Every day, we see firsthand how dedicated you are to your craft, and it’s an honor to work alongside every single business owner that chooses Schedulicity.
This winter, we’re celebrating the brightest, boldest, and – dare we say, best – businesses with our annual Best Of Schedulicity Awards.
Best of the Year
We wouldn’t be here without dedicated, hard-working businesses like yours. To celebrate all your success, we’re giving out awards for Business of the Year and Start-Up of the Year. Our winners will be given a $1,000 grant each.
Business of the Year
HealHER
Baltimore, MD
Tiffany Thomas is a master herbalist and certified reiki practitioner, but her most impressive title: “The Feminine Force behind HealHER”.
Cultivated the same week the pandemic was announced in March 2020, HealHER is a wellness company that helps women experience deep emotional and physical healing from trauma.
HealHER’s mission resonates with over 102,000 members from all walks of life.
HealHER was founded on the intention that all women deserve access to holistic wellness tools without judgment, guilt, fear, or shame. Tiffany provides mental health resources through journal prompts, EFT (emotional freedom tapping) sessions, reiki, sound meditation, wellness workshops, and herbal remedies.
“As a Black woman growing up in Baltimore, Maryland, I’ve witnessed the disparities my community continues to face,” she said. “As a lover of my city and as an advocate, ally, and voice, I’m dedicated to giving back to my community.”
Whether it’s through putting together hygiene care packages for homeless women or donating PPE and cleaning supplies to local schools and hospitals, Tiffany and HealHER are certainly a force for social good.
Start-Up of the Year
GROTTO Skin & Lash Lounge
Wynantskill, NY
Jamie Panichi has six years until retirement. After that, her goal was to start a second career: become a licensed esthetician.
However, she couldn’t wait to fulfill her dream. Jamie put herself through night school while working full-time as an investigations sergeant for the Rensselaer County Sheriff Department.
That’s not her only full-time gig, though. Jamie is a mom to six incredible kids.
Shortly after earning her esthetician’s license, she opened GROTTO Skin & Lash Lounge.
Jamie works part-time at nights and rents a booth to four other women. They offer facials, lashes, waxing, teeth whitening, Botox, filler, and body fat cavitation.
Calling GROTTO her “stress reliever,” Jamie offers discounts to crime victims, law enforcement officials, and military personnel. She fundraised for Tunnels to Towers Foundation, which builds mortgage-free smart homes for injured veterans and first responders.
She also fundraises for the Strides Against Breast Cancer Walk every October by offering literal pink eyelash extensions. During No-Shave November, GROTTO donates proceeds to the START Children’s Center.
She sponsors Little League Baseball and “Safe Ride Home” fundraisers, which provide teens safe transportation to and from prom.
Juggling a full-time job, children, community advocacy, and a new business is all in a day’s work for Jamie Panichi.
Small Business
We’re honored to help so many small businesses every day, and it’s an even greater privilege to see them pay it forward. At the end of the day, you put the people you love first (with your craft being a very close second). That’s why we’re giving these award winners from $250 to $750 each — for simply being the best.
Cares Award
GX Warehouse Fitness and Wellness
Dunkirk, NY
Tamara Racino teaches up to five classes a day. From kickboxing and Tabata to pilates, plyometrics, and yoga, she’s a fitness powerhouse.
However, it’s what she does outside of GX Warehouse that captured our Cares Award this year.
Her company holds two annual hikes to fundraise for veterans. She also hosts Pilates and Puppies classes to raise money for the local dog rescue. During the holiday season, Tamara delivers Merry and Bright Boxes to individuals working non-typical jobs (restaurants, gas stations, hospitals, etc.) on Christmas Eve and Day.
In addition to sponsoring local sports teams and the Boys & Girls Club, Tamara also hosts an annual all-girls event called I’mpower Me for girls in third to eighth grade. This incredible event teaches them to love their body and the importance of movement at a critical time in physical development.
“We never turn down a chance to give,” she said. “We continue to inspire our community to…maintain self-love.”
Rockstar Award
Ms. Avy Beauty
Rochester, NY
Described as kind, lovely, and warm, Ms. Avy is an absolute favorite among our Schedulicity Rockstars. Ms. Avy is a master stylist and hair loss practitioner, providing healthy hair services and hair therapy to clients who suffer from alopecia.
Her training program, MAB Enhance, offers seminars and classes to teach stylists and salon owners about everything she believes in: confidence, self-love, inner beauty, and motivation.
Local Legends Award
Juliet Samuel, Excellent Home Health Care and Consulting, LLC
Evergreen Park, IL
Taking care of a loved one can be a stressful experience – physically, mentally, and financially — and Juliet Samuel knows this experience well.
“As a medical professional, I saw too many people, mainly our senior and disabled population, go without the help they so desperately needed because of the cost of home healthcare,” she said.
“My heart was so pricked that I determined that if I could and when the opportunity came, that I would make a difference.”
That exact opportunity came in 2020 when Juliet opened her business to provide healthcare packages for seniors in the comfort of their own home. She offers “comprehensive consulting and referral services to place qualified independent contractors” to help those in need of at-home, non-medical support.
The referral service provides live-in or come-and-go assistance for grocery shopping, personal hygiene and mobility maintenance, medication pickup and reminders, transportation for medical purposes, laundry, and safety and comfort checks.
