Bad hair days are a thing of the past for baldies in business. Age is not always a factor in the decision to shave it all off, but avoiding disasterous comb-over ’dos, head rugs and Hollywood implants was reason enough for these Cleveland executives to go follicle-free.
“More men should do it,” says Terrence Lowis, 32, president of C: DOX, a printing company that serves the downtown law community. Bald is a state of mind at C:DOX — it’s their marketing gimmick and No. 1 punchline. “If a bald vendor comes in, we will add him to our circle of humor,” Lowis says. “The bald thing, it’s fun for us.”
And the C:DOX crew hopes that fun is contagious. The company will convince attorneys still sporting the comb-over — that flappable lid of hair brushed over a bald scalp — to face the razor for charity. Participants will raise $2,500 for the pleasure of shaving a colleague’s hair. Sure, it’s an expensive haircut, but the proceeds go to Mission4Maureen, a brain cancer charity. Know anyone in the office that could use a new ’do?
“It’s not like it won’t grow back,” Lowis reminds.
| Name |
Before the shave |
Clients Say
|
The Beauty of Bald |
Impetus |
Good for Business? |
Jim Hornyak Vice president and CFO, BtoB Connect, Streetsboro
Age: 55 |
“I had hair like John Travolta in college.” But recently, his gray-brown (mostly gray) locks had thinned. |
“You stand out,” and “I like the look.” Some colleagues didn’t notice. Others say he looks younger. |
“I have attractive ears,” Hornyak says. “That was a good thing.”
|
Hornyak’s dentist found a cancerous mole by his ear covered with hair and barely visible. After it was removed, Hornyak started shaving his head so he could keep an eye on it. |
It can add humor to client relationships. “I may be on a video conference, and I’ll jump around and do my Doctor Evil imitation.”
|
Terrence Lowis President, C:DOX, Cleveland
Age: 32 |
“I decided that brushing a few random hairs didn’t make sense anymore,” Lowis says. His hair was blackish-brown ... and gray.
|
“The bald guy is here.”
|
“Everyone thinks I’m 19, and I agree with them,” Lowis jokes. Other bonuses: no shampoo, no hat-head, no expensive haircuts. |
Failing follicles and fulfilling a marketing plan. Why not turn baldness into business? Lowis and his partner, Marty Bohn, were shaving their heads daily when they convinced partner Bob DeStefanis to join them. |
Baldness is a fraternity. He compares it to motorcycle riders who give each other nods in passing. “It’s a clean look, and you stand out in a meeting.”
|
Darrin Moore
Managing principal, CPC International, Solon
Age: 43 |
“I’m one groomed guy who always had a fresh haircut,” Moore says. Then he sported the professor look: a bald top and neatly trimmed sides. Then the sides stopped growing, and 10 years ago he went hair-free.
|
A longtime client told Moore he looked like a linebacker. “I make sure to smile more,” he says.
|
It’s low-maintenance. “My friends say bald is sexy,” Moore adds.
|
“Nature had a lot to do with it,” Moore admits. But so did a fear of looking like a certain cartoon moose. “I can’t walk around looking like Bullwinkle. No way.” |
“I call myself the bald eagle, and everyone remembers that.”
|