SUPPLYLINE
THE CONAIR STORY : AN AMERICAN SUCCESS
RIZZUTO FAMILY CONTINUES ITS 60-PLUS-YEAR CONNECTION TO THE AMENITIES BUSINESS .
Contributed by LEE RIZZUTO
Only in America can a dream come true . The year was 1959 when an Italian immigrant family settled in Brooklyn , New York . The family ’ s patriarch , Julian Rizzuto , invented a hair roller made of a wire spring wrapped with a netted nylon mesh , which was revolutionary .
Together with his son Leandro , Julian decided to start a business and market his new product . With this hair roller as its first product , Continental Hair Products was born . The early years of Continental Hair Products were challenged by multiple fires , truck robberies and the unexpected passing of Julian Rizzuto .
After the passing of Julian , Leandro and his family continued on with tremendous passion and conviction . This passion allowed the business to grow leaps and bounds over the years . By the early 1970s Continental Hair Products had evolved into Conair Corp . and the scope ofbusiness grew to include electrical products , such as the pistol grip hair dryer .
Over the years , Leandro demonstrated he was incredibly skilled at identifying and developing new products . Conair quickly became known for its endless introduction of products , packaging , promotions and value . All of Conair ’ s expanding line were made with exceptional quality and always sold at a fair price . It was during these years that the range of the company expanded thanks to a series of mergers .
Leandro Jr . eventually took over new product department , introducing countless multi-million-piece items . Together with the rest of the family , the business continued to grow . High-end hotels in the United States and abroad often carried Conair products .
Sadly , on December 3 , 2017 , Leandro Sr . passed away after a difficult battle with pancreatic cancer . The family and employees alike were grief stricken , but all promised that Conair would continue to thrive for generations to come .
The combination of estate taxes and other payments meant the Rizzutos would have had to pay more than 50 % of Conair ' s value to the U . S . government . Many options were weighed with the company ’ s survival the most important factor in decision making , and eventually a deal was brokered with American Securities LLC . In this deal , the family received the payments it needed for Uncle Sam , plus maintains a minority interest in the new Conair company .
Conair now becomes part of an even larger US $ 40 billion company , the 3,000 employees get to continue their work , and the Rizzuto family continues its 60-plus-year connection to the business . Despite some struggles , the ending to this chapter in Conair ' s history is a beginning of a new one — with many more to come .
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