The Professional Beauty Association Announces Karie and Aaron Bennett of Atelier AVEDA Salons Finalists for the North American Hairstyling Awards

SAN JOSE, Calif., May 5, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- The Professional Beauty Association's North American Hairstyling Awards (NAHA) is pleased to announce that Karie and Aaron Bennett, of Atelier AVEDA Salons, have been named NAHA finalists in the Salon Master of Business category. Announcing a total of 65 finalists in 13 categories, NAHA is known as the pinnacle of beauty competitions in North America, where only the top stylists and leaders in the beauty industry are recognized for their talent and skill. NAHA 2011 winners will be announced during PBA Beauty Week at a star-studded Awards Ceremony on July 31, 2011 at the Mandalay Bay Resort in Las Vegas, Nevada.

"The NAHA Salon MBA application was a wonderful education in itself.  During the entry process, I put a microscope on every aspect of my business, and was already brainstorming improvements," says Karie Bennett, Atelier SalonSpa Founder and CEO. "What a wonderful gift to be nominated in this new category, among such amazing colleagues."

NAHAs are given in several distinct categories including: Master Stylist, Hairstylist of the Year, Editorial Stylist, Avant-Garde, Contemporary Classic, Fashion Forward, Haircolor, Salon Team, Salon Design, Texture, Makeup Artist of the Year, and Salon MBA.

The NAHA competition has received over 700 entries by beauty professionals from across North America, truly demonstrating the magnitude of the event. Via a blind entry process and judged by a diverse group of leading international hairstylists and makeup artists from across the United States, Canada, Great Britain, Australia, and Switzerland, entries were narrowed down to five finalists per category, and one winner in each category will be chosen. Judges included distinguished beauty professionals such as Angelo Seminara, Kris Sorbie, Vivienne Mackinder, Tabatha Coffey, Ruth Roche, Mary Brunetti, Darren Bain, Bennie Tognini, Robert Lobetta, Kendall Ong, Jamie Carroll, Gary Sunderland, Heather Wenman, Antoinette Beenders, Dean Banowetz, Nicholas French, Sam Brocato, Anthony Morrison, Mark Hayes, Sharon Blaine, Eveline Charles, Leon Alexander, Jonathan Lovett, Damian Stoney, James Morrison, Damien Carney, Michael Baker, Will Bruder and several others.

Since the successful opening of Atelier SalonSpa in 2002 at Santana Row, Bennett has found that the team atmosphere at Atelier inspires creativity, generates positive energy and brings the Aveda experience to a more authentic level for the client. These experiences have helped her develop a comprehensive advanced Protege program to hone the skills of up-and-coming new stylists, as well as train her top artists to be outstanding industry mentors.

Bennett has a career that is close to the thirty-year mark and shows no signs of slowing.  Blending her Sassoon training with private education from industry icons such as Horst, Yosh, Trevor Sorbie, and Louis Licari, as well as leadership and business mentorship, Bennett is recognized as a leader in the salon industry.  Atelier SalonSpa, the Bay Area's flagship Aveda lifestyle salonspa, is frequently awarded top honors from the Aveda Corporation, and has been the recipient of numerous awards from industry organizations, such as the 2008 Global Salon Business Award, the Aveda Color Harmony award, and the Salon Today Top 200.

NAHA 2011 tickets are available online at probeauty.org/naha or by calling 800.263.0516. The Awards Ceremony will be broadcast live via free, streaming video at hairdesignertv.com. NAHA is part of PBA Beauty Week, North America's largest, most inclusive beauty event, offering unlimited networking, education, and professional growth opportunities to all sectors of the beauty industry. PBA Beauty Week is produced by the Professional Beauty Association, probeauty.org/beautyweek

For more information on Atelier AVEDA Salons please contact Aaron Jura, General Manager at 408.244.4222 x 302. For information on NAHA, PBA Beauty Week, or for high resolution images of NAHA 2011 submissions, please contact Brad Masterson, 702.567.8049 or [email protected].

ABOUT ATELIER: Atelier SalonSpa is the flagship Aveda Lifestyle Salon in the South Bay area, and is setting the standard for salon excellence locally and nationwide. With a front row view of beautiful Santana Row, Atelier enjoys the distinction of being one of Salon Today Magazine's Top 200 fastest-growing salonspas in North America.  Atelier is the proud 2008 recipient for the Global Salon Business Award for Client Philosophy/Marketing and Promotion, and a 2010 finalist for the North American Hairstyling's Master of Business Award.

SOURCE Atelier Aveda Salons