Energetic entrepreneur and global business leader, Thomas Boitz was named CEO of Dessange Group North American in December 2021. He brings a wealth of experience within the hair and beauty industry and a passion for positive change. Boitz successfully built and managed a region of 117 Fantastic Sams salons and owned and operated upwards of 10 FS salons himself from 2001 to 2011. During his 10 years as a region owner, he grew the business to a multi-million dollar-franchise organization. He sold the region in 2011 and stayed on as COO until 2012, when he became a self-employed international investor.
Prior to Fantastic Sams, Boitz was the CEO and COO of Floral USA, the largest floral company in the world, where he started and developed the commerce division. Boitz also spent several years managing large divisions of multinational organizations in several countries.
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Dr. Dale Henry is a master teacher, known for his strong, humorous messages packed with practical advice. Corporate, government and educational agencies call on him regularly for programs that entertain and educate their top performers and producers. His many experiences in the field of business and education make him a natural when it comes to lively and humorous presentations. Although Dale believes in the importance of laughter, his presentations always deliver a strong message packed with useful tools. A native of East Tennessee and the foothills of the Smoky Mountains, he draws heavily on his storytelling ability to captivate and motivate audiences.
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Farouk Systems Global Board Artist, Anna Cantu defies the ordinary every time she styles hair. Cantu captivates audiences when she takes the stage and presents her high-energy and innovative styling masterpieces. The stage serves as her platform for educating and inspiring up-and-coming hairdressers.
Cantu also represents Farouk Systems at several high-profile events including The Latin Grammys. Her talents extend beyond styling hair; Cantu has appeared as an on-air spokesperson numerous times on behalf of Farouk Systems. Some of her notable accolades include being named by Farouk Systems as the “Top Educator of the Year" and “Colorist of the Year”.
When Cantu is not busy rocking the stage at hair shows she runs a CHI concept salon in League City, Texas called The Color Studio.
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Kim has more than 20 years of experience in the beauty industry and started her career as a stylist in the Northeast. Kim has built many successful and award-winning salons in positions such as Lead Stylist, Technical Trainer, Spa Director, Regional Color Educator, District Salon Leader, National Color Educator, and Master Stylist. Kim also worked for Ulta Beauty for seven years as a District Salon Leader and a Regional Business Development Manager. Most recently Kim was the Regional Business Development Trainer with Ratner Company.
Kim previously served as the Region Director for the East region. Kim joined FS two years ago and has been supporting operations and development of the salons in the East region with a strong passion to help franchisees understand their business and reach their financial goals. Kim also has been focused on helping salons redefine their business models and embrace the concept of taking both walk-ins and appointment guests in their salons. This has proven to be a successful business approach for many salons in the FS network and Kim has the background and expertise to support this transition for FS salon owners to successfully execute this hybrid approach.
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John Calabretto is the Region Director for the FS Mountain-Desert region. John has previous history with the FS family as he spent three years as a Region Director for Fantastic Sams in the Midwest and Canada regions from 2007-2010. John is committed to helping FS franchisees reach their goals and is passionate about helping them be successful. He is dedicated to the FS brand and promotes franchisee standards and processes to help salon owners understand how to run their businesses. This requires working closely with the salon owners as well as educating stylists and managers.
John has extensive sales, operations, education and marketing experience in the beauty and health and wellness industry. In addition, he has far-reaching experience with recruiting, training, managing budgets, coaching, retailing and developing growth strategies to increase profitability. He began his professional career as a licensed stylist and educator and expanded his knowledge working in managing cosmetology schools, including Pivot Point and Empire schools. Later, he oversaw hundreds of salons for ULTA Beauty and worked in director roles for companies such as Revlon, Henkel and Unilever.
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Lance Courtney is a renowned keynote speaker, author, and international business trainer who has helped tens of thousands of salon industry leaders gain new levels of personal and professional success. Being one of the only 600 Certified Dream Coaches© in the world, Lance features an extensive 30-year background involving the intricacies of business development, service/sales funnel optimization, and client retention.
Lance enjoys leveraging that 360-degree history to ensure salon professionals gain the fundamental knowledge to spearhead sustainable growth objectives. Over the last three decades, Lance has been featured in many publications like Salon Today, Modern Salon, and Beauty Launchpad. Lance has also been highlighted in Winn Claybaugh's Interview with the Masters and Tina Black's Mastermind series.
As a professional fueled by mission-based excellence, nothing makes Lance happier than being able to help salon professionals capitalize on their strengths, translate dreams into realities, and unlock the empowering life/business futures they desire. This, in conjunction with his fun-loving energy, witty nature, and reputation for accentuating the entire salon experience across six different countries, is what will give you the tools and confidence that will transition you from good to great, and as a benefit, position you to thrive.
