New Hudson, Michigan-based TNG Worldwide, which distributes products within the beauty and hospitality industries, serves a predominantly female clientele. So, it made good business sense for the company to become a corporate sponsor of Making Strides Against Breast Cancer in Detroit.
In addition to supporting the event, TNG worldwide employees make fundraising a year-round effort and offer employees who donate PPE for funeral homes TNG discounts on salon products. Generosity and giving are ingrained in the company culture.
Life
Having grown up around his father’s business, Larry Gaynor knew he wanted to be an entrepreneur. After graduating high school with a 4.0 GPA, he attended the University of Michigan’s Stephen M. Ross School of Business before returning to his family’s company, The Nailco Group, now known as TNG Worldwide. He spent his summers working in different departments of the company and eventually gained a full-time position. After graduating from Michigan State University, Gaynor began his career in sales and marketing. He later moved into the engineering field and worked for several photo-chemical and photographic equipment manufacturers, where he gained experience in engineering management. He was responsible for streamlining manufacturing operations and increasing productivity in Italy and Brussels.
Work
When entrepreneur Larry Gaynor stepped out of his family’s Nailco store in Farmington Hills, Michigan, to start his own company in 1985, he knew what he wanted: a one-stop shop for manicurists. He listened to their needs and then created an upscale retail boutique that seemed like something from a quiet time. It stocked everything from hand lotions to nail polish remover.
The minor countertop operation was a success and, by the end of its run, grossed $4 million annually. But Gaynor didn’t stop there. He went on to launch TNG Worldwide, which today has 75 factories producing more than 2,000 beauty products across brands like Ginger Lily Farms and ForPro Professional Collection.
As TNG’s President and CEO, Gaynor continues to focus on delivering 100% customer success. He and his wife, Teresa, also prioritize charitable initiatives, including offering PPE to funeral homes during the COVID-19 pandemic, supporting groups like Making Strides Against Breast Cancer and contributing to MSU’s construction of the Edward J. Minskoff Pavilion.
Gaynor and his team also strive for diversity and inclusion and have tried to bring more female executives to the company. Industry insiders have praised them for their efforts.
Initiative
Larry Gaynor is a successful businessman and entrepreneur, currently serving as the president of TNG Worldwide. His company produces and distributes a full range of quality beauty products sold online and in the company’s retail stores. In addition to his successful career in the beauty industry, Larry actively supports many community initiatives and has donated $3 Million to MSU to create the Gaynor Entrepreneurial Lab.
His shrewd instincts and an eye for trend-spotting helped him to keep Nailco afloat, even during the recession, and to turn it into TNG Worldwide—a manufacturer and distributor of best-selling beauty products that includes brands such as ForPro Professional Collection. The New Hudson, Michigan-based executive spends much of his free time learning Spanish on Duolingo and cooks whenever possible.
The first of several of his purloined ideas that made their way into TNG’s latest catalog came from a simple observation: “Trader Joe’s sells wine for two bucks, and it’s drinkable. Why don’t we?”
Gaynor has a bachelor’s degree from MSU and has been an active member of the university’s business school since graduating. He’s also a board of directors member for Beaver Lake Concrete and has long been a member of NRMCA’s Research Engineering and Standards Committee, where he worked closely with Dick Gaynor. He has also been a member of the task group on plant certification and serves as chair of the NRMCA’s P2P Steering Committee.
