More than 300 people turned out to see John Paul DeJoria, CEO of Paul Mitchell Systems. and Winn Claybaugh, the dean of Paul Mitchell Schools.

They attended the grand opening of Paul Mitchell The School - Huntsville, located on Sullivan Street in Madison.

“We’re here to service the entire population, not just the centers of fashion,” DeJoria said. “When students come here they graduate with a fabulous career, not just a license.”

DeJoria’s message: “If you’re having an off-day, come to the school because it will make you happy just to be around these students.”

Students at the company’s schools - located in 36 states - are 17 to 67, DeJoria said. “This is not just about young people,” he said.

And to ensure Paul Mitchell schools are around for a long time, DeJoria said he’s put his company stock in a family trust that will keep it going for 360 years.

“There’s 358 years left,” he said.

The Paul Mitchell company is famous for its hair care products. But what most people don’t know is that it is an education company first, said Robert Brown, co-owner of the new Madison school with his wife, Susanne. The couple also own the first Paul Mitchell partner school in Alabama - the XCell Academy in Hoover.

He said the Madison site was chosen because of its access to Interstates 65 and 565.

“We generally draw students from as far as an hour away,” Brown said.

The 10,000-square-foot site at 3810 Sullivan St. was designed to train up to 150 students at a time. Huntsville was used in the name because it’s a bigger city. The Paul Mitchell school in Nashville is located in Antioch.

Brown said economic conditions prompted him to offer scholarships to everyone who enrolls in the private school during November.

He said five students enrolled during DeJoria and Claybaugh’s visit on Wednesday. Additional opportunities to register at the school will begin Nov. 11. For more information or online enrollment, go to www.paulmitchelltheschool.com/.