Chris Istvanko named July Hub City Hero

JACKSON, Tenn. — Chris Istvanko has been recognized as July’s Hub City Hero.

Istvanko is a master barber at Gold Chain Cutters, LLC., and has been cutting hair since 2015, according to a news release. The release says Istvanko was looking for an artistic outlet and chose to pursue barbering.

He has cut hair for low income families and the homeless, and says he loves to see people’s reactions.

“When I give [my client] a mirror and see the smile on their face, that’s the real deal,” said Istvanko in the release. “Whether it be a paying customer or someone who is down on their luck. If I can make that person smile and forget about their troubles, that’s my dream come true.”

Istvanko says his mission is to let men know there is a place that offers haircuts and more to increase their confidence, and says he wants to be able to give back to his community, according to the release.

Istvanko recently volunteered at the temporary warming shelter in the Carl Perkins Civic enter, where he was able to help a homeless man find the confidence to get a job and find a place to live, the release says.

He says he wants to be part of a back-to-school program giving children from low income homes the chance to get a haircut.

Istvanko joins Steve Beverly, Juanita Jones, Julanne Stone, A.J. Merriweather, Lauren Pritchard Cobb, and Allison Erath Shipp as Hub City Heroes.

After a year of winners have been selected by the city, one person will be awarded $1,000 to donate to a non-profit of their choice.

To learn more, click here.

To nominate a Hub City Hero, click here.