ISBN Presents the Legend Award to George Schaeffer
The ISBN is proud to present the 2010 Legend Award to George Schaeffer, president
and CEO of OPI. George Schaeffer has built OPI Products Inc., the world leader in
professional nail care, through an acute business sense and an extraordinary commitment
to the professional beauty industry and its needs.
After earning a degree in economics from City College in New York, Schaeffer started
working in his family’s clothing manufacturing business on Broadway. He relocated
to Southern California, where he purchased a dental supply company–Odontorium Products
Inc. Soon discovering that nail technicians were using dental acrylics for creating
artificial nails, OPI quickly moved in the direction of nail care, having created
a professional nail system that was safe for use on fingernails.
Under Schaeffer's guidance, OPI has grown since its 1981 inception by continuing
to keep nail professionals and their clients on the forefront of innovation, with
an entire range of state-of-the-art quality products for hands, feet, and nails.
OPI has been granted more than 30 patents for its product ideas. Beginning in 1989,
OPI revolutionized the world of nail color with OPI Nail Lacquer, bringing glamour
back to nails, and transforming them into an integral part of the style picture.
Today OPI is distributed in over 100 countries on six continents, and Schaeffer
continues to be an active, influential force in the professional beauty industry.
The ISBN Legend Award is presented by ISBN to industry partners who have made extraordinary
contributions to the growth of the professional salon industry. Past recipients
have included John Paul DeJoria, Vidal Sassoon, and Paula Kent Meehan. The ISBN
Board feels that it is important to recognize the vision and passion of these industry
luminaries, and to express our thanks for the work they have done to help grow all
our businesses.