What Do the Masters, Easter and Spring Have to Do with Joining Your Local Kennedy’s?This time of year, three of my favorite things come along: the Masters golf tournament, the arrival of spring, and the Easter holiday. Each of these is wonderful in its own way, and believe it or not, all three give a lesson in why you should tell your friends to join our men’s grooming club, Kennedy’s. Spring and Easter are about renewal and about things not quite being what they, at first, appear to be. Just when you think your crapemyrtle tree will never flower again is about the time little pink shoots begin to appear. Up north, where I’m originally from, as the last snow melts, smidgens of green start to slowly show beneath the last stubborn pieces of ice. This season is about going from seemingly certain death to life again. These occurrences remind us to throw out those outdated notions and make room for the new and improved. And this is where Kennedy’s comes in. See, I still regularly run into people who have never heard of our clubs that you and I enjoy. So many men and their boys are stuck in a rut of just accepting the strip-mall “chop-shop” haircutteries, the over-priced and overly feminine salons, or the independent barbershop where you worry if the aging barber will cut you because of his diminishing eyesight. None of these are acceptable, even in these “interesting” economic times. Spring is as good a time as any for your friends to learn about all the incredible offerings at Kennedy’s and for them to try something new and improved. As you know, we’ve reinvented the nostalgic barbershop of our youth. And Kennedy’s isn’t just a barbershop… it’s something much more — definitely NOT just a place to get a haircut. Kennedy’s is a men’s grooming club, and one you can be proud to belong to – with all of the awards and accolades that demonstrate our exceptionalism. It’s a club to bring your sons and grandsons to, in that very storied tradition. A place to relax and enjoy a little pampering, before rushing back to reality. A sanctuary, really – something that doesn’t at first glace appear to be what it really is. Giving unlimited haircuts, a complimentary beverage (even beer!), this lifestyle magazine, unlimited straight-razor shaves, shoeshines, and much, much more, are just some of the ways we’ve improved what men should expect in their personal grooming services. Kennedy’s is a real gentlemen’s club, in the true definition of the term, and it’s one you should immediately invite your buddies to join. Things renew for the better every spring, so this year, tell those you know about Kennedy’s. You’ll be doing them a small favor. And to show our appreciation for your referrals, ask your Kennedy’s proprietor to help you “bribe” your friends to come in: they’ll give you a card, which you can give to your non-member friends, that gives them one free haircut and shave. They’ll be indebted to you for this. And if that won’t encourage them to join our club after their first Kennedy’s experience, then they might just be hopeless… maybe even victims, rather than victors of the annual rite of spring. And Since I Mentioned the Masters . . . A few months ago, I mentioned that I’d save my intriguing Masters story for another time. Well, with the 72nd Masters upon us, now is the perfect time to share it. When a former sports agent and friend of mine shot me an email asking if I liked golf the morning of the opening round of the 2007 Masters, I was all ears . . . err eyes, as it were. To make a long story short, my friend had a seat open up on a private jet to Augusta the next afternoon and tickets to a special, small dinner party with Jim Nantz, the “Voice of the Masters.” Since we’d planned to work only half a day on Good Friday anyway, and I’d be flying back later that night, it wasn’t a problem even on such short notice to go. Besides, how could any red-blooded American male say, “No” to an offer like that? Twist my arm . . . I’ll GO already to the Masters… on a private jet even! Jeesh!!! My friend’s buddies work for Marquis Jets by NetJets and were happy to have us attend their hospitality tent and dinner party that night. But before the evening got started, we negotiated with a hospitality tent “neighbor” at the 1018 Club for two hours of event badge “usage” for only $100 per badge (week badges were getting $6,000 on the “street” and $2,500 per day), making it a tremendous deal for us. We rushed around the hallowed grounds of Augusta National in just less than two hours. Naturally, we were awed by Amen Corner as well as the course’s remarkable “hilliness” (tip: never wear dress shoes to the Masters, even IF you’re going to a dinner party in a sports coat later that night). The grass seemed SO green! The azaleas SO pink! Television just doesn’t do it justice. The course was AMAZING! What a place! Only on a high-def screen can the beauty of Augusta be approximated. As the first major of the PGA season every year and the only one to remain on just one course year after year, the Masters is clearly golf’s version of Heaven on Earth. “Get the Life Goals List out and check another one off,” I said to