Dayspa

JUL 2017

DAYSPA is the business resource for spa & wellness professionals! Each issue covers the latest in skin care, spa treatments, wellness services and management strategies.

Issue link: https://dayspamagazine.epubxp.com/i/836442

Contents of this Issue

Navigation

Page 82 of 100

[ 80 ] • # dayspamagazine • july 2017 COURTESY SPADA SALON & DAY SPA How did Spada become involved in community outreach projects? It actually began before we arrived. The previous owners held a poker party fundraiser that brought in $800. During our fi rst year as new owners, we did it again, and it raised a lot of money for PACE. When I fi rst got to speak with PACE it was a powerful moment: Being from South Africa, my husband and I have witnessed fi rsthand the poverty, strife and hard times people face, but we'd never had an opportunity to do much about it. When we saw how we could use our business to really give back to the community, it was something we just had to do. For the past fi ve years, each event has been bigger and better than the previous one. winning ways by Vicki Arkoff hen entrepreneurs Judy and Andrew Williams immigrated to Florida from their native South Africa in 2011, the couple wanted to make a new start but didn't know what kind of small business they would take on. They'd never worked in the beauty fi eld before, but they bought Spada Salon & Day Spa in Fort Myers, Florida, because they saw an opportunity to grow a struggling business and embrace a new community. It was a big gamble—with big rewards. In the years since the Williams came on board, Spada's staff has grown to 55 and the space has expanded to 13,000 square feet, making it one of the region's largest day spas. It now boasts 14 private treatment rooms, a steam room, Vichy room, two lounges, fi ve couples' suites, a nail area, conference room and staff training room. The Williams have also become active supporters of the Greater Fort Myers Chamber of Commerce and community events, including several local and national nonprofi t charities, such as the American Heart Association. However, it's the spa's locally famous Spada-thon—an annual fundraiser that the facility organizes and hosts—that's most notable. This year's Spada-thon, which raised approximately $40,000, was held on May 23 to benefi t PACE Center for Girls, the Golisano Children's Hospital, the Heights Foundation and Valerie's House, an organization that helps grieving families. In total, the Williams estimate their community cash donations from the events to be $130,000. In recognition of Spada's generosity, Judy Williams was invited to join PACE's board, and was named Business Advocate of the Year in 2016 for her outstanding dedication to the Southwest Florida nonprofi t community. Here, she tells us more about how she and her staff give back to those in need. Meet the South African spa owners uniting their American community. C O N T R I B U T E S T O A C A U S E A Florida Family Affair

Articles in this issue

Archives of this issue

view archives of Dayspa - JUL 2017