A Healthy Environment Is Beneficial Says Philadelphia CEO
Kelly Maack is the CEO of Spa Standard, a Philadelphia-based e-learning platform for the wellness and beauty industry. The website hosts free and paid courses for spa professionals, and Kelly employs spa educators from all over the country to provide their own content and expertise. Kelly is also the co-owner of Maack Management with her husband, Rick. Maack Management owns and operates spa and wellness facilities in luxury hotels all over the U.S.
What is your educational background?
"I graduated from Cabrini College in Radnor, PA with a degree in exercise science and health promotion."
What is your background in management?
"I started my career managing large health clubs in suburban Philadelphia and then moved into managing corporate fitness centers throughout the Philadelphia area. During this time, I also worked for myself as an in-home personal trainer. After a few years, I transitioned into spa and fitness center management for hotels in Center City Philadelphia at Balance Spa & Fitness. After managing Balance for about three years, an opportunity in spa and fitness ownership presented itself, and I have been doing that for the past eight years. My 15 years of experience in the wellness, health and spa & fitness industries led to the creation of Spa Standard, an online learning platform for beauty and spa professionals. As a manager of spas, I saw plenty of young students and seasoned professionals in our industry struggle to develop and hone their skills. It became my goal as their direct supervisor to help share my knowledge and expertise, but I soon recognized a more effective way to address the lack of continuing education not just in my own spas, but also in spas around the globe."
How has your education fueled your management success?
"My love of health and wellness has always fueled my success in management. I think that it is extremely important to take care of your health, mentally, physically, emotionally and spiritually. I also believe there is a responsibility for those in management positions to take care of their team members in the same way. It is so important to create a healthy environment for team members so that they can reach their full potential at work. Employers and managers need to nurture employees and offer as many health and wellness benefits as they possibly can. Encouraging employees to be healthy in their minds and bodies helps them to be more productive during their time at work."
What advice would you give someone just starting out in your field?
"The most important piece of advice I would give is to learn as much as possible and identify a mentor who cares about you and your field of interest. Always be learning. I try to learn something every day and pass something of value along to others. This is why I created Spa Standard so that everyone can be a mentor and a student. Learn, share, grow!"
Christina Thompson is a freelance writer living in Philadelphia. She reports on various topics such as: Social Media, Local Events, Entertainment, Food and Drink and more. Her work can be found at http://firstsendmedia.com/
