Funeral for pioneering Chicago businessman George E. Johnson | LIVE
CHICAGO (WLS) -- A funeral is being held Friday for pioneering Chicago businessman George E. Johnson.
Johnson founded the Johnson Products Company on Chicago's South Side.
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It was the first Black-owned company publicly traded on a major U.S. stock exchange.
Johnson died earlier this month at the age of 99.
Family and friends gathered Thursday at Leak and Sons funeral home to pay their respects.
Friday's service began at 11 a.m. at Trinity United Church of Christ in the city's Washington Heights neighborhood.
After coming to Chicago from Mississippi as a child, Johnson worked a variety of jobs to help his mother make ends meet.
Johnson founded his company, Johnson Products Company (JPC), in Chicago's South Side in 1954 with his late wife, Joan, using a $250 loan and "an unshakable belief that opportunity should exist for everyone," his family said.
Johnson Products Company manufactured a line of hair care products for Black consumers named Afro Sheen and Ultra Sheen, which became staples in homes and salons and "a source of pride throughout Black America," the Johnson family statement added.
ABC News contributed to this report.
