Dear Readers,
After 28 years of publishing IST Magazine (formerly Island Sun Times), it is with mixed emotions that I offer you my final “From the Publisher” message.
Not to worry – IST will go on! More on that in a moment; I thought some of you would appreciate a brief history of the publication. It all started with a very fortuitous, chance discovery…
In 1979, I thought I might go to college in California. My mother and I flew out to visit Stanford University, UC Berkeley. Near the Berkeley campus, we encountered a long line of young people standing outside a storefront with a sign that simply said “Tanning.” First thought: are they tanning leather? Moments later, I found myself inside one of the country’s first indoor tanning facilities – in sunny California!
Returning home to Michigan, I couldn’t get that concept out of my mind. If a tanning salon could thrive in a place where the sun shines 300 days per year, imagine how well it could do in Michigan! I decided to attend the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor and while pursuing my business degree, I opened my first Tropi-Tan salon in Flint, MI in November of 1979.
Fast-forward: Over the next 15 years, I built one of the country’s largest salon chains (at the time). In 1985, I had 17 very successful facilities – life was good!
As my salon chain grew, I thought the best way for me to be more profitable was to establish a tanning product distribution company and sell lotions, lamps and equipment to my competitors and myself. Island Sun & Health Systems was born in 1986 and grew from serving Midwestern salon operators into a nationwide business. In late 2000, I sold the company to the nation’s largest distributor, Four Seasons Sales & Service.
Enter Island Sun Times …
In the 1990s, the indoor tanning/beauty industry was supporting three B2B magazines: Looking Fit, Today’s Image and Tanning Trends (Smart Tan). As a salon owner, I never found much value in those publications; their content was driven by advertisements for vendors and product manufacturers to promote profitable trade events, and had very little content relevant to entrepreneurs running small businesses in our unique industry. In 1997, I decided to create a periodical that would draw on my wealth of industry experience to provide useful content that would help salon operators grow and become more professional. It started as a large-format, newsprint tabloid piece and continued to evolve as it grew. IST hosted many successful and exciting “Solar Seminar” executive retreats in tropical locales including Jamaica and Mexico, as well as creating a comprehensive annual Buyer’s Guide and the Industry’s Choice Awards, which we introduced with a red-carpet gala in Montego Bay, Jamaica. Great times!
Staying true to my mission to help grow the industry, I worked with the University of Michigan to develop Sun is Life® Salon Operator Training and Certification which launched in 2013.The program has educated thousands of operators and staff, including classroom sessions offered at many major trade events. It is one more on the list of rewarding endeavors that were set in motion decades ago and has continued to be a source of great pride for me.
Throughout my 42 years of success, my tanning salons employed over a thousand people, all of whom I thank for helping me be the best and provide a great life for my family. However, I currently have multiple business interests outside of tanning, along with being an elected official with plans for further political pursuits. In 2022, I decided to sell my salon chain to my friend and fellow industry veteran, Tony Toepfer (Zoom Tan). It was the end of an era!
My commitment to the tanning business and that of my team has allowed IST to endure as one of the two remaining industry publications. I recently realized, however, that the time had come to sell the magazine, my last interest in the industry I have called home for my entire professional life.
To ensure that IST maintains its leadership role in our industry, I chose to place it in the hands of a successful salon operator, someone heavily invested in the industry and its continued growth. The new owner is well-known business leader and entrepreneur Onyi Odunukwe, Founder and CEO of Arkansas-based Glo Tanning since 2009. Onyi and his talented team know salon operation – the company will soon have 100 facilities – and they are ready to carry IST forward.
Publishing IST Magazine for nearly three decades has allowed me to work with talented staff, and brought me close and lasting friendships with great people across all sectors. I am grateful for everyone who has contributed to its success and for the opportunity to touch so many lives.
I still attend the major tanning trade events and it’s great to see that the industry is still growing and evolving, with new people entering the salon business. To them, I offer this: don’t let anyone say to you, “Oh. A tanning salon? Isn’t tanning still bad for you?” You can be proud of the services you offer! After four decades of evolution, responsible indoor tanning still makes people’s lives better every day. This industry has given me so much, allowing me to be among the country’s “Top 1%.” It has truly been one of my most fulfilling and rewarding entrepreneurial pursuits.
I wish Onyi and his team much success as they take the baton and run with IST Magazine. I am confident they will maintain the quality and integrity for which it has always been known.
All the best and thanks for reading!
