News & Events

You don’t need to tell Paragon students that Mentor Suesan Watson, CMG, is an inspiration! Paragon is delighted to celebrate Suesan’s recent recognition for her outstanding contribution to the grooming industry. She was feted with the 2024 AKC Leadership Award at the Barkleigh Honors gala in Hershey, PA, earlier this month.

In the words of Mark Dunn Executive Vice President of AKC:

“Leadership matters. Groomers who are educated, knowledgeable and confident can lead their clients, lead in their community and  lead in the industry. (Sue has) helped thousands of other groomers throughout her career. Her contributions have changed lives and helped shape the entire industry. She’s been a leader for more than two decades from the AKC Confirmation dog show ring to the grooming show floor. She was an original NDGA certifier. Her critiques, I am told, are always positive, uplifting and confidence-building.”

Dunn noted that the American Kennel Club has sought to improve lives of dogs and people who love dogs for more than 140 years, and that groomers play a vital role in pet owners lives by keeping pets happy and healthy. He called the award “penultimate.”

It’s a fitting award for Sue, whose career has spanned five decades. She is a double Certified Master Groomer with NDGAA and IPG who has competed worldwide, winning multiple placements along with several Best in Show and Best All Around Groomer Awards. She is a GroomTeam USA Alumni and has won three consecutive Cardinal Crystal Groomer of the Year awards and a Groomer of the Year presented by Wahl Clipper at the Westminster Dog Show. As part of the Wahl Elite Team, Sue travels to grooming shows to judge competitions and educate other groomers.

As a Paragon Mentor and Groominar® Network expert from the early days, Sue has literally helped develop thousands of individual professional groomers and groom business teams through Paragon.

“Sue possesses the perfect blend of excellence in terms of technical grooming skills and teaching skills,” said Paragon President Joe Zuccarello. “We could not be happier to have her on our team or prouder of her well-earned recognition and leadership within the industry.”

Sue, who’d just won Best-in-Class in the Model Dog division at Groom Expo, was both shocked and thrilled to receive the award.

“When I was 13 years old and groomed my fist poodle I never thought being a dog groomer could lead me to where I am today. Grooming is not just being a groomer, it’s more – you touch every animal with such care and such love – and it means so much to me,” she told the crowd. “To be in this family is such a special thing – I can’t thank you all enough for the warmth and love that you have shown me over the years!”

Paragon President, Joe Zuccarello, is scheduled to share his expertise – from perfect pricing to schedule management – during education sessions at North America’s leading pet retail trade show, SuperZoo 2024, August 13 -16 in Las Vegas.

Produced by the World Pet Association (WPA), the trade show historically attracts more than 16,000 pet professionals from 25 countries and features education, new product introductions, a grooming competition and networking events. More than 1,000 exhibitors from every pet product category participate and more than 900 products typically make their debut at the show.

As a perennial presence, Paragon brings education topics designed to help pet grooming businesses, independent and multi-store pet retail companies, and pet boarding and daycare operators discover best practices for a productive and successful pet business.

“It’s very energizing to meet with fellow pet care professionals and share our expertise to help take the headache out of grooming operations,” Joe said. He designs topics to reflect solutions to the pain points the company hears from grooming businesses of all types and sizes. As a pet business coach prior to Paragon presidency, he knows how small changes can net big effects in profitability.

Paragon’s 2024 SuperZoo Education lineup includes the following topics:

Retail Education – 4 Steps to Becoming a Competitive Employer – Aug. 13 – 8 a.m. – 9 a.m.

During this session Joe shares some techniques that business owners and managers can use to become a more competitive employer and reduce the time to qualify and hire quality candidates.

 Grooming Schedule Management – Aug. 14 – 11 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Joe explores the best way to maximize your grooming services production without underutilizing the skills of your grooming staff or overworking them toward burnout or injury. Joe demonstrates techniques for building a scheduling management approach that is customer-centric and balances staff performance.

Perfect Pricing for Grooming Services – Aug 14 – 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.

Joe unpacks how to know if you are pricing your services correctly.  Are you leaving money on the table? Do you struggle with raising prices? During this session, Joe will help business owners and managers understand how to set, raise, and correct pricing for grooming services to maximize financial rewards.

Paragon Groomer Education & Training will also be exhibiting in Booth #1739 and will welcome visits from pet businesses who want to leverage the company’s industry-leading training platform powered by Melissa Verplank’s  curriculum to produce highly skilled grooming professionals.

“We are thrilled to share ways pet retail businesses can increase their foot traffic and basket value through the development of grooming services, and to show the latest tools for training professional groomers,” said Annalisa Signorelli, Director of New Business Development.

