Don Roberts Beauty School Carries Legacy of Big Dreams, Hard Work and Determination

Don Roberts Beauty School Carries Legacy of Big Dreams, Hard Work and Determination

Janet Stemmer’s journey with the Don Roberts Beauty Schools began when she was 18 years old and in college. What started as a desire to do something different than the current path laid ahead for her ended up becoming a lifelong journey towards a goal that allowed her to take control of her life and passion.

"When I was 18, I was going to college to earn a degree as a history teacher. I went to a small private school in southern Illinois called Eureka College, and while it was phenomenal school, it just wasn't for me," says Stemmer.

Stemmer, who already had artistic talent and enjoyed working with and around people, decided that she wanted to go to beauty school. After talking with her parents about her new life direction, Stemmer set out to begin her new journey. In 1965, she knew that she had chosen the correct path when she started attending Don Roberts Beauty School in Highland, Indiana.

"I intuitively knew that this is where I needed to be," says Stemmer. "I liked the school, the people in it and by doing my homework I found that this was the right choice. In 1965, if you were a young woman your life skills choices were limited to becoming either a nurse or a teacher or a third option was marriage, so this was definitely different."

"During this time, a cosmetology program was 1,000 hours in length. I attended class six days a week. " says Stemmer. "It was a mix of text as well as hands-on experience. I moved fast through my education because of my desire to learn as much as I could. Everything was new, interesting and fun."

Stemmer enjoyed her education in the study of cosmetology. However, her love for teaching continued to silently grow, leading her to her next big endeavor. At the age of 19, she began her education as an educator. She taught her first class at the Don Roberts Beauty School in Calumet City Illinois. She was entrusted with two students. Stemmer says “her first class was a French Twist, which was the hot style, with lots of backcombing, the higher you could make it, the better it was…Lots of hair spray used to support the backcombing!”

Stemmer also, credits her instructors who were able to identify her hard work ethic and turn her toward the true passion in her life. "I think my desires were strengthened because of two teachers: Eileen Matalin and Janet Lawson. They were the best thing to ever happen to me," says Stemmer. "They took an 18-year-old kid and ran with her. I, by nature, have a strong work ethic, I gave 120% to what I did and they in turn gave me opportunity to grow both with my skill set and knowledge. For me, there was no doubt or second guesses. Mr. Roberts and the Don Roberts Beauty Schools gave me the ability to grow around the things I loved to do. It was and still is today, fifty- one years later, it is still my passion. My favorite part of education is being in the classroom with the students.”

Jan grew up in Lansing, Illinois and opened her first salon in her parent’s home. By the age of 21, she had completed her instructors training, added three more licenses to her portfolio and began traveling for Mr. Roberts. Mr. Roberts had three schools then and she was able to teach at different locations.

"I moved from Calumet City, Illinois to Evergreen Park, Illinois to Highland, Indiana teaching cosmetology," says Stemmer. "It was a great experience and I was able to meet and work with different students and participate in different cultures, ages and demographics. Every day, I learned something new from the students I taught. They taught me then and still do. My students, every day, teach me how to be a better teacher.”

As the Don Roberts Beauty Schools grew, Jan was asked to manage and open the next three schools. Mr. Roberts opened schools in McHenry Illinois, East Chicago Indiana and Valparaiso Indiana. By the time she opened the Valparaiso Campus, she began the Porter County Vocational Program which allows students in high school to obtain their cosmetology license at the same time they graduate from high school. This program is still a huge success today. This same program will begin at the Schererville campus this summer.

"Mr. Roberts asked me to open these schools, he trusted me to run things responsibly. To say the least, I was nervous." says Stemmer. "He was and still is an incredibly reliable mentor, not only did he teach me things about the beauty industry, but he also taught me the legalities of opening a business, management skills for students and staff and curriculum development. He was incredibly accessible to me. He was a gift to me. His office door was always open to me, even if I had to follow him to the golf course. Which I did many times!”

This guidance continued for Stemmer who after finding success teaching and running the schools, took the next step in her career. She bought her first two schools from Mr. Roberts, both in 1978 and again in 1980.

"During this time I was actually in Phoenix, Arizona on a one-month leave of absence. I was ready to relocate from Indiana to Arizona. I had successfully interviewed for a teaching position in Phoenix. I then received a call from Mr. Roberts who told me that he was going to retire and needed someone to take over, I realized that this was the next step for me," says Stemmer. She left Arizona and has not returned.

Stemmer purchased the East Chicago location for $25,000. She did not have this amount of money. She went to her brother to borrow the funds to purchase the school. Her brother and his brand new wife re-mortgaged their car for $5,000 and lent it to Jan. Jan gave Mr. Roberts $4,000 and used the remaining $1,000 to open her first business checking account. Within the first year, Stemmer managed to pay off the $25,000 debt in full. Jan is very proud that this first school had nine students in it when she purchased it. She was able to take the school, encourage its growth and buy her second school from Mr. Roberts just 24 months later. “

The second school she purchased was in Highland Indiana. While owning her first two schools she continued to work for and manage the other schools owned by Mr. Roberts. Currently Stemmer owns the Schererville Indiana campus, formerly the Highland Campus. She is COO of the Valparaiso campus and is most often still to be seen and heard in the classroom. Jan believes that her “desire to teach has created an exceptional graduate program for those that want to teach.” Her passion for teaching, the skill set required to be an effective teacher and her belief that qualified teachers are difficult to find, has created a DR staff that is surpassed by few in the industry.

Stemmer credits the success of Don Roberts Beauty Schools to the students, instructors and company culture that is reflected throughout the schools. This culture is one of the many reasons that Stemmer fell in love with her job from day one. Her passion is still obvious today.

"We really do have a unique culture here," says Stemmer. "The objective has always been to create a program that gives graduates the education they need to succeed in this industry." The programs offered by the Don Roberts Beauty schools have grown over the decade of education. “We now offer programs in cosmetology, aesthetics, manicuring, teacher training and massage therapy.” Stemmer clearly understands what the cosmetology field requires and has created successful programs to supply the demand in today’ market.

For Stemmer and the staff at Don Roberts Beauty Schools, they have found their passion. They encourage all of their students to bring their goals and passion to the classroom on a daily basis. Miss Stemmer knows, as many people do, that when a person is passionate about the job, the job is not a job, it is a way of life. It is who they are. “Success is apparent when passion presents itself first. “

"The common denominator for me was my true passion, I didn't and don’t get up and go to work just because I had or have to go to work, I went and continue to go because this is who I am and what I love. I tell everyone who wants to work for us to make sure they have a passion and want it badly," says Stemmer. "You have to like people and you have to like being with people. If you look at any talented hairdresser, you find that they all have successful people skills. These people skills many time match the technical and business skills required to be successful."

Miss Stemmer closed the interview with an additional thought. “Hard word is an option given to everyone that seeks an education. She clearly believes that the choice to do the hard work is what will make each student the exception to the rule. It is a gift the student must learn to give themselves”.

 photos by aMERSEREAUdesign