SoapCon Speakers
Our speakers for 2015 have been selected and are already packing their bags for Kentucky!
We have invited some of the best, brightest, entertaining and knowledgeable persons in the industry. The wealth of information they share just for the asking is immense. We are thrilled to have you come meet our friends.
We have invited some of the best, brightest, entertaining and knowledgeable persons in the industry. The wealth of information they share just for the asking is immense. We are thrilled to have you come meet our friends.
SoapCon Speaking Times
Saturday, September 19th 2:30 PM Sunday, September 20th 11:15 AM |
Name
Katie White Why we love her: Her exuberance and optimism is downright infectious! SoapCon Topic: Katie will be demonstrating all things piping. Her high-top piped soaps are quite unique and have become her signature style. She will show you the best and various tools to use, the proper soap consistency for piping and how to always achieve the perfect high-top swirl. Bio and Contact Info: Katie White began soap making when she took a class at her home school co-op in September 2010, her junior year in high school. She continued learning and perfecting her art through additional classes, much online research, trial and error, and helpful advice from seasoned veterans of the craft and in 2011, her senior year, Royalty Soaps was born. Beside her trademark high top soaps, the Royalty Soap's Etsy shop carries multiple bath and body products, all designed, created, packaged, and shipped by the Duchess of Suds herself. She is also constantly editing and uploading short, HD videos designed to inspire, support other artisans, and encourage fellow handmade bath and beauty crafters to her YouTube channel, Royalty Soaps. Katie resides in Texas with her creative, supportive parents, seven fun-loving siblings, four kooky cats, one gentle horse, two yippy dogs, and chickens and guineas galore. She currently soaps about a mile from home in "Sudsington Palace", but hopes to move the business into a new cottage on her parents' property by the end of the summer. ps: Rumor has it that she may be traveling to SoapCon with her Queen Mother! |
SoapCon Speaking Times
Saturday, September 19th 1:15 PM Sunday, September 20th 2:15 PM |
Name
Margaret Neff Why we love her: Her banter and wit are absolutely charming! SoapCon Topic: Margaret's topic is Milk- It Does a Skin Good! Milk is a common additive to handmade soaps. Both vegan and animal milks are added in a variety of ways, for a variety of reasons. Margaret will be teaching us the why, how and when of milk soap making. And yup, this retired school teacher is handing out some fun homework! Bio and Contact Info: Margaret is a retired special education teacher, from the farmlands of central Ohio. She learned to make soaps when a friend gave me a bar she made, at Christmas time and was hooked! She started making soap in 1995. Margaret owns Nature's Touch Soaps, llc and has been selling soaps and bath products under this name since 2001. She has her advanced certification with the Handcrafted Soapmakers Guild and is a certified soapmaking teacher, teaching classes all year long. She is also one of the 3 hostesses for the 2016 Ohio Soapers Gathering, next April 16. Margaret is an active volunteer as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) for neglected/abused children in the juvenile court system. |
SoapCon Speaking Times
Saturday, September 19th 11:45 AM Sunday, September 20th 10:00 AM |
Name
Dr. Kevin Dunn Why we love him: His soap making mirth is what legends are made of! SoapCon Topic: Kevin will be speaking on Natural Transparent Melt + Pour Soap. Is it possible to create your own melt + pour soap from cold process soap at home? Kevin will be demonstrating and experimenting live to answer that exact question. Bio and Contact Info: Kevin Dunn is the Elliott Professor of Chemistry at Hampden-Sydney College. His book, Caveman Chemistry, brought him to the attention of handcrafted soapmakers and because of this he has undertaken a series of research projects on the chemistry of handcrafted soap. This research has culminated in a second book, Scientific Soapmaking, which was published the Spring of 2010. Professor Dunn has appeared on the Learning Channel's "Mysteries of Magic" and the History Channel's "Modern Marvels". |
SoapCon Speaking Times
Saturday, September 19th 10:30 AM |
Name
Dr. Virginia Lemay Why we love her: She is the epitome of a beautiful mind! SoapCon Topic: Virginia's topic is Soap, A Pharmacological Perspective. The FD&C Act defines drugs, in part, by their intended use, as "articles intended for use in the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease" and "articles (other than food) intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of man or other animals." Virginia will unravel the complexity of pharmacology in a style that all soap maker will soak up. Bio and Contact Info: Dr. Lemay precepts Doctor of Pharmacy students participating in community pharmacy-based clinical rotations at The University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy. In addition, Dr. Lemay was awarded the Innovative Pharmacist of the Year, by the Rhode Island Pharmacists Association for her creation, design, and implementation of the first chain-wide MTM program at Brooks Eckerd Pharmacy, now Rite Aid Pharmacy. She was acknowledged by the University of Rhode Island College of Pharmacy’s 50th Anniversary Publication as a pioneer alumnus. In 2011, she was named Favorite Pharmacist of the Year by the Rite Aid Corporation. |
SoapCon Speaking Times
Sunday, September 20th 3:30 PM |
Name: Catherine McGinnis, MBA
Why we love her: She's our "teach"! SoapCon Topic: Product Imagery: Find Your Style. No need to struggle with the perfect set up, it is the style that counts. Catherine will get you thinking creatively and find success in each photo you shoot. Bio and Contact Info: Catherine's youtube channel, Soaping101 is the most popular non-commercial channel for soap making tutorials. The style and know how she brings to her videos and the community is an extension of her genuineness. She considers soap making an industry where information should be freely shared and appreciated. Catherine graduated Summa Cum Laude from MSU with a Master's Degree in Business Administration. Her field of expertise is Marketing + Economics. |
SoapCon Speaking Times
Sunday, September 20th 1:00 PM |
Name: Derek G. Hodges, B.Sc., MIET
Why we love him: His personality is as engaging as his accent! SoapCon Topic: Derek's Topic is Selling Soap Online - Critical Success Factors. Hard earned secrets to ensure online success and pitfalls to avoid. Drawing on 20+ years of front-line experience in developing, promoting and running internet based businesses, Derek will share the key things you can do today to insure your online success. Bio and Contact Info: Derek graduated from the University of Salford in England with a B.Sc. Degree in Electronic Computer Systems in 1981. He worked for IBM for 13 years in the research and development labs; largely based in the USA interfacing with software publishers to secure their support for unannounced IBM PC products. Derek left IBM in 1990 after winning the "Green Card Lottery". Joined Mathematica, Inc., a multimedia software company. President and CEO at Mathematica, Inc., until 1994. In 1994, he launched Turbo Sales, Inc., a company designed to help business owners increase sales by using a strange thing called the "World Wide Web". In 2009, he started Essential Depot, Inc., to supply "Greener Life Essentials" to the soap and cosmetics industry. |
