Whether someone speaks English or is born in the USA does not determine the talent an individual possesses.

One of the things that makes the USA great as it is is the fact that people from all over the world come to live and share their talents with others.

We see this with Olympic runners. We see this in pro hockey, baseball, soccer, golf and numerous other sports.

We see this in hospitals, doctor offices, emergency rooms. We see this in universities, high schools, special education schools.

We see this in signature restaurants, diners, coneys and pizza joints.

We see this in supermarkets, produce markets, and specialty markets.

And we see this in hairdressing. In the past two years, we have seen what the Italians have done with Kemon both artistically and technologically. We marvel at it but more importantly, we learn from it. It’s no coincidence that the last two of three winners for Hairdresser of the Year have been Kemon Artistic Coaches and the other winner a Kemon hairdresser.

This year, Irina Miasnikova, owner of Pigalle Salon & Med Spa in Southfield, MI took the honors. Irina came to the USA in 1995 and when she was asked by one of the judges what inspired her to create the looks on stage, Irina simply replied, "It came from the heart."

Last year Tomy Lulgjuraj from 6 Salon won. He brought his little girl on stage. The year before Denisa Cita from BonCiDello Salon & Spa won. She was proud as a peacock.

I have always stated that Michigan has the best hairdressers and can compete with any state. The reason is simple, when it comes to hairdressing, Michigan is global.

So yes, it makes the competition more competitive. You think the Red Wings bring in the Swedes to lose games? But what I have witnessed watching the Artistic Team in motion at other salons is this sense of learning, excitement and fascination that I haven’t seen in a long time.

There are those that have something to say about the globalization of hairdressing or that the contest is rigged for Kemon people. The facts speak for themselves and the judges don’t know one finalist from another. It’s purely talent based and like any competitive event, the one with the most talent wins.

The crowd of over 700 loved the event and its cause to support the American Cancer Society. It was a proud moment indeed.

For 2010, changes are in place already to reduce the noise level, shorten the show, and heighten the competitive juices: Hairdressers using any brand will be able to enter the fray.

But for the next few months, it’s Irina’s time to bask in the glory. It is well deserved.

Happy Wednesday!

In the midst of the worse recession; in the middle of the slowest month of the year; and when most people are taking vacation days, TNG rocked yesterday like it was the era of prosperity.

The day started with our Kemon on Tour event at the Taylor store. Aaron Michael and Randy once again wowed the group. It was intriguing to witness hairdressers actually learning something new that they thought they mastered over the past 30 years.

We had veterans of 36, 29, 27 and 19 years. Most used Matrix and L’Oreal products and complained about gray coverage, shine and fading. But along the way, they learned about technique, chemistry, color wheels, tone-on-tones, lifting, highlighting, bleach, and most of all, they learned themselves hands-on.

They all fell in love with Kemon. But what I think hairdressers like these are really falling in love with is that someone cares enough to reach out to them and get them excited about color and products again. And even veterans are finally coming around and saying "it’s not too late to learn."

And that’s what I’m most excited about. The Academy was hopping all day with the Kemon "Bob" course. Over 50 were on hand to learn from our Bob experts, Janan Delly and Denisa Cito (Michigan Hairdresser of the Year).

In the S.P.A. Academy, a be PRO advanced makeup workshop was going on where makeup artists were learning new tricks of the trade.

The grand finale was the Moroccanoil launch event at night. I grilled cheeseburgers and salmon burgers while Liz and Dan took care of the details. Anthony, MO’s guest artist dazzled the audience with his 7 languages and humor to go along with the languages. The 150 in the audience soaked up the knowledge and left energized and excited. Special guests on hand were Miss Michigan, Nicole Blaszczyk, as well as Jon Jordan, fashion reporter for WDIV Channel 4.

All in all, nearly 250 industry peers sought out to learn something new, get motivated about their careers and bring a new level of excitement to their salons. When it comes to education, TNG rocks.

Happy Tuesday!