Northwest Grooming Show information coming soon!
*Last year's info below
Speakers
Jay Scruggs
Jay and his wife, Michelle, own Here Comes the Groom, a highly successful mobile grooming salon in Germantown, Tennessee. Jay has won multiple Best in Show and Best All-Around Groomer awards and helped GroomTeam USA win the Gold medal in Calgary, Canada, in 2001. Jay was named American Groomer of the Year in 2001, Groomer of the Year Award at Westminster Dog Show in 2002, and Grooming Judge of the Year in 2004. In 2003 Jay won an International Gold and Bronze medal in Barcelona, Spain, helping GroomTeam USA win the silver team medal. Along with Sue Zecco, he teaches seminars and offers a video series under the "Super Styling Sessions" title.
Chris Anthony
Chris Anthony, weary from her travails in retail management and office work, found her calling when she discovered pet grooming. Her near fifteen year journey in this career has led her through many opportunities, experiences & life lessons, including grooming and managing in both small and corporate salons, and starting her own successful house call grooming business in New Jersey. Supplementing those life lessons by educating herself on the varying aspects of her career, she always sought out innovations in pet care, education, grooming techniques, tools and products. Now her passion for grooming & education has added more in depth knowledge on scissors, scissoring techniques and ergonomics to help preserve her own health and longevity in her chosen profession.
Rachel Colant
Rachel Colant is an award-winning, second-generation dog groomer with over eleven years of experience. She put her stamp on the grooming industry as the go-to drop coat specialist and has become known for the cutest Yorkies in all the land. Her passion for education has led her to the coveted position of lead groomer at Jess Rona Grooming in Los Angeles where she oversees competition-level grooming on every dog, every day. Her ultimate goal is to continue to elevate the industry through education and her signature gentle grooming techniques.
Jonathan David
Jonathan David has been the recipient of multiple scissoring awards, multiple Best All Around Groomer awards and Best in Show earning him a position on GroomTeam USA in 2008 and 2009. Jonathan was also a contestant on Animal Planet's "Groomer Has It" and has been featured as a grooming expert on multiple television shows. Currently, Jonathan owns and operates his salon, Lap of Luxury Dog Spa in Delray Beach, Florida and is a board member of multiple dog clubs.
Teri DiMarino
An industry veteran, Teri has owned and operated successful salons and mobiles in Florida and California. A winning grooming contest competitor, Teri was a member of three GroomTeam USA Gold Medal teams. A multiple Barkleigh Honors and Cardinal Crystal Award winner, Teri was a regular columnist for Groomer to Groomer Magazine as well as a popular speaker and judge at seminars and trade shows across the United States, Canada, Europe, South America, Korea, Australia and New Zealand.
Mindy Dinwiddie
Mindy Dinwiddie owns Classy Canine in Litchfield, Michigan. She began grooming in 2007, having her own shop by 2008. She started in a back bedroom of her house, growing her business to a storefront. Her experiences include daycare, boarding and training. All while consistently furthering her education by attending expos, seminars and private lessons from top stylists in the industry, Mindy has been competing for three years. With a passion for learning and teaching, she began speaking in 2017 after having one of her grooms published in Doodle Modern Styles Special Edition. Mindy is also a Brand Ambassador for Evolution Shears.
Linda Easton, ICMG
Linda is an International Certified Master Groomer and President of International Professional Groomer, Inc. As a competitive groomer, Linda had many wins, including included Best in Show, Best All-Around Groomer, winning the Edemco 'Total Groom Extravaganza'. After putting several obedience titles on her dogs, she worked as a professional handler, finishing and putting championship points on over 60 champions in over 20 breeds and 7 groups. Her grooming career began in 1973, and her current grooming salon and self-wash is in Salem, Oregon. As an educator and certifier for IPG, Linda travels all over the world certifying, giving workshops, and judging grooming contests, and introducing the exciting new Salon Details Certification.
Dr. Cliff Faver
Dr. Cliff Faver, a 1987 graduate of CSU, is the founder/owner of Animal Health Services in Cave Creek, Arizona. He is the US distributor for Iv San Bernard products. He uses the two businesses as a means of merging the grooming and veterinary professions to pursue his life's passion of healing and helping pets. Dr. Faver is an international speaker and teaches the ISB Pet Aesthetician Certification program. He is a member of AVMA, AAHA, AZVMA, a sponsor for the CPPGA, a Board member for the Burbank Kennel Club, and previously served on the Novartis Lead Committee, Hill's International Global Veterinary Board, and is still active in a Veterinary Management Group.
