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SEARCHA few weeks after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, I interviewed about a dozen salon owners, service providers, and industry leaders who lived and worked in the region—many of whom had lost their businesses and their homes. The feature, which I wrote for MODERN SALON, focused on the positive—on how salon owners and stylists, who were typically competitors, were stepping in and helping one other out. I'll never forget any of those interviews—they were the most intense, passionate, and heartfelt conversations I've ever experienced, and I believe the resulting story exposed the true beauty of this caring industry.
Andrea Eaton with Stacey Soble
As general manager for the Paris Parker Salons based in the greater New Orleans area, Andrea Eaton has a first-hand view of how the BP oil spill is impacting the Gulf and its residents. She shares why clean water is such an important issue for the professional beauty industry, and how her salon company has been helping out.
One of those interviews was with Debra Neill-Baker, the CEO of the Hammond, Louisiana-based Neill Corporation. Although the company's management was overwhelmed making sure that employees were safe and that its operations, including a distributorship, SalonBiz, Etopa and the Paris Parker Salons, were secure, the Neills still committed to help salons that were flooded, damaged and closed. In fact, Katrina led Neill Corporation to establish the Salon and Spa Relief Fund, a non-profit organization designed to help salon and spa owners rebuild their businesses. I am not surprised to learn that the Relief Fund lived, thrived and survived past Katrina, going on to help victims of Hurricane Gustav and, more recently, the flooding in Nashville.
As we all followed the news of spreading oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, we again reached out to the Neills to see how the industry can help the latest disaster to impact the area. Listen to my audio interview with Andrea Eaton, general manager of the Paris Parker Salon, as she reveals how the salon network's Earth Month initiative to benefit the Gulf Restoration Network, grew and took shape as the oil spill impacted the region.
Want to help? Click here to visit Neill Corporation's Gulf Oil Spill Relief site, where you can learn how you can make a difference.
And, be sure to check out Associate Editor Lauren Salapatek's running blog on what salons are currently doing to help clean up the oil spill.
Stacey Soble has been involved in the conversation of salon business for 14 years-as a reporter, a consultant and as the editor in chief of SALON TODAY.
Read Stacey Soble's Blogs
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