MELISSA VERPLANK

Melissa Verplank began her career with pets in 1977 as a kennel assistant. By 1979, she was bathing and grooming pets in a large boarding kennel environment. In 1983, Melissa moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan and established Four Paws Mobile Grooming with one mobile grooming unit. Within four years that business has swelled to a fleet of six mobile units and a salon based operation in Grandville, which later went on to be The Paragon School. In 1985, Melissa stepped into the professional pet styling arena and became a Certified Master Stylist under IPG and the ISCC voluntary testing organizations. By 1990, she ranked as one of the six top stylist in the United States and was a member of GroomTeam USA, representing the United States in world team competition in France where they brought home the silver metal for the United States in team competition.

From 1997 - 1998 she was the Coordinator for GroomTeam USA. In 1999 she assisted with the formation of the International Judges Association. Currently Melissa is focusing on curriculum development and the training aspects of The Paragon School of Pet Grooming. She is also working on an all breed grooming book that is due to be published in the spring/summer of 2002. Melissa accepts judging, speaking assignments and industry consulting work. Based on Melissa's progressive attitude within the pet styling industry, The Paragon School has become one of the leading schools in the nation and chosen to be the only licensed school in the nation to assist in training PETsMART professional pet stylists.

Ms. Verplank and her partner, Marc LaFleur, recently established Black Falcon Farms, a 123 acre farm devoted to breeding the magical Friesian horse.