Supercuts

Quick Take

Regis has no corporate PAC (political action committee, a fund a company sets up to give to candidates), and it has reported federal lobbying only once: a 2009 engagement on a bill that would have let workers form a union by signing cards instead of holding a vote.[2][3] That same year, salon workers were asked to sign forms canceling any union card they might sign later, and a 2011 federal settlement required Regis to revoke and destroy those forms.[4][5] Political giving by people tied to the company swung from mostly Republican in the 2018 cycle to mostly Democratic in the 2022 and 2024 cycles.[2] Regis's 2023, 2025 and 2026 annual reports all carry a "Diversity and Inclusion" section with the same core wording.[6][7][1]

Where the Political Money Comes From

All of the federal campaign contributions tied to Regis come from individuals, not from a company PAC. OpenSecrets, a nonpartisan group that tracks campaign money, shows $0 from a Regis PAC in every election cycle back to 1990.[2] A search of the Federal Election Commission's committee list for "Regis," "Regis Corporation" and "Supercuts" returns no company PAC.[8]

The money OpenSecrets does count comes from individuals tied to Regis, mainly people who listed it as their employer, in donations of $200 or more.[2] Election cycles run two years, so the "2024 cycle" covers January 2023 through December 2024.

From the 2014 cycle through the 2018 cycle, that giving leaned Republican. In the 2014 cycle it totaled $23,700, with $19,700 to Republicans and $4,000 to Democrats. In 2016 it was $28,463, with $20,748 to Republicans and $7,251 to Democrats. In 2018 it was $47,591, with $38,265 to Republicans and $8,571 to Democrats.[2]

Then it flipped. In the 2020 cycle, $27,100 went to Democrats and $17,555 to Republicans, out of $45,407. In 2022, $32,301 went to Democrats and $2,356 to Republicans, out of $43,132. In 2024, $41,272 went to Democrats and $12,765 to Republicans, out of $56,522.[2] Each total also includes small amounts to recipients OpenSecrets does not count as Democratic or Republican, so the two party figures add up to slightly less than the total.[2]

The biggest single recipient in the 2024 cycle was Kamala Harris's presidential campaign, at $8,343. The second biggest was the Republican Party of Travis County, Texas, at $6,500. Most of the remaining gifts were small, spread across dozens of Democratic House and Senate candidates.[9]

The pattern was different 20 years ago. The largest cycle on record is 2004, at $150,030, when $84,056 went to Republicans and $5,874 to Democrats.[2] Older totals like that one are best read as a floor, not an exact count.

These are federal numbers only. Regis is based in Minnesota, and gifts to Minnesota state candidates or state political committees are not captured by OpenSecrets or the FEC. This review did not examine Minnesota's state records.

The Lobbying Footprint: One Bill, One Year

Regis's entire federal lobbying record is one effort aimed at the Employee Free Choice Act. The bill, introduced in March 2009, would have required the National Labor Relations Board to recognize a union once a majority of workers signed union cards, instead of holding a secret-ballot election.[10]

Regis registered the law firm Jackson Lewis to lobby on the bill, effective June 2, 2009. The registration describes Regis as a company running "hair salons, beauty salons, hair restoration centers and cosmetology education."[3] The firm reported $20,000 in lobbying income from Regis for the third quarter of 2009, with contacts in both the House and the Senate.[11] After that, every report the firm filed for Regis showed no lobbying activity, and the arrangement ended on March 31, 2011.[12]

The federal lobbying database shows no other filings for Regis Corporation or for Supercuts.[12] That makes $20,000 in 2009 both the most recent and the only reported amount.

