With a $250 dollar loan, George and Joan Johnson founded Johnson Products Co. Inc. in 1954 in Chicago, Illinois. The company produced hair-care products for African American men and women. Produced in the late 1960s, Afro-Sheen was one of Johnson's best-known products during a time when the natural "afro" became a popular hairstyle for African Americans. In 1971 Johnson became the first black company to sponsor a nationally syndicated television program "Soul Train" and the first African American owned company to trade on the American Stock Exchange.