myself. We then headed over to the merchandise “mall” within the gates of the National — the only place to buy exclusive Masters clothing and other items — and promptly picked up the plastic baskets (like at the grocery store) to be filled with hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars of souvenirs. It was an absolute madhouse with people packed in everywhere – many buying gifts for friends who could only dream of being there. After leaving quite a bit lighter in the wallet, we walked by the front of the clubhouse and glanced down famous Magnolia Lane. Must be magical to drive down it! “Maybe add that to the Life Goal List too,” I muttered. Our last stop was at the practice range to see if any familiar faces were readying for Saturday’s round. Our host saw an old friend signing a few flags and programs as he approached us. He introduced me and told us that we’re neighbors (this guy apparently lived near me in Lake Mary, totally unbeknownst to me). He also mentioned that he was a Midwestern guy like me, so with that many things in common, we proceeded to chat for a couple minutes before he had to rush off. If it weren’t for him almost being my neighbor, I might have even forgotten about him. That night, after negotiating various backroads in an attempt to avoid the ridiculous traffic, we arrived at our dinner party a few minutes late. We were ushered to a backyard where only about 50 people sat at tables and chairs listening to Jim Nantz tell stories and answer questions for what seemed like mere minutes, but lasted nearly 90 minutes. He and his friends (Butch Harmon, Jim Grey and Bonnie Bernstein) were about the most down-to-earth celebrities I’ve ever been around. It isn’t every night that a guy gets to joke around with Bonnie, argue a technicality with Jim Grey (about whether Tiger really had forward momentum and should have been penalized a stroke when he stopped his swing cold again because of some bird’s shadow), or gets asked by Butch Harmon (Tiger’s ex-swing coach and probably the most famous golf coach in the world) if I minded him sitting next to me for dinner. No, I didn’t mind… and no, I didn’t ask him how to fix my slice. But Butch and I had a rather lively conversation that night. He’s quite full of “colorful” jokes, but since this is a “PG” publication, none of them are quite fit to print here. As we left, Scott Van Pelt, the ESPN anchor, apparently had nothing better to do than to crash the party — maybe he was “friends” with Bonnie or maybe he was getting ready to report from Augusta for the late-edition of SportsCenter. Who knows? But what a gathering we had! And if anyone reading this publication ever wants to invite me to the Masters again, I’ll be all ears and eyes again, anytime! Oh, and the guy we met at the practice range . . . it was none other than Zach Johnson, who would become the 2007 Masters champion. I’ve since offered to be his good-luck charm again at other tour events, but he’s yet to take me up on it. He only has two wins on the tour since, and I’ve heard he moved away from Lake Mary to Sea Island, Ga., where we don’t have a Kennedy’s, yet. Maybe he really should call me, again (he left a message on my voicemail about a year ago after we tried to have him be our Celebrity King of Mercantile Commercial Capital’s annual Mardi Gras celebration – unfortunately, he had West Coast PGA Tour obligations, but again was extremely nice on my voicemail.). In the future, we will organize exclusive and phenomenal outings, similar to the one above, for Kennedy’s members and friends – another reason your buddies ought to join our club. If these “guys weekend fishing trips or golf outings on steroids” are of interest to you, please tell your local club’s proprietor and we’ll start planning shortly. Enjoy the 72nd Masters! About The Author:
A few other business achievements Chris has received:
Throughout his career, Chris has been in various leadership positions, including his background as business consultant and financier with GE Capital and as CFO for the NAI RealVest group of companies. Chris’ educational achievements are equally impressive. He graduated from Loyola University with two magna cum laude Bachelor Degrees; earned a Master’s Degree from the University of Pennsylvania’s Fels Center (formerly at the Wharton School of Business); and only spent one year at Georgetown University Law Center before wising-up about becoming an attorney. Chris is a frequent speaker and writer and has appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Inc. Magazine, LA Times, the Sacramento Bee, the Orlando Sentinel, Scotsman Guide and many other regional and nationally-recognized trade publications. He maintains a busy civic calendar as a Board member with the Orlando Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Board and the Florida Hospital Foundation Board, as well his involvement with many other esteemed community organizations. Chris is married to his wife of 12 years, Shannon, and has two children, Reilly and Julianna. |
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Chris Hurn is currently President, CEO, Cofounder and Board member of 
