Jim Petrowich, Great Clips Owner and Ronald McDonald House Supporter

Jim Petrowich start in this business came when a GCI hired telemarketer called his wife on a Sunday evening in 1994.  She had been teaching for over 20 years and was thinking of a second carreer.  Jim had been working for various consumer product manufacturing companies for over 20 years too and felt that we needed to do something more for us.  

Sue and I were looking for a company to join that we could be proud to be a part of for the rest of our lives.  We felt that this was going to be our retirement and our future.  We had already had the hard jobs, now we wanted to fulfill our “dreams for the future.”  Our dreams included…securing our independence from and dependence on outside employers…making money for financial security…work for ourselves when we wanted so that we could have time with our children as they grew up…we wanted to run our own business but we wanted a “system” to follow, so that we did not have to learn all the lessons the hard way…we wanted time for ourselves to travel and enjoy life…we wanted to meet people around the US that could become friends. We found that in Great Clips.

Over time, and with their daughter Carolyn as CFO, they opened more salons for a total of nine. With the nine salons open, they decided to open salons in another market (Quad Cities) with a new partner.  The plan was to open a salon every 4 months for the first 24 months, then reassess.  

Sue and Jim feel very strongly about giving back to the Great Clips community.  Their dreams have become a reality, it is now time to work with others to reach theirs.  To this end they have gone to many markets to share their success and ideas…that list includes Tampa, Houston, San Antonio, Austin, Cincinnati, Milwaukee, Washington DC, Detroit (twice), Grand Rapids, Toronto, Boston (twice), Chattanooga, Anchorage, Philadelphia, and New York.  

Jim now has 25 locations and almost 300 employees when fully staffed. Their salons continue to be top performing salons in all our markets.  While the pandemic has created serious issues, their financial situation has never been stronger.

Guest appearances by Jim Petrowich: