BRIDGEPORT, Pa. — Slippery Rock University women’s water polo alumna Alexis Hayes Courtney ’98 went from the classroom to being an entrepreneur as she holds the franchise rights to Cookie Cutters Haircuts for Kids.
Born in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she attended East High School and competed as a swimmer and water polo athlete, she received a scholarship to swim and play water polo at Slippery Rock University.
Part of the 1995 National Championship squad at “The Rock”, she graduated with a degree in Mathematics Education and taught 7th through 11th grade in Utah and Michigan for several years.
After eight years of teaching she walked into a hair salon called Cookie Cutters Haircuts for Kids to get her daughter’s haircut and lightning struck. She and her husband Neal, a longtime exec with Famous Brands International – the parent company of TCBY and Mrs. Fields Cookies , bought the store in Draper, Utah, opened six other stores and have overseen the opening of another three stores in Utah.
In December of 2014 the Courtneys were approached by the franchisor and asked if they would buy the Cookie Cutters Franchise Company for the United States.
The Courtney family now run Cookie Cutters Franchising and have received recognition from Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the Franchise 500, an award recognizing the best franchised businesses in the United States.
