After the monumental achievement of the 45B FICA Tip Tax Credit for the beauty industry being signed into law this July, industry advocates, salon owners, professionals, leaders, and supporters who helped make that historic moment possible came together for an evening of celebration.
On November 17th, PBA hosted a special dinner, sponsored by our members Tippy and Boulevard, at the MonOrchid in Phoenix, Arizona. We welcomed a small group of industry members who worked alongside us on this initiative to share a meal, reflect on the journey, and raise a glass to our honorees. This victory was 25 years in the making and required thousands of people working toward a shared goal to finally cross the finish line.
Gathering in person made the evening especially meaningful. Having access to this credit will profoundly impact small business beauty establishment owners and their employees, who represent such an essential corner of the beauty industry. As we enjoyed dinner together, we watched a lookback video that captured the heart of our collective work to secure fairness and parity in the tax code.
We also recognized four individuals whose contributions were pivotal in making the credit a reality:
- Frank Zona, owner of Zona Salons in Massachusetts, has been a steadfast advocate since this effort began in 2000. His unwavering commitment and deep knowledge of the credit’s history guided and strengthened the movement at every stage. PBA is profoundly grateful for his dedication, and we extend our sincerest thanks on behalf of the entire beauty industry.
- Paola Hinton, owner of Five Senses Salon Spa in Illinois, played a critical role in turning momentum into measurable progress. In 2017, after awarding her employees $10,000 in bonuses following the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, she shared the industry’s tax inequity with her Congressman, Representative Darin LaHood. He became the Republican lead on our House bill for the next five congressional sessions. Paola’s advocacy continued through numerous DC visits, published op-eds, conference presentations, and strategic connections she built, often through the Facebook group she launched in 2019.
- Gordon Logan, President and Founder of Sport Clips, and Rhoda Olsen, Vice Chair of the Great Clips Board of Directors and former CEO, were honored as industry icons. Through their leadership with the International Salon Spa Business Network, they forged a critical partnership with PBA. Gordon brought renewed vision and determination, while Rhoda contributed invaluable perspective and unwavering support for small business owners. Together, they provided essential resources, from financial contributions to franchisee involvement and industry expertise, that helped push this effort over the finish line.
We are deeply grateful to our friends at Tippy, Terry McKim and David Tashjian, and at Boulevard, Matt Danna, and their teams, for their longstanding support. Both companies recognized early on the importance of delivering this win for the industry and invested significant time, effort, and resources while simultaneously building their own businesses. They understand that when beauty thrives, we all do. Their support in helping us celebrate was truly the icing on the cake.
Above all, the PBA Government Affairs team aimed to honor the massive grassroots effort that made this achievement possible. This would not have happened without every person who took action through our digital campaigns, wrote op-eds, traveled to DC for lobby days, contacted their Members of Congress, contributed financially, and believed wholeheartedly that this success could be achieved.