Juliet’s business also offers light homemaking and nighttime assistance for new and nursing mothers.
“I love what I do. I have a deep passion for assisting others. It’s such an intrinsic part of me, and I…ensure that everyone who comes through my doors gets the best possible assistance.”
Hustlers
At Schedulicity, we respect the hustle. Whether you’re here to nominate your favorite business or yourself, there’s a Hustler Award for every style of business. These individual award winners will be given $500 each.
Hair Stylist of the Year
Paige Madrid, Paige Madrid Designs
Burlingame, CA
“Paige goes above and beyond for women who have been diagnosed with cancer. She’s there for them step by step. They come into the salon a bit dazed and unsure of what to do with their impending hair loss.
Paige is so gentle and patient while shaving their heads and explaining the process and how to choose the best wig.
She customizes wigs to help the women feel like they still look like themselves. They leave with a smile, having more information on the process of chemotherapy on their hair. She does all of this for no charge to the client.”
Massage Therapist of the Year
Ashley Stafford, Tranquil Therapy
Philadelphia, PA
With over 12 years of experience, Ashley learned from the best of the best: physical therapists, personal trainers, CEU instructors, and even a dojo master.
She was taught Thai massage, dermoneuromodulation, orthopedic assessments, reiki, and more, but her heart settled on one specific practice.
Ashley specializes in trauma-informed rehabilitation for chronic pain and autoimmune conditions. Her goal is to bring relief to clients who have tried everything.
Her orthopedic myofascial massage therapy studio offers massages (even prenatal massages for mamas-to-be!), cupping, and personal training and treatment plans for rehab clients.
“I view my work as my service to the world and love every minute of it,” she said. “Getting so much out of what I do and wanting to share that with others keeps me humbled and in awe.”
But Ashley doesn’t see herself as just a spa treatment or the last-minute fix.
She actively wants to be a part of the solution to a bigger problem for people with lifelong symptoms. Ashley regularly donates to local businesses, nonprofits, and research programs, including Lyme Warrior, to – hopefully – help her clients find relief outside of her studio.
Fitness Instructor of the Year
Pole Hale Hawaii
Kailua-Kona, HI
Pole Hale’s first priority: Body positivity.
It’s easy to say that about a lot of fitness and wellness spaces, but at Pole Hale, it’s more than just words. He ano ola – it’s a way of life.
Pole Hale Hawaii provides a safe and inclusive space for BIPOC, the LGBTQ+ community, and women from all walks of life (and levels of experience). This is one space where people can be their authentic selves freely, because the team is passionate about helping people build strength, confidence, and self-love.
Beauty Industry Leader of the Year
Sarah Anderson, Cryo Beauty Xtreme
Colleyville, TX
Sarah was the core revenue generator for a company for over eight years. She was abruptly let go with all her finances tied into the company. With $0 in compensation and equity due to contractual fine print, Sarah was also left with PTSD from an abusive environment.
The stress and anxiety was so taxing, Sarah was diagnosed with cancer at only 30 years old. Out of necessity and loss, she leapt into the spa business – 60 days ago.
Cryo Xtreme Beauty offers cryogenic services, including slimming and body and facial lifting. They also offer cellulite body massages, sculpting facial massages/yoga, red light facial therapy, lymphatic circulation, and localized pain relief.
Sarah already hired her first employee: another woman suffering from domestic abuse. Though her business is commercially successful, Sarah’s definition of success is to “give back and save other women in abusive situations who feel they don’t have a way out or feel lost as to how to start over.”
Nail Artist of the Year
Amber Boyd, Nails By Amber Boyd
Vestavia Hills, AL
Amber is an Alabama Master Manicurist, specializing in natural nails and pedicures for men and women. She’s also a Creative Nail Design Grand Master, Master Painter, and Shellac Pro – talk about a triple threat!
As a fairly new salon owner, Amber’s been in the nail artistry game for over 25 years. That’s a lot of clients, but one story had our team reaching for tissues:
“Amber is amazing. She’s wonderful with my 9-year-old daughter who has a tremor in her hands. My daughter dearly loves Ms. Amber. Think about how difficult it can be to do nails on a very active child who has a hand tremor and not make the child feel self-conscious. She is the best of the best.”
Indeed, she is, and that’s why she’s our inaugural Best of Schedulicity Awards winner for Nail Artist of the Year.
Wildcard Leader of the Year
Julie Johnson, The Pin Cushion
Seattle, WA
“Incredibly kind.”
“Passionate and inspiring.”
“The absolute best.”
“An example of the idea of people over profit.”
These were just a few words that clients and employees had to say about Julie. She’s the owner of The Pin Cushion, an acupuncture clinic that provides a sliding scale payment system for all clients. This eliminates the need for private health insurance and allows patients to pay for what they can afford to receive quality care.
Julie’s business also offers a positive communal acupuncture experience instead of an isolating single-table appointment. It’s like taking a nap in your comfiest clothes, while your body heals, realigns, and balances itself.
While Julie’s energy is enough to calm you – her nomination literally said, “Patients feel lighter just from being in her presence.” – her space provides safety and comforts people.
She puts the “heal” and “care” in healthcare.