GEORGE LEARNED​

37 years ago, I began my journey in our industry. With an initial investment of $10,000 in inventory—a rather significant sum for a brand unknown at the time—I packed everything I had into a U-Haul and started a business from scratch. I’m proud to say I played a pioneering role in transforming a brand that was dedicated to the professional.

After a decade of growth and commitment to the professional beauty community, I attempted a new direction by moving to New York, but I was quickly called back home. In 1995, I started as a Sales Manager for Salon Services & Supplies. Within a year, I was offered the opportunity to purchase the company with four partners. We expanded from being an exclusive distributor in Washington State and Idaho to covering Oregon, Montana, Utah, and Arizona, eventually acquiring territories in Wyoming, Colorado, and New Mexico. Over 26 years of growth, incredible partnership and invaluable lessons, I gradually bought out each partner, and Salon Services & Supplies, Inc. became Salon Services PRO, further expanding to Alaska and California.

 I am grateful for earning honors such as Distributor of the Year from various brands, Excellence in Education Award, Most Sustainable Distributor Award, and the Million Dollar Club Award.

I believe all leaders have multiple motivators keeping us energized as we navigate changing landscapes. What keeps me grounded, while also inspiring me to dream, are my sons and the lessons I’ve taught them (and they’ve taught me), providing a work environment that my team can be proud of and lifting up small business owners, as they build the life of their dreams.

My journey has included many highs and lows. From building a company from the ground up to facing bankruptcy to ultimately creating one of the most respected distributors in the world, my personal commitment to our industry is encapsulated in the motto "Beauty Business Obsessed." I promise to keep professionals updated and inspired, share innovative brands, offer education and refinement opportunities, increase your business acumen, and raise the respect level consumers have for our industry. I am proud to say I have had the honor to lead what once was a small company of eager professionals into now a multi-million-dollar organization of individuals who are dedicated to the beauty professionals that make our world a better place.

When I say our client’s success and fulfillment is our measuring stick, I mean it.

LANCE COURTNEY

Lance is a renowned speaker, author, and entrepreneur with 30 years of experience in business development, service optimization, and client retention. As one of only 1200 Certified Dream Coaches© worldwide, he’s helped tens of thousands of salon leaders achieve new heights. 

Lance is the founder of “Amp Camp,” a community for aspiring and current industry leaders, and the creator of “Disrupting Customer Service,” a revolutionary course on maximizing customer experience, performance, and profit. His mission-based approach and energetic style have earned him a stellar reputation across six countries.

Featured in top publications like Salon Today, Modern Salon, and Beauty Launchpad, Lance’s expertise is unmatched. He has collaborated with leading brands like L’ORÉAL Professional, Aveda, Regis, Kerastase, and Wella.

JENNIFER TOEDTEMEIER​

Thirteen years ago, she started as an assistant, driven by a passion for excellence. By 21, she was an Independent Contractor, and in 2017, she launched @girlgonebronde mastering profitability and efficiency. Her journey led to opening her own salon in 2020, and now she empowers stylists nationwide with her insights on business, marketing, and behind-the-chair solutions. 

Join her class, “Brondology: The Science of High Impact Bronding,” and learn:

**Headsheet Fundamentals**

**Visual Analysis**

**Color Mapping**

**Foil Theory & Techniques**

With her proven strategies, stylists have shaved an hour off their application times!

IYANA TAPP

Iyanna a.k.a Chosen Creator is a passionate individual from northern California currently located in Tacoma Washington, who believes in the transformative power of hair and style.

With a strong belief that we can change the world through creative expression chosen is dedicated to honing his skills and creating unique and personalized looks for each of his clients. With a vision of using his talents to inspire and uplift others chosen is on a mission to make a positive impact in the world, one haircut at a time.

CHANTELL STEINKE​

Chantel is a full time stylist, educator with Kuene Hair Cosmetics and is passionate about giving her best to her clients and peers.

As a stylist for over 12 years, she’s niched down into providing high value and low maintenence styles to her clients, with the knowlege of home care and products to keep their hair healthy and long lasting. Having business coaches has changed her career dramatically, by giving information, confidence and drive to be her best. These coaches helped with retail sales, budgeting, self improvement plus client and business growth. 

Through this experience she also gained the love of helping others to have the same confidence in growing their own businesses, knowledge and love for their skills.

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Join us for her epic Retail Sales Class - how to Sell without being Salesy.

Learn how to confidently offer at home hair care solutions while boosting your income and not feeling bad about it!

