MEET THE STAFF

Bruce & Rebecca Slaton, Owners           

Bruce is the director of Surfaces' operations. He has over 30 years in the hospitality industry and operated his own meetings & convention business for a decade before starting Surfaces. His management training with company leaders such as the Hilton and Marriott chains uniquely prepared Bruce for handling supply, marketing, and customer services for Surfaces. Bruce works directly with Faux Effects International to guarantee product quality, a constant quantity of supplies, and accurate databases.

Rebecca is the Surfaces' lead instructor and professional consultant. She began her decorative painting career over 10 years ago after switching career paths. Rebecca previously worked on federal, state, and local projects related to adolescent health including management of a Center's for Disease Control million dollar grant. Art is really her first love starting with her inclusion at 7 years in a book on children gifted in art. Rebecca's residential and commercial work has been featured in national publications, Decorate with Paint and Faux Effects World , and local publications including the Kansas City Star , Kansas City Home & Garden , and Kansas City Design .

She has a BA in Consumer Economics/Public Relations from the University of Georgia; an MPA with fund development certification from the Bloch graduate school at the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Rebecca is also a graduate of the Kauffman Fast-Trac II Entrepreneurship class. She feels her academic and work experience give her a strong background in the business side of faux finishing to share with her students.

Rebecca is proud to be a Faux Effects certified instructor in Aqua Finishing, Designer Walls I & II, Designer Walls III RS Series, Old World Lime Plasters, and cabinetry. It's been her honor to train with the following finishing experts: Raymond Sandor, FEI founder; Jodi Baldanza; Mike Hoppe; Deb Drager; Gary Lord; Jeff Raum; Andrea Tober, Donna Phelps, David Rairick, Kathy Carroll, and Mike MacNeil.

2007 was a great year. Surfaces provided over 8,000 hours of professional training to local and out-of-state artists. 90% of the Kansas City Parade of Home award winning faux finishers attended a class at Surfaces and use the Faux Effects Gold Label product line. Rebecca and Ashley were demonstrators at Meeting of the Masters featuring cabinetry and our Designer Collection Series. In recognition of our cabinetry finishes, Rebecca will be teaching Professional Cabinetry and Advanced Furniture for Faux Effects Corporate headquarters in Vero Beach, Dallas and the Sarasota School of Faux and Architectural Finishing.

We couldn't be more proud to introduce you to Ashley Reuter. She is our technical and class support person at Surfaces. She is a graduate of Johnson County Community College with a degree in Interior Design. Ashley has trained in Designer Walls I, II and III - RS Series, Metallics, Cabinetry and Wood Graining/Marbling with Mike MacNeil. She worked on residential and commercial projects with her mother-in-law Julie for several years before joining Surfaces in 2007. She is awsome!