Dudley Products, Inc. not for sale, ever
by Jeanna Covington
Carolina Peacemaker
Originally posted 7/30/2008

The rumors have been circulating for at least two decades, but officials of the private, Black-owned hair care and cosmetics corporation want to make something crystal clear: Dudley Products, Inc. is not being sold – not now, or ever.
However, the organization is currently going through an “internal restructuring” as a result of the waning U.S. economy, and a chemical blaze ignited at the Kernersville headquarters last July, according to a company spokesperson.
Ursula Dudley Oglesby, the middle child and oldest daughter of Dudley Products founders Drs. Joe L. Dudley Sr. and ex-wife Eunice, said the fire was “devastating,” but not solely due to damaged property.
Amid settling exasperating insurance claims, production was halted for six weeks at the Kernersville control center where the corporation manufactures 90 percent of its products. Additionally, employees could not work from the facilities for a week.
Luckily, no one was injured by the flames. Nonetheless, the incident was “very difficult” for Dudley Products to weather, said Oglesby.
The declining economy hasn’t helped the wounded enterprise, either.
For example, in correspondence with rising gas prices, the costs of plastics, used to create certain product storage containers, have increased. In addition, freight costs are high, which means the company must also pay more for the shipment of its goods throughout the nation and other parts of the world.
“The economy affects us all around,” said Oglesby.
The corporation contracted a consultant in November and has entered into a “restructuring” phase to enhance the business. Oglesby says the company is not yet ready to disclose the details of the in-house reorganization since the arrangement is not yet finalized. She believes the plan will be completed by the end of October.
By no means does this restructuring denote a change in the proprietorship of Dudley Products, Inc., according to Oglesby. “This company will always be a Black-owned company with the Dudley family being owners,” she said.
Dudley Products, Inc., founded in 1967, manufactures more than 400 professional and retail hair care and personal care products. The company also operates a conference center, cosmetology school, and chain of beauty salons.