2008 Global Salon Business Awards Names Winners
Star salon owners from around the globe who consistently demonstrate excellence in the day-to-day running of their businesses were honored at the 2008 Global Salon Business Awards (GSBA). Held at the Hollywood Renaissance Hotel, (CA), in June, the Oscar-style gala and awards ceremony was hosted by TV and radio personality Leeza Gibbons. Sponsors of the 2008 program included Goldwell, Kérastase, L'Oréal Professionnel, Matrix, Paul Mitchell, PureOlogy, Redken, Aveda and L'Anza Healing Haircare. American Salon was among the media sponsors.
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Winners—selected from more than 3,000 nominated salon owners from around the world—were judged in March at UCLA's Anderson School of Management by a prestigious panel, whose ranks included Dr. Alfred E. Osborne Jr., senior associate dean of the Anderson School of Management; Salon Consultants International's Peter Mahoney; Sassoon Academy's Stephen Moody; InStyle magazine's JoAnne Cowan; www.yourbeautynetwork.com's Susie Carder; salon owner Rob Peetoom of Rob Peetoom Holdings.B.V.; American Salon's Kelley Donahue; and additional UCLA professors and members of the media. The judges scrutinized hundreds of extraordinary entries, evaluating the entrepreneurial culture, uniqueness, level of risk taken, team philosophy, compensation, retention, training, reward and recognition programs, client services, initiatives, loyalty programs, community service, marketing and promotional materials, and financial stability and profitability of each business before selecting the 77 top finalists, representing 23 countries.
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The U.S. winners were:
Salon Entrepreneur of the Year—Single
Nick Arrojo, Arrojo Studio
Bonnie Waters, Changes Salon & Day Spa
Salon Entrepreneur of the Year—Multi:
Charles Penzone, The Charles Penzone Family of Salons
Client Philosophy/Marketing and Promotion:
Karie Bennett, Atelier, an Aveda Lifestyle Salon Spa
Bryan and Silvia Nunes, Blo
Salon Leadership:
Frank Westerbeke, Gadabout SalonSpas
Scott B. Miller, Scott Miller Salon
Another highlight of the evening's celebratory festivities was the presentation of the GSBA Lifetime Achievement Award by actress Jaclyn Smith to legendary stylist Jose Eber. Before Eber accepted the award, his incredible career was recognized by a few of his cherished Hollywood clientele, including Elizabeth Taylor, Farrah Fawcett, Ann-Margret and Cher.
Another component of the educational event was a two-day Global Salon Business Forum, where attendees sharpened their business minds by taking in presentations by UCLA professors Karen Hill-Scott, Andrew Ainslie and Eric Sussman and keynote speaker Mark Thompson, co-author of the international best-seller, Success Built to Last. There was also an opportunity to network and exchange information during a Hollywood Salon Owner Panel.
"The Global Salon Business Forum and Awards program is truly unique and is one of the only awards dedicated to honoring those in the salon and beauty industry who excel in the areas of business," said GSBA founder Paula Kent Meehan. "We're thrilled that this year's event was held in Hollywood, which holds such allure and excitement for all of our visiting finalists." —KELLEY DONAHUE
Matrix Destination Hosts 2,000 Stylists in Las Vegas
In June, Matrix hosted more than 2,000 salon owners, stylists and business partners for Matrix Destination, a three-day educational experience held at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas. Kicking off the event, the C.R.A.F.T. Runway Reception previewed the cutting-edge techniques of the Matrix Artistic Designers, as well as the 2008 NAHA-nominated collections of Matrix Artistic Designers Nicholas French and Brian and Sandra Smith. Stylists participated in five intensive classes—Inspire Me, Cut to the Chase, Smokin' Cool Color, Sheer Perfection and Pull It Together—taught by French, the Smiths and Dr. Lew Losoncy, as well as rising stars Ammon Carver, Daniel Roldan, Nick Stenson, Robert Santana, Sam Lavella, Vickie Preston and Tarra Dean. During breaks, stylists had the opportunity to meet Losoncy and Matrix celebrity stylist Mark Townsend at the C.R.A.F.T. Your Salon Lounge. "As the country's number-one professional brand, Matrix has an obligation to lead in education," said Martin Dale, Matrix vice president of education. —LOTUS ABRAMS
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L'Oréal PPD Launches Blog to Combat Diversion
David Craggs, president of the L'Oréal Professional Products Division (PPD), which includes Matrix, Redken, PureOlogy, L'Oréal Professionnel, Kérastase, Shu Uemura Art of Hair and Mizani, has officially entered the "blogosphere," where he will be providing beauty pros and valued PPD customers with a forum in which they can comment and communicate with him about key topics, chief among them diversion.
 David Craggs has begun blogging about key topics, including diversion. |
"The blog will be a way for David to directly connect with the community without having the message be diluted or changed," said Shae Kalyani, vice president of integrated communications at Redken and PureOlogy. "He has the unique opportunity to state and explain our position and actions, to immediately and directly address concerns and, in some cases, nullify the attacks and turn salons into supporters."
The new Diversion Communication Plan has all units uniting together to achieve a stronger voice. "Each division, to varying degrees, is facing the same problem and we know our voice will be stronger if we pull together and join forces," Kalyani said, adding that L'Oréal PPD needs to let salon owners and stylists know how much it is doing to combat this problem and also communicate the results it's attained thus far. "We have cut off more than $30 million in diverted product and we're not done cleaning up the situation yet."