MILLIE SCHNEBLY

Based in Spokane, Washington, Maker + Made is a boutique creative agency that's been serving small businesses in the Pacific Northwest since 2019. They've come to be known by their iconic brand development projects and unique organic approach to marketing. They specialize in a wide range of services from branding, packaging and print, website design, social media strategy, physical installations, and holistic marketing strategy.

Your host for the workshop, Millie, is the co-founder and managing partner of Maker + Made. With a no-nonsense approach to marketing strategy (and just about everything else in her life), she'll break down exactly what you need to know - and do - to step up your strategy on social media. Millie focuses on easy information and practical tips so that you can thrive online without spending all of your valuable time there. 

Social Made Simple —

A fun and interactive workshop that's tailored specifically for hair professionals, salon owners, stylists, and support staff. This workshop is designed to help you come up with an actionable monthly strategy that you can execute for yourself over and over again.

We'll work together to define your target audience, brainstorm your customer's journey, and develop key content categories that will help you navigate coming up with your weekly posts. The workshop finishes with a strategy demonstration showing you exactly how you'll bring it all together to plan an entire month of content ahead of time.

Whether you're fresh on the scene or a seasoned stylist, this workshop will help you hone your social skills and build your clientele all while improving your understanding of organic strategy for business.

Each participant will receive —

• Social Made Simple Workbook

• Digital Download of Workbook + Support Resources

• Exclusive 1-time offers from Maker + Made

JESS GATLIN

With nearly a decade dedicated to texture and curly hair education and more than 15 years in the industry, Jess has created a system that will transform your approach to curly hair care. 

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✨ COME ALIVE CURLS ✨

In her demo, she will teach you how to properly cleanse, condition, detangle, and style textured hair with ease! She’ll start with a series of treatments in the bowl that will reset and refresh your clients’ scalp and strands—watch the curls come to life!

For the styling portion, Jess will showcase the power of simplicity, using ONLY TWO products on EVERY model to demonstrate how easy and effective curly hair styling can be. 

SHANE CRAIG​

With 19 years of experience and training from top stylists worldwide, Shane specializes in creating beautifully blended sun-kissed highlights and haircuts that grow out beautifully. 

Shane will be on stage for a look & learn demo and his laidback luxury signature techniques will be game changing to your lived-in color guests. 

Clients today are looking for modern services that will last them longer; Shane will show you how!

TIM ABNEY

With a dynamic, creative, and irresistibly engaging approach, Tim spearheads the education leadership initiatives at KEVIN.MURPHY, driving a vibrant culture of learning within the KEVIN.MURPHY team. His passion for delivering top-tier education extends across diverse platforms, catering to both professionals and sales consultants alike.

Throughout his illustrious career, Tim has mentored countless educators, leaving an indelible mark on brands such as KEVIN.MURPHY. His innate ability to cultivate success in education has seen him elevate teams to unprecedented heights year after year. Boasting over two decades of industry experience, Tim's journey has afforded him the privilege of participating in exclusive fashion events worldwide, where he seamlessly integrates his talents into show productions and special events.

Leveraging a wealth of unique resources and collective experiences, Tim remains steadfast in his mission to inspire, motivate, and impart invaluable skills to educators within the professional beauty space. Now assuming the mantle of North American Field Education Training & Development Director, Tim is at the forefront of collaborating on a cutting-edge education lineup for KEVIN.MURPHY, infusing it with his fresh, innovative perspective. With Tim, the future of education within the KEVIN.MURPHY brand is set to reach unparalleled new heights of excellence.

DANIELLE NISHIYAMA

Founder of Craft Studio in Spokane, WA. Danielle has a passion for education and helping grow young stylists in a multitude of ways including color formulating, cutting techniques, extensions, social media mastery, and consultations.

KEVIN WEIR

Kevin Weir will be our Keynote Speaker at the Business Owner's Luncheon on Monday October 7th.

He is a Business Coach with ActionCOACH Business Coaching, a world-wide franchise of business coaches and consultants specializing in small to medium sized businesses. Kevin has over 27 years of professional experience as a business coach along with previous experience as a military officer and a retail and restaurant manager. Kevin also has an MBA from Washington State University. Kevin has won major national awards for his excellence in coaching, and brings his in-depth knowledge of marketing and coaching to business owners. Kevin is also the author of First Aid For A Wounded Business” and co-author of First Aid For A Wounded Dental Business; which gives business owners in distress an easy-to-use manual to help their business survive and thrive through difficult business problems.