National Jeweler Hall of Fame 2008 - (Page 12)

20th Annual Retailer Hall of Fame 2008 Past WinnersWOODY JUSTICE With a radio slogan delivered in his booming voice, “I’m Woody Justice and I want to be your jeweler,” the owner of Justice Jewelers has made his Springfield, Mo., jewelry store a local institution, known for its homespun, welcoming vibe. Justice says this simple, come-on-in customer service approach, coupled with a strong work ethic, helped turn his business into an $11 million-a-year operation. MARC FINK As president of the 14-store regional Fink’s Jewelers chain, Marc Fink is well aware that he can’t do the job alone. By choosing strong jewelry brands, giving each member of his team jobs that they can excel at, and deploying good oldfashioned Southern hospitality with his staff and his customers, Fink has adeptly kept his focus on product and people. MICHAEL KOWALSKI For some, being at the helm of the Tiffany & Co. empire, one of the best-known jewelry brands in the business, might sound like a cushy job. But talk to Michael Kowalski, chairman and CEO of the blue-box brand, and you’ll see that he isn’t one to rest on past accolades. Growth and success is all about improving the customer experience and the product quality, year after year, he says. profits and losses in their sectors. Longrunning customer relationships were also a mandate. JOHN COHEN A former high school basketball coach, John Cohen, co-CEO of Carlyle & Co., made the unlikely switch into the family jewelry business and worked his way up the ranks to preside over one of the most powerful high-end operations in the southeastern United States. But it’s a big chain with the customer service mindset of a single-store independent, Cohen said in 2006. HOWARD TAPPER A strong believer in giving back to his community, Howard Tapper was a Big Brothers Big Sisters volunteer who served on local boards and in synagogue activities when he first entered the jewelry business. His generous nature helped transform Tapper’s Diamond & Fine Jewelry in the Orchard Mall in West Bloomfield, Mich., into one of the nation’s most notable independent jewelry stores, marked by a focus on quality merchandise and service. MARION HALFACRE From humble beginnings growing up on a farm in Tennessee, Marion Halfacre moved to Southern California with his wife, his infant son and a dream to build a successful retail jewelry operation. Now, the multi-store jeweler’s main store, Traditional Jewelers in Newport Beach, Calif., overlooks the Pacific Ocean and boasts a reproduction of Michelangelo’s “The Creation of Man” on the ceiling, with Eve painted in as a dramatic addition. The store’s motto, “We exceed your expectations,” certainly fits. JEFFREY COMMENT A prominent philanthropist and author of Christian-themed books, retailer Jeffrey Comment helped grow Helzberg Diamonds from an 80-store operation to a 260-unit chain. The former CEO, who died in October 2004 at age 60, was posthumously inducted into NATIONAL JEWELER’s Retailer Hall of Fame in 2005. The jeweler was remembered for his creative ideas, strong sense of ethics and the quiet leadership he brought to the Kansas City, Mo.-based chain, where his legacy remains the belief that having goals makes anything possible. ents bought a jewelry store. Many years and several stores later, Lacy, along with her husband, Charles Lacy, was at the helm of Lacy & Co. in El Paso, Texas. Active in her community, and a past American Gem Society president, she named Jim Clark, Harold Tivol, Lee Berg and Georgie Gleim among her mentors. JOHN GREEN A fourth-generation jeweler, John Green gave up law school to enroll at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and then helped build his family business, 100-year-old Lux Bond & Green, from three mom-and-pop outposts to eight venerable stores stretching from Hartford to Boston. Green’s decision to attend GIA was a smart move on two levels: He not only received his jewelry education—he met his future wife. ROBERT WEXLER From a young age, Robert Wexler grew up working for his family’s business, Wexler Jewelers, where he developed a keen interest in watches. So when his family bought watch retailer Tourneau, he eventually took over, expanding upon the number of brands offered. Under his stewardship, the company was set for phenomenal growth, with new stores opening across the country. gained a reputation for cultivating the careers of his company’s many employees and for stressing