HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2010 was an amazing year for Phagans' Colleges: big accomplishments and making the dreams of a life time come true.

In May, one of our dreams came true when our Bend Campus relocated to it's beautiful new facility. After more than a year of top-to-bottom remodeling, we created a custom designed space to provide the best possible experience for both our students and salon guests.

Another dream came true on September 27th, when we held our first Student Symposium. For this day-long event, we pulled out all the stops and brought in all of our 400+ students and staff from all 6 campuses to the Lane County Event Center in Eugene. "Inspiration by Design" was the theme of this event, and our Symposium truly lived up to it's name with nationally and internationally known presenters, over 20 vendor booths, student competitions and spirit presentations. Check out our Symposium Photos on Our Facebook Page

Student Competitions were also featured at the symposium. Categories included men's haircutting, women's long and short haircutting, nail art and fantasy makeup. Winners received great prizes and awards. Click the link below to see photos of all of the winners. Photos of Winning Competition Entries

Overall, it was an incredibly inspiring day, here's what some of the students and staff had to say about the event:

• Deanna G: Thank you for the wonderfull opportunity! I'm inspired!
  
  
• Abby C: Thank you so much for this opportunity!
  
  
• Kindra W: Thank you soo much! We were so excited to be there!!
  
  
• Darian R: SOO MUCH FUN! INSPIRING! & INFORMATIONAL!
  
  
• Amy F: Yay!!! How amazing! Michael ORourke?! Felicity Davis?! Mark Putnam?! Need I say more?!
  
  
• Reba B: thank yall so much i am so glad i came!!!
  
  
• Caroline S: So much fun! Thanks for the opportunity!
  
  
• Kelcie E: Thank you so so so so so very much for the inspiring opportunity that you provided us today!!! I think I speak for everyone when I say that we had a blast!!!!!
  
  
• Alicia P: such an awesome day.....so thankful and inspired!!!!!!!!
  
  
• Jeannie M: I hated getting up at 5am. But once I was there, it was awesome, best day I had in a long time. Sorta a muggy day, but all the speakers and opportunities outweighed that too. : )
  
  
• Anita L: WOW! Don't know any other way to say it, the symposium was much more than I had expected. Thank you Karen, Kristie, and all the others than worked so very hard to put on such an inspirational event for the student's and faculty of Phagans'. I genuinely appreciate your dedication to educating and inspiring all of us. For me, it was definately a success. Thank you! Thank you!

Watch our VIDEO of Symposium Highlights

Other highlights for the year include raising nearly $20,000 for our two main charities, the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Susan G. Komen foundation during our two Marathon Days in May in October.

Check out photos of these events by clicking here: Marathon Day for Missing Children and Marathon Day for Breast Cancer.

Our next Marathon Day is May 13th at all locations - please join us and help Missing and Exploited Children!

STUDENT REWARDS PROGRAM

This year also marked the beginning of an unprecedented student rewards program. Designed to motivate, inspire and reward our top performing students, we partnered with our vendor Salon Centric to bring a day of private education with celebrity stylist Tyson Daniel. The first quarterly reward was held in October with 20 students in attendance. To earn the reward, students earn points for total salon production, sales of the monthly promotions, and attendance. The top point earners and producers for the quarter get to attend an all expense paid special education event like the one held in October.

The next Quarterly Student Reward will be held on January 22, 2011. Another twenty of our top performing students, staff representatives from each campus and some salon owners will attend a day of education with the Sexy Hair Concepts "Artist of the Year", Faye Judson. Faye has been involved with numerous shows around the country, many educator trainings and photo opportunities. "I love the products we make, I love the teammates I've come to know, but more than anything I love the core values that Michael O'Rourke built this company on," says Faye.

CONGRATULATIONS GRADUATES!

We're proud of the 2010 graduates from all 6 of our campuses We wish you all the best in careers in the professional beauty industry!

Graduates, your feedback is important to us for planning improvements to our educational programs. We would greatly appreciate it if you could take a few minutes to complete our online graduate survey: click here. Keep us updated on where you're working and your contact information.

We also want you to know that we're here to help you if you have any questions or problems with your student loan accounts. The consequences of defaulting on your student loan are severe - please don't let that happen to you! Call your campus and ask for help if you're delinquent on your payments!

Here's a helpful link with information about repaying your loan: http://studentaid.ed.gov/PORTALSWebApp/students/english/repaying.jsp

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY KAREN DIECKMAN - HERE'S TO 30 AMAZING YEARS OF OWNING PHAGANS'!

Karen Dieckman began her career in the Professional Beauty Industry in 1962. After graduating from Beauty School and working briefly in a salon, Karen returned to Phagans' to work first as a receptionist and then as an educator. Karen quickly became one of Phagans' top educators and went on to manage several of the Phagans' locations. It was in January 1981 that Karen became the owner of her first Phagans' College...30 years ago this month!

Over the years, Karen expanded her ownership to include the 6 locations owned by I Phasion, Inc. today. With locations in Salem, Bend, Corvallis, Medford, Grants Pass and Newport, Phagans' has trained an estimated 10,000 - 12,000 beauty professionals during this time.

After all of this experience in the beauty industry, what does Karen have to say?

To our clients: "Thank you. I cannot say enough about the importance of the clients that come in - without you, the student cannot be successful. It is the clients who support our education by giving the students opportunities to practice and gain experience."

"Especially in this tough economic climate, our schools offer affordable service to our clients in exchange for the practice they provide our students. So if you can't afford a $60 haircut at a top salon, you can really save money on one of ours for just $4.99."

To our students: "The most important thing you can learn and practice while in school is CUSTOMER SERVICE. You cannot lose sight of taking care of the customer. Every day you are in school, practice 5 star customer service."

"When I started in this business, we needed about 60 total clients because they came in every week to get their hair done. Now, you need about 300 - they only come in every 6 to 7 weeks. In school you've got to develop the ability to bring in clients. We want you to have clients to take with you to the salon. Our program is designed for you to create your own client base of 50 people - work on this, you'll need it when you graduate to start on the 300 you'll need in the salon."

The best thing about the past 30 years:  "My career in the beauty industry has given me a great lifestyle while being able to do something that I love. So many people have to do work they don't like."

"There are also two other people who have worked for Phagans' since 1981. Marybeth Reed is our Financial Aid Director, and Debbie Patrick is the Director of the Bend Campus. Their contribution, along with all of our staff has been enormous."

"And when I think of all the lives we've touched, the people we've seen who have turned their lives around, and the knowledge that the training we've given to people is something that nobody can ever take this away from them, that they'll always have a profession - those are pretty great rewards too."

LEFT: Phagans' CEO/President Karen Dieckman with "Beauty Changes Lives" Spokesperson, Ted Gibson and Phagans' CFO/Vice President Kristie Davis. RIGHT: Karen in front of the new Bend Campus on opening day.

THANK YOU FOR READING!

As a thank you for receiving our newsletter, we are making a special offer to you. Come in to any of our campuses during February and receive a complimentary manicure with any $5.00 purchase or service. Just use the code word "newsletter" to receive this gift. Only one offer per customer.