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Formerly Managing Director and Executive Creative Director at O’Leary and Partners Advertising and The Shipyard in Southern California, Dee is a self-proclaimed “strategic, human-centered creative.” Along with serving as the creative and strategic lead for a myriad of national blue-chip brands from fast food to financial services, she spent over ten years of her 30+ year career as the Executive Creative Director for Fantastic Sams, diving deep into the business challenges. In2021, she began her own creative consultancy where she has passionately worked with several notable companies to articulate for them a relevant and deliverable mission, vision and purpose-- coupled with the values and behaviors required to help bring each to life. As a lifelong advertising creative, Dee believes all problem solving starts with empathy. And even the most creative marketing ideas can’t achieve what culture can for a company’s long-term health and growth.
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Jennifer has more than 35 years of experience in the hair and beauty industry, with the majority of her tenure dedicated to the Fantastic Sams brand. In her role, Jennifer evaluates opportunities for new salon development and supports existing salon owners in the Mountain, Desert, and West regions, as well as providing support to salon owners in Tennessee. She has been working in her regions to build relationships with franchisees and is focused on coaching and motivating franchisees to improve and grow their salon business.
Jennifer’s roots are settled in the Fantastic Sams brand, and she has a true passion for helping FS grow its network and help owners achieve their operational and financial goals.
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Tim has over 20 years of experience in the hair and beauty industry, with strong foundations in brand communication, salon education, and content creation. In his role, Tim is developing and executing strategies to support salon owners in their recruitment and retention efforts. This includes the creation of high-quality recruitment and retention tools and resources; creating and fostering relationships with beauty schools; attending hair shows and events; and creating initiatives to promote FS as a strong brand where prospective employees will want to work.
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JessicaTrahan is the Region Director of the Central/South region. In her role, Jessica is responsible for overseeing the region and the regional team to ensure the salons are receiving support for operations and educational growth. Jessica joined FS four years ago as a Franchise Business Coach, and during her tenure, she has made significant contributions to the region. Jessica has developed and fosters strong relationships with franchisees, collectively partnering with them to evaluate salon efficiencies and identify areas of opportunity. She is committed to providing exceptional support to franchisees to help drive operational excellence and unit level profitability. Jessica has strong coaching skills with respect to all areas of operations and truly believes that great guest experience is the foundation for growth in the salons. She firmly promotes how guest experience leads to success and profitability. Jessica enjoys visiting FS salons, helping franchisees, and building the close business relationships with owners, managers, and stylists.
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Dave has been a Fantastic Sams owner for 15 years. During this time, his salons rose to among the top sales salons in the country. He is a strong proponent of using data to understand and drive the business and the performance of individuals and teams.
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Energetic, captive and charismatic are the best words to describe educator Richard Bonner. Rich is based just outside of the Los Angeles area and has been in the beauty industry for 9 years. He prides himself on being an avid Johnny B. user since the beginning.
As an educator, Rich hopes to share his fun-yet-polished technique to other passionate professionals. He has been perfecting his technique at GQ Cuts, in the city of La Puente, CA and cultivating a clientele that knows Bonner is the listening ear that makes a huge difference in their lives, since day one. Along the road, he has gained a lot of experience and his light spirit and excitement to share this gained knowledge fills the air of any presentation or interaction Rich has with others. Above all, Bonner loves teaching others what has made him a successful professional in such a competitive industry.
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Kalie Clunk has been actively dedicated to the beauty industry since 2011. The diverse experience from honing her craft behind the chair, to national distribution sales, consulting, and education has given her a vast skillset and clear picture of our industry. Now a salon owner with a large following of specialty color clients, she quickly fell in love with the Keracolor brand, becoming a respected educator in 2017.
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Lance Courtney is a renowned keynote speaker, author, and international business trainer who has helped tens of thousands of salon industry leaders gain new levels of personal and professional success. Being one of the only 600 Certified Dream Coaches© in the world, Lance features an extensive 30-year background involving the intricacies of business development, service/sales funnel optimization, and client retention.
Lance enjoys leveraging that 360-degree history to ensure salon professionals gain the fundamental knowledge to spearhead sustainable growth objectives. Over the last three decades, Lance has been featured in many publications like Salon Today, Modern Salon, and Beauty Launchpad. Lance has also been highlighted in Winn Claybaugh's Interview with the Masters and Tina Black's Mastermind series.
As a professional fueled by mission-based excellence, nothing makes Lance happier than being able to help salon professionals capitalize on their strengths, translate dreams into realities, and unlock the empowering life/business futures they desire. This, in conjunction with his fun-loving energy, witty nature, and reputation for accentuating the entire salon experience across six different countries, is what will give you the tools and confidence that will transition you from good to great, and as a benefit, position you to thrive.
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Angie Gilmore is a 20-year veteran in the salon industry with over 16 years of experience behind the chair. Angie embraces specialized service techniques and systems with a great attitude and an infectious smile. Angie has dominated in every salon category, placing her in the industry's top 1% for average service ticket, average retail ticket and pre-booking. Through her success as a stylist, platform artist, speaker, and master trainer, Angie has worked with on-screen talent in both production, print, and television. Her passion is focused on uplifting and empowering others to identify and surpass their potential. She continues to impact thousands of salon professionals nationally and internationally by teaching them advanced specialized skills and how to work smarter to transform their business and create measurable growth.
