New Weldon Barber aims to please men

Weldon Barber, a Spokane-based chain of barber shops for men, has exploded across the Spokane area since the first location opened in Coeur d’Alene in September. There are now five other sites open in the Spokane area.

The chain’s Valley location at 9119 E. Broadway Ave. opened in October. “We just built a plan on how we were going to do it,” said company president Julie Kembel. “The first launch was kind of tough, and after that, we got a system to it.”

The goal was to have several locations scattered around town so that visiting a Weldon Barber would always be convenient. “Really what we wanted to do was make ourselves available.”

The shops are geared toward men. The decor features hardwood floors, large black leather chairs and warm colors on the walls. Even the magazines cover “manly” topics like hunting and fishing. “The place is just very masculine,” Kembel said. “It’s sort of like a men’s den. We just wanted a place where they’d feel really comfortable walking in.”

Haircuts are $22, which includes a shampoo, hot towel on the face, scalp massage and shoulder massage. The shops also do beard trims and hair coloring. “We have a specific hair color line that is specifically made for men,” she said. “It looks very natural.”

Even though the company got a quick start, Kembel said business has been going well. Each location employs about seven people. “In July we’ll be in Seattle,” she said. “You want market penetration. It’s just the way we decided to take on the market. So far it’s been a good choice.”

Accident free for four years

The Spokane Valley U.S. Marine Corp./Bayliner was recently recognized by its parent company for not having a major injury or accident in the plant for four years.

“We worked 500,000 man-hours without an accident,” said plant manager Bill Crawford. “We’re a fairly small plant. That represents four years working without a lost-time accident.”

A lost-time accident is one in which an employee is injured severely enough to miss the his or her next scheduled day of work. The injury free streak began in January 2000 and ended in March when an employee with a repetitive motion injury missed work to have surgery.

The award from Brunswick Corp. came with $5,000 that the company has spent on lunchroom improvements. “We bought some microwaves,” Crawford said. “We got a stainless steel barbecue for staff barbecues.”

The plant also got $5,000 to give to the charities of its choice. Itselected Valley Meals on Wheels and Nova Services. Nova Services finds work for developmentally disabled adults. “We subcontract with them,” Crawford said. “We have a work space set up for them on the shop floor. We know all their clients.”

The plant also has a history with Valley Meals on Wheels, which delivers hot meals to senior citizens. “My production supervisor volunteers once a week to be a driver,” he said. “I give him an extended lunch hour to do that.”

Crawford also plans to host a catered Christmas party for his 65 employees.

2004 Excellence awards

The Spokane Valley Chamber of Commerce is looking for nominations for its 2004 Awards of Excellence. This year’s awards will be given out during a celebration Jan. 15 at the Mirabeau Park Hotel.

Award categories include citizen of the year, small business of the year (50 employees or less), medium business of the year (50-150 employees), large business of the year (150-plus employees), chamber member volunteer of the year, nonprofit of the year and the community caring award.

Contact the Chamber at 924-4994 or www.spokanevalleychamber.org for details.