We'd like to introduce Nury Duerst, our newest staff addition. Nury has been using Merle Norman products for over 12 years. "They play a big role in my beauty routine," she says. "I am excited that I now get the chance to share the news with all of you who come into our studio."

Born in Cuba, Nury moved to Madison when she was three years old and is a graduate of Madison West High School and UW-Madison. She spent 28 years teaching Spanish for the Middleton/Cross Plains Area School District before electing to retire last year.

When not in the studio, she travels extensively with her husband of 26 years, Mark, who runs the international business for Hologic, Inc., a woman's health care company. She has two sons: Brandon, 23, is a recent graduate of Savannah College of Arts and Design who hopes to land a job in the film industry. Austin, 20, is a sophomore at the University of Iowa, majoring in English and hoping to write novels in the future.

Nury, who speaks fluent Spanish, looks forward to meeting all of you. As a special introduction, if you come into the studio and specifically ask for Nury, she will provide you with a FREE facial, makeover and hand treatment.

Merle Norman proudly celebrates 75 years of innovation and continues today in its quest to provide the latest in beauty products for women. The company's beginnings are an American success story. It started in the late 1920s when an ambitious young woman named Merle Nethercutt Norman began sharing skin care products of her own creation with family and friends. As demand grew, she opened her first Studio in 1931 in Santa Monica, California, with the help of her nephew, J.B. Nethercutt, who assisted in the development and manufacturing of her products.

Decades before working women were the norm, Merle Norman gave hundreds of women the opportunity to achieve business success by owning and operating their own Studios. Her single Studio has evolved into the successful corporation it is today with franchises throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico.

What began as Merle Norman's "Three Steps to Beauty" is now a full range of cutting-edge skin care and color products that meet the beauty and fashion needs of today's woman.

A proud manufacturer of its American-made products, it is governed by the same principles of providing quality formulation offered with superior service. This year, we celebrate our continued success in helping women everywhere look their absolute best.