Magazine for the professional nail industry.
Issue link: http://nailsmag.epubxp.com/i/271273
48 | NAILS MAGAZINE | APRIL 2014 Nail technician ranked number 49 on U.S. News' Best Jobs of 2014 list. As demonstrated to us throughout the years, nail services are a luxury people consistently value. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the nail industry should see employment growth of 15.6% between 2012 and 2022. U.S. News predicts more than 13,500 new nail tech positions will open in this decade alone. BLS also calculated that in 2012, nail technicians earned a median salary of $19,220 (approximately $9.24 per hour), and the highest-paid tech earned about $29,560 [These fi gures are signifi cantly lower than those in NAILS 2013-2014 Big Book, which places average annual earnings at $28,655.] The best areas for this job include Columbia, S.C., Barnstable, Mass., and Nashville, Tenn. Nail technicians also ranked number fi ve on U.S. News' Best Social Services Jobs list. The common denominator between professionals in the social services is the underlying interest in helping individuals and impacting their lives, even just in some small way. A large part of a nail tech's success comes from good customer service. "You should be health conscious, keep your station clean and your instruments sanitized, dress appropriately, be polite, and willing to learn, learn, learn," Tina Panariello, a nail tech and author of Polished: Filing Away at Life's Truths, told U.S. News. We're Number 49 — And That's Good Backscratchers Celebrates 30 Years in the Beauty Industry The year was 1984 when Backscratchers Salon Systems fi rst developed, produced, and sold the Glass Glaze Fiberglass & Silk Wrap System. With nail technicians' health in mind, then beauty school owner Jack Megna and his son Michael founded the company to help nail techs' health and well-being. "At that time, students and instructors were dealing with messy toxic chemicals. The more we learned about the health risks and the hassles of the nail procedures we were teaching, the clearer it became we had to fi nd a better way," says Michael Megna, CEO and founder. Megna was experienced in working with fi berglass and recognized the strength and durability of the lightweight material and how it could be ef ectively manipulated to create a nail coating. Glass Glaze was not a product the industry was expecting. "Back in the day, when you heard fi berglass, you thought about cars and boats, not nails," says Jack Megna. After the nail techs saw how beautifully the product worked, and heard how safe it was on nails and hands, they were immediately hooked. Glass Glaze then and now has won numerous awards. Today, Backscratchers manufactures more than 90% of the nail industry's fi berglass worldwide. In 1989, Backscratchers launched a complete line of nail care products with the goal to provide nail technicians all of the supplies they would need for service — from salon placemats and cuticle oil to complete pedicure kits and acrylic dip systems. Backscratchers pioneered the replaceable abrasive for both nail and foot fi les. Customer service is still the number-one goal for Backscratchers 30 years later. "Providing high- quality products that make it safer and easier for nail technicians to do their job is the main priority," says Megna. "We are always here for our customers." Backscratchers will be celebrating its 30 year anniversary throughout the year with discounted pricing and other festivities. For more information, go to www.nailsmag.com/fi fi /14392. y he t e e d l The original product line on display. Michael and Jack Megna today. Jack and Michael Megna in 1984. The original glass glaze box. } { nails file n a 0 4 1 4 g e n N F . i n d d 4 8 na0414genNF.indd 48 2 / 2 4 / 1 4 2 : 2 8 P M 2/24/14 2:28 PM