Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/23459
UP John Paul DeJoria Up Front With by Meridith May / photos by Tom Zasadzinski We meet at DeJoria’s office on the 12th floor of John Paul Mitchell Systems’ Beverly Hills headquarters. Beautiful women, obviously well-coiffed, pepper the chic lobby and offices. I’m thankful my own tresses are in good shape—partially because I had equipped my own hairdresser with the company’s new Wild Ginger Awapuhi shampoo and conditioner for that morning’s blow-out. DeJoria’s corner office looks out to the Hollywood Hills; on the walls are framed images that span almost three decades, showcasing the entrepreneur with everyone from Bill Clinton to Mohammed Ali. But DeJoria’s most prized possession, he points out, is the Horatio Alger award he received in 2004. “It’s the only award given in the Supreme Court,” DeJoria comments. He picks it up and smiles. “It is an honor bestowed on Americans who went through adversity and achieved fame and success, but who then circle back to help the planet along the way.” The award, handed to him by Justice Clarence Thomas, was a nod to DeJoria’s humble beginnings. He is a first-generation American (his father was from Italy and his mother from Greece) who, voted Least Likely to Succeed at his Los Angeles high school, became a successful entrepreneur and, ultimately, a philanthropist. Philanthropy First Before we even get to the subject of Patrón, DeJoria wants to tell me about his pet project, Grow Appalachia. “It’s all about what I believe: Success that is not shared is failure.” The Appalachian Community Gardening and Food Security Project teaches families in West Virginia’s / the tasting panel / january–february 201 1