After having been in the hairdressing industry for 35 plus years, I recently spent some time reflecting on my career and when my profession really became important to me.

That realization first came years ago during a conversation with a client. When I first started in this business I had the mistaken idea that my work didn't really make a big difference in the over all scheme of things. That customer actually started me on the road to taking my work seriously because he said something that struck a chord with me.

He said to me "You don't know how important your work really is. You are instrumental in making people feel good about themselves."

That was when I made it my goal to really focus on the client. I also realized that in order to be on the cutting edge, it was necessary to be on the cutting edge, it was necessary to educate myself and my associates about the latest trends styles and innovations in our industry.

Since then i have always sought out the foremost experts to provide training in all aspects of the hairdressing business. For example, my salon color director, Daria Daniels, is one of the leading color educators in the nation. I also brought in the best educators I could find to train my associates in the Bio Ionic hair straightening process, as well as working with hair extensions.

More recently, I began to focus on the growing need of solutions for clients with thinning hair and bald spots. This need was personal to me since I was also experiencing a loss of hair in the crown area. About 30 years ago I had the opportunity to witness some of the first hair transplanting procedures up at OHSU. At that time the procedures were not yet perfected but showed promise for the future.

As more and more individuals looked to me for advice in this area, I decided it was time to seek out education. I spent about four years researching various methods. During this process, I had the good fortune to meet Dr. Robert P. Niedbalski, a hair transplant surgeon associated with a company called Medical Hair Restoration (MHR). The doctors at MHR have pioneered new techniques in hair restoration surgery and actively lead the education of other surgeons in the field.

I am especially impressed with this doctor's work because he understand that the process is more than just transplanting a bunch of hair to a bald spot. He knows that the result must look like the patient's original hair.

In September 2005 I had a hair transplant. I can honestly say that I witnessed the best service I have ever received at any business during this procedure. I arrived at the clinic at 10:00 a.m. and was finished at 6:00 p.m. and was having dinner with my wife by 7:00 p.m. Throughout the day I was treated like royalty. I was served lunch, watched two movies of my choice and took several naps. The procedure was painless and the follow-up care was excellent.