June 1 & 2, 2018
Kayla Fioravanti
Kayla Fioravanti is the owner of Ology Essentials. She has a deep and abiding passion for aromatherapy and natural personal care products. Ology Essentials takes our name seriously, with a research driven brand of high quality products, fluffery-free aromatherapy certification program, experience based business consulting, and honest no-hype custom formulating services. Ology Essentials is an indispensable aromatherapy and natural products resource and supplier. We love research and studying so much—we put it in our name! At Ology Essentials we are committed to high quality single note essential oils and carefully crafted essential oils blends. Ology Essentials represents the synergy of art and science.
Kayla also is a co-owner of Work+Shop Create in Franklin, Tennessee. Work + Shop Create is a uniquely curated retail shop in Franklin, Tennessee. Whether it is home and living goods, bath and body products, or a little this and a little that, Work + Shop showcases many of Tennessee’s finest products. Along with selling goods made by local artists and artisans, Work + Shop Create also invites you to learn from these talented folks. Hosting several workshops a week, Work + Shop wants the Franklin community and beyond to feel empowered to make goods on their own!
In 1998, Kayla and her husband Dennis co-founded Essential Wholesale, which was listed as an INC. Magazine 5000 Fastest Growing Companies in America for three years in a row. Essential Wholesale began in their kitchen with a $50 investment in 1998 and sold for millions in 2011. Through custom formulating, private consultations, publications and public speaking Kayla has literally been involved in thousands of businesses and served countless customers.
Lela Barker
Lela Barker has a unique perspective on entrepreneurship because she sits on both sides of the table: She’s built a small business empire and she wakes up every day excited to help thousands of her clients do the same.
She’s a successful maker with 15 years of experience building a creative business. Since launching her bootstrapped apothecary brand in 2003, Lela has guided Bella Lucce’s growth to include 1500+ wholesale accounts, generating more than $12million in revenue.
Lela is also a business strategist who’s wildly passionate about helping creative entrepreneurs bring their products into the marketplace. Through Lucky Break Consulting, Lela helps makers and designers navigate product pricing, brand development, and wholesale strategy. Want software to help track costs and price your products more effectively? She does that. Need help finding the right stores for your brand and following up with buyers? She does that, too. Want to develop a knock-their-socks-off brand that makes people weak in the knees? That happens to be her specialty!
When she’s all done building empires, Lela hopes to die on a boat adrift in the middle of the ocean, with a mouth full of Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts while Dave Matthews sings to her and Jimmy Fallon rubs her feet. Her beloved husband and children will – of course- be there, too.
Kevin Dunn
Kevin Dunn is the Elliott Professor of Chemistry at Hampden-Sydney College. His first book, Caveman Chemistry, brought him to the attention of handcrafted soapmakers. His second book, Scientific Soapmaking, explores the chemistry of soap at a deep, but accessible level. Professor Dunn’s ongoing research continues to uncover fascinating details of the behavior of fats, oils, soaps, scents, and synthetic detergents.
Holly Port
Holly Port is the owner of Lotion Bar Cafe in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She is a BAMA girl, born and raised in Mobile, Alabama She is a soap maker, teacher, and author. Since 2006 she has been making Soaps, bath fizzies and lip balms and of course lotion bars. In 2014 She published her first book. Make it Fizz, A guide to making bathtub treats. In 2016 she opened Lotion Bar Café Studio where she teaches locally and opens the studio up for other local artists to teach their craft. She loves inspiring others. She will be releasing a book this summer on how to put on successful events… so stay tuned for that!
She enjoys traveling and teaching classes across the country. She is the mother of two boys and has been married to her fizzy making assistant for 23 years. She enjoys learning new things and a good espresso (and shrimp and grits). www.lotionbarcafe.com
We hope you will come and join us at the 20th annual Alabama Soap & Candle Association Meeting that will be held at the Doster Center in Historic Downtown Prattville, Alabama! We have a link to the Rand-McNally website that will give you step by step directions to the meeting location when you provide your starting point
The Alabama Soap and Candle Association began as the Alabama Soap Meeting in 1998 with 4 members, and has grown to well over 100 members. Join our Yahoo Group to keep up with activities like monthly luncheons, our winter gathering, and more.
We promise fun, fellowship, food, my three favorite “f’s”!, education, and some awesome shopping opportunities. There will be several vendors there from whom you can buy on the spot, and many of our generous sponsors will provide samples of new products so we can try before we buy. Put this event on your calendar now…. it’ll be the *must attend* event of the Summer of 2018! There are always several swaps in which you can participate. We promise you two fun-filled days of amazing speakers and demos. We have had amazingly generous sponsors who provide items for door prizes and for our goodie bags. I’m sure that they will be even more generous in 2018. Some of our vendors may offer specials such as free delivery to the meeting.
We’d love to see you there! Make plans now to be there, Friday, June 1st and Saturday, June 2, 2018. Early-Bird Registration ends March 31! REGULAR REGISTRATION ENDS MAY 15!!
