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About Us

Executive Team

Janet Denyer | Chief Executive Officer

Gene Juarez Salons & Spas recruited industry veteran Janet Denyer to serve as CEO in July of 2006, following the sale of Gene Juarez to Evergreen Pacific Partners. Janet is charged with leading the company through its next phase of growth, which will include refining the company’s renown training programs, launching new products and services, and opening new locations within the Puget Sound.  

Immediately prior to Gene Juarez, Janet served as Senior Vice President of Operations at Red Door Salon and Spas, Elizabeth Arden. There she oversaw an impressive growth and expansion of the Red Doors, as well as the development of employee training programs, the launch of new products and services, and the creation of operational standards that significantly raised the level of customer service. While SVP of Operations for Red Door Salons and Spas, Janet supervised the opening of 18 new Red Doors culminating in responsibility for the operations of more than 40 spas and salons throughout the United States and United Kingdom, including a workforce of more than 2,500 employees.  

Janet started her salon and spa management career as a Spa Director for the Bonaventure Resort and Spa, a premier destination resort spa and an Intercontinental Hotel property. She then opened the first Spa for Marriott International at their flagship resort, Marriott’s Desert Springs. In this endeavor she partnered with renown, celebrity hair stylist, Jose Eber.

After 10 years in spa line operations, Janet started her own spa consulting business, which became very successful. As a consultant, Janet worked for numerous prestige clients including The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, Disney, and Mirage Resorts. Her firm participated in the development of over 80 major spas representing over $400 million dollars in construction. Janet sold the enterprise in 2001 when she joined Red Door Spas as their Senior Vice President of Operations.  

Today, as CEO of Gene Juarez, Janet is leading the Gene Juarez team to even greater success. She lives in Bellevue with her husband, Richard, and two Labrador retrievers, Beau and Luke. She also enjoys time with her grown children, Matthew an art director, and Lyndsey, a college student majoring in fine arts.


Barry W. Matthews | Chief Financial Officer

In 2000, Gene Juarez Salons & Spas recruited Barry Matthews to serve as the first CFO in the Company’s 30+ year history. Barry is responsible for all finance and accounting operations, as well as information technology.

Immediately prior to joining Gene Juarez, Barry served as co-founder, CFO, and Board member of Pet’s Choice, Inc., a Washington based company in the business of companion animal care. From 1996 to 2000, Pet’s Choice acquired over 60 veterinary hospitals in 5 states, becoming one of the leading providers of veterinary services in the nation. Barry served as a member of the Board of Directors from 2000 to 2002, concurrent with his service to Gene Juarez. Pet’s Choice, Inc. was ultimately acquired by Veterinary Centers of America, a public company, in 2005.

Barry began his work in veterinary care in 1992 as CFO for Pet’s Rx, Inc., a California startup company. Pet’s Rx was built over 48 months primarily from the acquisition of 19 veterinary hospitals in northern California and Nevada. In 1996, Veterinary Centers of America acquired Pet’s Rx.

From 1986–1991, Barry served as Vice President of Finance for Keegan Management Company, Inc., a franchisee of Nutri\System Weight Loss Centers in the San Francisco Bay Area. He joined the company with an existing organization of 15 independently owned operating centers. After consolidating these entities, he participated as a member of the road show team that successfully completed an initial public offering in December 1989. Within two years, KMCI expanded to 75 centers in eight states, to become the largest grossing franchisee of Nutri\System in the United States. In 1991, the company was acquired by another public entity based in Southern California.

Barry holds a Bachelor of Science in Commerce from the University of Santa Clara and an inactive CPA license in the state of California. He and his wife Carol enjoy boating in the Pacific Northwest and British Columbia with their three grown children and pets.


Lori Davis | Vice President of Operations

As Vice President of Operations, Lori Davis is responsible for the operation, direction, revenue productivity and profitability for the company’s nine salons & spas, and more than one thousand employees. Lori also initiated and presently oversees the 70-agent Guest Reservations Department, which has grown to handle 1.2 million calls annually.

