A passionate educator and salon owner has swept to victory in the $28,000 Vish Color Bar MakeoverGiveaway, with her and her team winning a personalized color bar from Minerva Beauty, an inventory restock, and the Gift of Vish. More than 4,400 votes were cast for the three finalists over the past six days, before voting closed on October 20th at 11:59 PM but there could only be one winner. Salon Fusion in Inver Grove Heights, MN has won the makeover, capturing over 50% of the vote.

 “We are absolutely thrilled to win the Color Bar Makeover contest with Vish. This is a total game-changer for our salon and we can’t wait to show off the stunning transformation,” said owner Alisha Helseth. “Our team is buzzing with excitement and we’re so grateful to everyone who believed in us and helped make this happen.”

Within the next five months, Vish will descend on her salon to completely revamp her color space to complement the team and reinvigorate the business. Intrinsic to the success of the new space will be the Vish color management system - iPad, scales, stands, and mixing mats (complete with set-up, onsite team training, and 1:1 coaching) - to help her team slash color waste and price for profit with every service. Within the first 60-90 days, Salon Fusion could see as much as an 80% reduction in color waste, with a 15-20% increase in service revenue.

Alisha’s focus on creating a functional yet beautiful space for her team resonated with the industry. When she bought the salon in 2013 the existing color bar was already well-used — very basic, dated, and needing a refresh. Now the team can look forward to a fresh, organized, and reimagined space, populated with Vish scales, and optimized to mix brilliant and precise color for their clients.

“All three finalists had compelling stories of how they have navigated the recent very challenging years, but Alisha's experience struck a deep chord with others,” said Timothy Howard, CIO of Vish, the color management software pioneer. “Her passion for giving back to the industry by igniting a love of hairdressing within the younger generation shone through. By providing the salon with tools and technology designed for sustainable growth and success, an exciting transformation for Alisha and the Fusion team is on the horizon. I look forward to meeting her team in person in the coming months.”

The Vish Color Bar Makeover Giveaway was launched in July and attracted more than 1,500 entries. After interviewing 80 salon owners, the Vish team narrowed it down to a final shortlist of just three amazing salons – Salon Fusion, Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota; Alessandro Salon, St. Catharines, Ontario, and Arizona Hair Co, Queen Creek, Arizona. It was then put to the industry to decide who should win the $28,000 color bar makeover.