solving our clients' challenges, one at a time

Ricky Pennisi, founder of RiCi Products, has specialized in curly hair since 1995 at his Atelier Salon in Basking Ridge, NJ. Over the years, he has developed a unique line of professional hair care products for maintaining the specialized cuts and styles for clients with naturally curly hair. The result is the RiCi line, which includes shampoo, conditioner and styling products.

This spring, RiCi has launched their first web site, created by the webteam at TSC North America. The site contains product descriptions and customer feedback, along with a section of styling tips for people with naturally curly hair.

Currently, the RiCi line is available for consumers directly from the salon. Hair care professionals and salons can purchase RiCi products through Emiliani, a professional-only beauty distributor in Union, NJ. RiCi products are also available at all 16 Emiliani stores in NJ, NY and CT.

Distributors interested in learning more about the RiCi line can reach Ricky at distributor@alwaysbeautifulcurls.com

After a night of celebrating 2010’s accomplishments, Monday, March 28th brought the 1st Annual Emiliani Customer Summit, attended by hundreds of salon and spa industry professionals. Building on the excitement of Sunday, the focus of Monday was inspiring the attendees to take a positive approach to their work and how to communicate that positive energy to their clients.

Reinforcing that goal were the three featured speakers; Tony DeBlois, a blind, autistic musician with Savant Syndrome, Joetta Clark Diggs, a 4-time Olympian, and the Reverend Michael Bernard Beckwith, founder of the Agape International Spiritual Center.

Mr. DeBlois plays 23 instruments, sings in 11 languages and graduated from the Berklee College of Music magna cum laude, even though he cannot read or write. Tony’s message is very positive, “It’s okay to be different, always believe in your self, never give up on your dreams and always have high hopes”.

Ms. Diggs spoke about her “P” Principles For Success, taken from her book of the same title. Using stories from her own personal “life lessons’, Joetta described the process of defining one’s own success and her belief that hard work and perseverance definitely have their rewards.

Reverend Beckwith is the originator of the Life Visioning Process, author of The Answer Is You: Heart Sets & Mind Sets for Self-Discovery. Reverend Beckwith is well know for his appearance in 2006’s documentary about optimistic thinking, “The Secret,” and his talk focused on seeking authentic spirituality, personal development and transformation through selfless service to humanity.

Beauty professionals completed the program, including renowned stylist Michael O’Rourke, founder of Sexy Hair and owner of the Michael O’Rourke line of professional products, celebrated New Jersey salon owner Mario Raimondi from Just Salon, public relations professional Jayne Morehouse and Modern Salon’s Maggie Mulhern spoke about the business side of our industry. Brian Grieve and Tracey Smith, creative directors for Emiliani Education shared information about the growing opportunities through upcoming classes and the Fall Beauty Expo, taking place in October.

The positive feedback from this event, via e-mail, Twitter and Facebook, leads us to believe that this event will be back next year, and we can’t wait to see what Emiliani comes up with then!

Take a truckload of slow selling merchandise, a pallet of signage and merchandising props and our tireless trio of Tim, Kim and Penny, and you’ve got the hottest booth at Emiliani’s Beauty Expo this year. During the two-day “Beauty Rocks” professional beauty show at the New Jersey Convention and Expo Center in Edison, NJ.

This event, on October 10 & 11, drew almost 6,000 visitors over two days, to see platform artists from every major professional beauty manufacturer in the country. Learning opportunities filled every corner of the venue and attendees were able to see and touch products first hand at the booths. But nowhere in the center was the line as long as it was around the Rock Bottom booth.

Products that languished in stores, despite deep discounts, were in huge demand at the booth. Everyone was scrambling to  refill baskets and straighten stock as the crowd filed through the aisles. Crowd control became such an issue that security guards were needed to keep customers from climbing over the walls.

By the close of the show, the product was gone, our team was exhausted and our belief that a wise investment in merchandising can make clearance items irresistible was proven beyond a shadow of a doubt.

We welcomed the warriors home, just in time for another trip back to New Jersey. But that’s another story…

TSC North America provides marketing solutions for a widespread group of clients from the historical city of Marengo, IL. Since our office is outside the city limits, it requires our team to apply all of our networking skills to be a part of our community.

It started with joining the Marengo-Union Chamber of Commerce. Cindi Carrigan, our Marketing VP, served on the Chamber board for almost seven years. Since 2004, TSC has contributed the web design and support  for the Chamber as part of their membership commitment. When the Chamber began sharing their office with the Economic Development Commission, we started working for the EDC, which introduced us to the City Council, who recently awarded us the contract to revamp the City’s web site.

In 2010, Lucia Matlock assumed the position of Executive Director of Marengo Main Street, and guess where her office is located? You’ve got it – she’s also in the Chamber office. It was natural that word of her work reached us from the other office occupants, and she learned about us as well. When the “Savin a Rainy Day” program was launched, it seemed to be a perfect fit for all of us!

The program was opened to 20 organizations who, for an entry fee of $100, were given a recycled plastic 55-gallon food container that had been repurposed into a rain barrel. Each organization was responsible for decorating their barrel and there was a public unveiling at the Community Garage Sale. They will be displayed on Main Street for two months and they will be auctioned off as part of the Settler’s Days celebration in October.

Our theme – Sparking Creativity – is proudly displayed just north of the intersection of Routes 20 and 23, where everyone can see the glow of the fireflies as they drive by on these sultry summer evenings.

Thanks, Marengo Main Street, for showing off our work in such a high traffic area! And thanks to Marengo Happenings for providing great photos of the unveiling!

From its humble beginnings as a red, white and blue web site with very little personality, Grisel Garcia (Elchim USA) and Kim Wilson (TSC North America) combined their efforts and crafted a web site that lights up the screen, in more ways than one.

Penny Mann (TSC’s marketing manager) created a simple framework of black and gray, to compliment the European design of the professional beauty appliances that Elchim is known for worldwide. A repeating theme of light draws the visitor from link to link, through the whole manufacturer line. Product categories are enhanced by amazing model photos, and the new site has been receiving a lot of attention since it’s launch late this spring.

For more information about Elchim USA products, email info@elchimusa.com