The Constant
Starting at Impressions front desk in 2006 when he was 19 years old, General Manager Paul Petrowsky is a seasoned professional who owner Sarah Taylor says is responsible for much of her own success.
by Stacey Soble
2016 Salon Today 200: Salon Culture
Salon Culture is that invisible, yet tangible, energy that distinguishes the salon or spa, binds its team, and attracts clients. These ST200 honors clearly define their vision and mission, while consistently creating concrete activities ...
December 9, 2015
Having a strong culture helped the team from Signatures Salon in Lake Charles, Louisiana, pull together and reopen as soon as possible after a drunk driver crashed into the front of their salon.
5 min to read
Salon Culture is that invisible, yet tangible, energy that distinguishes the salon or spa, binds its team, and attracts clients. These ST200 honors clearly define their vision and mission, while consistently creating concrete activities and traditions that drive the culture.
ALLURE DESIGNS IN BEAUTY
Libertyville, IL
alluredesigns.net
Shelly Malizola
SQUARE FEET: 3,200
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 15
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $48
CULTURE: creative, passionate, integrity
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda, Bumble and Bumble
COLOR: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: Millennium, Demandforce
ASSOCIATIONS: CC, PBA
“I take time each year to hand-write thank you notes to each and every employee. We constantly talk about numbers and performance, but I feel it’s also important to let the staff know what they mean as individuals and as a team.”
BOBBY COOPER SALON
Indianapolis, IN
bobbycoopersalon.com
Bobby Cooper, Sarah Cooper
SQUARE FEET: 2,200
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 17
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $67
CULTURE: consistent, positive, team-oriented
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Oribe, Kerastase, Viviscal
COLOR: Matrix
TECH SUPPORT: Milano, Demandforce, Booker
ASSOCIATIONS: Intercoiffure, PBA
“We host Bobby Cooper Salon Team Day at an offsite location, and teams are announced for a city-wide scavenger hunt. Each team receives a sealed envelope with four locations and $25. The goal is to get your team to each location, take creative pictures there and return before a designated time. We always end the day with a lip-synch challenge.”
CENTRE SALON, LAKEWOOD
Lakewood, CO
centresalon.com
James F. Pacifico
SQUARE FEET: 3,300
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 24
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $30
CULTURE: fun, guest-focused, constant improvement
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Demandforce
“We encourage our team to create ‘above and beyond’ experience by empowering them with autonomy, training them to recognize opportunities and inspiring them to think outside the box. We document all stories and celebrate ‘above and beyonds’ at our pre-shift huddles.”
GINGER BAY SALON & SPA
St. Louis, Missouri
gingerbay.com
Laura A. Ortmann and Jeffrey N. Evenson
SQUARE FEET: 10,000; 2,800
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 105
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $47
CULTURE: purpose, mastery, selflessness
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: Millennium, Demandforce, WebOpenings, SpaBoom
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA, 2 to 10 Network
“I hired a Franklin Covey facilitator to coach me, and to work with my leaders to define and cultivate our culture. She has been working with us since 2009. With her help, we learned how to keep the culture relevant every day.”
INTEGRITY LASH
Pasadena, CA
integritylash.com
Tussanee Luebbers
SQUARE FEET: 2,000
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 12
AVERAGE LASH SERVICE: $105
CULTURE: integrity, innovative, professional
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Bella Lash, Revitabrow
TECH SUPPORT: Booker, Locbox, MailChimp
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA, NEESA
“Aside from daily huddles, we also have monthly team meetings where we take the staff out to a nearby restaurant, buy lunch and spend some time looking at the bigger picture. At these meetings we also share the Employee of the Month.”
NAMASTE PURE DESIGN SALONS
Denver, CO
namastehair.com
Rick Van De Riet and Tommy Pernell
SQUARE FEET: 450; 800; 1,600
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 35
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $45
CULTURE: “I honor you.”
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Mail
ASSOCIATIONS: PBA
“Our culture is going the extra mile to honor people. For example, if we hear one of our long-term guests is going through chemo, we offer them six weeks of free massage. If we are out of a specific product, we will locate it at one of our other locations and deliver it to the guest’s home.”
PARIS PARKER SALONS & SPAS
Hammond, LA
parisparker.com
Debra Neill Baker and Edwin Neill
SQUARE FEET: 6,800; 1,900; 8,800; 600
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 214
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $48
CULTURE: inspired, educational, supportive
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Demandforce
ASSOCIATIONS: ISBN, PBA
“Our culture is very influenced by Qnity, which teaches beauty professionals how to build their individual businesses in ways that are in line with our practices. Each team member goes through the program and we’ve added their tools to our culture.”
SALON LAURIE & COMPANY
Baltimore, MD
salonlaurie.com
Laurie K. Schroeder
SQUARE FEET: 1,100
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 22
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $69
CULTURE: “Unlike any other!”
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aquage, private label
COLOR: Goldwell
TECH SUPPORT: Millennium, Demandforce
ASSOCIATION: PBA
“Being a team-based pay salon creates the team atmosphere right from the beginning. Our annual salon retreat is all about the team! Each year I create competitions that produce some of the funniest ‘smack talk.’”
SIGNATURES SALONS
Lake Charles, LA
signaturessalon.biz
Wendy White-McCown
SQUARE FEET: 1,500
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 24
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $40
CULTURE: family, integrity, efficiency
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Bumble and Bumble, Intelligent Nutrients
COLOR: Wella, Pravana
TECH SUPPORT: SalonBiz, Demandforce
“In May, our salon was extensively damaged when a drunk driver plowed through our front entrance. Within an hour of the crash, our salon team came together ready and willing to do anything to help clean up. Within 48 hours, we worked to salvage what we could and set up a temporary location.”
SPA BLEU
West Dundee and South Barrington, IL
spa-bleu.com
Tammy Coakley
SQUARE FEET: 3,600; 2,900
TOTAL EMPLOYEES: 70
AVERAGE CUT & STYLE: $65
CULTURE: passionate, caring, accountable
BEST-SELLING RETAIL: Aveda
COLOR: Aveda
TECH SUPPORT: Millennium, Demandforce
ASSOCIATION: PBA
“After Serious Business, a group of five team members approached the management team about developing Spa Bleu Ambassadors. There is one from each department and they attend and run our monthly calls and take turns presenting ideas for building team culture.”
Additional Honorees
Blo, Raleigh, NC
Brown & DeLine, Ann Arbor, MI
Canvas Salon and Skin Bar, Powell, OH
Clive and Co, Dallas, TX
Cortello Salon, Jacksonville Beach, FL
DV8 the Salon, Grapevine, TX
Elements of Style Salon & Day Spa, Eldersburg, MD
Evolve Salon and Spa, Center Valley, PA
Habitude Salons and Spa, Seattle, WA
Impressions, Mequon, WI
John Robert’s Spa, Mayfield Heights, OH
Lux Salon, Fullerton, CA
Neroli Salon & Spa, Milwaukee, WI
Nuovo Salon Group, Sarasota, FL
Nurtur the Salon, Columbus, OH
Paul Kenneth Salon & Spa, Woburn MA
Progressions Salon Spa Store, Rockville, MD
RedBloom Salon, Calgary
Scott J Aveda Salon, New York, NY
Studio Be Salon, Ft. Collins, CO
Tangerine Salon and Spa, Murfreesboro, TN
The Black Cat Salon + Spa, Kailua, HI
The Circle Salon, Chicago, IL
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