DETROIT – Local 4 took a walk in Detroit on Wednesday with Jason Heien, and people were stopping him on street corners to congratulate him on his beard. In his office at Quicken Loans, he has celebrity status.
Ever since Heien was named Wahl's Man of the Year, the 44-year-old engineer has had a pep in his step.
"It's a great honor," he said.
Heien takes pride in his beard. It started a year ago with a Halloween costume, as Heien was Neptune and needed a fake beard. Afterward, he said, he began the process of growing the real thing.
On a whim, he entered a contest when a Wahl mobile barbershop came to Campus Martius. He beat out the other contestants in Detroit and, on Tuesday, he found out he'd won the prize for the best beard in the country.
Heien said with every great beard comes "great responsibility and some swagger." He said he hopes to inspire others to step up their beard game.
Heien won $1,500 and plans to take his wife to Mexico next week.
You can watch Jamie Edmonds' full story in the video posted above.