I'm sure many of you have heard the buzz! The State of Michigan has given us the green light to re-open the hands-on training programs at The Paragon School of Pet Grooming! We learned of this decision as we were submitting our annual renewal -- but the renewal was for new programs that we've been working on all last year as we worked with the Michigan Proprietary School Unit and the ridiculous law stemming from 1943 that stated we could not collect revenue from goods and services produced by our students.

We are not out of the woods yet! The State has opted not to enforce the law until House Bill #5995 is settled by the legislature. This bill has gone through many revisions over the past 12 months. The current bill has been rewritten and we fully endorse its’ current form. It would allow us to continue our hands-on training programs. We all need to keep our fingers crossed that by the end of this year, the law will be changed. This would ensure the future of not only The Paragon School of Pet Grooming but all the other proprietary schools in the state of Michigan.

By having to shut down the hands-on training, it forced us to develop new training opportunities. We set our sights on creating The Paragon Distance Learning Programs that mirrored our first-rate hands-on programs that we had offered for 16 years. We have combined an entire series of step-by-step DVDs showcasing core grooming skills with comprehensive textbook materials, workbooks, review questions and online testing for these new programs. In addition, we have also created a new employee training program called the Paragon Salon Mentoring Program, which will allow salon owners to train their own staff using the Paragon Pet Styling System.

In addition to these larger training programs, the Paragon Skill Bundle Sets are available for grooming and styling skill enhancement. The DVDs were all shot on location at the Paragon School using real, every day dogs. The DVDs showcase not only myself but also my team of Certified Master Groomers and contest level stylists. As the saying goes, you're only as good as your trainers -- our trainers are some of the best!

Right now, not only are we releasing these new learning opportunities but we are also scrambling to reopen the doors at the Paragon School. After almost a year of being primarily mothballed, we've pushed up our sleeves and are in the process of giving the school a fresh facelift. Teresa, Karen and Nicole are still trying to get some sense of normalcy in their day-to-day activities amidst the sounds of hammers, saws and the smell of fresh paint.  Meanwhile I'm busy with putting the final polish on a number of other new programs to be released later in the year.

I truly believe all things happen for a reason. The challenges of 2008 forced us to look at new avenues to help people enter the wonderful field of pet care. With everything that I create, my focus is always on quality, time efficiency and safety. I strip everything down into easy to understand terms that can be applied immediately.

Happy Trimming,

Melissa