Lori began her career with Gene Juarez Salons & Spas in 1981. Shortly thereafter, she became the manager of the Bellevue Gene Juarez Salon. Under Lori’s guidance this salon became the top-grossing salon in the nation.  Promoted in 1990, she became responsible for developing the strategic growth plan for the enterprise along with the previous President and CEO.

From 1993 to the present, Lori has directed new construction development and handled all startup business planning for 10 salons and spas, ranging in size from 2,500 square feet to 24,000 square feet. Today, working closely with the current CEO, she is responsible for specifying locations, directing salon and spa design, and managing the site move or planning the new opening. 

Up through 2006, Lori also managed the company’s marketing department.  She previously led the team that created the strategic vision to portray Gene Juarez as the premier provider of salon and spa services.  She was also instrumental in reinventing the Gene Juarez brand by creating and designing the company’s first successful spa concept in 1996.  Her first spa won national awards, including ‘America’s Salon & Spa of the Year.”

Lori is also a charter and founding member of Spa 7, an industry elite executive peer group that identifies best practices for salons & spas in the United States and Canada.

Jerry Ahern | Vice President of Education

Jerry Ahern is the Vice President of Education for Gene Juarez Salons & Spas.  He is a licensed cosmetologist with over 40 years experience in the educational field. 

He is well versed in the day-to-day operation of beauty schools having owned two of his own for more than 15 years. Early in his career, he became Director of Operations for a local chain of 7 beauty schools and grew the chain to 14 before leaving to run his own schools. He was also Vice President of Operations for a chain of 29 schools across three states with an enrollment of over 2,000 students. Since rejoining the Gene Juarez Academies he has been responsible for the development of the training curriculum for all programs the schools offer as well as oversight of the day-to-day operations of the campuses. 

On an industry level, Jerry has served as President of the Washington State Cosmetology School Owners Association as well as President of the National Association of Cosmetology Schools in Washington, DC.  He has been recognized nationally for outstanding contributions to the beauty school industry as a recipient of the “Nick Cimaglia Award,” an award presented by Milady Publishing Company. 

Jerry is the author of “Lesson Plans and Lesson Planning,” the first book of lesson plans ever written for the cosmetology industry. He also authored “West’s Textbook of Cosmetology,” and “West’s Textbook of Manicuring,” classroom texts used in schools throughout the United States for 20 years.

 

Bonnie Hill | Vice President of Human Resources

Bonnie Hill was hired in 1985 as Executive Assistant to the Chief Executive Officer of Gene Juarez Salons & Spas. In 1986, she was the company’s first Payroll Administrator for a staff of 175 people and two years later, Bonnie was promoted to Director of Personnel. 

In 1992, as company growth accelerated along with the need for new systems and processes, Bonnie was promoted to the position of Director of Human Resources, while also assuming responsibility for the administrative services and facilities departments.
 
Additionally, from 1995 until 2004, Bonnie was the salon development project manager.  She was instrumental in the opening of six new or remodeled salons as the company expanded to its current size of $74.4 million in revenue and 1,200 employees.

Bonnie is responsible for the enterprise compensation systems and has developed the infrastructure of the programs and methodology for measuring artist/therapist performance. Throughout her tenure, she has maintained responsibility for the payroll processing systems. She has introduced biometric timekeeping, and credit union and banking affiliations with paycheck direct deposits for the life-style convenience of employees.

Under Bonnie’s guidance, the company has created a comprehensive benefits package that is unique to the salon industry.  Her philosophy is to provide relevant and meaningful health and welfare benefits designed to ensure financial stability and personal wellbeing. The 401(k) plan implemented in 1989 now has over $13 million in assets with 800 employees investing in their future.  

In December 2000, Bonnie was promoted to Vice President of Human Resources. Her scope of responsibilities were broadened to include development of a Recruiting Department with a focus on artist and therapist staffing to meet company needs for new salon expansions, same store growth and turnover. Under her direction, artist/therapist staffing increased by a record-setting 8.5% in 2007.

As Vice-President of Human Resources, Bonnie also oversees employee relations, communications, and rewards and recognition programs.  Through improved employee satisfaction, the company has experienced reduced turnover in all three divisions during the last two years.

Bonnie has a B.S. in Business Administration from City University where she graduated with Presidential Honors.