Honoring the Life & Legacy of A Great Chicagoan and Black Business Giant Edward G. Gardner Passes Away at 98

Edward G. Gardner was a humanitarian, a philanthropist, and a successful businessman, who loved the city of Chicago and Chicago loved him in return. Edward Gardner passed away peacefully Monday March 20, 2023, surrounded by family, and loved ones. He was 98 years old.

Ed Gardner was a well-known and admired businessman. In 1964, he left a career as a popular teacher and assistant principal to start haircare company, Soft Sheen Products, Inc. with his wife Bettiann. He often stated his primary reason for establishing Soft Sheen Products, Inc., was to create employment opportunities for young Black and Brown men and women. In that same spirit, he continued his commitment to support the livelihood of professional cosmetologists by ensuring that his most popular product system, Care Free Curl, was solely available for purchase and application by them. Throughout his ownership of the company, he continued to offer exclusive products for his beloved salon customers.

From a young age, his four children, Gary, Terri, Guy, and Tracy, along with his wife Bettiann, were intricately involved in the business. Soft Sheen Products, Inc. based on Chicago’s South Side, evolved into one of the nation’s largest Blackowned businesses.

“He was my father, my hero, my teacher. I looked up to him” Gary Gardner stated on Wednesday. “I feel blessed to have had Ed Gardner as my father. He was the embodiment of the hard-working, family-focused, responsible Black father. He taught me the value of a strong work ethic. He got up early in the morning, telling us “We’re not going to make it this way” meaning let’s get to work. If he wasn’t at work, he was home with family. If you saw Ed Gardner out after work or on weekends, he had us, his children, in tow. As the oldest, I think I spent the most time with him as a child. He taught me to fish. He taught me to garden. He taught me how to build, how to fix things, how to drive, and how not to drive. At twelve, he took me to work with him on Saturdays, where I learned to make hair products. I was his assistant when he made product deliveries. He also taught me how to make mistakes. Most importantly, he taught me how to engage all people with humanity and humility,” said Gary Gardner.

Continued Gary Gardner, “Yes, he was a distinguished role model and businessman, as well as prominent civic organizer. A mentor to me and countless others. He enjoyed sharing his views that responsibility was the definition of manhood. His exceptional work ethic was one of his greatest gifts and I have passed that on to my sons.” New products, new innovations and new ideas propelled

Soft Sheen’s remarkable success, yet, while keeping an eye on his business, his heart was always with the people – especially the youth.

Often a newspaper article would touch his heart. Whether it was purchasing a home for the family of a young Chicago girl who was victim to gun violence, to pitching in after a tragic event in The Robert Taylor Homes, to giving tens of thousands to causes like the Atlanta child murders, he was there, making a difference in the lives of people in need.

Ed Gardner’s greatest contribution to the city he loved was doing everything he could to help Chicago elect its first Black Mayor, Harold Washington, in 1983. He loaned his creative staff, along with significant advertising dollars, to create the signature voter registration campaign, “Come Alive October 5”.

Blitzing the city with banners, print and radio advertisements, the campaign registered over 200,000 new voters and helped secure Harold Washington’s victory. In 1992, his in-house communication agency, led by his daughter Terri, created a second highly successful voter registration campaign in partnership with Project Vote, led by Barack Obama.

According to Terri Gardner, “One of my dad’s greatest qualities was his perseverance. He believed in himself and his ability to not just hope things worked out, but to make sure things worked out. It’s an entrepreneurial quality that allowed him to create a business despite the challenges of institutional and individual racism. Unfortunately, those challenges never went away - - in spite of his tremendous business success.”

She emphasized his values. “He knew that our community needed to use its muscle to affect positive social and political outcomes in Chicago. He believed in the power of our vote and funded efforts to register people in record numbers.”

Adds Terri, “His goals for the business always included a social goal. He saw the untapped potential of his community. He challenged every employee to “do their job so well,

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Harris Measure To Implement Diversity Reports To Improve Small Businesses

HARVEY – State Senator Napoleon Harris is leading a measure to require insurance companies to submit diversity reports.

“Small businesses should have the support they need to accurately reflect the diversity of the state,” said Harris (D-Harvey). “There are many veteran-, minority-, and women-owned businesses throughout Illinois and we must ensure they are fairly and accurately represented.”

Senate Bill 2381 requires licensed or accredited insurance companies within the state to submit a diversity program report annually. This report would provide insight to how many companies accept or recognize minority-owned, women-owned, or veteran-owned businesses. The diversity report would help determine ways to improve and better serve various groups of businesses.

“As someone with experience in the insurance industry, I know how necessary it is to prop up small and diverse businesses with the resources needed to thrive in this economy and dismantle disparities,” said Harris. “I am committed to making an effort to support the research to do just that.”

Senate Bill 2381 passed the Senate Insurance Committee last Wednesday and will head to the floor for further deliberation.

Joyce Encourages Job Seekers To Apply For Seasonal Conservation Work

To help job seekers find employment, State Senator Patrick Joyce is encouraging people to apply for seasonal conservation work at Kankakee River State Park in Bourbonnais.

“As the weather is warming up, we see a need for more workers in our state parks,” said Joyce (D-Essex). “This is a great opportunity for local residents or college students to take advantage of temporary work, while working in a beautiful natural environment.”

Conservation workers perform routine maintenance and custodial duties, such as mowing, landscaping, painting, cleaning, loading and unloading vehicles, cutting firewood and more. Other responsibilities include assisting in preparing locations for hunting and fishing, preparing sites for programs, assisting in the care of cover crops and food plots, maintaining tools and equipment, and performing basic vehicle maintenance.

Kankakee River State Park is surrounded by both sides of the Kankakee River that sits six miles northwest of Kankakee, consisting of approximately 4,000 acres. Illinois Route 102 lies north of the park, and Route 113 frames the south side of the park. More information about Kankakee River State Park can be found here.

“These are excellent summer jobs for people who enjoy being outdoors and are excited to help visitors enjoy Illinois’ beautiful state parks and historic sites,” said Paula Martel, director of IDNR’s Office of Land Management. “Seasonal workers gain valuable professional experience and a unique understanding of what it takes to operate these sites.”

To learn more about the positions, qualifications, deadline for applications, and instructions for applying, visit https://bit.ly/ IDNRjobs.