The story
Nathaniel and Arthur Bronner, with the help of their sister, Emma Bronner, started Bronner Bros. in 1947 as a way to teach cosmetology at the local YMCA. About 300 people attended the first show but as the attendance grew, it was moved to the Royal Peacock Social Club and then to the Auburn Avenue Casino. In 1967, Bronner Bros. signed a contract with the new Hyatt Regency Hotel and the show was held there annually for the next 20 years. Through the years, the Bronners secured a number of popular guest speakers, including Martin Luther King Jr., Jackie Robinson, Dick Gregory and Benjamin Mays.
With Nathaniel Bronner, Sr's death in 1993, Bernard Bronner took over the company as president and CEO and the trade show has continued to grow by leaps and bounds. In 1996, all Bronner Bros. delegates traveled to Orlando, Florida for a large conference. The annual trade show is now held in the prestigious Georgia World Congress Center. As of 2015, the Bronner Bros. International Beauty Show was the largest gathering of multicultural beauty professionals in the U.S., pulling in 22,000 attendees and 300 exhibitors.
More and more Bronner family members are getting involved in the company. There were two brothers in the first generation of the business, six brothers in the second generation, and the third generation now has 30 members.
Bernard Bronner was also a partner in Rainforest Films, which produced films targeting an urban audience and featuring African-American talent, until the company was formally dissolved in 2014. Rainforest's filmography includes Stomp the Yard, The Gospel, Pandora's Box, This Christmas, and Takers.
From Wikipedia’s article on Bronner Bros., shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.3