February 9, 2009 (Raleigh, NC) – Continuing Samuel Cole Salon’s mission of consistent professional education and improvement of skills, four top stylists from Samuel Cole Salon recently traveled to the New York City to continue their studies with master hairdressers at Bumble and bumble’s (Bb) downtown “House of Bumble” aka Bumble University. The Samuel Cole Salon design team attended an intensive three day hands on course called Design Workshop. The Samuel Cole stylists honed their skills, found inspiration and discovered different and unique ways to focus their ideas, expanded their repertoire, and learned to look at hairdressing in new contexts. They engaged in three days of advanced training in cutting and styling techniques designed for experienced stylists.

“The experience was amazing. I can’t wait to go back and attend Design Studio in the fall,” said a stylist. According to another stylist who also recently attended Bb U’s Network Educator class, “It is always a truly inspiring opportunity to attend any class at Bumble and be surrounded by fellow stylists and educators who are as passionate about hairdressing as I am.”

February 2, 2009 (RALEIGH, NC) – From formal “up-dos” to urban graffitti, Samuel Cole Salon stylists pulled out all the stops to create dramatic hair and make-up designs for 18 models in Social The Magazine’s third annual Reader’s Choice Awards Show, held in Disco Rodeo in North Raleigh recently.

The Samuel Cole Salon team also walked away with the magazine’s Reader’s Choice Award for “Best Overall Stylists” in the area.

Calling the show “THE see-and-be-seen event of the year,” Social combines a runway presentation with its annual awards presentations. For this year’s show, the magazine showcased fashions from three Raleigh boutiques – NV Clothes for Men in North Hills, Runway on Glenwood Avenue and Privilege by Casanova, also on Glenwood – and enlisted the expertise of the two North Raleigh salons as well as fashion director Betzi Hekman of Love Assassins Productions.

Samuel Cole Salon worked with Betzi Hekman on the STRUT ’08 fashion, music and dance extravaganza held last spring in North Hills.

According to a director at Samuel Cole Salon, the stylists created individual looks to complement specific outfits for the six men who modeled for NV. For Runway, the look was semi-formal to formal with emphasis on sexy and dramatic up-dos. For Privilege, “We went for glitz and glam, ‘80s funky and ‘60s flare — very cutting-edge hair with graffiti-like make-up, cat’s eyes, for example.”

The stylists created the hair and make-up designs in Samuel Cole Salon, an award-winning upscale establishment in North Raleigh owned by Joelle and Jack Ray, before the models strolled down the runway to “Just Dance” by Lady Gaga.

January 25, 2009 (Raleigh, NC) – Owners of Samuel Cole Salon, Jack & Joelle Ray, took time to honor their teams’ accomplishments at their Annual Awards Show Dinner featuring “The Bobie’s”, “The Passion” and “The Biggie’s” Awards. This year’s red carpet event was held at Bonefish Grill at North Hills. The Hollywood inspired event celebrates the achievements of their incredibly talented teams at both Samuel Cole Salon.

“We believe in the old saying- work hard and play hard. We are so inspired by the accomplishments of our amazing team. We look forward to this night all year long, it is a complete blast”, said Joelle Ray, who served as one of the co-hosts of the show.

The “Bobie Awards”, named for the classic haircut, The Bob, celebrate the individual personality of each stylist and their unique spirit. “Everyone looks forward to seeing what they will be voted, Most likely to… ?. Our team is always on the edge of their seats with anticipation”, said Sara Beard, co- host of the awards show.

The “Passion Awards” celebrate & recognized those team members that consistently go above and beyond in their dedication and commitment to be the very best. The Rays thanked each deserving recipient for their enthusiasm and passion. Passion Awards where given to each stylist or team member that goes above and beyond, whether it be volunteering their talents at fashion shows and photo shoots or standing out in their role as Managers or as Network Educators.

“We feel that you have to celebrate and recognize excellence. People need to know that their efforts matter and are appreciated. Going the extra mile goes a long way in our organization”, says owner Jack Ray.

The Biggie” Awards are all about performance. “The winners of these awards standout even among a group of high achievers, these people are dynamic”, says Joelle Ray.

The awards included: The 2008 Stylist of the Year, The 2008 Client Educator of the Year, The 2008 Stylist of the Year Runner Up, The 2008 Client Educator of the Year Runner Up, The 2008 Carpe Diem Award,  The 2008 “Go To Girl”, and The 2008 Guest Services Award.

January 18, 2009 (Raleigh, NC) – Jack and Joelle Ray, the husband and wife team that created Samuel Cole Salon in North Raleigh, sharpened their professional edge with the latest techniques, skills, business acumen, and tips at the 2009 Redken Symposium at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, NV.

For three days the Rays, together with other salon professionals from all over the world, were taught and inspired by renowned educators in the industry. Jack attended the Stylist based classes on the latest hair trends, creative color techniques, and on design and finishing. Classes included “Custom Color” with David Stanko – identifying yourself as a successful colorist and getting in touch with new and different clients; “Curl Crazy” with Jill Leitz & Danny Felstead – bringing out the best in a variety of curl textures (60% of the world’s population has curly hair); “The Best Blondes” with Tisha Hall & Jayson Morgan – understanding how to create beautiful, suitable blondes on all levels of hair and skin tones. “I love to learn anything new to bring back to my extensive clientele. It is important to me to stay inspired, that way I am always in a position to give the best to my clients, said Jack Ray.

Joelle attended the business acumen classes. These classes included “Brand It!” with industry leaders, Rodney Cutler & Patrick Mcivor – finding your salon’s signature brand; “Reinventing Space” with the author of this very popular book by the same title, Peter Millard – the “do’s” and “don’ts” of salon layouts and décor; “Bold Initiatives” with Peter Mahoney & Michael Cole – how to better prepare your salon to face this unstable economy. “I was completely impressed with the amazing ideas, inspiration, knowledge and motivation that was presented. Our association with Redken gives us access to unbelievable quality education”, said Joelle Ray.

The trip to Las Vegas featured more than business and inspiration. Joelle surprised Jack by whisking him away in a white limo to renew their vows in true Las Vegas style. Elvis himself presided over the ceremony that was held at the Graceland Chapel. “Aren’t you supposed to get married when you go to Vegas? I thought it was a law or something”, quipped Jack Ray.

December 10, 2008 (RALEIGH, NC) – Samuel Cole Salon recently welcomed two educators from Redken, a global leader in professional hair care products and services, who presented day-long, in-salon classes for the styling teams of the North Raleigh salon.

Redken’s Amy Hill and Sandra Hurd presented the Redken Color Symposium to acquaint the stylists with the company’s newest color formulations, applications and techniques.

They introduced Redken’s new “Colorfusion,” “Shimmer One,” and “Shades EQ” color palettes that celebrate autumn-inspired hues: rich browns, golden mochas, coppers and cinnamon. And they used actual, existing color formulations from the salons’ clients to demonstrate how the stylists could tweak and enhance those formulations then share them with their clients to create fresh, new looks.

“We take the time each year to look at our clients’ color formulations and to offer them something new and exciting,” said Joelle Ray, who co-owns the salon with her husband, master stylist Jack Ray. “They appreciate the fact that we’re always learning and always looking for ways to enhance the look of their hair.”

The Redken educators also conducted a “Clipper Class” for Samuel Cole Salon stylists, demonstrating innovative barber techniques for men’s styling and for women who wear their hair very short.

“It’s important that we continually expand our versatility for all our clients, including the men,” Ray noted.

The Redken classes were part of the Rays’ ongoing education and training for all of their stylists so that they continue to offer fashion-forward, state-of-the-art hair care and styling.