Karla Vandenberg

Karla Vandenberg founded the Monkey Dew's children's salon franchise in 2001 after being inspired by Oprah Winfrey. Living on a dairy farm at the time, she traveled to New York to research the concept and opened her first location, which quickly grew into additional successful sites. She later sold trademark licenses to locations in Riverside, California, and Richland, Washington. With 20 years in the industry, Vandenberg now manages over 150 people while building five new stores across different states and has recently franchised the business, with openings planned at the Mall of America and winter resorts in Scottsdale, Arizona. She also developed a private line of children's hair care products. Vandenberg attended college in the United States and university in Canada. Her achievements include being named Enterprising Woman of the Year and being featured in Entrepreneur Magazine and other top entrepreneur publications. In addition to her salon work, she founded Par Forward in 2019, which hosts charity golf tournaments featuring celebrities and athletes in Arizona, California, and Nevada to support local nonprofits. Vandenberg emphasizes making a positive difference in children's lives through her salons, noting that many former young clients have drawn inspiration from their experiences there.