In the mid-nineties, just before their first child was born, Leslie Foster and her husband, Dr. James Foster, started KENA, a property development business in Cincinnati, where they were living. Her interest was in buying a run-down building, modernizing the interior, preserving as much of the historic facade as possible, and renting out the property. She enjoyed the challenges of the development business and, after several successful renovations, eventually bought an apartment building in Newport, Ky.
"I loved the fact that the building, now called RiverChase Apartments, had easy access to the aquarium, downtown Cincinnati, Newport on the Levee, and MainStrasse in Covington, and it could be developed in a way that offered reasonable rents to those living there," Foster said.
Those were the days when Foster and her family lived in Cincinnati. Not content with real estate development alone, Foster made a move into the beauty business, opening La Bella Salon and Spa, which now has more than 70 employees and a wide range of spa services: hair styling, nails and pedicures, massage therapy, microdermabrasion, pregnancy massage, mud baths and more. "My goal," Foster explained, "was two-fold: make the customer feel welcome and to develop a training program that would help employees stay on top of trends and become educated about the style/spa business. Lots of young women want to become stylists, but their parents are not always encouraging. It's viewed as a short-term job. I wanted to help these women - 40 percent of whom are single mothers - understand they could grow a good business and make a career out of it."
As the spa grew, so did Foster's family, and so did her interest in returning to live in Lexington. Both she and her husband had gone to undergraduate school at the University of Kentucky, and James Foster attended medical school here. He and an associate were now busy developing MESA, Marshall Emergency Services Association, which provides emergency services to hospitals in rural, surburban and urban areas, and Foster was looking for new challenges. They moved back to Lexington in 2002.
Continuing her commitment to developing style/spa personnel, Foster attended a business summit for stylists and owners, hoping to find cutting-edge curricula that would expand her employees' knowledge of the business side of things. While there, she was approached by Pat Parente, president of the division of Redken-only spas and salons. Within short order, Foster signed on and became a certified Redken-only owner, meaning that all products and colors come from Redken, along with substantial educational programs, consultations and demonstrations for employees. She also began to develop a spa for Lexington.
Some days the commute back and forth between Cincinnati and Lexington is a long one, but the hours give Foster time to turn off the cell phone, reflect on the day's business and listen to country music. It's one of the ways she brings balance into her very hectic life. She moved the Cincinnati spa to a new location in March and, within four weeks, readied for the opening of La Bella Salon Spa & Self-Image Centre on the first floor of Kimball House Square, between Upper and Limestone. In this location, nine technicians and staff members provide hair and nail treatments. But that's not all.
After moving the Cincinnati spa to new quarters, Foster is installing what Redken calls a TSPA, or teaching spa center, in the old location. "The TSPA is where students are taught cutting-edge techniques under the supervision of professional staff," Foster explains. Having recently purchased the Kauffman Beauty School on High Street, Foster will open another TSPA here in town soon.
Asked how she manages all these projects, Foster said, "First, I know I'm going to make it work, and I'm persistent. Also, I keep promises I've made and manage my time. Then, of course, there's country music to soothe the soul."
Janet Holloway is president of j. holloway & associates and co-founder of Women Leading Kentucky. A national columnist for womenentrepreneur.com, she can be reached at jhollow@alltel.net.