Regina Webb is 2011 Small Business Person of the Year

Contact:
Jessica M.L. Thompson, Communications Director
270-781-3200; jessica@bgchamber.com

BOWLING GREEN, KY-The Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce recognized Regina Webb as the 2011 Small Business Person of the Year during a news conference this morning. Webb is the president and founder of Regina Webb Salon & Spa and Regina Webb Academy, LLC. She also owns Regina Webb Hair Products & Cosmetics.

"Regina is known throughout the state as a superb business owner. Not only is she an excellent leader in business but also a leader in the community. She gives back to this region in so many ways, and we are excited to present her with this award today and to honor her at the Small Business Appreciation Luncheon on May 3," said Rodney Rogers, Chamber Board of Directors chairman.

The Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce has named a community member the "Small Business Person of the Year" since 1985. The award recognizes a business leader who owns and operates a for-profit company that employs 100 or fewer full-time employees, who has invested his or her own money in that small business, who has experienced recent business growth, and who is involved in the development and growth of the Bowling Green community.

Webb opened Regina Webb Salon & Spa in 1999, inviting Bowling Green residents to "Experience the Ultimate." Salon Today quickly named the salon one of the "Top 200 Fastest Growing Salons in the U.S." and it soon moved from a 1,400-square-feet facility to a 12,000-square-feet European-style facility. The salon continues to garner awards, being named "the Best of the Best Salon & Spa" by the Bowling Green Daily News and one of the "Top Hair Color Salons in America!" by Celebrity 101 Hairstyles.

In 2010, Webb established Regina Webb Academy, LLC, a world-class educational facility for cosmetologists. The school offers full-time and part-time programs, and classes begin monthly. Currently, 20 students are enrolled at Regina Webb Academy, LLC.

In addition to her academy, Webb values training and continuing education at her salon. She is a certified continuing education instructor, allowing her to offer training classes at her facility so that her team does not have to leave the location or pay for their recertification classes out of pocket. Webb offers advanced education to her team in technical services, product knowledge, haircutting, hair color, skincare, and salon and spa services, as well as in customer service.

Webb's commitment to leadership was also recognized in 2007 with the Chamber's ATHENA Award, which honors well-deserving business leaders for contributing to the advancement of women in the workplace.

Beginning in 2003, Webb was a board member of the Kentucky Board of Hairdressers and Cosmetologists for five years and was elected chairperson the last three years of her term. She also served as a Kentucky and National-Interstate Council of State Boards of Cosmetology examiner. She is a member of the Intercoiffure Mondial North America and The Salon Association (TSA) Committee for Government Relations.

Webb is also a Redken Salon Ambassador and Performing Artist, and a Salon City Press Club Mag Artist. She is a member of many trade organizations, which include the Professional Beauty Association, for which she serves on the Government Relations Committee, and Intercoiffure Mondial America-Canada (the most prestigious society in the industry).  She has received many industry and business certifications, which include Strategies Business Systems and training at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.

In conjunction with her efforts to educate other stylists, Webb is active in the Bowling Green community and regularly supports charitable and community events on a local and national level. She has served as the chairperson of the March of Dimes Signature Chefs fundraising event for two years. She has been a member of Living Hope Baptist Church for 11 years, where she also serves as a mentor and teacher in the college ministry.

Webb is a member of the Warren Society and the Business Advisory Council for the National Republican Congressional Committee. In 2004, she was given the National Republican Congressional Committee Business Advisory Council's Ronald Reagan Republican Gold Medal for her commitment to President Reagan's vision for lower taxes that encourage business growth and job creation.

Webb was named to the Chamber Board of Directors in 2011. She became active in the Chamber after participating in the 2000 Leadership Bowling Green program. She has served on multiple committees at the Chamber and was a team leader for the 2007 Chamber Partnership Drive. During the drive, she was recognized as the volunteer who recruited the most new partners during that campaign. She was also named Volunteer of the Year at the Chamber's 2008 Annual Dinner.

Past recipients of the Small Business Person of the Year Award are

• Mike Coffey - Blue Cotton, Inc.
• Oles Drobocky - Drobocky Orthodontics
• Mike Fuqua - Party 1 Superstore
• David Holland - Signature Signs
• Todd Mason & Robert Dukes - Total Fitness Connection
• Dennis Smith - DDS Engineering
• Gary & Debbie Wilson - Linzie's Exceptional Sandwiches

Webb will be honored at the Small Business Appreciation Luncheon on Tuesday, May 3, at 11 a.m. at the Carroll Knicely Conference Center. This event is the highlight of Small Business Appreciation Week, which is organized by the Chamber's Small Business Appreciation Committee. Tickets are $25 per person or $200 for a corporate table of eight. President's Club partners at the Gold, Platinum and Diamond Levels may purchase tables for eight at $180. Register online at www.bgchamber.com to attend the luncheon.

Other Small Business Appreciation Week events include

• Small Business Expo, sponsored by Community Ventures Corporation - April 29 - 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. - Sloan Convention Center
• Allied Energy Chamber Golf Challenge - May 2 - 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. - Crosswinds Golf Course
• Women in Business Breakfast, sponsored by The Medical Center and Harned, Bachert & McGehee, PSC - May 4 - 7:30 to 8:30 a.m. - The Medical Center Auditorium

For information about any of these events, please contact Program Director Lindsey McClain at 270-781-3200 or lindsey@bgchamber.com.

About the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce
Incorporated in 1935, the Bowling Green Area Chamber of Commerce is a 5-Star Accredited Chamber by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and was named the 2009 Chamber of the Year by the American Chamber of Commerce Executives. As the fourth largest chamber in Kentucky, the Chamber serves as a premier business advocate for its more than 1,300 partners and is the driving force for economic development in South Central Kentucky. Its primary goals are to promote growth and success in the business community, reaching its small business partners and those in large industries alike. With leadership programs, governmental relations projects, educational initiatives and involvement opportunities, the Chamber aims to support the community and its neighbors in order to enhance the business climate and continue to grow the region.