Gerry Udell

What Gerry Udell does

Gerry Udell, Inc. is a privately held, third-generation family-owned manufacturer's representative agency that sells professional beauty, barber, and nail products on an exclusive basis across the Northeast United States. Founded in 1960 by Gerry Udell in Bloomfield, New Jersey, the firm is currently run by co-principals Gary Udell and Glenn Udell (the founder's sons) with the founder's grandson Gerry Udell serving as President after joining in 2010. The agency represents more than sixty-five prestige brands, including AFAM, Agadir, Ardell, Barbicide, China Glaze, IBD, Olivia Garden, and Seche, and serves distributors, salons, barber shops, and beauty retail stores through a field sales team that covers a multi-state Northeast territory characterized internally as the country's most demanding market due to high population density and varied distribution channels.

Operationally, the company runs lean with approximately ten staff — six full-time sales representatives and four office support personnel — and supplements its field presence with ongoing participation in Cosmoprof shows and direct store training. Its only proprietary technology asset is a customized in-house order entry system developed by office manager Pamela Piacenza, which supports manufacturer and customer order processing; the company explicitly does not maintain a broader technology platform. Sales engagement is driven by principal-level personal relationships with key accounts and day-to-day management by Gary Udell across the sales roster.

The business model is straightforward commission-based representation: Gerry Udell earns transaction-fee revenue on sales of the brands it exclusively represents to distributors and downstream professional buyers. Pricing is set by the manufacturers rather than the agency, and the firm does not publish rates. A separately offered Professional Beauty Consulting Service monetizes the team's institutional knowledge by advising businesses entering the professional beauty channel on pricing, retailing, distribution venue selection, payment/freight policies, and the impact of internet and social media on the category. No external capital, acquisitions, or platform extensions are evident; growth is driven through brand-portfolio expansion and deepening of territory relationships.

Name

Gerry Udell

Legal name

Gerry Udell, Inc.

Website

https://gerryudell.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1960

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Gerry Udell, Inc. is a third-generation, family-owned professional beauty sales agency that exclusively represents 65+ prestige manufacturers across the Northeast United States, serving distributors, salons, and beauty retail stores through a small field-sales team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Beauty Sales Representation

akta.pro primary industry

Channel/Partner Sales Support (Reseller Enablement, Deal Reg) (BPAAADAH)

Keywords

• Manufacturer representative services
• Professional beauty sales agency
• Beauty brand representation
• Barber supply distribution
• Field sales representation

Headquarters

HQ city

Bloomfield

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Manufacturer Representative/Commission Revenue: Gerry Udell, Inc. operates as a manufacturer's representative agency earning commission revenue from the professional beauty, barber, and nail manufacturers they exclusively represent. They develop long-term profitable relationships with customers and manufacturers in the professional beauty industry.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Gerry Udell, Inc. operates as an exclusive manufacturer's representative agency for professional beauty, barber, and nail manufacturers across the Northeast United States. The firm deploys dedicated field sales representatives to call on distributors, salons, and beauty retail stores, providing hands-on account management, product representation, store trainings, and ongoing sales support for over 60 prestige brands. The company also offers a Professional Beauty Consulting Service that advises businesses new to the industry on distribution channels, pricing structures, and retail strategies.

Product overview

Gerry Udell, Inc. is a third-generation family-owned professional beauty sales agency founded in 1960, specializing in exclusive representation of professional beauty, barber, and nail manufacturers in the Northeast United States. The company offers two primary services: beauty brand representation services (connecting manufacturers with distributors and salons across the territory) and a Professional Beauty Consulting Service that guides businesses new to the industry. The company represents over 60 prestigious beauty brands including AFAM, Agadir, Alpha Skincare, Ardell, Barbicide, China Glaze, Clubman, Olivia Garden, Johnny B, Lucky Tiger, IBD, Seche, SuperNail, and Personna. As the recognized largest regional sales agency in the professional beauty industry, the company operates with 10 people focused solely on the Northeast territory, including 6 full-time sales employees and 4 full-time office support staff.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Beauty Brand Representation Services Exclusive representation of professional beauty, barber, and nail manufacturers in the Northeast territory, acting as sales agents connecting manufacturers with distributors, salons, and beauty retail stores via field sales representatives.
• Professional Beauty Consulting Service

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• SalonCentric: A major US professional beauty distributor serving salons with a broad multi-brand assortment across hair, nail, and skincare. Comparable to Gerry Udell as it operates the distribution relationships in the same professional beauty channel, though SalonCentric is a full-line distributor rather than a commission-based rep agency.
• CosmoProf (Beauty Systems Group): One of the largest US professional beauty distribution platforms, part of the BSG/Wella network, serving salons, barbers, and licensed professionals. Overlaps with Gerry Udell in the Northeast professional beauty channel but operates a wholesale distribution model at much larger scale.
• Armstrong McCall: Professional beauty distributor and retail chain serving licensed cosmetologists and barbers across multiple US states, including the Northeast. Comparable customer base (salons and barbers) and channel, though broader geographic footprint and retail-store model.

Regional players

• Salon Services (Salon Services & Supplies): A regional professional beauty distributor covering parts of the US East Coast and mid-Atlantic, supplying salons and barbers with multi-brand assortments. Comparable to Gerry Udell in channel and customer type, though primarily distributor-led rather than commission rep model.

Direct peers

• Genesis Beauty Systems / CSN Beauty: A regional professional beauty sales agency representing multiple brands into salons and barbers, comparable in size and structure to Gerry Udell as a commission-based rep firm serving the professional beauty channel.
• Burmax Company: A long-established professional beauty sales agency and distributor based in New York, representing multiple brands into salons and barbers in the Northeast US. Directly comparable to Gerry Udell as a regional multi-brand beauty rep serving overlapping Northeast accounts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/gerryudellinc
• Facebookfacebook.com/GerryUdellInc
• Instagraminstagram.com/gerryudellinc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Gerry Udell