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Sport Clips Founder & CEO Gordon Logan Named 2016 IFA Entrepreneur of the Year
Logan’s blended focus on business and service has set him on a path to become a successful leader of a franchise system.
The International Franchise Association has named Gordon Logan, the founder and CEO of Sport Clips*, as the 2016 IFA Entrepreneur of the Year.
The Entrepreneur of the Year Award, which was first presented in 1982, is given annually to a visionary who is willing to take risks and who possesses the management skills necessary to create a successful franchising business enterprise.
“Gordon’s work to consistently develop not only his entrepreneurial business efforts but also those of others, demonstrates his role as a model of leadership within the franchise industry,” said IFA Chairman Aziz Hashim, founder and managing partner at NRD Capital. “He has been an integral member of IFA’s growth and success and we applaud him on his well-deserved recognition.”
Logan and his wife, Bettye, got their start as franchisees, opening salons under three different brands. But they nearly went out of business when a trusted employee embezzled more than $100,000 and covered up the fact that company taxes had gone unpaid. Left to pick up the pieces, the Logans reevaluated and decided to focus their energies—and limited funds—on a single brand. Logan put his business degrees to work, designing a one-of-a-kind haircut experience that men and boys could look forward to and enjoy. This was in 1993, and it was the beginning of Sport Clips.
By assembling a top management team and designing a blueprint that would help Sport Clips experience rapid, yet controlled growth, the brand has grown into the leading hair care company that it is today. Today, Sport Clips operates more than 1,500 locations, and the number will exceed 1,600 by 2017. Sport Clips is the only hair care concept operating in all 50 states, plus five provinces in Canada.
But guiding a brand to the top of its industry isn’t the only thing Logan is being recognized for as 2016’s Entrepreneur of the Year—he’s also a humble and philanthropic leader, too. While the business has grown, giving back to our nation’s veterans has always been an integral part of Logan’s endeavors. Sport Clips has been recognized as a leading franchise for veterans by multiple media outlets and is a prominent sponsor of several veteran-focused organizations. For example, the company has raised nearly $5 million for the VFW Foundation through its Help A Hero campaign.
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About the Author
Nick Powills
FollowNick Powills, CFE, founded No Limit Agency in 2008 and serves as Chief Brand Strategist for the Chicago-based firm. No Limit is a full-service communications agency that establishes and elevates brands by bridging Public Relations, Social Media, Marketing, Advertising, Digital, and a lot of creativity, to best strategize well-rounded and successful campaigns for 50+ global franchise brands. By presenting visionary ideas and building real relationships, No Limit is able to create effective media branding strategies to help companies grow. Nick currently leads a staff of writers, media strategists, designers, social media experts and digital producers in an office think-tank where brands are humanized for strong, compelling media stories. Prior to starting No Limit at the age of 27, Nick spent four years working at a franchise PR agency where he mastered the art of building rapport with media outlets and creating newsworthy pitches for earned media placements. He holds a Bachelor of Journalism from Drake University in Iowa.
