Pulse November / December 2019 | Page 62

IsPa foundatIon foundatIon sayIng goodbye to another IsPa ConferenCe event takes the cake. the incredible venue, some of isPa Foundation board oF directors iSPa’s best-ever keynotes, and the unforgettable oFFicers people and connections all conspired to make this chairman Frank Pitsikalis resortSuite & exPo is always a bittersweet affair, but this year’s one particularly difficult to say goodbye to. now that i’m home, i cannot wait to be back together once again at next fall’s conference. the highlight of the 2019 iSPa conference & expo for me—excluding Jeremy mccarthy complimenting my tan on the General Session Stage—was the iSPa foundation Live and Silent auctions. this year’s Silent auction was particularly exceptional, with a diverse slate of items and some incredible deals to be had. the Live auction was a rousing success, and i’m excited to announce that the iSPa foundation raised nearly $100,000 in total from the two auctions to support its research. directors Garrett Mersberger iSPa chairman Brennan Evans iSPa Vice chairman Lynne McNees iSPa President medical advisor Brent Bauer, M.D. mayo clinic first, i’d like to thank Lawrence Biscontini for the excellent work he does as our auctioneer: he truly brings the Live auction to life. Second, i’d like to thank each and every auction winner and participant, from year-in-and-year-out supporters to fresh faces and first-time bidders. Your support means the world to the iSPa foundation and your contributions make everything we do possible. finally, i’d like to thank this year’s iSPa foundation auction Sponsors, hutchinson consulting and Save me from, for their honorarY board members Ruth Stricker the marsh, a center for Balance and fitness Deborah Szekely WeLLneSS Warrior generous support. over the coming months, we’ll be working diligently with our partners at Pricewaterhousecoopers (Pwc) to bring you the 2020 iSPa U.S. Spa industry Study next fall. it’s not all work and no play, though: i know that i’m going to enjoy the two the iSPa foundation wishes to thank the following supporters for their generous contributions: auction items i won this year, and i sincerely hope all the auction winners reading this letter enjoy their new spa products, gift baskets, memorabilia and spa getaways, too. luminarY ruth Stricker beneFactor the 2019 IsPa foundation live and silent auction l ITEmS donATEd: 256 l UnIqUE WInnErS: 126 l moST ITEmS Won by onE PErSon: 10 60 PULSE ■ novEmbEr/dEcEmbEr 2019 Dr. howard murad Patron —frank PItsIkalIs, IsPa foundatIon ChaIrman mynd Spa & Salon resortSuite circadia