Lock & Loaded Team of Experts

JOSE SCHNEKENBURGER - Co-Founder / Creative Director
Jose’s career began at the age 21 when he became one of the youngest regional manufacturer sales Reps in the beauty industry for Hay-Tec International. While working for Hay-Tec, Jose was exposed to the behind the scenes world of hair and fashion. To expand his knowledge of the market, Jose enrolled himself into the world-reknown Pivot Point International Academy to obtain his cosmetology license. Upon completion, Jose went through Pivot Point’s teachers training program, obtaining his educators license. For the next 5 years, Jose has had the opportunity to work in several different divisions within the company including, education, competition, advanced education, publishing, and admissions and marketing.

After a successful run with Pivot Point, Jose turned his sights back on the manufacturing realm, and helped develop and launch a luxury hair care line from Taiwan called Esuchen Hair Care. As the Brand Manager of Esuchen, Jose worked on building the brands image by building an artistic team to support the brands identity. He has been mentored by recognized industry leaders:

Andrea Turissi, Team U.S.A’s Men’s Competition coach, Manuel Rodriguez, world re-known competitor and coach as well as Pivot Point International’s artistic director, and Roy Hurley, C.E.O. of Z-One Concepts. With more than 10 years of industry experience from sales, education, branding, R/D, and marketing, Jose decided to take his passion for the industry combined with his experience and start his own new venture in the men’s grooming sector.

“Unfortunately most stylist and students of the trade do not know how to properly cater to today’s male. Here at Lock & Loaded, we hope to change that by providing stylist with the most exceptional education to be able to provide top notch services to men, who happen to be the most loyal of clients.”

“See, that’s the true beauty of the industry. It embraces dreamers. If you have the passion, dedication, and drive, you can achieve anything you want in this industry. For all the dreamers out there.keep dreaming big, but be careful of what you dream for because there is a good chance your dreams will come true. I know mine have.”

ELI MANCHA – ARTISTIC DIRECTOR / TREND DIVISION
With his recognizable talent and passion for hair, Eli Mancha is one of the industry’s leading stylists. From Senior Stylist at Rusk, to Creative Director at Esuchen International, Eli has presented his looks globally from Australia to Asia and all across the US. When not on stage, Eli is behind the chair as owner and lead stylist at Chicago’s Bang! Salon

GREGORY SKIPPER – PLATFORM ARTIST / EDUCATOR / BARBERING DIVISION
Before discovering his talent with a clipper, Gregory “Skip” Skipper traveled all over Europe and South America with his blues band. With little time to stop for hair cuts on the road, Skip realized that his talent didn’t only lie in his bass guitar and soon became the residential barber for the whole band. After returning to the States in 1985, Skip quickly enrolled in Morson Barbering Academy. Upon graduating, Skip opened one of Chicago’s top barbershops on the West Side and catered to pro athletes and local celebrities. Even after early success, Skip continued his education and obtained his teaching license at Pivot Point International. Soon afterwards, Andis Clipper Company, the world’s leader in clipper manufacturing, recruited Skip to be part of their international education and platform team. After 25 years experience, Skip has become an accomplished educator for the Andis Corporation as well as Pivot-Point International. He is also an Apple Award winner, which is presented only to the top educators in the cosmetology field.