Love ’em or hate ’em, your state board has a huge influence on how you conduct business day-to-day in your salon. At least in California, I’ve been happy to see board members make themselves accessible to the public. At ISSE, I attended a Q&A session with several board members (including the executive officer), as well as stopped by the board’s booth on the show floor.

At a recent press conference on new California law AB 409, I took the opportunity to interview Jerry Tyler, current board president and a hairstylist at Carlton Hair, about his perspective on new rules and regulations, his analysis of the nail industry’s top issues, and predictions on where the industry is headed.

Here’s what he had to say:

NAILS: Do you think we’re entering a period of greater salon regulation?

Tyler: I think new regulations or new laws are always created by need. As new needs arise, then yes we do [create new laws]. The need for new regulations really isn’t usually that necessary. But as new technologies come along, like the footspa is basically a new technology, so with that now instead of just the normal manicure and pedicure tub, we now have heated water and creams and lotions involved going through a system with filters and pumps. We had to create regulations to regulate this; by us [originally] not knowing about the impending harm that could happen, when it did happen, we had to act and act quickly and have the absolute ability to — in the worst of the worst cases — immediately stop the activity so we can maintain a healthy and safe environment.

NAILS: How can California salon owners and nail techs have a voice in rules and regulations before they’ve passed?

Tyler: We have a state board website. They can go on the state board website and actually see any new regulations, laws, concerns, or new things that are happening. The other way is join our interested persons’ list. Any board meetings, which as public meetings, are noticed. Any new regulations have to be publicly noticed and have public hearings at which they can go and can express their concerns. We consider all the options both from the industry perspective and from the perspective of the regulatory agencies to find out what is the best fit and the best balance. They do have a voice, they can come to board meetings, and can come to regulatory meetings, and are publicly noticed by state law under the brown-out.

To listen to the entire eight-minute interview, click here, then scroll down to “Industry Experts Talk About Important Issues.”

— Sree