Earlier this year, I was privileged to be one of the invited judges to review the Goldwell Global Creative Awardsphoto submissions for North America. This was a completely, 100% “blind” competition, meaning judges were looking at images without any identifiers—no names of stylists, their salons, their photographers--nothing.

Days later, after all of the judges scores had been tallied, Goldwellannounced the finalists—and in addition to being beautiful images of impressive artistry they all had something in common; so many were from The Upper Hand salons in Texas. Four of their artists were recognized as national finalists, and three of them placed.  

Because I needed to know what was “in the water” at Upper Hand, I organized an interview with co-owner Rachel Gower. What I learned is that a salon culture of creativity is no accident, and that Gower has fostered with great intention and to the benefit of her team

Getting to Know The Upper Hand Salons

*This interview is a lightly-edited and condensed version of a live conversation. 

ANNE MORATTO: Rachel, after seeing the results, and seeing "Upper Hand" listed next to so many names I asked myself, "What is happening inside this salon?" First, tell me a bit about yourself and your salons. 

RACHEL: We have two locations in Houston, Texas. My husband and I started the company 29 years ago. Interestingly, we started as a nail salon—that’s why it’s called The Upper Hand! The original plan was to become a chain of nail salons. About five years in, we realized that wasn’t the right path and pivoted. It took us another five years to really understand hair, especially as neither of us are hairdressers. We both have MBAs, so we thought we knew a lot right out of the gate—but we had a lot to learn. Today, we have two large salon locations and a thriving apprentice program.

How a Competition Culture Began

ANNE: Tell me about this incredible culture around photo shoots, competition, and creativity. How did it all start?

RACHEL: It started with a rep mentioning that Goldwell was doing their Color Zoom (the precursor to the Global Creative Awards) contest again. None of us knew what it took to win, but we decided to try. We were inspired by another salon in Wichita Falls that had a lot of success. The owner came to do a presentation for us and walked us through how they got started. One thing she emphasized was the need for a mentor. That resonated with me, especially since I’m not a hairdresser. 

We found the wonderful coach and mentor Michelle Pargee in Canada, and she’s been the one who helped us really hit our stride. 

It was a big decision to invest our Goldwell points into this initiative, especially since not everyone was initially enthusiastic. But once Michelle came on board and explained the process—bringing in a professional photographer, choosing the right models, preparing over a weekend—we knew we were building something special.

Salon Camp: The Ultimate Creative Immersion

ANNE: Tell us about “salon camp.” 

RACHEL: We call our shoot weekend "salon camp." It's a three-day creative immersion. Friday, we brainstorm and strategize. Saturday, we work all day on hair prep. Sunday is the shoot with models, makeup, and the photographer. It’s a full day—8 a.m. to 8 p.m. There are moments of frustration, but also so many lightbulbs going off.

ANNE: That’s a major bonding experience.

RACHEL: Exactly. It’s not just technical; it’s emotional. It builds community and trust. That weekend changes the dynamics back in the salon too. People are more willing to jump in and help each other solve problems. That sense of "we’re in this together" lingers long after the shoot.

Empowering New Talent, Client Perception and Professional Growth

RACHEL: This is a required event for our apprentices. They get paid to be there, and it’s such an eye-opener for them. Some of our finalists in the New Talent category had only been licensed for a few months. That’s huge. And it pushes our senior stylists to step up as role models without being asked. They say things like, "You don’t know how lucky you are," or "Take advantage of this opportunity."

Over the years, we've had to worry less about getting people to sign up and more about how to accommodate everyone who wants to be involved. It’s become the favorite weekend of the year for many.

ANNE: How do your clients respond to this editorial and competition work?

RACHEL: Clients may not fully understand the editorial side, and that’s okay. What I want them to know is that whatever we do, we work hard to get it right. That applies to education, too—we host at least two classes a month. I use competition wins in recommendations. If someone DMs me for a stylist, I can say, "Go to Jordan, he’s an internationally award-winning hairdresser." That carries weight.

We don’t display the photos in the salon because we have too many, and I don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings by not including theirs. But stylists proudly display their awards at their stations. It’s so meaningful to see.

Creating a Culture of Celebration

ANNE: Tell me about working with Michelle Pargee. 

RACHEL: From the start, Michelle emphasized being supportive—celebrating others even if you didn’t win. That stuck with us. Two of our stylists have consistently been in the top five for cutting for five years, and they work together. We cheer each other on.

This year, my phone started buzzing at 9 a.m. with texts: "I made finalist!" By the time Charles (Charles Elias, Associate Director of Education) from Goldwell called to officially congratulate us, the team was already celebrating together in our group chat.