. We
will feature a few of them over this anniversary month, taking a look
at how the brand's unparalleled training and operational support was
developed. We’ll meet industry consultant Tommy Callahan; former
Sport Clips Vice President of Education, Nancy Vandiver, who is now a
team leader in Utah; Julie Vargas, Sport Clips’ very first store
manager in 1993, now Senior Director of Career Opportunities for Sport
Clips; Jean Booth, Vice President of Franchise Development for Sport Clips
(since 1996); and Neal Geiger, Sport Clips Creative Director since 2006,
will discuss how the brand has grown over the years. And we will talk
with Curt Brannon, President and founder of Sympateco, which has been
designing and building Sport Clips stores since 1995. These hardworking
individuals have a unique perspective on how Sport Clips has been able
to create such a solid, scalable business model and positioned itself
as one of the fastest growing and most successful haircare franchises.
