Turner congratulates a Polished Nail Academy graduate.

Turner congratulates a Polished Nail Academy graduate.

There's no other way to describe Christine Turner other than to call her a modern-day renaissance woman. Turner, who owns Body & Sol Tanning, Nails & Day Spa in New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada, is not content with simply sitting behind a nail table, and that's certainly an asset for the nail industry. She's an active nail competitor who's received industry-wise recognition for her nail skills, industry knowledge, marketing, and salon management skills. Her desire to be one of the best in her field has her continually seeking advancements and new forms of education to apply to her skills and instruction.

As a nail tech, Turner has always had great concerns about issues such as education and the image of the professional beauty industry in general. She found that locally, quality education was lacking, as was the initiative of nail techs to acquire it. "I relentlessly pursued education through industry publications, trade shows, advanced classes, the internet, and by competing," she says. "Instead of bemoaning the state of our industry, I felt I could make the greatest impact by sharing my skills and knowledge."

In 2002, Turner founded Polished Nail Academy. Turner teaches at the academy and is also responsible for the school's curriculum, research and marketing, and product knowledge, among other responsibilities. Her Polished nail students excel in three important areas: skill, knowledge, and professional standards. "Ours is the only facility offering non-product related advanced classes, providing a great opportunity for techs to network while learning," she says.

As if owning a salon and a school didn't keep her busy enough, Turner also recently founded Diva Nail & Beauty Supply, a distribution company that offers quality products that were previously unavailable in her area. "We aspire to provide customer service excellence and much-needed product-related education, which I instruct," she says.

Running three businesses, she's also written for several industry publications. And she even finds time to attend educational classes and attend and work trade shows. Her goal, she says, is to impact others to do the same. Does it sounds like she juggles a lot? Turner doesn't think so. After all, the only way to success is by advancing herself, her staff, her clientele, and others in the beauty industry. We like her way of thinking.

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