John Paul DeJoria Biography

John Paul Jones DeJoria (born April 13, 1944) is an American billionaire businessman and philanthropist best known as a co-founder of the Paul Mitchell line of hair products and The Patron Spirits Company.

Early life and education

John Paul Jones DeJoria was born the second son of an Italian immigrant father and a Greek immigrant mother on April 13, 1944 in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles, California. His parents divorced by the time he was two years old, and at nine he began selling Christmas cards and newspapers with his older brother to support his family. He grew up in Atwater Village on Garden Ave and then Revere. He attended Atwater Elementary and John Marshall High School. When his single mother proved unable to support both children, they were sent to an East Los Angeles foster home.

As a youth, DeJoria was a member of a street gang, but decided to change his life after being told by his high school math teacher that he would "never succeed at anything in life". He graduated high school in 1962 and spent two years in the United States Navy, after which he held a series of jobs ranging from a janitor to an insurance salesman.

Entrepreneur

DeJoria entered the world of hair care as an employee of Redken Laboratories. He was fired from this position, he claims over a disagreement on business strategies. In 1980, he formed John Paul Mitchell Systems with hairdresser Paul Mitchell and a loan for $700. DeJoria owns 70% of The Patron Spirits Company. The Company is the world's ultra-premium tequila brand, and in 2011 they sold approximately 2,450,000 cases. DeJoria has a business interest in the African oil industry through his holdings in Madagascar Oil Ltd.

DeJoria co-founded the Patrón Spirits Company in 1989 and is a founding partner of the House of Blues nightclub chain and has interests in Pyrat Rum, Ultimat Vodka, Solar Utility, Sun King Solar, Touchstone Natural Gas, Three Star Energy, Diamond Audio, a Harley Davidson dealership, a diamond company (DeJoria), 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.

DeJoria has been active in the film industry as an executive producer and actor. He made a cameo appearance as his own former business partner, Paul Mitchell, 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. In 2012, using a video, DeJoria 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.

Personal

Dejoria is a supporter of Food4Africa. 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. In the same year his company Paul Mitchell helped provide over 400,000 life-saving meals for the children.