Company Name: Andis Company
Years in Business: 104 years
Website/Social Media: www.andis.com
Instagram: @andisclippers
Your Name/Role: Megan Salinas Director, Brand & Integrated Marketing
What does giving back mean to your company?
Giving back is ingrained in Andis. As a family-owned company with more than 100 years of history, supporting the communities that have supported us has always been important. It lives in the Andis Foundation, which supports organizations aligned with our mission to build strong families, develop thriving kids, and foster vibrant communities. It lives in our associates, who volunteer and support causes they care about, with the foundation matching their generosity. And it lives in how we show up for the barbers, stylists, and groomers we serve and the communities we’re part of.
How do you encourage your employees or business partners to participate in the causes your company cares about?
For our associates, we try to meet them where they already are. Many are giving their time and money to causes that matter to them, and the Andis Foundation helps amplify that through matching gifts, including an annual match for our local United Way. With our business partners, we look for ways to support the meaningful work they’re already doing in their own communities, whether through financial support, product, or both. Giving back is most powerful when it’s connected to causes people genuinely care about.
Can you tell us about your company’s community involvement this year and some of the ways you’ve worked to make a difference?
One of the most meaningful things we’ve done this year is our partnership with The Sensory Safe Solution, an organization working to create more supportive hair cutting experiences for individuals with autism and sensory sensitivities. Andis brings the tool through Zephyr™, a quieter clipper designed with sensory sensitivities in mind, while The Sensory Safe Solution brings the education and training to help professionals create a more comfortable experience. Together, we’re helping give professionals the tools and knowledge to better serve individuals who may experience haircuts differently.
What is one lesson your company has learned through its community involvement that you hope to carry forward?
One lesson we continue to learn is the importance of listening first. The people and organizations closest to a community understand their needs better than we ever could. Our role isn’t always to come in with the answer, but to listen, understand where we can add value, and use the resources and expertise we have to support the work already happening. That’s an approach we hope to continue carrying forward.
In what ways do you believe businesses in the beauty and personal care industry can use their influence to make a positive difference in their community?
Our industry has something many others don’t, repeat relationships. Beauty supply store owners and professionals see the same customers again and again, get to know them, and become trusted resources in their communities. That reaches into people’s lives in a way a brand never could on its own. I think our role is to equip the people in those relationships with the knowledge and tools to better serve their customers. When a store owner can help a family find a better solution for a child with sensory sensitivities, for example, something as ordinary as a haircut can become a better experience. That’s meaningful influence.