Blake Hernandez
Blake Hernandez is a NCMG and three-time Barkleigh Honors recipient. He is best known for his online persona and caterwauling lyrics that speak to our industry. Blake has brought innovation and current outside trends to the grooming industry from Personality Marketing to the FoxEye, a phone holding device for the everyday groomer or aspiring influencer. Blake runs Foxy Roxy's Pet Salon in San Diego, CA, in addition to competing in grooming contests and dog shows all over the country. He is the co-creator and founder of GroomSource, an app made for groomers' continued education, as well as creator and producer of many products with Foxy Roxy's Supply Co. Blake was also a feature groomer in Netflix's "DOGS" documentary and a contestant on ABC's Pooch Perfect Season 1.
Denise Heroux
Denise Heroux owns Awesome Paws Pet Salon, a Cleveland-based chain with two locations and active plans for expansion. Awesome Paws fosters a healthy environment for employees and pets with a focus on employee investment and learning. While managing both locations and a staff of over 20 employees, Denise finds time to work with the Ohio Professional Pet Groomers Association, which she founded. The association focuses on setting a higher standard for pet safety, business-building opportunities, versatile learning experiences, and creating legislative fluidity in the industry. You may have listened to Denise on both the Women PetPreneurs and Small Business Hiring podcasts.
Meg Ioffredo
Meg Ioffredo has been a pet professional since 2012, beginning as a bather at a corporate salon. Since then, they have taken every continuing education opportunity available to them and proudly have numerous titles under their belt: certified Pet Tech instructor, certified feline master groomer, rabbit groomer, certified canine esthetician, fear free certified, and more! Now, they turn their gaze on being an educator to give back to their grooming community, with a focus on cat and rabbit grooming. They also run Elevation Media Management, a small business that can do everything from managing social media posting to graphic design. This interest in social media blossomed when Meg ran a successful house call business in Florida. They realized how powerful of a tool social media can be for businesses, and now they want to share with you!
Lis Johnston
Lis Johnston is a National Master Certified groomer and owner of Serenity Pet Spa in Madison, WI. She has 15 years of experience as a professional groomer and more than 20 years showing dogs. She has won multiple awards across the United States and Internationally. She made GroomTeamUSA in 2018 and continues to strive for her goal to become a member of the USA travel team. She runs two full service, kennel free grooming salons with an apprentice programs to help groomers become master certified.
Milena Kon
Milena started off in graphic design and direct sales before realizing that she wanted to do more with animals. So, she went into grooming in 2013. She is now the owner of Driving Me Knots (Mobile Grooming), DMK Bowtique (Pet Accessories), and DMK Marketing Solutions (Custom Graphic Designs). She started competing in Extreme Creative Styling & Creative Abstract grooming contests in 2015, and won Up-and-Coming Creative Groomer that same year. Her creative work has also been seen on "The Greatest Showman" with Hugh Jackman and "Orange is the New Black" on Netflix. She was awarded the Barkleigh Honors Creative Groomer of the Year in 2018.
Jameson Kon
Jameson has a degree in International Business Management & Marketing, and has always had interests in working with animals at a young age. After working for a massive online retail company, managing over 300+ employees amongst 7 different call centers both domestically and internationally, he decided to jump right into the world of grooming with his wife, Milena. Now the proud owner of Driving Me Knots (Mobile Grooming), DMK Bowtique (Pet Accessories), and DMK Marketing Solutions (Custom Graphic Designs), his ability to multi-task and market the companies since 2013 is only the beginning for the DMK branding.
Angela Kumpe
Internationally renowned creative stylist and instructor, Angela Kumpe has more placements in creative styling than anyone, worldwide. She won the first ever Barkleigh Honors Award for Creative Competitor. She is the author of A Creative Collection, a step-by-step guide to creative styling. Angela's work has been featured on Animal Planet, TLC, The Today Show, Regis and Kelly, and ABC Nightline as well as in The New York Times and on the cover of Groomer to Groomer magazine. Angela is the owner of Angela's Grooming and Pet Spa in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Amanda McGrath
Amanda is a Certified Feline Master Groomer with a unique talent for time management and organization. She has over 15 years of grooming experience and opened her own salon in 2009 where she grooms both dogs and cats. In addition to grooming, she has also worked in the veterinary field for the last 20 years. Amanda is currently on the management team of a four-doctor small animal veterinary hospital in New Wilmington, PA. By combining her experience in both industries, she created a consulting firm that helps veterinary hospitals improve their grooming departments and provides interview coaching and business organization training.
