Island Sun Times

by John P. Ribner

At 5:30 am on Christmas morning, Howard and Teresa Terry – owners of Electric Sun Tanning Salons in Gardner, KS – were awakened by the ringing of their telephone. At first, they thought it was Howard’s parents, playing a prank and calling the couple’s children to wish them happy holidays. When he answered the phone, however, Howard quickly realized it wasn’t his parents. “Merry Christmas, Mon!” exclaimed the voice on the other end of the phone. “We wish you were here spending the holidays with us!” Once Howard heard the caller’s Jamaican accent, he knew exactly who it was – Andrene, a woman who had been the couple’s housekeeper at Half Moon Resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica during Solar Seminar 2004. The Terrys spoke with Andrene, as well as Everton, who served as the butler at their villa, and Ruth, their cook. “Bless their hearts!” exclaimed Teresa. “They didn’t have to do that, but it was so nice of them. It was a wonderful holiday surprise!”

For those who’ve never attended a Solar Seminar event, it might be difficult to comprehend why someone’s former housekeeper, butler and cook would contact them on a holiday. But for those who’ve been fortunate enough to enjoy the Solar Seminar experience, what happened to the Terrys isn’t so surprising. Solar Seminar regulars already know that the event is the place to forge long-lasting friendships in this industry.

“While we were at SS04 in Jamaica, we made fast friends with our villa staff just by talking to them each day and getting to know them,” Howard said. “That’s just the way we are.” Howard’s wife Teresa relates a story of just how friendly things got between the Terrys the their staff. “While we were there, I asked Andrene when she would get to go home to be with her family and she said, ‘While you’re here, you are my family,’” Teresa recalled. “That was so sweet, and it made us feel right at home.”

This wasn’t the first time Howard and Teresa made a lasting friendship at a Solar Seminar event – at SS01 in Cancun, Mexico, the couple met Pam Cotterman, owner of Fanny Tanners in Kokomo, IN, and the three are still close friends to this day. “We met through a mutual friend and we all got to talking about our families,” Teresa recalled. “As we got to know each other better, we started discussing successful marketing strategies for our salons. Since then, Pam has been a mentor to me, and I’m so thankful to call her my friend.” The friendship continued to grow at Solar Seminar 2002, again in Cancun, and, of course, SS04 in Jamaica. “You just can’t make friendships like this at any other industry event,” Pam commented. “Solar Seminar is the perfect environment for meeting people who are in the same business as you and learning from them; but most importantly, you end up building some great relationships because you have the time to truly get to know people.”

As the staff at Island Sun Times is busy planning Solar Seminar 2005, salon pros should be busying themselves preparing to attend the event. As the Terrys can attest, the experience could lead to great friendships and business relationships that could last a lifetime.

by John P. Ribner

Chris Klapheke and his family were “kicked out” of their home and “forced” to live in a motel for a month; but the salon professional was not angry about it – he volunteered to let a friend film a movie in his house!

Chris Klapheke is the owner of the SunTime Tanning salon chain based in Louisville, KY. One evening he and his friend, Stu Pollard, an independent movie producer, were sitting outside on Chris’s deck having a few beers. During the course of the conversation, Stu got an idea: “You know, your home would be the perfect place to shoot my latest movie project.” Not wanting to refuse a friend during his time of need, Chris quickly responded, “Sure. You can use my house.” But Stu wasn’t convinced. “I wanted to make sure he understood what he was getting into,” Stu explained. “We would be in his house for at least three weeks, meaning Chris wouldn’t be able to live there, and we would practically tear the place apart in order to accommodate our crew, trucks, and equipment.” The two men met in 1999 when Klapheke owned a chain of video rental stores, and Stu pitched him on carrying his first movie, “Nice Guys Sleep Alone”; they’ve been friends ever since.

The thought of being “displaced” for a few weeks didn’t bother the Klapheke family, and this impressed Stu tremendously. “Chris is a true gentleman. He really rolled out the red carpet for our production,” Stu commented. “He’s quite the cook, and he and his wife made us one of the best meals we had during the shoot. His kids hung around set and always offered a helping hand. Chris even took about 500 photographs of the shoot and created a slideshow for the crew to watch in his media room. Everyone on our team was very grateful—sometimes to the point of disbelief—for the level of Chris’ hospitality. People kept asking me, ‘Where did you find this guy?’ Everyone was blown away by all that he and his family did for us.”

The name of Stu’s new film is “Keep Your Distance”, and the suspense driven story deals with people searching for meaning. “The movie’s lead character (played by “Ally McBeal” co-star, Gil Bellows) seems to have the perfect life in the perfect town, but it all gets turned upside down,” Stu explained. “He starts to realize that the more things you have, the more you have to lose, and this causes him to examine what truly makes him happy.”

In addition to Bellows, the film’s talented cast includes “Kissing Jessica Stein” star, Jennifer Westfeldt, Kim Raver (“24”), Christian Kane (“Just Married”), and screen veterans Stacy Keach, and Elizabeth Peña. You can also catch a glimpse of Chris Klapheke in the film: he plays a sleepy occupant of the drunk tank at the county jail. “It wasn’t very hard to look tired—they shot they scene at three in the morning,” Chris mused. “But it was still a great experience!”

Now that production is completed, Stu expects to shop “Keep Your Distance” to distributors, and hopes the movie will achieve a limited theatrical run before going to video and cable. As for Chris, he and his family are comfortably moved back into their home, and it’s business as usual at SunTime Tanning. For more information on “Keep Your Distance,” visit www.distanceflick.com.