- Great American Business Leaders of the Twentieth Century
Edward G. Gardner
Soft Sheen Products
1964 - 1985
Personal Care & Home Products
| Military Service | Army |
|---|
b. 1925
| Education |  |
|---|---|
| Undergraduate | Chicago Teachers College |
| Graduate | MA, University of Chicago |
| Personal | |
|---|---|
| Born-Died | 1925 |
| Birthplace | Illinois (IL) |
| Race | Black or African American |
Gardner began mixing hair and beauty products for blacks out of his basement during the 1940s. Around 1960, he began working for another beauty supply business and when it went bankrupt, Gardner took its customers and began producing his own line of Soft Sheen Products. Gardner began selling his products out of his car and by 1985, he had grown his business into an $81 million operation with several international outlets.