Laser center cashes in on grooming obsession

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Laser center cashes in on grooming obsession
September 13, 2007
Karen Dybis / Special to The Detroit News

FARMINGTON HILLS -- Rich Morgan has turned America's obsession with personal grooming into a million-dollar business.

Morgan is president and CEO of American Laser Centers, the nation's largest and fastest-growing provider of personal laser services. Its specialties include laser hair removal, skin rejuvenation and cellulite reduction therapy.

Co-founded by Morgan in 2002, the Farmington Hills-based company has more than 180 corporate-owned clinics and 29 licensed locations across the country and in Puerto Rico. American Laser Centers employs about 1,400 people nationwide.

Morgan said they are on track to do $160 million in sales this year. Because it is dominant in its field, American Laser Centers is on an aggressive growth path, Morgan said. That means opening an additional eight to 10 locations every month, he said.

"It's an exciting time for us. It's a lot of fun for our team to grow a business and see it ramp up," Morgan said.

Part of the reason American Laser Centers is thriving is its strong brand and loyalty among customers, especially the younger demographic of 25- to 35-year-old men and women, he said.

"Many people get started (with nonsurgical cosmetic surgery) when they're young and they keep it going," Morgan said.

Americans spent just under $12.2 billion on cosmetic procedures in 2006, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. In fact, there has been a 747 percent increase in the total number of nonsurgical cosmetic procedures since 1997.

"These are noninvasive, no-downtime lunchtime procedures," Morgan said. "The results are great because they're instantaneous."

American Laser Centers' growth has been as significant. It recently reported more than 53 percent year-over-year sales growth for 2007, and the company added more than 400 new employees this year.

And its growth is being noticed. This year, Inc. magazine ranked the company No. 403 on its 26th annual Inc. 500 list of the fastest-growing private companies in the United States. The list measured revenue growth from 2003 through 2006. American Laser Centers went from $11 million to $92 million during that time frame.

Morgan said the company is devoted to investing money into its clinics, technology and client services. His long-term goal is to build 60 clinics per year over the next three to five years in the United States and internationally.

He said American Laser Centers also is devoted to finding additional revenue streams to continue to boost its bottom line. These new services could include tooth whitening and skin-improving injections such as Botox.

People want to look healthy and happy, Morgan said, and American Laser Centers is more than willing to help them reach their goals.

"We see continued growth opportunities within our existing clinics and we want to expand our dominance in the marketplace," Morgan said.

Karen Dybis is a Metro Detroit freelance writer.

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