Our wonderful QK Groomer AJ Roberts enjoyed some continuing education in November at the New England Grooming Trade Show.
Here are some words from AJ about her experiences!
“On Friday, I started out at a seminar called “Drop Coats Made Easy” with Cheryl Purcell.”
Cheryl Purcell NCMG began her grooming career in 1991. A Nationally Certified Master Groomer, Cheryl is known nationally and internationally as one of the industry’s top pet stylists. She has been successfully competing and winning at grooming competitions since 1993. Major wins include Multiple “Best-In-Show” wins and multiple “Best-All-Around” wins. She ranked as a GroomTeam USA Top 10 Stylist from 2002 to 2007 (a group composed of the top 10 groomers in this country).
“During the 4-hour class, she used four different dog breeds to demonstrate tips to groom more efficiently and effectively, making it less stressful for the dogs as well as increasing productivity and time management.”
“The next seminar was about CT State legislation and the grooming industry with Joey Villani.”
Joey Villani – “The Dogfather”
Joey Villani’s life in pet care and grooming began when he was only nine. Invited to lend a hand by salon owner and family friend, John Nash, Joey brushed a sheepdog named Cecilia, and so began an unbelievable career.
Now a well-known pet industry speaker and judge, Joey has been nominated four times for the Cardinal Crystal Award and twice for a Barkleigh honors for his outstanding achievements, and three times for Grooming Contest Judge of the Year. He has been enthusiastically involved with Intergroom International for 26 years, and has been instrumental in expanding the organization’s reach into Belgium, Italy, and France. He is one of the original members of the International Judges Association and serves as Ring Master and Core Judge.
His outgoing nature and unforgettable charisma have made Joey a natural television personality, with appearances on The Today Show, Good Morning America, Good Day NY, and Animal Planet’s Dogs 101 and Groomer Has it.
Joey has contributed to the development of the Basic grooming standards for PPGSA. A resource created specifically for pet care professionals. The Consortium aims to standardize safety and safety terminology for all students and professionals that become bathers, groomers, and stylists to increase professionalism in the pet care industry, and to provide uniform groomer safety standards.
“The class provided an insight on how our state mandates certain safety procedures along with providing information about care and health of the dogs while grooming. From documenting health issues to proper sanitizing procedures, this class was extremely informative!”
“On Saturday Cheryl Purcell did another speech on Marketing 102 with information about how to keep your business going and how much to spend on marketing and smart ways to spend your marketing money. This gave me many ideas how to help QK better reach out to our customers.”
“Next, I attended “The Art of Hand Stripping Part 1” with Ashley Julian. She explained the different breeds that can be hand stripped such as Westies, Scottish Terriers, and Airedales. She demonstrated different ways to hand strip and the best tools to use that will not damage coats.”
“In between the classes, I went to watch some of the grooming competitions where it was exciting to see some of the best people in the industry grooming live for top honors”.
“The last class for the day was Groomer Health and Safety with Kelly Muniz.”
Kelly has been grooming for 16 years and has a bachelor’s degree from UMass Amherst in Animal Science. She is currently an active board member for the N.E.P.G.P (New England Pet Grooming Professionals), is working on her N.D.G.A.A. Master Groomer certification, and enjoys the creative grooming competitive circuit. Kelly started off her career helping a local rescue shelter groom dogs in need of their forever homes. She found that she loved the feeling of being able to help a pet in need. It is this need that drives her desire for continued education, while sharing what she has learned with the greater grooming community.
“Sunday was a mixed breed makeover with Jennifer Lee, who gave us a rundown on how to create an Asian fusion style—a larger dog with fluffy legs and a small round face, giving the dog a more toy like look.”
“Lastly, I went back to the Trade Show to check out the vendors and the latest and greatest equipment from shears and grooming tools to brushes and more. To end my awesome weekend, I got to meet with Sue Zecco who is a teacher from the grooming school that I attended.”
Sue is a 2011 Barkleigh Honors Award winner. She is a Certified Master Groomer with both the National Dog Groomers Association (NDGAA) and the International Professional Groomers (IPG). She has been grooming for over 30 years. She has won multiple grooming awards, including her biggest show accomplishments: 1998 International Groomer of the Year and 1999 Oster Invitational Tournaments Grand Champion. Sue has been a member of GroomTeam USA since 1997 and broke all records in 1999, earning 113 points. She is also a Wahl Clipper Corporation spokesperson. With Jay Scruggs, she conducts a series of full-day seminars called Super Styling Sessions. Sue breeds Standard Poodles under the “Dreamcatcher” prefix.
“It was a great weekend of learning, meeting new people, getting new information and ideas in order to improve my overall grooming knowledge and keep up with the trends as well as improved safety and health for our grooming dogs.”
— AJ Roberts
