John Paul DeJoria
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This article may need to be rewritten entirely to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards. (May 2009) |
| John Paul DeJoria | |
|---|---|
| Born | John Paul Jones DeJoria April 13, 1944 Echo Park, Los Angeles, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Known for | John Paul Mitchell Systems |
| Spouse(s) | Eloise Broady (June 13, 1993 – present)[1] |
| Children | 4 |
John Paul Jones DeJoria (born April 13, 1944) is an American billionaire businessman and philanthropist best known as a founder of the Paul Mitchell line of hair products and The Patron Spirits Company. According to Forbes magazine, he is worth US$4 billion.[2]
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Early life and education [edit]
John Paul Jones DeJoria[3] was born the second son of an Italian immigrant father and a Greek immigrant mother[4] on April 13, 1944[5] in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. His parents divorced by the time he was two years old, and at nine he began selling Christmas cards and newspapers with his older brother to support his family. He grew up in Atwater Village on Garden Ave and then Revere. He attended Atwater Elementary and John Marshall High School. When his single mother proved unable to support both children, they were sent to an East Los Angeles foster home.[6][7]
DeJoria spent much of his youth in a street gang in East Los Angeles, but changed when he was told that he would "never succeed at anything in life" by a math teacher at John Marshall High School. He graduated in 1962 and spent two years in the United States Navy,[6] after which he floated through a series of jobs ranging from janitor to insurance salesman.[8]
Paul Mitchell [edit]
DeJoria entered the world of hair care as an employee of Redken Laboratories. He was fired from this position, he claims over a disagreement on business strategies. In 1980, he formed John Paul Mitchell Systems with hairdresser Cyril Thomson Mitchell and a loan for $700.[6] In 1989, Cyril Thomson Mitchell died and was replaced by his son, Angus as company co-owner. As of 2011[update], John Paul Mitchell Systems had revenues of $900 million annually.[9]
The Patron Spirits Company [edit]
DeJoria owns 70% of The Patron Spirits Company. The Company is the world's ultra-premium tequila brand, and in 2011 they sold approximately 2,450,000 cases. Clint Eastwood, a friend of DeJoria, put Patrón in his movie In the Line of Fire and Wolfgang Puck turned all his friends on to it.
Africa [edit]
Dejoria is activly involved in business ventures and charity in Africa. He is an ongoing supporter of Food4Africa. In 2008, DeJoria traveled to sub-Saharan Africa to join Nelson Mandela in his efforts to help feed over 17,000 orphaned children through Food4Africa. In the same year his company Paul Mitchell helped provide over 400,000 life-saving meals for the children.
He also has business interest in the mining Industry in Africa through his holding in London based London Africa Mining Company Ltd. The company aim to become one of the leading Investors in the mining Industry in Africa and recently acquired Zimbabwe based Reblong International Ltd. A company focus on Gold Exploration in Zimbabwe with more than 1 billion USD in indicated resource value according to its website[10]
Another business interest he has in Africa is in the Oil Industry through his holding in Madagascar Oil Ltd.
Other mentions [edit]
DeJoria is involved in a number of other business ventures. The Patrón Spirits Company he co-founded in 1989 with business partner Martin Crowley sells more than 2 million cases of tequila annually.[9] He was a founding partner of the House of Blues nightclub chain, subsequently sold to Live Nation for $350 million in 2006, and has interests in Pyrat Rum, Ultimat Vodka, Solar Utility, Sun King Solar, Touchstone Natural Gas, Three Star Energy, Diamond Audio, a Harley Davidson dealership, a diamond company (DeJoria), mobile technology developer ROK AMERICAS, the John Paul Pet company, which does hair and personal grooming for animals, and J&D Acquisitions LLC, the parent company for the Larson, Striper, Triumph, Marquis and Carver boat companies formed with Minneapolis-based investor Irwin L. Jacobs.[11][12]
In media [edit]
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This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources. (January 2013) |
Film Producer and Actor [edit]
DeJoria has been active in the film industry both as an Executive Producer as well as an Actor according to IMDb´s profile of John Paul DeJoria DeJoria made a cameo appearance as his own former business partner, Paul Mitchell, in the 2008 comedy You Don't Mess with the Zohan, trying to convince Zohan to join his salon and also in The Big Tease as the fictional John Paul Mitchell, who acted as a judge in the Platinum Scissors competition in which Craig Ferguson's character, Crawford, was competing. DeJoria also made a cameo appearance in the hit Showtime series Weeds season 2. DeJoria both narrates and is seen in television commercials for Patron in November 2011. In 2012, using a video, DeJoria showed his support for Captain Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, when Paul was being detained in Germany for interfering with shark finning operations.
References [edit]
- ^ Mesinger, Maxine (1993-06-15). "A wedding to remember". The Houston Chronicle.
- ^ "#65 John Paul DeJoria - The Forbes 400 Richest Americans 2009". 2009-09-30. Retrieved 2009-12-11.
- ^ Palmeri, Christopher (1991-03-04). "Often Down but Never Out". Forbes (New York) 147 (5): 138. ISSN 0015-6914. OCLC 6465733.
- ^ [1]
- ^ Gilbert, Jeffrey (2003-04-14). "'Hairdressers and Harleys care' Bikers' benefit roars through Austin". Austin American-Statesman. p. B1.
- ^ a b c Breyer, R. Michelle (1997-12-07). "HOMECOMING; John Paul DeJoria, chairman of the Paul Mitchell". Austin American-Statesman. p. J1.
- ^ Krier, Beth Ann (1991-12-20). "You can go from absolute zero to millions, says hair-care mogul John Paul Jones De Joria. He's got the business and the toys to prove it. Top of the Line". Los Angeles Times. p. E1.
- ^ Wilson, Jeff (1999-06-29). "Battling Bogus Hair Products; Paul Mitchell's chairman fights to wipe". Austin American-Statesman. p. D1.
- ^ a b Nelson, Brett (26 May 2011). "America's Richest Living Veterans". Forbes. p. 2. Archived from the original on 10 January 2012.
- ^ [2], London Africa Mining Company Ltd.
- ^ Conflict-Free Diamonds, Diamond Engagement Rings, Diamond Rings & Diamond Jewellery From DeJoria. Dejoria is also the co-creatoe of grow appalachia. For more in formation, see Grow Appalachia.- DeJoria
- ^ Jacobs buys back more Genmar assets
