Pulse Legacy Archive July 2012 | Page 4

FROM THE CHAIRMAN

I

was recently at a gathering of spa professionals from all over the world. I
had no real agenda as I was chatting with peers about how we all got our
start in the spa business, but the more I talked with these leaders, the more
I was struck by how many attributed their success to ISPA Conferences.

Intrigued, I started digging to see exactly how this was so. Many referenced the
education classes and business tools, the friendships and connections built, the
keynote speakers, and the sense of community and camaraderie. In short, the
overall experience inspired them to be better leaders—leading to build more
successful businesses.
This seems so fitting to this year’s Conference with our “Inspire” theme! How
many of you could use some inspiration to kick off your planning and thoughts
for 2013? So many of us work in isolation from our spa colleagues and it could
sometimes feel like we are on our own. It’s at Conference where, not only do we
get a shot of inspiration, but build professional relationships and discover all the
resources that ISPA has to offer to support us all year long.
This year is particularly meaningful to me because best-selling author and
leadership expert Jim Collins is going to be our kick-off keynote speaker. The last
time he spoke at Conference, I felt like he was speaking directly to me. I was the
PHOTO © TIFFANY BROWN

leader of a very good spa—but we needed to make that leap to greatness. He
inspired me so much that I bought his book for all the leaders in our spa and,
together, studied his insights for two months. Then, we took his guidance and
broke down ideas into clear steps to change our areas of responsibility from very
good to better. We created a goal to reach greatness which, for the team then,
was to achieve the 5-star rating. It took two years but brick-by-brick, we built our
systems to support greatness and earned that coveted 5th star—all because of
an inspiring one-hour General Session at an ISPA Conference. What can this
year’s Conference do for you and your team?

—ELLA STIMPSON, ISPA CHAIRMAN
®

2012 ISPA BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OFFICERS

DIRECTORS

CHAIRMAN
Ella Stimpson
Wynn and Encore Las Vegas

Sharilyn Abbajay
Abbajay & Associates, LLC

VICE CHAIRMAN
Michael Tompkins
Miraval Resort & Spa
SECRETARY/TREASURER
Todd Walter
Red Door Spas

2 PULSE

■

July 2012

Sean Handler
Boyne Resorts/ Solace Spa
Thor Holm
Hammock Beach Resort

Jeff Kohl
ISPA Foundation President

Philippe Therene
SpaEquip

Frank Pitsikalis
ResortSuite

Immediate Past Chair
Deborah Waldvogel
Sedona Resorts

Paul Schmidt
The Fairmont
Southampton-Willow
Stream Spa

Lynne McNees
ISPA President

MEDICAL ADVISOR
Dr. Brent Bauer, MD
Mayo Clinic