Mackensie Murphy
Mackensie Murphy is a second-generation pet stylist, following in her mother's footsteps and becoming the very first second generation GroomTeam USA. In 2005, Mackensie started her own grooming career at the young age of 18. Mackensie began her competition career in early 2011 and has been awarded multiple Best in Show awards, Best All Around Groomer awards and is a five-time winner of the prestigious Liz Paul Memorial Best Scissored Poodle Award. Mackensie consistently stayed among the top three competitors and earned herself a position on GroomTeam USA in 2012 which she has sustained up to this current year.
Mary Oquendo
Mary Oquendo is the Founder of Pawsitive Educational Training; an online membership portal for professional groomers, and Spirited Dog Productions; which offers business consulting to busy pet professionals. Mary is a Certified Master Pet Tech Instructor and takes a holistic approach to handling animals. She holds the titles of Reiki Master and Advanced Crystal Master, and is on the board for the Association Of Holistic Pet Professionals. In addition, she is the Recipient of the 2012 Cardinal Crystal Award For Outstanding Achievement In The Pet Industry. You can listen to Mary on her two podcasts: Women Petpreneurs and The Traveling Groomer. She is also the author of the Mobile Groomers Bible and Holistic Pet Grooming.
Samantha Palya
Samantha Palya started her grooming career in the year of 1996 at Great Lakes Academy of Professional Pet Styling. She entered her first competition at the All American Grooming Show in 1996. From then she earned placements in poodles, and handstripping in her division. She was awarded Best Groomer and Best Groomed Dog in Show for a handstripped terrier at Groom Expo in 1998. At the age of 21 she opened Absolutely Pawfect Pet Styling. Samantha apprentices to help give opportunities to future pet care professionals. She holds certificates for CPR and Pet Safety, Skin and Hair, Salon Sanitation, Canine Body Language, Dog Gurus College, Pricing for profits, and many more.
Jess Rona
Jess Rona is a dog groomer in Los Angeles and is known for her Instagram, @JessRonaGrooming that has over 100k followers and features her signature slo-mo videos. She directed the Tegan and Sara music video for "100x", had a dog featured in Beck's "WOW" video, and directed a commercial for the Standard hotel featuring her grooming clients. She's been featured in O magazine, Marie Claire, Glamour, Elle, and Paper among many others, has been featured on several news programs including the Today Show and Good Morning America, and has had several write ups online. Some of her celebrity clients include: Katy Perry, Andy Garcia, Maria Menudos, and Marnie the Dog.
Victor Rosado
With 26 years of experience in professional grooming and conformation, Victor Rosado is a NCMG with NDGAA, ICMG, and is a certifier with IPG, as well as a Grooming Contest Judge and a Licensed All Breeds Conformation Judge for FCPR/FCI. As a competitive groomer, Victor Rosado is a multiple Best All Around and Best in Show winner, and one of the top groomers on GroomTeam USA. Victor is a member of American Spaniel Club, an AKC Breeder of Merit, and an exhibitor of American Cocker Spaniels for 20 years with multiple Best in Show and Best in Specialty Shows wins. Victor is also an Oster Ambassador in Latin America and owner of Davis Puerto Rico.
Kelsey Ann Sexton
Kelsey Ann Sexton is an award winning Nationally Certified Master Groomer, International Speaker and Journalist with two decades of Professional Pet Grooming experience. She owns an award winning salon outside of Nashville, TN that focuses on customer relationships for routine pet grooming services. Kelsey was nominated for Barkleigh Honors Speaker of the Year in 2022 and 2023. She has a passion for continued education in the Pet Grooming Industry collaborating with several brands to help everyday pet groomers both seasoned and new.
Colin Taylor
Colin Taylor, author of ‘What Would Colin Do? 101 Situations and Solutions for Every Dog Groomer’ and founder of the Colin Taylor Academy is an international multi-award-winning groomer, who has been in the industry for 30 years. After more than 20 years of grooming in the US, Colin has returned to the UK to continue his career. His aim is to bring the same level of excitement and energy to the dog grooming industry worldwide. Colin is also an international judge and speaker and runs and manages Master Groom Dog Grooming Contest.
Sue Zecco
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.