By the same token, L'Oréal PPD also knows that educating consumers about the problem is another tact that needs to be taken. To that end, Craggs says the blog will contain a video featuring a personal address from him that's primarily directed at consumers but is very relevant to stylists, as well. "It's a clear statement on behalf of the company explaining exactly why consumers should not buy professional products at unauthorized outlets," Craggs said. To wit: L'Oréal PPD can't guarantee the authenticity of the products. Second, consumers are likely to pay more. (As proof, Craggs cited L'Oréal PPD's 52-week rolling price check, which shows that professional products purchased in mass retailers cost 10 percent more.) Finally, consumers who buy professional products in unauthorized outlets devoid themselves of the advice of their stylists and devoid their stylists of a very important part of their income. "We think that if we get that message across to consumers, we'll do a lot to drive the business into salons and to make this market a lot less interesting for mass retailers." For more details, visit davidcraggs.com. —K.D.
Paul Mitchell Schools Hosts Record-Breaking Charity Event
Paul Mitchell Schools recently held its 5th annual Magic of Memories charity gala dinner after completing months of fundraising. This year, Future Professionals and staff members at schools around the country raised $930,000, which surpassed all previous records and brought the five-year total to more than $2.5 million. This year's gala was held at the Island Hotel in Newport Beach, CA, and included a live and silent auction hosted by celebrities and representatives from the selected charities.
 Winn Claybaugh, Shawn Southwick, leeza gibbons and John paul DeJoria celebrate onstage at the magic of memories charity gala dinner. |
The funds will be distributed to the Andrew Gomez Dream Foundation, the Leeza Gibbons Memory Foundation, the Larry King Cardiac Foundation, Food4Africa, Sister Bonnie's Franciscan Haircuts from the Heart, the National Cosmetology Association (NCA) Disaster Relief Fund, Look Good Feel Better and Cut It Out. "The beauty industry will give back to you exactly what you put into it," said Winn Claybaugh, dean of Paul Mitchell Schools. "When you selflessly use your talents and passion to raise money and awareness to make a difference in the lives of others, the beauty industry will provide for you a life rich with friends, love and financial rewards." —R.A.
OPI Reaches Out to Distributors in Asia
OPI International spokesperson Joey Brown traveled to Asia to meet and train the company's distributors in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Beijing. In Jakarta, she was also on hand for the opening celebrations of two new state-of-the-art OPI concept salons in the city. "Traveling to both these cities gave me insight into how nail care is becoming more mainstream for women, and that nail talent continues to flourish to meet this demand," Brown said. "Being pampered and taking care of ourselves is certainly an international trend." —L.M.
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Redken Raises Record Funds
In June, Redken raised a record $17,076 for 2008 charity partner City of Hope at its annual Cut-A-Thon fundraiser at the Redken Exchange in New York City. Starting as early as 6 a.m., 428 customers lined the block throughout the day to get their hair cut and styled by top Redken stylists for a minimum donation of $30. All of the money will be given to City of Hope, a leading research and treatment center for cancer, diabetes and other life-threatening diseases. —L.M.
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Alterna Sponsors Celebrity Golf Tournament Fundraiser
Alterna sponsored the first annual Celebrity Golf Classic in May, which raised money to benefit kidney disease research. Hosted by the National Kidney Foundation of Southern California, the tournament attracted such celebrities as Andy Garcia, George Lopez, Samuel L. Jackson, Oscar De La Hoya, Don Cheadle and Ray Romano to the Lakeside Golf Club in Toluca Lake, CA. Also teeing off in the game were Alterna president and CEO Paul Johnson, creative director Russs Mariano and regional sales directors Scott Hauser and Wilson Vasquez. The haircare company's logo appeared on signage throughout the event, and the brand's Caviar Anti-Aging Masque and HEMP with Organics Sheer Pomage appeared in the VIP gift bags. —L.M.
 Comedian george lopez with Alterna Creative Director russs mariano |
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New Faces, New Bases
NIOXIN has promoted Jim Grannan to vice president corporate communications and LeAnn Price to regional sales manager for the company's Eastern region.
 Jim Grannan |
PRAVANA NATURCEUTICALS recently announced the addition of Bethany Kirschner as marketing manager. In this position, she will create and oversee Pravana's promotional and corporate communications programs.
 Bethany Kirschner |
CND welcomes Heike Ahlers as regional sales manager for Eastern Europe and Scandinavia. Ahlers will manage the Eastern European and Scandinavian distributor accounts and further implement global education programs.
 Ron Krassin |
ZOTOS INTERNATIONAL has announced the promotion of Ron Krassin to president and chief executive officer. He previously worked at Remington Products for seven years and Proctor & Gamble for five years. —N.P.
John Amico to Host Chicago-Chicago Educational Event
On September 14 and 15, the John Amico Product Company will host its annual Chicago-Chicago education event, which has been held every year since the 1970s, and this year is no exception. The event brings salon professionals together to meet peers from across the nation, practice new techniques from prominent international platform artists, gain business expertise on topics including building sales and creating a whole new salon team, renew energy, and recharge their salon businesses. The event is open to all salon professionals. To register, call 800/676-5264 or visit chicagochicagobeautyshow.com. —R.A.
 John Amico Jr. and John Amico Sr. |