5 Days in Vegas

Wow! What an incredible 5 days in Vegas. My trip started with a meeting with the Professional Beauty Association (PBA) Salon and Spa Council. I was recently elected to serve on this board, and after meeting with the other members I am really excited about the opportunity. There are some extremely talented people on the board who are giving their time and talents simply because they love the salon business and want to make a difference in our industry. On Sunday morning my wife Sherri and I took five students to meet with Nicholas French and assist him on his presentation for the NAHA’s. Nicholas was extremely gracious,  giving them advice and then immediately putting them to work on the presentation. Nicholas would later say that they did a amazing job. He felt they were extremely skilled and caught on to his techniques very quickly. While we were in the model prep room we met Brian and Sandra Smith who are friends of Nicholas’ and were also assisting with the event. Brian and Sandra were up for Master Stylist of Year and would win the award later that night. They are really great people and it was fun getting to know them. We are working hard to bring them to Salt Lake City for a visit this fall. On Sunday afternoon I had the opportunity to work with my mentor Geno Stampora. Geno was the MC for the Beacon students and I gave a 1 hour presentation to them on salon success. It was a wonderful experience. The students were very receptive and I really loved the opportunity to share my thoughts with them. I know that they will go far in their careers. Sunday night all of the Taylor Andrews students and staff gathered together for the NAHA awards. There were over 160 in all. According to the PBA we purchased more tickets than any other salon or school in the country. The students all looked fabulous and I was very proud of them. The awards were great. Nicholas’ presentation was amazing. We were so proud to have been part of it. During the event our good friend Phillip Wilson gave us a huge shout out from the stage. Sunday night Phillip introduced us to Mary Rector-Gable of Behindthechair.com. Mary’s thoughts on the industry were very inspiring and I look forward to getting to know her better. Monday we attended additional education and ran into old friends Rene Antonio, the Global Artistic Director for Scruples and Maryl Velbeck a NAHA nominee for Editorial Stylist of the Year. Sherri and I finished the trip off with a night at the stage production of the Lion King and visit to IN-N-OUT before driving home. A great 5 days!