Ampro is an ethnic hair care and cosmetics company founded in 1947. Its product lines include a wide range of styling and treatment products, specially formulated for ethnic consumers including, gels, shampoos, conditioners and polishers. The company’s original product line, PRO STYL gel, continues to be the number-one selling styling gel in the country. Ampro's 20 current brand names include Pro Styl and Clear Ice.^[1]

The company's products are sold through conventional channels (including health and beauty retailers such as Wal-Mart, Walgreen’s, Dollar General, Sally Beauty Supply, Kroger, Eckerd, Fred’s, and Rite Aid) as well as through a large network of individually owned regional beauty supply stores. ^[2]

The company is a charter member of the national Ethnic Product Manufacturing Association and its President, Jack Sammons, was the first president of that trade group.^[3]

The company's history began in 1947. Irvin Lansky, (no relation to Mayer Lansky) owned a dry goods store on Beale Street in Memphis, Tennessee, and began to sell ethnic hair care products. Immediately seeing the potential in the lines, Lansky formed Vogue Distributing Company, a beauty supply product wholesaler. Lansky then expanded the enterprise with a Memphis retail location called Vogue Beauty and Barber Mart, and it was here that he began manufacturing his own ethnic hair care products. He developed a line called "Ampro," short for American Products, which is still manufactured today.^[4] Ampro Industries' current manufacturing facility is a few miles away from the original shop on Beale Street in Memphis.^[4]

Mr. Lansky died in April 2001. His daughter, Cheri Rudner, is Chairman of Ampro, and her husband Henry, is the company's Chief Executive Officer.^[4]

The company continues to launch new product lines, including Purple Rain in 2005,^[5] and is becoming increasingly involved in African-American community causes such as the National African American Photographic Archive which it founded.^[6]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The Ampro Website