By Katherine Weinstein | [email protected]

“Why work if you’re not going to be giving back?” asked Draper entrepreneur Lisa Barlow. “That’s the whole driving point behind creating so much is so that we have the resources to be able to give back to others.”

Barlow and her husband have established multiple businesses from a luxury liquor brand to a highly successful lifestyle marketing company. Throughout their careers, they have given back to the community in a variety of ways and encouraged their sons to do the same. Barlow’s sons, Jack and Henry, recently created a line of grooming products for men and boys and are donating shampoo and body wash to kids in foster care.

VIDA Tequila was one of the first companies that Barlow and her husband John created together. “Ours was the first spirit brand based in Utah,” she explained. In addition to their liquor portfolio, the Barlow’s marketing company is an incubator for multiple brands in the fields of beauty, fashion and more. LUXE Marketing also works closely with the entertainment industry launching new movies and TV shows.

Barlow and her family will appear on Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” which premieres this month. Because of her connections to the entertainment industry, Barlow was instrumental in bringing the show to Utah.

“I am so grateful to be a part of this franchise,” she said. “The seventh star of ‘The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City’ is our city. That was super important to me.” In the course of filming the show, Barlow was engaging with other entrepreneurs in Utah and feels that the finished product is “a good way to showcase all the amazing things that are happening in Utah.”

LUXE Marketing has partnered with celebrities on occasion to launch new companies. One example is Nicole + Brizee, a line of luxury, affordable hair care products created by the Bella Twins, Nikki and Brie. When Lisa Barlow’s 15-year-old son, Jack, heard about the products, he asked his mom to help him create a company of his own.

“I said, ‘Why can’t you help me and my brother do one?’” explained Jack. “She made us write our own business plan first.” Fresh Wolf, a line of grooming products for men and boys, was launched in September 2019. The name was inspired by Jack’s then 7-year-old brother, Henry, who was fascinated with wolves. The slogan for the company is “Run with us.” “We want people to feel like they’re in our pack,” said Jack.

Jack and Henry serve as Creative Directors for Fresh Wolf which makes shampoo, conditioner, hand sanitizer, hair styling products and body wash. The products are sold on Amazon and at freshwolf.com. 

Creating the business has been a hands-on learning experience for Jack. “I do almost all of the social media and run all of the social accounts,” he explained. “I worked with the lab to make sure the fragrance was perfect and masculine and smells good. I test the products on my own hair and test other competitive products as well to make sure Fresh Wolf is the best.”

Fresh Wolf has teamed up with Utah Foster Care for an important cause, shining a light on the foster care system and showing how people can help. For every unit sold, Fresh Wolf donates a 2-in-1 body wash and shampoo to a child in foster care. “Everyone deserves something nice,” said Lisa Barlow. As Jack explained on the Fresh Wolf Facebook page, boys in foster care are sometimes overlooked or forgotten and don’t have many things to call their own.

“My husband had a short stint in foster care,” explained Lisa. “We’re constantly aware of kids that have displaced families.” She encourages her sons to reach out to others who need acknowledgement. “It doesn’t take much to make someone feel important,” she said.

Foster care is just one area in which the Barlow’s focus their philanthropy. Lisa Barlow cares deeply about diversity and supports organizations that advocate for the social rights of minorities such as the Human Rights Campaign and Equality Utah. Sponsoring special events and donating products are one means through which the Barlows show their support.

“I don’t think people realize how diverse Utah is,” she explained. Originally from upstate New York, Barlow has lived in Draper for 15 years. “I love living here,” said Barlow. “There is so much that happens in our state that people don’t know about. We have so many smart, innovative, hard-working people living here.”

Bravo’s “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” premieres Wednesday, Nov. 11 at 10 p.m. ET.