The industry lost one of its greats on 17th July with the unexpected passing of Kurtis ‘the Stache’ Lawrence.

On 22nd July the Reuzel family shared a statement to their official Facebook page to announce Kurtis’ passing. Part of the Reuzel team since 2016, Kurtis was an important member of the brand’s education team as Education Coordinator, as well as a proud Scumbassador.

Before becoming part of the team at Reuzel, Kurtis had previously worked with Tigi and Pivot Point, honing his skills before finding a passion for the Reuzel brand.

Reuzel described Kurtis as a ‘model coordinator extraordinaire’ and a ‘social media master.’ They also shared heartwarming words reflecting Kurtis’ larger-than-life character: ‘He had a kind heart, always had a smile, was always the social butterfly, and would go out of his way to help you in any way he could. He was taken too young and our hearts are grieving. We are all left with a big hole that simply cannot be filled by anyone, but we are blessed to have known and loved Kurtis.’

Our thoughts and deepest sympathies are with Kurtis’ family, friends and colleagues.

Schedulicity’s small business grant program, #SchedulicityCares, has turned its focus towards the state of California, offering ten $1,000 grants to help businesses hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Effective immediately, preferences will be given to businesses in California, which were forced to endure a second round of closures, with the mandatory re-closure of barbershops, hair salons, nail salons and personal care businesses ordered by Governor Gavin Newsom on 13th July. Barbershops and hair salons have since been allowed to open outdoors with new guidance.

Schedulicity CEO and founder Jerry Nuttuno announced the update on the company’s social media pages and spoke about the first grant which was awarded to Los Angeles salon HairBeat. Owned by Melanie Charlton, the salon offers braids and weaves for all textures of hair.

Businesses can apply for one of the $1,000 grants online by nominating themselves or a fellow business in California that they know is struggling. Schedulicity will also consider applications from outside of California if the business has a clear and immediate need for support.

Find out more about #SchedulicityCares and keep up to date with their latest news by following them on Instagram, @schedulicity.

After announcing last month that legendary barber A Rod would be joining the Wahl Professional family, their first video collaboration has been revealed.

A Rod’s content on his social media channels has engaged followers from across the globe, and these new videos with Wahl will educate and inspire barbers and stylists to create diverse cuts using the brand’s wide range of tools. The videos will also feature Wahl’s Education and Artistic Team (WEAT) members who will share their own expertise in creating a range of cuts. A Rod will also be a guest on Wahl’s Disruptour, the travelling, barbering and business educational tour.

A Rod has had a wealth of success in using content creation to grow his brand – he currently has over 2 million followers on Instagram, 2 million on YouTube and 800,000 on Facebook who look to his online presence for a mix of education and entertainment.

For their first collective effort, A Rod created a unique prism design and textures cut on none other than Wahl Global Creative Consultant, Byrd Mena, using his favorite Wahl tools.

Watch the full video by clicking here.

Ashley Engaldo has been promoted to Senior Sales Specialist within the Wahl Professional Sales Division. In her new role, Engaldo will oversee all of the North American Professional division’s sales operations functions and will be the driver between its customers and the internal customer service team.

Engaldo’s strong work ethic, as well as communication and organizational skills, have helped her move through the ranks since first joining Wahl Professional in September 2016 as part of the customer service team, before moving into the role of sales administrator. We look forward to seeing what she does next in this exciting new position.

On July 13, California Governor Gavin Newsom ordered the mandatory closure of barbershops, hair salons, nail salons and personal care businesses, along with fitness centers, restaurants, movie theaters, places of worship and indoor malls, in a bid to prevent further spread of COVID-19. 

“This virus is not going away anytime soon,” said Governor Newsom. “I hope all of us recognize that if we were still connected to some notion that, somehow, when it gets warm, it’s going to go away or, somehow, it’s going to take the summer months or weekends off – this virus has done neither.” 

