Comer Cottrell (1931–2014,) fully Comer Joseph Cottrell Jr., was an American entrepreneur who built a fortune making and selling hair-curling products to African-Americans.
Born in Mobile, Alabama, Cottrell briefly attended the University of Detroit and served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. After the war, he moved to Los Angeles, drove cabs, and delivered mail. While managing the plumbing department of a Sears, Roebuck store, a co-worker hinted at the potential market for hair-care products for African-Americans.
Cottrell was best known for founding Pro-Line, a business that created the Curly Kit, bringing the Jheri curl hairstyle to the masses. It is named for Jheri Redding, who invented the hairstyle. Cottrell made it easy to achieve at home instead of going to salons, charging $200 to $300. In 2000, Cottrell sold Pro-Line to the Alberto Culver Company.
Cottrell was the first African-American person to own part of a major-league baseball team—he co-owned the Texas Rangers baseball club 1989–98, along with President George W. Bush and others.
Cottrell was a benefactor of Bishop College in Dallas and Paul Quinn College. His autobiography is Comer Cottrell: A Story That Will Inspire Future Entrepreneurs (2007.)
More: Wikipedia • READ: Works by Comer Cottrell
The greatest inspiration is often born of desperation.
—Comer Cottrell
Topics: Inspiration, Inspirational
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