Style Blog

Welcome to the Keune Team! The entire Keune family extends a warm welcome to our newest Team Members and congratulates those who were recently promoted. Get to know them here!

Jennifer Rider

Business Development Manager, reporting to Mark Webber, is based in the Kansas City area and supports Salon Service Group exclusively. Most recently, she served as Sales & Business Development Manager with The Roasterie, Inc, with an impressive stint at Mirabella prior to that.

In Jennifer’s time off, she loves hiking, vacationing at the beach and relaxing with her family and dog, Billie Jean. She is a co-Girl Scout leader for her daughter, Violet, who is five years old. She also has a son, Julian, who is two. Reach her at jrider@keune.com.

 

Wende Lawson

Brand Sales Manager, reporting to Jennifer Rider, operates out of the Houston area in support of Salon Service Group exclusively. Wende was a Distributor Sales Consultant for RDA from 2003, and until recently enjoys experience in the areas of education and training. She looks forward to leveraging many strong Salon relationships, developed over her many years of experience in the Texas market.

Wende’s hobbies include volleyball, reading and traveling. In her free time, she loves to relax by the pool or enjoy a spa day. Contact Wende at wlawson@keune.com.

 

Robert Narvaez

 

Business Development Manager, reporting to Mark Webber, is located in Atlanta and support Life of Riley Salon Supply and Oken Enterprises. Robert was formerly the Director of Sales, Southeast Region, with Estee Lauder/Aveda Corporation for 16 years, and also enjoyed success with both L’Oréal USA and The Ales Group.

Robert likes to spend his free time gardening and enjoying nature, traveling, going to movies and concerts, and cooking. He is a proud uncle from San Antonio and has been with his other half for 12 years. Reach Robert at rnarvaez@keune.com.

 

Chris Back

Business Development Manager, reporting to Mark Webber, assumed a new level of responsibility, supporting Salon Services and Supplies, when he moved on from his successful stint as a Keune Brand Specialist into his new position with Keune corporate. This industry veteran of 35 years continues to be based in Arizona.

Chris has three children with four granddaughters and a fifth on the way. Living in sunny Arizona, he and his partner of 10 years enjoy spending time at their backyard pool and entertaining their friends who visit from colder climates. Chris also loves finding antique wood furniture to refinish and bring back to life. Reach Chris at cback@keune.com.

 

Gina Sais Quoi (formerly Gina Gabianelli) 

Joined Keune as Special Markets Sales Manager—Schools, reporting to Jamezell Ottinger, Director of Special Markets. No stranger to the company, Gina was a Keune Brand Specialist with Life of Riley Salon Supply since May 2015. In that role, Gina raised brand awareness and created relationships with Salons to grow Keune brand loyalty throughout parts of Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi. Previously, Gina was the Lead Educator at The Salon Professional Academy in The Villages, Florida, and Lead Stylist at Beauty Plus Salon in Connecticut.

While the beauty industry has always owned Gina’s heart, her second passion is designing. She has designed handmade couture fashion and jewelry for the past 10 years, showcasing her original designs in dozens of fashion shows and photo shoots. Recently expanding her design interest into her home, she has learned how to reupholster furniture and create taxidermy home décor. Gina loves spending her free time with her tight-knit family. They all moved from Connecticut to Florida together—grandparents, aunts/uncles and cousins included! She adores her one-year-old niece and recently welcomed a nephew. Reach her at gsaisquoi@keune.com

 

Earl West 

The new Director of Operations, reporting to Jennifer Hammond, Vice President of Finance and Operations. Earl holds a B.S. in Business Administration—Operations Management from Western Illinois University and has completed coursework toward an MBA. Additionally, he holds an APICS CPIM (Certified in Production and Inventory Management) certification.

Earl has multiple years of experience as a Warehouse Manager, Supply Chain Manager, Logistics Manager, Materials Manager, and most recently, Director of Materials with Trojan Battery Company. In his new role, Earl oversees the sourcing of produced goods with overall responsibility for the performance of the warehouse, purchasing and customer service departments. He provides leadership in setting management direction of customer service functions to align work plans with organizational business objectives.

Earl is married with two children and is an avid tennis player. He captains multiple ALTA tennis teams, and enjoys hiking and camping in North Georgia, reading and spending time with his family.

 

Paula Jane Santa Cruz

Also known as “PJ,” joined the Keune Marketing Squad as a Marketing Administrator. She reports to Rachael Hoffman, Vice President of Marketing and Brand Development. Previously as a Marketing Coordinator for Jones Bridge Dental Care. PJ managed content for social media, designed email campaigns to promote treatment acceptance, worked with advertising vendors and oversaw all special events planning and execution. PJ holds a Bachelor’s degree in Communication and Rhetoric Studies from Oglethorpe University. While attending college, she served as a Digital Marketing Intern with Relish Marketing. As a Marketing and Communications Coordinator for the National Society of High School Scholars (NSHSS), she managed and generated content for social media platforms. She is a proactive communicator, who is positive, organized and has a sense of humor.

Outside of work, PJ is passionate about animal rescue. She has fostered pets and has two fur babies of her own (Missy & Sully). Currently, she volunteers with a local animal rescue (Orphan Annie). She loves staying active, from working out daily to taking the dogs to the park to hiking. She is a member of the Atlanta Chi Omega Alumni Association (sorority alumni) for which she handles digital marketing. Reach her at pjsantacruz@keune.com.

 

Elizabeth Castleberry

With a year on the Marketing Squad and reporting to Rachael, Elizabeth is Keune’s new Graphic Designer. Previously as Graphic Designer with Post Brothers Real Estate, Elizabeth managed the company’s marketing and branding. This included creating event materials, posters, emails, brochures, property signage, banners and social media imagery.

In addition to being naturally creative, Elizabeth has earned two degrees—a B.A. from Penn State, where she majored in Integrative Arts, and a B.S. from Philadelphia University, where she majored in Graphic Design.

After living in the North for several years, Elizabeth realized the many advantages and opportunities the South has to offer and recently relocated back to Atlanta. Welcome her back home at ecastleberry@keune.com.