The fight. the victory.
the champions
An editorial feature honoring industry leadership
For decades, salon, spa, and barbershop professionals pushed for federal tax fairness. The expansion of the 45B FICA Tip Tax Credit and the No Tax on Tips momentum were built by leaders who refused to let the beauty industry be overlooked. We honor the persistence that turned advocacy into policy.
A Win Decades in the Making
For nearly 25 to 30 years, beauty industry advocates worked to educate lawmakers, build bipartisan support, and make the case that salons, spas, and barbershops deserved the same federal FICA tip tax treatment long available to restaurants. This was not just a tax issue. It was a recognition issue.
PBA served as one of the leading advocacy voices behind the 45B expansion, helping frame the issue as tax fairness for salon and spa employers.
ISBN helped unite salon owners, executives, franchise leaders, and independent operators around one shared legislative goal.
Leslie Perry
Executive Director, Professional Beauty Association
Leslie Perry became one of the defining public voices of the campaign. Throughout industry coverage following the passage of the legislation, Perry consistently framed the victory as larger than tax policy alone. Her comments emphasized that the expansion of the 45B credit represented overdue recognition for the economic importance of salons,
spas and barbershops nationwide.
Her leadership helped articulate why the issue mattered not only to owners, but to the future legitimacy and visibility of the professional beauty industry itself.
Frank Zona
ISBN Government Affairs Co-Chair
Frank Zona was widely recognized as one of the owner-advocates who helped keep tax
fairness for salons visible at the national level. Identified in industry reporting as a salon owner, stylist, and president of Zona Professional, Zona spent years helping communicate the realities of salon operations to policymakers while advocating for
equal treatment under federal tax law. Throughout the campaign, Zona consistently framed the issue around employees, independent salons and working professionals rather than corporate interests. He
repeatedly emphasized that the legislation mattered because “tip income matters to our people.” Several leaders also described the emotional impact of the final victory. Zona himself referred to the moment the legislation passed as “surreal” after spending decades focused simply on keeping the effort alive.
Meet Our Champions
These are the dedicated leaders and organizations who championed tip tax fairness, ensuring the beauty industry's voice was heard throughout the legislative journey.
Myra Reddy
Director of Government Affairs, PBA
Among the names most frequently credited for the long-term legislative effort was Myra
Reddy. Trade reporting identified Reddy as one of the central figures who spent years
helping move the issue forward in Washington. Her work represented the persistence, relationship-building and behind-the-scenes advocacy required to keep complex legislation alive over more than two decades.
For many in the industry, Reddy symbolizes the “long game” the patient policy work that ultimately made the historic victory possible.
Rhoda Olsen
ISBN Secretary and Government Affairs Co-Chair
Rhoda Olsen, Vice Chair of Great Clips and an ISBN government affairs leader, played a major role in aligning executive leadership throughout the campaign. Coverage consistently connected Olsen to the industry’s coordinated advocacy strategy and the effort to unify operators around a shared legislative message. Olsen also became one of the strongest voices emphasizing that the campaign was fundamentally about supporting independent salons, employees, and working
professionals across the country not just large organizations.
She repeatedly highlighted that most employment-based salons are independently owned businesses, many operated by stylists working directly behind the chair. Olsen also described the final days before passage as one of the most emotionally
intense periods of her career, especially after the provision was temporarily removed and later restored to the legislative package.
Kati Rapoza
Government Affairs Manager, PBA
Kati Rapoza became closely associated with the coalition-building side of the campaign.
Industry coverage highlighted her role in strengthening partnerships between associations, owners, and advocacy leaders while helping maintain momentum during the final stages of the legislative push. Participants in the post-passage discussion repeatedly described both Rapoza and Reddy as “workhorses” whose policy expertise and relationships helped guide the
industry through the legislative process.
Gordon Logan
Founder, Sport Clips
Gordon Logan emerged as one of the most visible owner champions tied to the victory. The Sport Clips founder and former ISBN President was repeatedly credited throughout industry coverage for helping reignite momentum during the final years of the campaign.
Logan helped organize fundraising efforts, strengthen lobbying coordination, and unify
operators around what many believed was the industry’s final major opportunity to secure passage. He also helped oversee the industry advocacy infrastructure that ultimately raised nearly $2 million over roughly a decade to support the legislative effort. His public comments describing the combined impact of the 45B credit and No Tax on Tips changes as “historically impactful” helped capture the significance many owners attached to the moment. For many operators, Logan represented the entrepreneurial voice behind the movement: a business leader advocating not only for large organizations but also for the future strength of the entire industry.