Meet Eveline Charles, CEO of EvelineCharles Salons|Spas|Beauty MD and EvelineCharles Academy.
Eveline Charles was born and raised in the small French community of Falher, Alberta. Her strong work ethic and flare for beauty & fashion were apparent at an early age, which lead to her enrollment in the Marvel Beauty School immediately after high school. Equipped with skills to match her enthusiasm, Eveline began cutting hair professionally in 1974 and ten years later, opened her first hair salon, Bianco Nero, in Edmonton.
During the 1980s and early '90s, Eveline established Bianco Nero as Edmonton's premier beauty salon. Seizing the opportunity to be at the forefront of the day spa movement, in 1995 Eveline expanded the location to include a full service day spa.
As one of Edmonton's first spas, a major advertising campaign was required to educate potential customers. With virtually no marketing budget, Eveline took advantage of the Advertising Club of Edmonton's annual fundraiser where advertising agencies offer new businesses advertising campaigns at reduced rates. As a result, Eveline's eight thousand dollar investment yielded an award winning twenty-five thousand dollar TV, newspaper, radio and billboard advertising campaign.
With great brand recognition in place, Eveline opened a second Bianco Nero salon and spa in the West Edmonton Mall in 1998. During this period Eveline stepped out from behind the hair salon chair to focus entirely on developing her business. Eager to expand further into Calgary and develop and trademark several product lines, Eveline changed the name of her company from Bianco Nero to EvelineCharlesTMSalons • Spas.
In 2001, two new salon & spa locations opened in Calgary's Southcentre Mall and Edmonton's Southgate Centre. In 2005, two more locations were opened in Calgary's Market Mall and Chinook Centre, as well as a 21,000 square foot Academy of Cosmetology and Esthetics in Edmonton. In 2006 the company expanded again with a location in the new wing of Orchard Park Shopping Centre in Kelowna, BC. With nine current locations, Eveline is still eager to expand her salon & spa brand into new cities and markets.
Eveline Charles is one of the most recognized names in the Canadian salon and spa industry. Driven by the words of her favorite poem, "Think big and your deeds will grow" (The Winner), Eveline Charles has grown her privately held business from a one woman operation to a multi-million dollar corporation bearing her name, EvelineCharlesTMSalons|Spas|Beauty MD and Eveline Charles Academy.
Awards and Accolades
GLOBAL SALON BUSINESS AWARDS, GLOBAL SALON ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR 2006, 2004
CONSUMERS CHOICE
FOR HAIR SALON & SPA 2009-2002
ALBERTA VENTURE MAGAZINE
100 ENTREPRENEURS WHO BUILT THE PROVINCE
ALBERTA VENTURE MAGAZINE
ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR 2001
JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT
FIRST FEMALE INDUCTED INTO BUSINESS HALL OF FAME
KPMG ENTERPRISE & THE RICHARD IVEY SCHOOL OF BUSINESS
CANADA'S MOST POWERFUL WOMEN TOP 100 WINNERS
PROFIT MAGAZINE
TOP 100 CANADIAN WOMEN ENTREPRENEURS
#48 in 2004, #36 in 2005, #31 in 2006, #26 in 2007 & 2008, #24 in 2009
ERNST AND YOUNG
ENTREPRENUER OF THE YEAR
REGIONAL FINALIST 2006, 2007 & 2008
DELOITTE AND TOUCHE
50 BEST MANAGED COMPANIES REGIONAL FINALIST
INTERNATIONAL DAY SPA OF THE YEAR
SPA MANAGEMENT MAGAZINE