the importance of education. He joked that his company was the Gemological Institute of America’s best customer. CAROLYN POPE Jeweler Carolyn Pope lost her husband and business partner, Lou Crews, to brain cancer in 1978. Instead of closing Crews Fine Jewelry—the store the pair had operated together for just seven years—Pope forged ahead. She remarried, and from 1980 through 1999, her store averaged a 20 percent increase in sales each year. Pope was a trailblazer in industry involvement, too. She was the first woman to be elected chair of the Missouri Jewelers & Watchmakers Association and the first female chair of the Jewelers of America board. LAUREN KULCHINSKY At only 31, Lauren Kulchinsky became the youngest person inducted into the Retailer Hall of Fame. Growing up in the family business, Mayfair Diamonds and Fine Jewelry in Long Island, N.Y., Kulchinsky learned about diamonds and gems at an early age. After working in Hollywood as an actress and body double, she began to place jewelry in shows such as HBO’s The Sopranos. Having learned the business from her parents and grandparents, she then taught them about fine designer jewelry, eventually becoming the company’s buyer. TERRY BURMAN In 2002, Terry Burman was in the midst of restoring the balance sheets both at Sterling Jewelers, then a 1,000-store U.S. retail jewelry chain, and at the U.K. division of Signet, which had 600 stores. He increased broadcast advertising for the Kay Jewelers division of Sterling and launched a new division of stand-alone superstores under the Jared the Galleria of Jewelry name. Burman also found time to give back to the industry, holding key leadership positions with both Jewelers of America and the Jewelers Charity Fund for Children (now Jewelers for Children). NICK GREVE After growing up in the business, third-generation jeweler Nick Greve became a pioneer in his own right in the 1980s by becoming one of the first retailers to offer name-brand designer merchandise in his store, Carl Greve Jewelers in Portland, Ore. Greve was well-known within the trade for his inventive merchandising approach and for his store slogan: “Know the wonder.” CLAYTON BROMBERG Prior to joining Underwood Jewelers in 1980, Clayton Bromberg was in the rodeo. His family had bought the Jacksonville, Fla.-based jewelry operation six years earlier, and Bromberg personally learned the business from founder Herb Underwood. Bromberg took over as president of the company in 1988, dramatically increasing sales by moving the stores from malls to free-standing locations and upscale strip shopping centers. ED BRIDGE Fourth-generation jeweler Ed Bridge presided with his cousin, Jon Bridge, over the Seattle-based Ben Bridge Jeweler chain’s rapid expansion in the 1980s and 1990s. By 2003, Bridge, a past chairman of Jewelers of America, had BILL SITES SR. As president of Sites Jewelers in Clarksville, Tenn., Bill Sites Sr. cited customer service and trust as being paramount at his store, and he and his staff worked to ensure visitors felt at home. From a cozy in-store lounge to a jeweler’s workshop with windows that customers could peek into, the welcoming efforts more than worked. GEORGIE GLEIM The jewelry retailing landscape was growing more diverse than ever, but in 2006, Georgie Gleim, president of California-based Gleim Jewelers, thrived on sticking to the essentials at her carriage trade store, which brands its own name rather than those of big-name designers. Gleim kept her emphasis on quality gemstones, fine workmanship and educating customers. R. ANDREW JOHNSON In a stately granite building that is one of the largest U.S. jewelry stores, R. Andrew Johnson, president of The Diamond Cellar in Dublin, Ohio, ran a tight ship in 2006, making top-flight managers responsible for COSMO ALTOBELLI From his home base of Altobelli Jewelers in the hills of North Hollywood, Calif., Cosmo Altobelli built a national reputation as an expert in appraising. He credited the service skills ELLEN LACY Ellen Lacy grew up in the business. When she was a baby, her par- 12 I National Jeweler I 20th Annual Retailer Hall of Fame 2008 www.nationaljewelernetwork.com http://www.nationaljewelernetwork.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of National Jeweler Hall of Fame 2008

National Jeweler Hall of Fame 2008
Contents
Alfredo Molina
Michael Pollak
H. Marvin Beasley
Past Inductees

National Jeweler Hall of Fame 2008

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