SALON TODAY's Meet the Manager series celebrates the managers, team leads and directors in the industry who work to maintain the vision and goals of salon, spas and barbershops. In today's profile, we meet Candice Hogan, operations coordinator at Dame Salon Spa in De Pere, Wisconsin. A friend of Owner Maggie Dame's since 2005, and on board the salon since 2016, Hogan makes "the hard days lighter, the celebrations sweeter and the vision possible,"says Dame. 

Salon: Dame Salon Spa in De Pere, WI

Owner’s Name: Maggie Dame

Manager: Candice Hogan, Operations Coordinator

ST: When was Hogan hired?

Maggie Dame: "July 2016."

ST: Why did you think Hogan would be a good match for your business? 

Dame: "Candice has been with Aveda for almost 20 years, wearing every hat possible within the support side of the salon spa world. We met as young girls at our first job at an Aveda salon in 2005."

ST: What personality characteristics make Hogan a good manager? 

Dame: "She's organized, hardworking, urgent, disciplined, responsible, consistent, and kind."

ST: How is she compensated? 

Dame: "She is paid an annual salary and works about 39 hours a week. 

ST: What are the three most important tasks Hogan takes on at Dame Salon Spa?

Dame: “She’s a front desk daymaker: Candice operates and performs all of her responsibilities from our front desk. She is the first warm greeting that welcomes each guest, she manages the flow of the day, and completes each guest’s experience with a professional and smooth check-out. She manages all of this, plus answers phone calls with a load of laundry on her hip. She is Super Woman.

“Inventory/Ordering: Candice personally places every single order for our entire salon and spa. She places orders weekly with efficiency. Her care and attention to detail in ordering have consistently kept us under a 5% backbar cost to total revenue.

“Scheduling: Candice handles all guest and team scheduling. We have a next level system and enter all team members schedules for the next year in August. She handles time-off requests with kindness and care.”

ST: How is Hogan held accountable for the business’s performance?

Dame: “Candice bases all ordering on expense benchmarks. She follows these benchmarks and comes in below every time. She is a master of keeping our backbar and inventory costs low, ensuring profitability. Monthly, Candice and I run all of our salon’s numbers and compare them to our benchmarks, looking for wins and opportunities. These findings help guide our systems and decisions.”

ST: How often do you meet with this manager, and what do you review?

Dame: We meet every Friday morning at 7 a.m. for a 90-minute ‘leadership connection.’ We chose this time because we wanted to meet before the team arrives for the day. We are such a present leadership team that drawing the curtain to have a meeting in the middle of a busy day just didn’t align with our values. We have been meeting every Friday for five years. 

ST: What types of continuing education do you offer Hogan? 

Dame: “Candice participates in all ongoing Aveda Product Knowledge to support her leadership with our inventory and ordering. She also joins me for off-site experiences with Aveda and Serious Business. We believe in lifelong learning and read a couple of books a year together to keep our saws sharp.”

ST: How has this Hogan helped you personally or professionally?

Dame: “Candice is one in a million, and I can say with complete certainty: I could not lead at this level without her. As the manager of our 15-person salon—open just four days a week and producing over $1.5 million in annual revenue—Candice is the heartbeat behind our success. Her unwavering consistency, unmatched work ethic, and deep sense of ownership have been instrumental in helping us exceed our goals year after year.

“She is my right hand. My confidant. My steady. There are teammates… and then there are the rare few you simply can't do it without. For me, that's Candice. For the past nine years, she has been my trusted partner and a constant source of strength, clarity, and leadership. She leads with grace and grit—always showing up heart first, no matter the challenge or season. Her loyalty runs deep, her standards are high, and her belief in our team and our mission never wavers. The culture we've built, the numbers we've achieved, and the team we've retained are all reflections of her consistent excellence.

“Candice is someone I can rely on, dream big with, and weather any storm beside. She makes the hard days lighter, the celebrations sweeter, and the vision possible. I am endlessly thankful for her presence in this business and in my life.

Nine years together, and I'm still in awe of all that she brings to the table and how lucky I am to have her by my side.’