The newest salon industry awards celebrate leadership
and best practices among cosmetology schools.
Meet the 2010 Overall Honorees.
Most salon owners would say a great salon begins with
great salon professionals, and the best professionals begin
with the best education. But where does the best education
start, and what are the cutting-edge schools using?
To uncover the answer, MODERN SALON Media launched
the “Excellence in Education” recognition program honoring
cosmetology schools.
The first class of recipients was named during
the annual AACS (American Association of
Cosmetology Schools) conference in October
2010. Nearly 100 schools submitted 374
entries in eight categories. Finalists and honorable
mentions were determined in four classes
based on school size or number of locations,
with one overall honoree from all applicants
named for each category.
A complete list of finalists is posted at modernsalon.com/ExcellenceInEducation. Expanded
profiles of the Overall Honorees will be added to
the site and showcased throughout the year.
OVERALL HONOREE: MARKETING
La’ James International College,
Fort Dodge, IA 7 Locations
Owner: Cynthia Becher
lajamesinternational.com
To help this chain of schools stand out, owner Cynthia
Becher came up with dynamite marketing vehicles,
including the company’s annually published,
32-page glossy magazine. The Buzz is distributed
locally to medical offices, family planning clinics,
summer camps and recreational centers as well
as playing prominently at job fairs and high
school presentations.
OVERALL HONOREE: TECHNOLOGY
Capitol School of Hairstyling and Esthetics,
Omaha, NE Single Location
Director: D. Scott McCaig
capitollook.com
Salon management software enhances the
educational experience as the students learn
to keep track of their booking times and point-of-sale figures, while a biometric fingerprint
scanner that replaced the old time clock
eliminates errors.
OVERALL HONOREE: FACILITIES
Eric Fisher Academy, Wichita, KS
Owners: Eric and Mary Fisher
ericfisheracademy.com
Functionality is supplied by the school’s
56 styling stations, on wheels for easy
mobility so the salon floor can convert
to open space accommodating a
stage for highly attended runway
shows, advanced education classes for alumni and local
hairdressers and technical demonstrations by celebrated
guest artists. A newly added photo and video
studio gets students started on their portfolios well
before graduation.
OVERALL HONOREE: CULTURE
Kohler Academy, Scottsdale, AZ Single Location
Owners: Jill and Burt Kohler
kohleracademy.com
A Student Council empowers students, the “Lifeskills” curriculum
emphasizes the importance of developing a business head
and a generous heart and the school’s “DREAM Team” of student
ambassadors takes outreach activities off campus. Days
devoted to interviewing help students line up jobs, while high-profile graduation ceremonies celebrate program completion.
OVERALL HONOREE: PLACEMENT
Aveda Institute Portland, Portland, OR Single Location
Director: Kimberly Johnson
avedapdx.com
A multi-pronged approach to the job hunt ensures that every student
at Aveda Institute Portland will click with something. Maybe
it’s the Career Fair that incorporates student presentations as
part of a runway show. Or the Partners in Education initiative that
permits students to earn credit by job shadowing at salons.
OVERALL HONOREE: THE NEXT LEVEL—ALUMNI
AND ADVANCED ED
Empire Education Group, Pottsville, PA 94 Locations
Chairman and CEO: Franklin K. Schoeneman
empire.edu
Empire has developed the Masters of Beauty Skills Certification
Program, offering product-neutral advanced classes with
celebrated artist Nick Arrojo. The program includes a two-day
“Tour of Beauty” hands-on workshop that gives participants a
chance to recreate Arrojo’s current trend release, plus a one-day
instructional session devoted to the techniques required.
OVERALL HONOREE: BEAUTY CHANGES LIVES
Bellus Academy, Poway, CA Single Location
Owner: Lynelle Lynch
bellusacademy.edu
Bellus launched a “We Love Our Jobs” campaign that promoted
the desirability of a beauty industry career. To counter the
AACS survey revealing that the community does not perceive
beauty and wellness as “premier” careers, Bellus asked salon
professionals to share their stories of how they gained family
support for entering the profession.
OVERALL HONOREE: COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
Empire Education Group, Waltham, MA
Entered as Single Location
Academic Director: Maryann Crane
Chairman and CEO: Franklin K. Schoeneman
empire.edu
Charitable outreach includes doing the hair and makeup
for the local Boys’ and Girls’ Club theater productions,
performing paraffin treatments and hand massages
to help raise funds for a nursing facility, providing
complimentary services and holidays gifts for families
living in shelters, sponsoring clothing and food drives
for the homeless and inviting high school students to
come in for prom primping.
For deadline
and application
details for the 2011
“Excellence in
Education” program,
contact Joyce Alverio
at jalverio@vancepublishing.com
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