After Three Decades in the Navy, Greg Billy Starts a New Chapter with Hand and Stone

Greg Billy’s path to Hand and Stone Massage and Facial Spa was, in his words, “a bit unusual.” Even among the franchise’s markedly diverse set of owners — Hand and Stone was designed to accommodate entrepreneurs from a variety of backgrounds — Billy’s pre-Hand and Stone career stands out. The former naval office spent 30 years as a submarine officer, in that time traveling the world, running a naval base in Italy and commanding a nuclear submarine.

Given the intensity of that career, it’s no surprise Billy would seek out a venture oriented explicitly around relaxation for his post-Navy life. And as he gears up to open his first two Hand and Stone spas this month, Billy says he found just what he was looking for.

“I’ve always had a passion for health and wellness,” Billy said. “Hand and Stone’s core concept of providing a luxury experience at a more affordable price point is exactly the type of opportunity I was looking for.”

Billy retired from the Navy in 2011 before working for a few years in the private sector, first for Westinghouse working on nuclear reactors and then running the risk management and campus services division at Carnegie Mellon University, where he’d attended business school years earlier in the Navy.

Billy says he’d long been interested in running his own business, but it wasn’t until he returned to Carnegie Mellon that he started considering the idea in earnest.

“I’d always been fascinated with the idea of bringing a new concept to market, but I never wanted to take that kind of risk,” he said. “When I was working at Carnegie Mellon, I ran into one of my old professors from the business school, and he was teaching an entrepreneurship class that focused on franchising.”

Billy told his old professor about his concerns with the risk involved in starting a new business, and the professor enlightened Billy on the advantages of the franchise industry, and he even introduced Billy to some potential franchise businesses that might work for him.

“He explained how the proven business model removes most of the risk associated with opening a business and how you don’t have to research to find out if the market exists in the first place; everything is already established,” Billy said. “When he showed me a few potential franchise opportunities, Hand and Stone was one of the first, and it immediately jumped out at me.”

In addition to Billy’s personal interest in health and wellness, he says he was drawn to the franchise’s niche as a high-tier concept at a mid-tier price point.

“The look and feel of a Hand and Stone salon is a cut above what you would expect for the price range, and that gives it a substantial edge in the market,” he said. “It’s not just a place to go for a massage or facial, it’s the whole spa experience, and that’s a key differentiator.”

As for any potential risk, Billy says Hand and Stone offered a safer bet than any other concept he researched.

“They’ve done well in every market they’ve entered across the country, and they’ve avoided failure in some tough markets,” he said. “The risk seemed far lower than the other opportunities I explored.”

Billy signed on to open two Hand and Stone spas.

“Given my management experience, two locations seemed well within my scope of ability to start,” Billy said.

Though Billy comes to Hand and Stone franchise with a wealth of management experience, he admits he still has some things to learn about running a commercial business. Fortunately, he’s already taking full advantage of the franchise’s dedicated support team.

“The support they have available for new owners is fantastic,” Billy said. “I did a week-long corporate training class that went over everything I needed to know to run the business. Since then, I’ve continued to work with the field operations team to help with everything from ordering products to on-site training for me and my staff to making sure the spas are set up for the launch.”

As Billy prepares to open his first Hand and Stone spa, he says he’s excited not only to be running his first business but also to introduce the brand to the Pittsburgh market.

“We’re a new market for Hand and Stone, which is an amazing opportunity,” he said. “I’ve seen firsthand just how special this business is, and I can’t wait to share it with a whole new audience here.”