President / CEO, Les Jeunes Romantiques / Drula Fabrik, Montreal, QC. Born: Port-au-Prince, Haiti.
Frantz Vancol left Haiti in 1969 due to political unrest. He joined relatives in Liberia, then moved to the U.S. to study Civil Engineering, as well as Business Administration and Cosmetology. Soon after, Holiday Magic Cosmetics recruited him as General Distributor and Marketing Instructor, where he taught sales techniques worldwide, and established NYC’s Young Romantic Beauty Salons.
In 1976, Frantz moved to Canada and launched a chain of beauty shops called, Les Jeunes Romantiques, and introduced hair and skincare products specifically tailored for Blacks. He founded Tropico Inc., a wholesaler of tropical consumer products, New York-New York, a retailer of food and cosmetics, and became the exclusive distributor of many specialized products, such as TCB hair products from Alberto Culver. With a loan from the Mathieu Da Costa Business Development Corp., he fulfilled a lifelong dream when he began to manufacture Quisqueya-Boyo, a tropical-flavoured soft drink.
Today, after over 30 years of continuous hard work in business, Frantz is carrying on his original entrepreneurship and introducing to Canada, highly effective, quality products, such as Drula Preparations, from Germany.
Community: supported activities fostering closer relations between anglophone and francophone Blacks in Montreal; tutored students with learning difficulties, taught languages to newcomers, and has organized and spoken at seminars and conferences on hairstyling and cosmetology; past organizing committee member, Quebec’s Caribbean Festival; past Executive Member, Round Table on Black History Month; regularly supported the Miss Black Quebec contest; VP, Racing Soccer Club of Montreal North; active in Bethel Christian Community Church.
Honours: Including, award for “Extraordinary Contribution to the Business World”, Muhammad’s Mosque of Montreal (1996); Jackie Robinson Award, Montreal Association of Black Business Professionals (1995).
Reviewed in: Montreal Gazette; BHM Calendar (1998); Commerce (1997); Les Affaires (1996).
Education: Cosmetology, Wilfred Academy, New York; Business Administration, Geneva Business School; Civil Engineering, New York, Staten Island College.
Contact: Drula Preparations