The Union Cards Salon Workers Were Asked to Sign

In 2009, salon workers were asked to sign a one-page "Protection of Secret Vote Agreement." In the form's own words, the signer agreed to revoke and nullify "any union authorization card I may execute in the future."[4] A former Cost Cutters manager in Montana told reporters that she and her staff were pressured to sign it after being shown a video urging them to resist unions. A Regis spokeswoman declined to comment at the time.[4]

The forms circulated in 2009, the same year Regis registered to lobby on the union-card bill. A trade newsletter for human resources managers reported that then-CEO Paul Finkelstein was worried about the Employee Free Choice Act and acted before it could take effect.[13]

The National Labor Relations Board, the federal agency that enforces private-sector labor law, filed a complaint against Regis in November 2010. It said the agreements were illegal and that some workers were told they would be fired if they did not sign.[14] Regis declined to comment on the charges.[14]

In June 2011, Regis settled. It agreed to revoke and destroy the signed forms, post a notice of workers' rights in its salons, and pay for a new video on the right to organize, to be shown at about 6,500 company-owned salons. Regis said it was "comfortable with the agreement."[5]

What Regis Says About Itself

Regis's yearly report to investors, the Form 10-K, carried a "Diversity and Inclusion" section in its 2023, 2025 and 2026 editions, each with the same core sentence: "The Company promotes diversity of thoughts, backgrounds, experiences, and ideas."[6][7][1] None of those sections uses the word "equity." The section was not removed or renamed in the 2025 or 2026 report.[7][1]

The same section reports the workforce mix. As of June 30, 2026, women made up 95% of Regis's own workforce and held 59% of its leadership positions. Those figures were 86% and 68% in 2023.[1][6] Regis describes its culture as "collaborative, inclusive, and accountable."[1]

The 10-K also draws a line around franchised salons. Regis says it "does not control the day-to-day operations of its franchisees," and that its franchise agreements give it no right to determine the terms of employment of franchisees' employees, outside of matters such as service quality, training, salon design and trademark use.[1] Among its business risks, Regis lists rising minimum wages and the chance that federal labor regulators could treat it and its franchisees as "joint employers," a finding that two businesses share legal responsibility as employers of the same workers.[1]

From Supercuts Inc. to Regis

Supercuts was a separate company until 1996. Regis says it received shareholder approval on October 25, 1996, for a stock-for-stock merger with Supercuts.[15]

As a Regis subsidiary, Supercuts Inc. later reached a federal race discrimination settlement. In 2003, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission announced that Supercuts would pay $3.5 million. The case began when a former regional manager charged that he was fired for refusing a plan to reduce the number of African American employees in the chain's Eastern Region. It covered hiring, promotion and firing decisions there from 1996 to 2001. The EEOC described the agreement as a voluntary settlement reached before any lawsuit was filed, so it resolved the charge without a court ruling on it.[16]

In December 2024, Regis bought Alline Salon Group, its largest franchisee, taking over 314 salons; 261 of them were still open on June 30, 2026. Regis says its company-owned salons give it a place "to test, learn and refine initiatives."[1]

Regis has changed leaders twice since mid-2025. Chief executive Matthew Doctor resigned effective June 30, 2025, and Jim Lain served as interim chief executive.[7] On March 16, 2026, the board named its chair, Susan Lintonsmith, as president and chief executive. She previously served as chief executive of Quiznos and of Elements Massage.[17] The proxy statement reports her total pay for fiscal 2026 as $762,427.[18]

For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2026, Regis reported revenue of $224.5 million and net income of $6.9 million. Supercuts salons open at least a year grew sales 3.0%.[19]

About 28% of that revenue is rent that Regis passes straight through. Regis says it historically signed salon leases and then subleased the space to franchisees, and that "all lease costs are passed through to the franchisees." In fiscal 2026 it reported $62.9 million in franchise rental income and the same $62.9 million in franchise rent expense. Royalties, the fees franchisees pay to use the brand, were $54.6 million.[1]

Where to Find Them

Supercuts salons and locations are listed at supercuts.com. At June 30, 2026, there were 1,729 Supercuts salons, 1,634 of them franchised and 95 run by Regis. Regis also licenses 67 salons in the United Kingdom.[1] Regis licenses those salons rather than running them, and this review did not examine political records outside the United States.

