News & Events

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
Annalisa@petsmv.com

Wag’N Tails:
Jason Mills, Director of Marketing
(574) 381-4828
Jmills@wagntails.com

Paragon’s Education and Training for aspiring dog groomers and dog grooming businesses stands out from other trade or vocational schools because its curriculum is developed and delivered by a team of industry experts. One of those experts, President Joe Zuccarello, will be taking his knowledge on the road March 10-12 to share with groomers across the nation at the GROOM’D – formerly known as Atlanta Pet Fair, at the Georgia International Convention Center.

GROOM’D, catering to 2,500 pet professionals and 100 exhibitors,  is one of the country’s largest trade show and conferences for professional pet stylists. At GROOM’D, talent meets technique, passion transforms into profitability and  professional groomers get the tools to stand out. The show features the latest products, education, pets and employee safety training, and networking opportunities.

Team Paragon and it’s sister division, Learn2GroomDogs.com, will be on hand with show specials and lots of tips – Come visit at booth #331!

Read the rest of this entry »

Pup Relief Tour Heads to Nigeria for Intensive Dog Grooming Workshop Feb 8 – 15th powered by Paragon Curriculum

Four trainers. Twenty-five students. Eight days. Two job offers. And a lot of dogs! The inspired mind behind the national sensation of the Pup Relief Tour is going global with his quest to promote the grooming profession in an intensive skill development workshop in Lekki, Lagos, Nigeria.

Paragon School of Pet Grooming is delighted to lend professional curriculum support to Brian Taylor, aka the “Dogfather of Harlem,” and his team of volunteers as they prep to train 25 self-taught groomers who will vie for employment at a popular daycare, boarding and grooming operation. The tour kicks off February 8^th, with Paragon providing the training curriculum, process and procedures.

Critters Veterinary Centre in Lekki, which also serves as a boarding and grooming facility, is hosting the workshop and supplying the dogs. In addition, Critters will offer employment to 2-3 groomers exhibiting impressive skills and potential which will significantly improve the groomers’ annual income.

“Paragon’s mission is to elevate the grooming profession, in North America, and around the world, through excellence in skill development. We’re thrilled to help Brian and his team bring the highest level of groomer training to this outreach project,” said Joe Zuccarello, President of the Paragon School of Pet Grooming.

In preparation of their departure, the volunteer trainer team brushed up their coaching skills using Paragon’s online training platform, and were supplied with additional textbooks and materials to make the most of the intensive workshop.

Taylor cited Paragon’s curriculum, textbooks, beautiful illustrations, and instructional videos as key advantages of the Paragon partnership.

“The school’s curriculum is rooted in the unmatched experience and teachings of industry icon Melissa Verplank, Certified Master Groomer, and their team is hand-picked from the best of industry experts. This is an incredible opportunity for groomers in Nigeria to access this kind of content not readily available in their country,” Taylor said.

Taylor is passionate about opening avenues to the grooming profession at home and abroad. The banker-turned-successful grooming business owner became a social media sensation during the height of the pandemic when he spearheaded the non-profit Pup Relief Tour in 15 cities across the United States. The team groomed 1918 pups whose pet parents faced financial hardships and raised awareness of pup health and well-being through grooming.

For the Nigeria venture, Taylor is joined by Pup Relief Tour Ambassadors, Labree Blaxon, Owner, Fluffy By Nature, (California), Latonya Smith, LC’s Detroit Salon, (Michigan) and Gianna Richardson, Gia Styles Grooming (Virginia). All have successful pet grooming businesses here in the U.S. and are primarily Black-owned.

Together, Paragon and The Pup Relief Tour are committed to raising awareness of the shortage of dog groomers and to help pet lovers discover the lucrative opportunity of a career in pet grooming.