Laura Gill a Paris Parker Salon & Spa Educator Works with a Purpose
Ever have one of those days when you question your purpose in life? It can happen to the best of us—even to people who seem happy in their chosen profession. For Laura Gill, the moment that led her to examine her life and choices came when she was behind the chair.
“I started questioning whether this was what I should be doing in life. Did it really make a difference?” Laura recalls. “I cut a woman’s hair and when I asked her if she liked it, she started crying. She said she hadn’t seen herself look so beautiful since she found out she had cancer and been through treatment. There was my confirmation.”
Although Laura didn’t know it at the time, that a-ha moment was a real turning point for her career—and her time with us. Her reinvigorated passion showed, and we brought her on board as an educator. Laura is part of Paris Parker’s core education team and teaches classes every week in addition to her work behind the chair. Some of the industry’s best and brightest, including Vidal Sassoon, have been her teachers.
“I just want to share what I’ve learned,” Laura says.
A Sense of Family
Laura has given back everything she’s learned and then some. But what makes her so special is her way of connecting with people both in and outside of the company. Paris Parker is a big company—we have nine salons, hundreds of employees and thousands of clients—but Laura makes intimate connections within it feel effortless.
“I can call Debra Neill at any time on her personal cell, and we can set up a meeting,” says Laura. “Our salon family is our family. And your clients become part of your extended family.”
Speaking of family, Laura is one of our team members who actually shares blood ties with another Paris Parker employee. Her 27-year-old daughter, Dayne Gill-Commander, has been with us for eight years. Dayne now serves as a recruiter in our human resources department—and yep, she learned from the best!
“I think my career influenced her,” Laura says. “My daughter saw what a great company I worked for and wanted to be part of that.”
Ongoing Personal Growth: Globe-trotting to Grandmothering
Laura started out cutting and coloring her friends’ hair when she was just a teenager, and her career has taken her to some pretty exciting places since those early days. Over the course of her career, she’s traveled to New York, Russia and Germany. “Paris Parker has afforded me the opportunity to travel and see places I would have not seen otherwise,” she says.
Laura loves traveling the world, but her favorite times are spent close to home, with her son, daughter and five-month-old granddaughter, whom she cuddled throughout the interview. (Grooming future generations of Paris Parker employees, perhaps?) Best of all, she and Dayne can share the day-to-day details of their work at Paris Parker.
“We pretty much see each other every day, have lunch and discuss how her new hires are working out,” Laura says. “So we throw it back and forth.”
In November, Laura celebrates 20 years with us. In 1996, she joined Paris Parker as a designer specializing in cuts, and today she excels at this art form—and so many more. Laura has shaped the lives of not only her own clients, but also those of every rookie stylist she’s ever taught. Her influence is huge…and for that we are grateful.
