John Paul DeJoria | |
|---|---|
 DeJoria in 2017 | |
| Born | John Paul Jones DeJoria April 13, 1944 Los Angeles, California, US |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Known for | John Paul Mitchell Systems |
| Spouse | [1] |
| Children | 4, including Alexis DeJoria |
John Paul Jones DeJoria (born April 13, 1944) is an American entrepreneur, self-made billionaire,[2][3][4] and philanthropist best known as a co-founder of the Paul Mitchell line of hair products and The Patrón Spirits Company. DeJoria has been described as a living example of the American Dream due to his rise from homelessness to success in business.
John Paul Jones DeJoria[5] was born the second son of an Italian immigrant father and a Greek immigrant mother[6] on April 13, 1944[7] in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. His parents divorced by the time he was two years old. When his single mother proved unable to support both children, they were sent to an East Los Angeles foster home and stayed there during the week until he was nine and returned to his mother.[8][9] At nine, he began selling Christmas cards and newspapers with his older brother to support his family.
DeJoria spent two years in the United States Navy,[8] serving on the USS Hornet.[10] After that, he held a series of jobs including janitor, door-to-door encyclopedia salesman, and insurance salesman.[11][12]
DeJoria entered the world of hair care as an entry-level employee of Redken Laboratories. He was fired from this position. In 1980, he formed John Paul Mitchell Systems[13] with hairdresser Paul Mitchell and a loan for $700[8] and while living in a 20-year-old Rolls-Royce automobile.[12]
DeJoria co-founded the Patrón Spirits Company in 1989,[14] is a founding partner of the House of Blues nightclub chain, and has interests in Madagascar Oil Ltd., Pyrat Rum, Smokey Mountain Bison Farm, llc, Ultimat Vodka, Solar Utility, Sun King Solar, Touchstone Natural Gas, Three Star Energy, Diamond Audio, a Harley-Davidson dealership, a diamond company (DeJoria),[15] 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.[16] In 2008, DeJoria became an advisory board member for The Beauty Channel; a streaming beauty and fashion-focused television station.[17]
DeJoria has been active in the film industry as an executive producer and actor.[18] He made a cameo appearance as himself, in the 2008 comedy You Don't Mess with the Zohan, and also in The Big Tease as the fictional John Paul Mitchell. DeJoria also made a cameo appearance in the Showtime series Weeds season 2. He narrated and appeared in television commercials for Patron in November 2011. He appeared on the November 1, 2013, broadcast of the ABC reality series Shark Tank as a guest investor, replacing series regular Robert Herjavec. With a 2017 net worth of US$3.1 billion, he is the 3rd richest "shark" of all time on the show, behind series regular Mark Cuban (2017 net worth: US $3.3 billion) and fellow "guest shark" Sir Richard Branson (2017 net worth: US $5.1 billion).[19]
In 2018, DeJoria co-founded ROKiT Group alongside business partner Jonathan Kendrick.[20][21] Since their start in 2018, DeJoria and Kendrick have expanded ROKiT Group, creating brands such as ROKiT Phones, ROKiT Telemedicine, ROKiT Drinks, and more.[22][23][24]
The original Patrón Tequila was produced by Casa 7 Leguas, one of the oldest Mexican distilleries;[25] DeJoria and Martin Crowley purchased the brand rights in 1989 via their St. Maarten Spirits company.[26] He was not a tequila expert, but fell for the quality of Casa 7's tequila. He launched the sale in the US in the ultra premium category, distributing it to restaurants and friends to make the launch more exclusive and driven by word-of-mouth.[27]
DeJoria also owns the Patrón Tequila Express, a historic private railroad car.[28][29][30] It was built in 1927, and was previously used by the Gulf, Mobile and Ohio Railroad as Car No. 50.[28] DeJoria bought the train car in 1996 and spent $2 million to renovate it.[29][30] The train car is 85 feet (25.91 m) long and contains three staterooms (each with a bathroom and shower), a kitchen, a dining room, an observation lounge, and an outdoor observation platform.[28][29][30] In addition to the mileage fees paid to Amtrak to transport the train car across the United States, it costs $10,000 a month to staff, maintain, store, and insure the Patrón Tequila Express.[29][30]
DeJoria has married four times.[32] He married his current and fourth wife Eloise Broady DeJoria in 1993. They have one child, John Anthony.[33] He also has three children from previous relationships, John Paul II (or Jr.),[34] Alexis Jones (with former wife Jamie Briggs),[35][36] and Michaeline. He also has two stepchildren from Eloise's previous relationship, Michael and Justin Harvey.[37]
The DeJorias have contributed over $4,000 to the political campaigns of Senator Ted Cruz and over $5,000 to Texas Governor Rick Perry, among others, as well as to the Democratic National Committee and many Democratic political candidates.[38][39]
DeJoria is a supporter of Mobile Loaves & Fishes, Food4Africa, Mineseeker, and Blazer House.[12] 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.[citation needed] In the same year his company Paul Mitchell helped provide over 400,000 life-saving meals for the children.[40] Dejoria is a co-creator of Grow Appalachia, an organization begun in 2009 which helps promote healthy food and teaching farming skills.[12][41]
In 2017, a documentary named Good Fortune was released depicting the struggle and philanthropic work of DeJoria which later won the Audience Award for Best Documentary at Sundance.[42]
In 2012, using a video, he showed his support for Captain Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, when Watson was detained in Germany for interfering with shark finning operations.[43] In December 2022 The Captain Paul Watson Foundation announced their first ship, the 'John Paul Dejoria II'.[44][45]
In 2019, he purchased the 80-acre (32 ha) former McDonald's global headquarters campus. This acquisition includes the Hamburger University training facility, in addition to the Hyatt-branded and managed hotel, The Hyatt Lodge.[46]
In 2022, he pledged £20,000 to save the 19th century frigate HMS Unicorn, one of the oldest surviving ships in the world.[47]