If you or your associates plan to be at SuperZoo ’24, stop by to say hi and learn what’s new in professional pet groomer training.

Not planning to attend the show but interested in learning more about options that help petcare businesses grow their own groom teams? 

Book Some Time with our Sales & Client Relation Specialist!

Paragon (ParagonPetSchool.com) is delighted to team up with First Financial Bank (https://www.ffb1.com/) to bring continued professional education opportunities and outstanding value to aspiring and expanding professional pet groomers and pet grooming businesses. Together, these partners will ensure their respective audiences know the benefits of each other’s products and services so grooming services owners, managers, and leaders can overcome their staffing challenges and grow their businesses through financial services tailored to the pet care industry.

“We are thrilled to publicly demonstrate a strong relationship with First Financial Bank,” said Paragon President, Joe Zuccarello. “First Financial Bank makes it very easy to recommend their services because they share many of the same qualities Paragon does while serving our customers. An obvious dedication to quality, service, and attention to helping pet care businesses achieve their very best successes aligns very well with Paragon. First Financial Bank is a leader in pet business lending because their team knows the petcare industry and actively seeks to understand, meet and exceed pet entrepreneur’s goals,” said Joe Zuccarello.

Together, Paragon and First Financial Bank will help elevate the profession of grooming by connecting their audiences through shared instructional material, opportunities, and guidance for best practices. Read the rest of this entry »

Paragon (ParagonPetSchool.com) is delighted to team up with Wag’N Tails (Wagntails.com) to bring continued professional education opportunities and outstanding value to aspiring and expanding professional pet groomers and pet grooming businesses. Together, these partners will ensure their respective audiences know the benefits of each other’s products and services so grooming services owners, managers, and leaders can overcome their staffing challenges and grow their businesses by serving their customers with quality, efficiency, and safety.

“We are thrilled to publicly demonstrate a strong relationship with Wag’n Tails that has spanned for decades,” said Paragon President, Joe Zuccarello. “Wag’n Tails makes it very easy to recommend their products because they share many of the same qualities Paragon does while serving our customers. An obvious dedication to quality, service, and attention to helping their customers achieve their very best successes aligns very well with Paragon. Wag’n Tails is a leader in their area of the grooming industry and this is echoed by every customer Paragon hears from. If mobile grooming is the path pursued by a Professional Groomer, we are beyond happy to recommend Wag’n Tails,” said Joe Zuccarello.”

Together, Paragon and Wag’N Tails will help elevate the profession of grooming by connecting their audiences through shared instructional material, opportunities, and guidance for best practices. Their mission is to help groomers and pet businesses achieve their dreams.

“We’re so excited to celebrate our collaboration with Paragon Pet School. This partnership underscores our shared values and commitment to the grooming industry as a whole. Like Paragon, Wag’n Tails is dedicated to providing outstanding quality and service, ensuring that every mobile groomer is equipped with the tools they need to succeed. Wag’n Tails remains committed to leading the way in mobile pet care innovations, and with Paragon’s support, we will continue to empower them toward achieving remarkable success in their careers.” said Josh White, Chief Growth Officer.

ABOUT WAG’N TAILS
Wag’n Tails is the leader in mobile pet grooming and mobile veterinary clinic solutions. With a heritage deeply rooted in the love of pets and an unwavering commitment to their well-being, Wag’n Tails leads the global industry in mobile pet solutions. Their journey began in St. Paul, MN with a single grooming salon. Since then, Wag’n Tails has grown into a dynamic enterprise that spans across decades, delivering unrivaled quality that is as convenient as it is thoughtful. Today, from their advanced facilities in Granger, IN, they engineer and manufacture top-tier mobile pet care vans and trailers, supporting pet care professionals everywhere. Wag’n Tails’ mission, anchored in innovation and common sense, remains steadfast: empowering pet care professionals to succeed in their mobile operations.

ABOUT PARAGON
Paragon’s best-in-class Groomer Education and Training platform was built on the 30-year, time-tested curriculum developed by Melissa Verplank, author of the “grooming bible” Notes from the Grooming Table and Theory of 5. Revolutionizing online learning through guidance from professional Mentors, the program graduates thousands of Groom Techs, Pet Groomers and Pet Stylists each year for hundreds of pet care businesses and individuals looking for a career they’ll love. Paragon then provides continuing education opportunities through its Groominar® Network at Learn2GroomDogs.com, as well as support with innovations such as a DIGITAL EXPERIENCE of Notes from the Grooming Table.

For more information on our partnership, please contact:

Paragon:
Annalisa Signorelli, Director of Business Development & Innovation
(616)710-0051
[email protected]

Wag’N Tails:
Jason Mills, Director of Marketing
(574) 381-4828
[email protected]