In 1968, when David Halbert’s young son suffered a traumatic injury that resulted in significant scarring, the Abilene physician found inspiration and the science of success out of necessity.
His child’s accident, requiring multiple plastic surgeries, prompted him to delve deeper into the world of skincare. Calling on his own medical expertise as a surgeon and believing that “good ingredients build good products,” Dr. Halbert experimented with various formulas that led to an effective solution to diminish the appearance of scars.
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“As a surgeon, I already had an interest in scarring and finding ways to improve healing, so I created what I thought was a successful formula and asked my patients if they would like to try it,” Dr. Halbert said, adding that the cream was a big hit with everyone who used it.
Dr. Halbert began giving his product – that would eventually be called ScarSof® – to his patients and in 1992 he, along with his wife Dee, founded their skincare and wellness product manufacturing company, Clavél Corporation. Ten years later, he formulated and began manufacturing the top-selling Blue Stop Max® massage gel for the relief of muscle and joint aches.
Dr. Halbert’s stepson and Clavél’s Chief Operating Officer, Dason Williams, said that everything his stepfather put into the creation of his carefully curated product was out of an abundance of love and selflessness.
“The way he meticulously researched his ingredients and shared his product with his patients was because he had – and still has – a genuine desire to help people,” Dason said, describing the physician’s work as his “passion project.”
Dason said that by the late 1990s, David realized that ScarSof® was so popular that he could turn his passion for healing into a business, so with his wife Dee by his side, they began to focus on ways to reach more people and cultivate customers.
A Family Affair
Dason added that his mother and stepfather are the perfect team – combining David’s scientific and medical expertise with Dee’s interest in wellness and fitness.
The name itself reflects this holistic merger of health, beauty and overall wellbeing. Clavél is the French term for the center stone of a Roman arch – essentially the stone that holds the entire structure together. And, like this keystone, the company wants its products to be an intersection between wellness and aesthetics. Even their phone number, 1-800-HEALING, reflects this.
“They each bring their own strengths to the company,” Dason said of David and Dee. “My stepfather would work on creating just the right formulas and my mother – in addition to her belief in the importance of fitness – has a real talent for entrepreneurship.” Dason added that he remembers his mother, a former Cooper High School track coach and fitness studio owner, making and selling a product called Pecs® weights that are designed to enhance one’s exercise routine.
“One of my most vivid childhood memories is of my mom packaging shipments of Pecs® weights for the UPS driver to pick up,” Dason said. “Watching her creativity and work ethic definitely rubbed off on me, so you could say I sort of fell into this business naturally.”
Dason was also influenced by one of the most successful and well-known entrepreneurs in the world – Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban. “When I was working on my MBA, I also worked for the Mavericks full-time in season ticket sales and would see Mark around the office and at the games. When I was promoted to account executive, I got to know him better and learn from him,” said Dason, who was struck by Cuban’s “childhood, boyish energy” that made a significant impression on the then-graduate student.
So when Dason, who earned his MBA from the University of Dallas in 2004, was invited to join the family business nineteen years ago, he enthusiastically agreed and brought with him a wealth of education and real-world experience.
“Around the time I was working with the Mavericks, my stepdad wanted to get his products into national chains. Doc approached me to help generate more sales,” said Dason, who joked that “I can’t buy a sports team, so I came back to Abilene and worked with Clavél.”
Promoting the Products
Dason hit the ground running, making cold calls and visiting store managers, and around 2009, he made his first sale and the local Sam’s Club.
“I asked the manager if they would sell these little two-ounce jars of our Blue Stop Max® and he agreed,” said Dason, whose tenacity and work ethic soon caught the eye of the Fort Worth Sam’s Club regional pharmacy manager.
“I formed a strategy to fund sampling programs at Sam’s Clubs with the demo ladies – that are lovingly referred to as Mable Behind the Table – to hand out samples and talk about our product,” he said.
Dason’s gift for sales was proven again, this year with a deal from Walmart, where Blue Stop Max® is sold in almost 4,000 Walmart stores and Supercenters across the country.
Another family member, David’s grandson Andrew Harmon, worked full-time with the company for several years and, along with Dason’s successful sales record, contributed to its growth. Andrew continues as a financial consultant, while also working with David on another venture, the NEXT nuclear project at Abilene Christian University.
With the nationwide success of their products, Clavél Corporation brought on another family member, Dason’s wife Panissa.
“Dee and David approached me two years ago because they needed to add a marketing department and wanted me to focus on rebranding some of their products,” said Panissa, who graduated from East Texas Baptist University with a degree in business administration with a marketing concentration.
Under Panissa’s guidance, ScarSof® and Blue Stop Max® were rebranded, and each given their own website.
“These are terrific products and we wanted each to have its own space – it creates a different feeling and really highlights the features of each item,” she said.
Panissa said the fact that Clavél – a small, family-owned company – is competing on the same playing field as large, multi-national corporations is “amazing,” and she credits much of that with staying local and fostering an environment that values their loyal employees and fosters local pride.
“I’m very excited about the future of Clavél and its growth,” she said. “David has several other products that need to get out there and make their name in the health, wellness and beauty industry.”
Clavél Corporation has indeed staked its claim in an industry known for its fierce competitiveness, with nationwide representation not only in Walmart, but also Dollar General, CVS and Amazon. In addition, the products are sold at H-E-B, locally at Drug Emporium and in various independent retailers across the country.
Dason said when he joined the company almost 20 years ago, he was “excited to see what would happen, and with the great group of people working with us, we earned a little more, got a little happier and our business grew.”
He said the key to Clavél Corporation’s success lies in a simple philosophy.
“Stay humble, be true to yourself and your product and take care of those who take care of you.”
For more information about the Clavél Corporation and its participating retailers or to browse their catalog, visit www.clavel.com.To see the complete line of ScarSof® products, visit www.scarsof.com. Blue Stop Max® products can be found at www.bluestopmax.com.http://www.clavel.com
By Molly Hill
Photos By Shayli Anne Photography
Related: Guide to Health and Wellness
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