Region: Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana (CA)

A member of the United States Women Chamber of Commerce, Lauren Stiles, principal of Unique Directions in Training, has been designated as the Regional Director for the United States Women’s Chamber of Commerce |California Los Angeles-Long Beach-Santa Ana 

As a dedicated trainer, consultant and keynote speaker, Lauren Stiles has helped thousands of individuals and organizations solve their problems and pave their way to success. She has particular expertise in franchise management in the salon industry, and is known for her engaging, inspirational and educational trainings.

Stiles has 20-plus years in the salon industry, and has designed and launched sales and customer service programs in over 1,300 salons across the United States. She has also spearheaded a number of employee incentive programs for salons, boosting staff retention by over 25 percent.

Most recently, Stiles served as National Director of Education for salon industry giant Fantastic Sams, where she founded the company's Fantastic Sams University, developing a comprehensive curriculum to educate and train franchises on effective business management. Through the implementation of web-based courses into the curriculum, she established high standards for quality and conducted workshops that included core curriculum, workbooks, leaders' guides and multimedia.

Prior to her work with Fantastic Sams, Stiles was the Principal of New Directions in Training, a company that helped businesses improve their customer service, communications, team building, sales management, leadership, conflict resolution and problem solving. There, she worked with a wide range of industries, including manufacturing facilities and law firms.

Stiles was also the Vice President of West Coast Operations for Premier Salons, Inc., where she managed 100 store managers and 20 regional directors, and was the Vice President of Education for MEP Salons, Inc., where she oversaw the national sales, communication and management training efforts across all of the company's locations.

Stiles received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology/Psychology from California State University, Northridge. She is a member of the American Society for Training and Development, the National Communication Association, the International Society for Performance Improvement and the International Association of Facilitators.