Hand & Stone on Fox & Friends as Top Company Hiring This Week

Hand & Stone was just featured on Fox & Friends as a top company hiring this week!

Cheryl Casone, a contributor from Fox Business News, mentioned about Hand & Stone offers training and has plans to hire 280 positions from Managers, to Spa Associates and Massage Therapists and Estheticians.

Watch the video here!

Hand & Stone Featured in the Summer Issue of Mill Creek Living

Dennis Williams and his wife Patti both settled in the title insurance business and when they real estate market collapsed their jobs were eliminated. A little after that the state of Washington offed a class, held by a non-profit group that showed us all the of industries that were considered low level unemployment, at this time Dennis found a franchise broker. After a few short months they opened up a Hand & Stone spa with seven massage therapists and four estheticians.  

Although Hand & Stone is new to Mill Creek, it is a business that gets busier every week and has given Dennis and Patti hopes they can open a second and perhaps a third Hand and Stone Spa in the area.

To read the full article click here and turn to page 48. 

Franchisee Spotlight: Anna Spade, Huntington Beach, CA

Anna Spade, 52, a 30-year veteran in the marketing and advertising sales industry, started her education at the George L. Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University.  From there, she went on to get her MBA in technology management at University of Phoenix and finally finished with a certificate in internet marketing from Full Sail University in Florida. While getting her multiple degrees and certificates, she worked in the telecommunications industry. 

Spade started her career at GTE Directories in their Human Resources department.  When GTE was bought by Verizon Information Services, she grew and changed with the company – in 1996, she moved on to work as a marketing manager and senior staff consultant at GTE Directories/Verizon Information Services. 

In March of 2012, Spade left her position and ultimately decided to open her Hand & Stone Massage and Facial Spa. With her multiple business degrees and years of experience helping family members and friends with their business plans, she decided it was time to open her own retail store.

Why did you choose an opportunity with Hand & Stone?

After I left the Yellow Pages and Internet advertising industry, I started to look around for a different job, but I couldn’t find anything that I felt was right for me.  During the last five years of my career out on the streets as a media consultant, I frequently got massages; I need them for stress relief and overall relaxation on the weekends after a hard work week.  I saw a large area for growth in the spa community and I want to be in the kind of environment that Hand & Stone has created.  I felt that Hand & Stone had a good strategy and was already a well-known brand. 

What challenges have you overcome to get where you are now?

I knew very little about the spa industry when I made my decision to purchase the franchise. But now I am attending classes at the Career Academy of Beauty so I can obtain my Esthetician’s license. I am learning a lot about different skin types and conditions as well as how to individualize treatments so they are appropriate for each client. I want to be knowledgeable about the inner-workings of my business so I can run the store as well as one of the staff estheticians.

What are some of the publications you read? Local? National? What is your goal publication with your business?

I like reading the Huntington Beach Independent newspaper to learn about what’s going on in the community.  I also enjoy the Orange County Living magazine because it has a lot of interesting articles that provide you with good information that is important before making buying decisions.  It has lots of great photos and high quality contractors and other service providers that advertise there.  A slightly more glamorous magazine that I enjoy is Orange Coast Magazine.  It covers everything about Orange Coast area including entertainment, shopping, dining, cooking and relaxing.  When I’m shopping for a deal or just looking for entertainment ideas, I check out the Clipper Magazine.  I also like over-sized direct mail pieces, especially if they are magnetic and include a calendar along with the marketing message.  They are not only useful, but a constant reminder for those who like to stick them on their refrigerator doors.

Hand & Stone Featured in Star-Ledger

Hand & Stone was recently featured in the Star-Ledger in an article titled, "Three questions: His job is to help other people relax."  This article profiles Hand & Stone CEO, Todd Leff, who shared a bit of his entrepreneurial journey from federal prosecutor in the U.S. Department of Justice in Philadelphia, being the president of Cottman Transmission and AAMCO, taking a short retirement and then being seated as CEO with Hand & Stone. What intrigued Leff about the massage industry was how Hand & Stone was really revolutionizing the industry with its monthly membership price, accessibility and affordable cost bring massage to the masses. Hand & Stone offered Leff a new project to help the concept grow throughout the United States and in just under two years, the franchise system doubled the number of units and has over 70 locations.  Click here for the entire article or begin below.

Three Questions: His job is to help other people relax

By:  Sarah Schillaci

Todd Leff may not have been ready for a life of leisure, but he’s been able to put his business knowledge to work in the relaxation industry.

After a short-lived retirement in 2009, the Warrington, Pa., resident re-entered the workplace to serve as president and CEO of Hand & Stone, a Hamilton Township-based chain of day spas offering massage, facials, and waxing. Leff, leading the marketing, franchise development, and finance side of the company, has seen the number of spa locations nearly double in the past two years, to more than 70 nationwide.

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