Speakers

Gordon is CEO of Sport Clips, which he founded in 1995. Sport Clips has over 1,600 stores open in all fifty states and Canada, and is expanding at a rate of over 150 stores/year with only seven closures in the past six years. Sales at the store level were approximately $600M in 2016.

 

Gordon currently serves on the Board of the VFW Foundation, which directs the charitable efforts of the VFW. The Sport Clips Help A Hero program has raised almost $5 Million to provide funding for free phone calls home for troops overseas and in hospitals, and has provided over 700 scholarships to veterans transitioning to civilian careers. He also serves on the Board of the International Franchise Association, and is past Chairman of the IFA VetFran Committee, which is dedicated to helping veterans get into franchising. He is also a member of the Board of Trustees for the Southwest Research Institute.

 

Gordon was an EY Entrepreneur of the Year for Central Texas in 2015; named Best CEO (Large Company) by Austin Business Journal in 2015; named Entrepreneur of the Year by the International Franchise Association in 2016; and received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the International Salon/Spa Business Network (ISBN) in 2016.

 

Prior to becoming involved in the salon industry, Gordon served as an Aircraft Commander in the U.S. Air Force flying C-130 aircraft (1969-1976), and worked as a financial planning and control consultant with Price Waterhouse & Co. in Houston (1976 - 1980). Gordon is a graduate of MIT (BS, '68), and The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (MBA with Honors, '76), and is a “retired” CPA in the State of Texas. His primary hobby is The Sport Clips Collection of classic cars.