The Story Behind GOAT
Greatest Of All Trained. It is not a boast. It is a standard, and a promise. GOAT Barber Academy was built to train barbers the right way, with real hands-on work, real clients, and the business skills to build a real career.
It Started in the Barber Chair
Ridge Awadallah has spent over 8 years in the automotive industry and owns The Laundry Spot on Mahoning Avenue in Youngstown. He knows business. He knows how to spot an opportunity. But GOAT Barber Academy didn’t start with a business plan. It started with a conversation.
One day, sitting in Alex Sierra’s chair, Ridge heard something that stopped him. Alex was talking about what was broken in barber education, how students were coming out of programs unable to work, unable to build a client base, unable to run a business. How talented people were being failed by a system that cared more about passing a test than building a career.
Ridge didn’t just listen. He acted. That conversation became GOAT Barber Academy.
Two People. One Mission.
Ridge Awadallah
Owner & Academy Director
Ridge brings 8+ years of business experience across the automotive industry and local entrepreneurship in Youngstown. He understands what it takes to build something from the ground up, and what it takes to sustain it. When he heard Alex’s vision he didn’t just see a school. He saw a movement that could change lives in his community. He put his resources, his network, and his business mind behind it and never looked back.
Alex Sierra
Co-Owner & Head Instructor
Alex Sierra has spent over 10 years building one of the most respected names in barbering in the Youngstown area. Award-winning competitor. Shop owner. Community builder. But after years of watching graduates come out of barber programs without the real-world skills to succeed, he knew something had to change. GOAT is his answer to a broken system, and his commitment to every student who walks through the door.
Why Youngstown
This city has always had talent. What it hasn’t always had is opportunity. GOAT Barber Academy is rooted in Youngstown because this is where the need is greatest and where the impact will be felt most. We’re not here to build something for Youngstown. We’re here to build something with Youngstown.
Alex built his career here. Ridge built his businesses here. GOAT will grow here first, and then take what we build to communities that need it everywhere.
The Vision
Most barber schools hand you a license and wish you luck. GOAT has a different plan.
We are building the shops our graduates will work in.
The five year vision for GOAT is bigger than one school. We are working toward a network of GOAT locations where our graduates don’t just leave with a license. They leave with a place to go. A chair waiting for them. A community already built around them. No searching, no starting from scratch, no hoping someone gives you a chance.
You earn your license at GOAT. You build your career at GOAT. That’s the difference.
What GOAT Means
Greatest Of All Trained.
It’s not a title you’re given. It’s a standard you earn. Every student who graduates from this program will leave knowing they were trained at the highest level, technically, professionally, and personally. That’s what we put our names on. That’s what we’re building.
The Mission Behind GOAT Barber Academy
GOAT Barber Academy was built on one belief. Youngstown, Ohio deserves a barber school that actually prepares students for a professional career. We are not a school that rushes students through a checklist of hours. We do not teach outdated techniques in outdated spaces. We deliver real, hands-on barber training built to the standard of the industry we love.
GOAT stands for Greatest Of All Trained. It is not a boast. It is a promise we make to every student. When you graduate from GOAT Barber Academy in Youngstown, you will compete with the best barbers anywhere in the country. That is the standard we hold ourselves to every single day, and we will hold our students to that same standard from day one.
Who We Train at GOAT Barber Academy
We train the next generation of barbers in northeast Ohio. Our students will come from Youngstown, Austintown, Warren, Boardman, Niles, and communities throughout the Mahoning Valley. Some have always known they wanted to be barbers. Others are making a career change and looking for a program that gets them job-ready fast. Some are fresh out of high school, while others are adults who are done settling for jobs that do not fulfill them.
What all our students will share is ambition. GOAT Barber Academy is not for students who want to coast through a program and grab a certificate. It is for students who are serious about the craft, committed to the process, and ready to put in the work. Every graduate we produce will enter the industry prepared, confident, and ready to compete. If that describes you, GOAT Barber Academy in Youngstown, Ohio is exactly where you belong.
What Makes GOAT Barber Academy Different
There are barber schools, and then there is GOAT Barber Academy. The difference comes down to focus, investment, and culture. We invest in a modern facility, professional-grade equipment, and a curriculum that produces graduates ready to work from day one. We build a culture that takes the craft seriously while keeping the energy high and the environment fully supportive.
At GOAT Barber Academy, students will not just learn technique. They will develop the mindset of a professional. They learn how to communicate with clients, how to manage their time, and how to build a loyal clientele. They also learn how to carry themselves in a way that commands respect in any shop or suite. These skills separate good barbers from great ones, and we bake them into every part of our program.
Built to OSCBB Standards for Ohio Barbers
GOAT Barber Academy operates in full compliance with the Ohio State Cosmetology and Barber Board and is now licensed by the OSCBB. We design our program around OSCBB requirements to ensure every graduate is fully prepared for licensure in the state of Ohio. We take the regulatory process seriously because your license is the foundation of your career.
Beyond licensure preparation, however, we want our graduates to compete in the real market. Ohio is home to thousands of talented barbers, and the Youngstown area is no exception. GOAT Barber Academy commits to raising the bar for barber education in northeast Ohio. When you train at GOAT, you join a movement to elevate the standard of barbering in our community.
The GOAT Barber Academy Facility
Our facility sits at 1741 S Raccoon Rd, Suite 3 in Austintown, Ohio, right in the heart of the Youngstown metro area. We designed this space from the ground up to serve as a professional training environment. Every station, every piece of equipment, and every detail of the layout exists for one purpose, giving our students the best possible training experience.
We believe the environment you train in shapes the barber you become. We invest in a space that reflects the level our future students will be working toward. When you spend your training hours at GOAT Barber Academy, you develop habits and standards that stay with you throughout your career. We are proud of what we built here, and we invite you to come see it in person. Reach out today to schedule a tour of the GOAT Barber Academy facility.