Chamber Of Commerce Excellence Awards
Chamber Of Commerce Excellence Awards
Lina’s Story
Born in Iraq, Lina and her family immigrated to Canada in 1998 when she was 14. Participating in a Skills Canada hair competition in high school sparked her interest in hairstyling. She completed a two and a half year apprenticeship and founded Artline Salon in 2007 at age 23. With a strong passion for hairstyling and a commitment to develop talent, Lina has since trained 6 apprentices and over 20 co-op students, and is now a judge for Skills Canada and Allied Beauty Association competitions.
Her business welcomes 90% repeat customers and has achieved 30% year over year growth, making her salon in the top quartile in Ontario.
Known for advanced technique, skill, and creativity, Lina and her team have received many awards in the highly competitive styling arena. She has represented Team Canada at OMC’s Hair World (like the hair “Olympics”) 7 times and won a few Progressive Cutting Championships.
Lina is also passionate about giving back and started a bi-annual fundraiser called HairUnited for local not-for-profits. She is involved with The Food Bank of Waterloo Region, and Artline matches client donations to Operation Christmas Child. Lina has also greeted and translated for recent Syrian refugees.