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Kewonia Grimes is a Business Owner, District Sales Manager, Master Texture Specialist, Platform Artist, Master Educator, Master Stylist, and Mentor who provides Executive Level Education, Techniques, and Customer Service.
You may have seen Kewonia as a Platform Educator and Master Stylist at CHI Farouk Systems worldwide events and workshops, Bronner Bro. Hair Expo, T‐Chew Multicultural Hair Affair, Killeen Cut Parties, K’Shears Cut Explosion, and many more. Her creative services are frequently requested by celebrities, and she is high demand for salon education events, weddings, and special appearances.
Her motto is, “EDUCATION IS THE KEY TO SUCCESS”
Kewonia was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin but raised in Killeen, Texas. In 2000, Kewonia graduated from Columbus Tech Hair School in Columbus, Georgia and became a Master Stylist. After moving back to Texas, Kewonia became a Farouk Systems / CHI Educator.
Farouk Systems honored her with awards for Excellence in Education, Executive Master of Education, and Educator of the Year. In 2008, she became the owner of Unique & Elegant Hair Designs. Opening her own salon gave her clientele a sense of comfort and security. In 2017, she and her mother Denise Benjamin merged their salons together and renamed it Denise & K’Shears Hair Designs, which is located in Killeen, Texas. In 2018, Farouk Systems promoted her to a Farouk System Representative, Master Texture Specialist and is now a District Sales Manager.
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With ten years of experience in a competitive field, McKenzie has gained insights with the industry’s top artists. She has worked with elite companies such as Behind the Chair, American Idol, and Miss USA Organization. She has been awarded excellence in education and worked towards achieving the status as an executive level educator. She thrives on working with color, especially correcting the most difficult color corrections. She is extremely passionate about creating the newest looks in the salon where she works in Kansas City. Whether it is onstage, at a show, in a class, or behind the chair, McKenzie always takes the opportunity to excel as a stylist and an educator for Farouk Systems. McKenzie’s favorite saying is “Seize the day, continue to learn and inspire.”
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Ashley Matthews is an Educator specializing in fashion colors located in Portland Oregon. She takes pride in showing stylists tips and tricks to build their business and get more confident with every service as well as how to build your business on social media.
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Tim has over 20 years of experience in the hair and beauty industry, with strong foundations in brand communication, salon education, and content creation. In his role, Tim is developing and executing strategies to support salon owners in their recruitment and retention efforts. This includes the creation of high-quality recruitment and retention tools and resources; creating and fostering relationships with beauty schools; attending hair shows and events; and creating initiatives to promote FS as a strong brand where prospective employees will want to work.
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For over 20years, Missy Peterson has played valuable roles in the industry, with Malibu C products always amplifying her amazing skill. She is a Board-Certified Hair Colorist and known as a Corrective Color Expert. Peterson’s passion for education never ceases. She became a Certified Hair Loss Specialist in 2015, accredited by the U.S. Trichology Institute, and is pursuing the title of certified trichologist with the World Trichology Society.
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No matter where Gabriel “GQ” Quiñones travels take him as a Johnny B educator, he always finds his center in his hometown of La Puente, CA. He played sports at the local park and attended the local high school, so it’s no surprise in 2007 he opened his barbershop, GQ Cuts, in the community he grew up in.
When Quiñones isn’t in his shop, he’s usually on stage speaking about the things he’s experienced in the industry and the skills he’s acquired developing his craft. As an educator and platform artist for Johnny B since 2010, he teaches and participates in major trade shows throughout the United States and Canada. Known for his ability to evolve hair into its full potential, Quiñones’ work has been featured in print and on television as he worked alongside various celebrities and recording artists. He went on tour with LMFAO as the group’s lead hairdresser and watched his role expand to their music videos and promotional marketing.
Quiñones’ credits the relationships he has built throughout his career as his motivation and keys to success. The foundation of a solid team in his shop allows him the opportunity to remain passionate about education while the men and women of his community provide the personal connection he craves.
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Bradley Tuggle is an international educator and platform artist for Farouk Systems. Bradley was introduced to the professional beauty industry at a very young age by his grandmother who owned a salon. Deeply inspired, Bradley perfected his talents at the Sassoon Academy before opening BOHO Salon in North Carolina. A firm believer in education, Bradley is also a North Carolina State Board of Cosmetic Arts licensed teacher and instructor. His creativity and vision have earned him editorial pages in major beauty publications. As one of the youngest main stage artists at industry shows and events, Bradley is a platform veteran with a rock and roll vibe that engages audiences with his “learn the rules to break the rules” approach to cutting, styling and business building. Bradley’s passion for teaching and hairdressing has taken him across the country and around the world.
