Tails from Holidays Past

Lisa Leady

Lisa Leady is a third generation groomer, with over 25 years experience. She is also a clinician, speaker, Certified Master Groomer, and Certifier for IPG.

She has many Best All Around and Best in Show placements.

Lisa is a multiple Cardinal Crystal Achievement Award nominee and was the recipient of the 2003 Congeniality Award.

In 2002 Lisa sold her shop of ten years and began a new career as a grooming school instructor.

After five years in the classroom, Lisa has made the move to mobile. She is now the proud owner of Primp My Pooch Mobile Pet Salon based in Genoa, Illinois.

Lisa is currently a GroomTeam Board Member.

She has completed the Judge’s Orientation/Training Class required by the United Showmanagers Alliance, and was approved as a Sanctioned Judge.

Business Name(s): Primp My Pooch
Business Address: 712 Tyler St.
Genoa, IL 60135
Business Phone: (815) 333-5197
E-Mail: [email protected]

Industry Affiliation:
USA Judge
Competitor (Retired)
Mobile Stylist/Owner
Speaker

Vendor Associate: Wahl Extreme Team Member

GroomTeam Affiliation: She has been a GroomTeam USA member since 2000. In 2004 she qualified to travel with GroomTeam to France, where she helped bring home the silver medal, and also went to Italy in 2007.

AKC Exhibitor Breeds: Shown and bred champion Smooth Fox Terriers.

Marc LaFleur

Melissa Verplank

Melissa Verplank - CMG, has over 30 years’ experience in the pet grooming industry. Her mastery of grooming techniques has won her numerous awards on a national & international level earning her the right to become a team member on GroomTeam USA. She has been the GroomTeam Coordinator and currently sits on the Board of GroomTeam USA. Ms. Verplank is an industry speaker, author, two time Cardinal Crystal Achievement award winner, Barkleigh Honors award winner and contest grooming judge.

During her formative years she ran a fleet of mobile grooming units and a busy grooming salon. In 1992, Verplank founded one of the Midwest's largest and progressive pet styling training centers; The Paragon School of Pet Grooming Inc. in Jenison, Michigan. Ms. Verplank realized the need for quality training and reference materials. To meet that need she created White Dog Enterprises Inc., a business which develops creative learning products for the professional pet stylist. The leading products for this company are Notes From the Grooming Table, The Theory of Five, and core-skill method training videos geared to training professional pet groomers. In 2007 she opened Whiskers Resort & Pet Spa. The resort has become the premier boarding facility in the west Michigan area offering luxury accommodations for boarding, daycare, grooming, and pet training. In 2010, Melissa launched her latest educational business, Learn2GroomDogs.com, an on-line streaming video library of educational material for all levels of professional pet grooming and styling.

Most recently, Melissa has earned the 2016 Barkleigh Honors Award for Book of the Year with the release of the second edition of Notes From the Grooming Table.  Her website, Learn2GroomDogs.com also was its third consecutive Barkleigh Honors Award for Website of the Year.

Suesan Watson

Suesan is a third generation pet stylist whose dynamic career stretches over 40 years. A “Certified Master Groomer”, she owns a successful mobile grooming business, serving the Chicago/Northwest Suburban area. Sue is proud to be part of Wahl’s “Extreme Team” and is approved by the “United Show Managers’ Alliance” as a “Sanctioned Judge”.

She began grooming competitively in 1995, and has received many class and group placings. Sue is a winner of the “Wahl 2003 Groomer of the Year” award, and only recipient of three consecutive “Cardinal Crystal Grooming Achievement Awards for American Groomer of the Year”. In addition, Suesan has been nominated multiple times for “Cardinal Grooming Contest Judge of the Year”, and Cardinal “Congeniality” awards.

Making “Groom Team USA” in 2000, Suesan was in the top five positions for five years in a row, before retiring from competing to become a judge in 2005. Her 2004 placings garnered her the honor of competing with the “Groom Team USA Travel Team” in France, in 2005; with the USA team placing second, only one point behind France. Sue also won “Best Clipping” recognition with her Mini-Poodle in the “individual open class”, at the same competition.

Her keen eye for dogs, understanding of the “standards” and knowledge of grooming techniques, coupled with her pleasant demeanor, has made Sue a sought after competition judge and speaker, both in the United States and abroad. And with a natural ability to communicate grooming techniques to others in an understanding and often-humorous way, she regularly draws crowds at her seminars and grooming demonstrations around the country. Sue also does private hands-on seminars with individuals and smaller shop groups.