Ken Cassidy ABCH Educator and Industry Leader We are sad to announce the passing on October 11, 2011 of Ken Cassidy, long time educator of ABCH and a leader in the salon and spa industry. His 30 year career included licensed hairstylist, salon owner, writer, educator, political advisor, and owner of Kassidy's Salon Management, founded in 1992. The salon management consultants offered guidance on front desk, employee, and contract issues. Kassidy's Salon Management mission statement: "To promote, empower, and expand growth in the cosmetology industry through informative education; expanding awareness of the roles played by the Salon and Spa Owners, Employees, Booth Renter, Independent Contractor and Retail Sales Force, which play an important part in today's industry." Ken dedicated his career to helping others, offering creative artistic hairstylists the wisdom and structure of a successful business plan. His business tag line reads: Reducing the 3 reasons businesses can go out of business: lack of legal structure, lack of profitable structure and lack of a managerial structure. Most importantly, he addressed both employees and booth renters. ABCH Energizing Summit is primarily about haircolor education via hands-on workshops and color theory. Fortunate are those haircolorists who enrolled in Ken's classes during the past several years with us in LA, where he outlined real-life business scenarios and how salon behavior affects the bottom line. His booth renters class offered facts and tips about haircolor inventory and sharing clients; booking redo's and who is answering the phone; the legalities of salon leases and handling salon walk-in booking. Ken believed in continuing education while maintaining salon standards and exceeding client's expectations to achieve a successful salon business. (And yes, that means dressing up, washing towels and answering the damn phone!) Andre worked with Ken on the Long Beach Hairdressers Guild, which sponsored the largest hair show on the west coast (back in the day) before being brought out by Questex. While I never had the opportunity to attend his class at the summit, Ken and I ate lunch together this year, sharing our stories and goals for our classes. Ken was gracious and engaging with an intellectual presence and directness that showed he was in the moment and that he cared. Thank you, Ken. You will be greatly missed.
Mary Petillo, ABCH
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