LUCKY staff at the Robina Stefan hair salon have won a trip to Hong Kong to build their careers, at the insistence of their boss, Stefan himself.

Every year about 250 staff members from Stefan salons across Australia take the famous training-intensive Offshore Confer- ence and Study Tour, all expenses paid.

Stefan knows the trip will keep the iconic rainbow shining for all his staff within the famous empire.

Manager of the Robina salon Leah Wise has won a managerial award and will take three of her staff with her to Hong Kong.

“We all work very hard at this salon and I'm very proud of the girls, they definitely deserve it,” Ms Wise said.

“Once we get to Hong Kong, Stefan does a motivational speech on communication and connecting with clients, then we get to go shopping.

“There is also the L'Oreal Hair Show that showcases styling and colours that gives us new inspirations.”

Ms Wise said it is not hard to work for such a hands-on boss, one that is so appreciative of his staff and willing to reward their hard work.

“Stefan is a wonderful boss; he is so nice and very humble,” she said.

“All the staff know him. He trains all the staff at his college in Brisbane. It is very intensive training that forces us to get very involved with clients, and leaves no room for mistakes.

“We have management meetings every fortnight and he attends all of them.

“We're constantly getting training and updates, you can definitely tell the difference between a Stefan-trained stylist and any other stylist.”

The story of Stefan hair salons is an impressive one. He arrived in Australia from Lebanon at the age of 17.

After working with his father, also a hairdresser, in Adelaide, Stefan continued his apprenticeship in Sydney and Melbourne.

In 1964, during a trip around Australia, he made a chance stop in Longreach, Queensland where he bought his first salon.

Now he owns 43 salons across Queensland and one in Sydney, and also owns and operates iconic Brisbane restaurant Jo-Jo's.