Melissa Verplank began her pet-related career in 1977 as a kennel assistant. By 1979, she was bathing and grooming pets in a large boarding kennel environment. In 1983, Melissa established Four Paws Mobile Grooming. Within four years, that business grew to six mobile units as well as a salon-based operation, which would become The Paragon School of Pet Grooming in 1992. In 1985, Melissa stepped into the professional pet styling arena and became a Certified Master Stylist under International Professional Groomers voluntary testing organizations. By 1990, she had won or placed in national grooming competitions and ranked as one of the six top stylists in the United States. In 1991 she earned her membership to GroomTeam USA, and travelled to France where her team won the silver medal in world team competition.

After her success in the contest arena, Melissa went on to become a respected industry judge and speaker. She has been the Coordinator for GroomTeam USA and currently serves on the Board of Directors. In 1999 she assisted with the formation of the International Judges Association. She is a two-time Cardinal Crystal Award winner, the recipient of the 2017 IBPA Benjamin Franklin Silver Award for Animal/Pet Book of the Year and the Gold Award for Education Book of the Year, and six Barkleigh Honors Awards.