This setback comes after the state largely reopened salons and other indoor services mid-June. Now, barbers and shop owners have had to go backwards, closing their doors and cancelling appointments, unsure of when these reinforced measures might be lifted again. Our thoughts go out to all those affected and hope that services will be able to resume in the coming weeks. 

Sport Clips Haircuts founder Gordon Logan has announced that the board of directors has elected Edward Logan to succeed him as the new CEO of Sport Clips Inc.

Gordon Logan said: “Edward has grown up in the business and played a key role in the company’s growth since he joined full-time in 2010, setting new standards for excellence as president and chief operating officer. It’s been rewarding working closely with him these past 10 years, and his leadership during the COVID-19 crisis has been exemplary… I am confident he will ensure the championship experience we deliver for our exceptional franchisees and clients will exceed expectations.”

In his early work with Sport Clips, Edward oversaw the company-owned stores, with many of them becoming top performers under his care, as well as working to pioneer company-wide innovations still used by Sport Clips today.

He said: “I am humbled by the opportunity to serve Sport Clips’ clients, stylists, franchisees, and central support team. It’s something I’ve dreamed of and worked toward for many years. We will rise above the current challenges everyone is dealing with, and we will do so by continuing the values-based legacy of Sport Clips that makes everyone within Sport Clips feel like family, that Gordon and Bettye created for us all.”

To find out more about Sport Clips, visit their website here.

The new BabylissPRO CustomFX puts unlimited possibilites at your fingertips with fully customizable components. Choose pops of color, flashy metals, your blade of choice, to create a clipper that is uniquely you.

To start creating your perfect clipper, download the BabylissPRO CustomFX app, which allows you to turn it, enlarge it, personalize it – component by component.

There are a range of color and metal options on an easy-to-use app and unlimited possibilities!

Download the app for Apple here.

John Mosley, also known as Popular Nobody, has built an incredible career for himself as a barber and international educator. Now, he is using is influence to give back to the community by launching his own foundation, which will help support aspiring beauty professionals as they set off on their new career journey.

“It is our mission to ignite the power of tenacity and humility by creating opportunities for successful careers in the beauty industry and beyond,” says John.

The Nobody Way Foundation believes in a future where your place in the fashion and beauty industry is determined by your talent and not your zip code. Where access to top-tier education and industry-leading mentors is limited only by your own work ethic. Where communities prosper because dreamers and do-ers discover a career path that matches their passions, and where the humble and tenacious are the innovators of our future and the champions of our communities.

So, how is the foundation helping to create this future? By partnering with top-tier educational institutions to offer scholarships and structured opportunities for aspiring barbers and cosmetologists and by building strong support and mentorship opportunities for aspiring barbers, cosmetologists, and the broader community members it serves.

The unifying focus of the Foundation is community. It exists to build a community that celebrates the hard-working and humble who are dedicated to moving their communities forward – together.

To find out how you can support the foundation, visit https://www.nobodyway.com/

Some good news for barbers, stylists and beauty professionals as Schedulicity has announced that they will be waiving their fees one last time.

Whether you have been using them for years or are just signing up, you can use all Schedulicity features for free until September 1, 2020.

A social media post on 25th June said: “We hope that this will help lighten the last few months’ financial burdens. We also know that to really use our best features – and to see how valuable they are – you need to be open and booking again. So take your time!”

This is one of many actions that the team at Schedulicity have taken to support the industry in these uncertain times. To sign up or to find out more about their services, visit https://essentials.schedulicity.com/

Today, Monday 22nd June, barbershops and salons across both New York City and New Jersey are finally able to reopen their doors as they reach the much-anticipated second reopening phase.

One of the last areas in the US to reopen, this news will be warmly welcomed by both barbers and clients, with nail salons, spas, tanning salons and tattoo parlors also given the go-ahead to reopen.

New safety standards including increased hygiene practices will be in place to keep clients and staff safe, with many shops opening initially with a reduced capacity in order to adhere to social distancing.

BarberEVO welcomes this news and wishes New York and New Jersey well on their return to work.