Footnotes

[1] Regis Corporation, Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2026, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000716643/000071664326000031/rgs-20260630.htm (accessed October 22, 2026).

[2] OpenSecrets, "Regis Corp Profile: Totals," all cycles 1990 to 2024. https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/regis-corp/totals?cycle=A&id=D000037016 (accessed October 22, 2026).

[3] Jackson Lewis LLP, Lobbying Registration (LD-1) for client Regis Corporation, effective June 2, 2009, U.S. Senate Lobbying Disclosure. https://lda.gov/filings/public/filing/fac838c4-e81a-402b-a964-598b60db907e/print/ (accessed October 22, 2026).

[4] John S. Adams, Montana Free Press, "Cost Cutters wants employees to forfeit right to unionize," August 24, 2009. https://montanafreepress.org/2009/08/24/cost-cutters-wants-employees-to-forfeit-right-to-unionize/

[5] Annie Baxter, MPR News, "Regis Corp. will acknowledge salon workers' union rights," June 24, 2011. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2011/06/24/regis-union-salon

[6] Regis Corporation, Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2023, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/716643/000071664323000031/rgs-20230630.htm (accessed October 22, 2026).

[7] Regis Corporation, Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2025, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/716643/000071664325000031/rgs-20250630.htm (accessed October 22, 2026).

[8] Federal Election Commission, committee search for "Regis," "Regis Corporation" and "Supercuts." https://www.fec.gov/data/committees/?q=regis (accessed October 22, 2026).

[9] OpenSecrets, "Regis Corp Profile: Recipients," 2024 cycle. https://www.opensecrets.org/orgs/regis-corp/recipients?id=D000037016&cycle=2024 (accessed October 22, 2026).

[10] U.S. House of Representatives, H.R. 1409, Employee Free Choice Act of 2009, as introduced March 10, 2009, GovInfo. https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/BILLS-111hr1409ih/html/BILLS-111hr1409ih.htm

[11] Jackson Lewis LLP, Lobbying Report (LD-2) for client Regis Corporation, third quarter 2009, signed October 20, 2009, U.S. Senate Lobbying Disclosure. https://lda.gov/filings/public/filing/85b48d08-d735-4ef0-a98c-7e90b4e731a9/print/ (accessed October 22, 2026).

[12] U.S. Senate Lobbying Disclosure, all filings for client Regis Corporation (client ID 189498), 2009 to 2011. https://lda.gov/api/v1/filings/?client_id=189498 (accessed October 22, 2026).

[13] The HR Specialist, "Regis CEO's pre-emptive labor move may have been illegal," March 11, 2010 (no byline listed). https://www.thehrspecialist.com/11823/regis-ceos-pre-emptive-labor-move-may-have-been-illegal

[14] Martin Moylan, MPR News, "NLRB accuses Regis of breaking federal labor laws," November 2, 2010. https://www.mprnews.org/story/2010/11/02/regis-filing

[15] Regis Corporation, Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1997, U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000716643/000091205797031608/0000912057-97-031608.txt (accessed October 22, 2026).

[16] U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, "Supercuts to Pay $3.5 Million for Race Bias and Train Hundreds of Managers, In EEOC Settlement," August 13, 2003. https://www.eeoc.gov/newsroom/supercuts-pay-35-million-race-bias-and-train-hundreds-managers-eeoc-settlement

[17] Regis Corporation, "Regis Corporation Names New CEO, COO, Board Chair, and Independent Director," March 16, 2026 (Form 8-K exhibit). https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/716643/000071664326000012/rgs031626pressrelease.htm

[18] Regis Corporation, 2026 Proxy Statement (Schedule 14A), Summary Compensation Table, September 2026. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000716643/000114036126036991/ny20079436x1_def14a.htm (accessed October 22, 2026).

[19] Regis Corporation, "Regis Corporation Reports Financial Results for Fourth Fiscal Quarter and Full Fiscal Year 2026," September 1, 2026 (Form 8-K exhibit). https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/0000716643/000071664326000029/a063026pressrelease.htm