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Los Angeles Trade Association Honored Pioneering Company on June 2.
New York, NY – May 6, 2011: Johnson Products Company, Inc. (JPC) was honored as the Business of the Year on June 2 at the Black Business Association’s (BBA) 37th Annual Awards Dinner in Los Angeles, California. The annual dinner provided the platform for BBA to recognize outstanding majority corporations, government agencies and individuals that have been most supportive of the growth and development of the Black Business Association and the African American business community. In celebration of the dinner’s theme, “Empowering African American Entrepreneurs,” JPC CEO, Eric Brown, and JPC Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Renee Cottrell Brown, were recognized as successful entrepreneurs for their leadership in the acquisition of Johnson Products Company from Procter & Gamble as well as for their current management of the company.
“We at Johnson Products Company are very excited to receive the Black Business Association honor,” said Eric Brown, CEO of Johnson Products Company. “Their dedication to supporting and recognizing minority-and-women owned businesses is commendable and truly unwavering.”
Founded in 1954 with the pioneering spirit of George Johnson, JPC rose to become the first African-American company to be traded on Wall Street. On March 31, 2009, JPC was successfully acquired from Procter & Gamble with the combined investments of RC Fontis, St. Cloud Capital and Plus Factor, LLC, an African American management team. JPC currently focuses on strategic brand and business development in the ethnic hair care market. The company has been a leading brand for more than a half-century in the African-American community and currently offers more than 60 hair care products under the Gentle Treatment® and Ultra Sheen® brands. Today with that same entrepreneurial spirit, the new Johnson Products Company looks to build on that success and deliver a new standard for others to follow. With our tremendous dedication to be the best in class, we produce signature global brands that bring value to our consumers, customers, employees and stakeholders.
“Born out of the need for collective uplift and advocacy, the Black Business Association has continued to advocate and achieve Black Economic Empowerment as well as support those businesses that are in alignment with our mission,” explained Earl “Skip” Cooper II, president and CEO of BBA. “Renee and Eric truly embody our mission with their current leadership of Johnson Products Company as well as for their steadfast commitment to communities of color.”
In recognition of National Small Business Week, the BBA’s 37th Annual Awards Dinner also featured a keynote presentation by Tim A. Simon, Commissioner for the California Public Utilities Commission. Other honorees included Anthony Samad, Community Advocate Award,
For more information on Johnson Products Company, visit www.JohnsonProducts.com. For more information on the BBA’s 37th Annual Awards dinner, visit http://www.bbala.org.
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ABOUT JOHNSON PRODUCTS COMPANY
Originally founded in 1954 and newly established as an independent company in 2009, Johnson Products focuses on strategic brand and business development in the ethnic hair care market. The company has been a leading brand in the African American community for more than a half-century and currently offers more than 60 hair care products under the Gentle Treatment® and Ultra Sheen® brands.
For more information on the newly acquired Johnson Products Company, its family of brands and to download photographs of the new management team, visit the company’s Website at www.johnsonproducts.com.
ABOUT THE BLACK BUSINESS ASSOCIATION
Since 1970, the Black Business Association (BBA), a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization, headquartered in Los Angeles, has contributed to and supported the development, progress and expansion of more than 18,000 African-American businesses. Nationally, the BBA has access to and influence with more than 80,000 African-American owned and women/minority-owned businesses (WMBE’s), through the formation of strategic alliances with trade associations and organizations nationwide.
