Company: Regency Beauty Institute
Headquarters: Brooklyn Park
Founded: Before 1950 (Batson purchased the business in
2002)
Employees: 80–100
Web: www.regencybeauty.com
Revenues (2005): $7.5 million
Background: As a high school student, Batson ran a
residential landscaping business; later, he founded Epotec, a software company,
while enrolled in the MBA program at the University of Chicago. In 2002, he
purchased Regency, reworking its curriculum and business model. The school has
since grown from its original two locations to what will be 17 locations in six
states by the end of 2006. Batson plans to expand the school to as many as 80
campuses by 2010.
In
His Own Words: “Regency has moved from a company that was similar to all of the
other small, locally operated companies in the industry to one that has a very
strong centralized business plan, operating model, technology and curriculum
platform.”
