In the Loupe February 2020 Edition

I N

T H E

LOUPE

The Premier Jewelers Cooperative

F e b r u a r y 2 0 2 0 • Is s u e 9 0 Record $7.8 Million Dividend Announced

IN THE KNOW WITH RJO Powerful Partnerships SEE PAGE 2

VENDOR PROFILE: Shah Luxury SEE PAGE 6

BUYING SHOW: Photos from the Weekend SEE PAGE 8

JEWELER PROFILE: Nacol’s Jewelry SEE PAGE 10

COVER STORY Behind the Scenes in Houston SEE PAGE 11

Everything's Bigger in Texas!

THE NEARLY 900 RJO ATTENDEES at last month’s Texas Show ’Em Winter Buying Show in Houston were shown a great time. The weather was great, the Show Floor deals were great, the social events were great, and ... records were broken.

In addition to announcing the largest dividend ever—$7.8 million—sales at the Show also were one for the books.

“Preliminary figures are in,” says RJO CEO Sarah Streb, “and Houston proved to have the highest sales ever of a winter Show, up nearly 4% from our previous record in Nashville which, had dozens more retailers than Houston.

The loyal members who attended, came to buy!”

First-time attendee Daniel Widmar, president of Rasmussen Diamonds in Mount Pleasant, WI, says, “The seminars were very good. We enjoyed the Brain Gain workshops where we were able to get good feedback and information from other retailers. It was a great opportunity to be introduced to new vendors and retailers. We really loved the networking. The hotel was great, and it was convenient to be directly across from the convention center.”

Says Streb, “If I knew how to bottle this Show’s enthusiasm for future use, I would. I hope we can continue the magic and excitement as we finish up planning for our Meet Me in St. Louis Summer Buying Show in July.”

FAMILY. DIVIDEND. SUPPORT. BUYING POWER.

In the Know with RJO

Powerful Partnerships FOR THOSE OF YOU who attended our amazing Winter Buying Show in Houston, you may have seen me offer my gratitude to long-time staffer Mary Harger, who retired after what seems like a lifetime with RJO. (You can see an edited version of the tribute here.) While my tears were somewhat expected, I was caught off guard by how truly affected I was in this special moment. Yet I got through it with help from all of you, and for that I am grateful.

I mention this moment because it was right after this presentation the stress and emotion of the day had left and I was able to take a step back and take a look at what was going on around me. I was seeing partnerships everywhere, be it jewelers with other jewelers, vendors with vendors, or the two together.

While the friendliness and collegiality buzzed around me, I found it remarkable how powerful and important these partnerships have become over the years. A day earlier, I was able to announce the annual dividend of $7.8 million being returned to retail members. This is a very big number, and it continues to grow year after year.

While the dividend certainly reflects a strong financial number that can be calculated on paper, it

is more than that. It is a testament to the powerful partnerships which have been built between our members, our vendors and the organization.

Together as a whole, we collectively work to nurture and support these partnerships.

For the rest of the weekend, this powerful partnership—and RJO’s place in it—became clearer and clearer to me, made even more remarkable by the fact that it is a rare win-win-win dynamic. One is stronger by the knowledge, support, and focus of the other two. As one succeeds, so do the others.

I’ve seen my share of business relationships over the years, but none so successful as what all of us involved with RJO experience daily. I tried to thank as many of you as I could for being such a crucial part of RJO, and I just want to say, on behalf of me and our staff, we are so proud of being a small part of everyone’s success, now and in the future.

Sarah Streb RJO CEO

MILESTONE Helen Bacon, of Bacon Jewelers in Boone, IA, passed away on February 23, 2020. She was 93. Members of RJO since 1967, Helen, was the owner of Bacon Jewelers in Boone, IA along with her late husband Ed, who was the long-time President of RJO. Both Helen and Ed were huge supporters of RJO and contributed a great deal to its growth and success.

Our thoughts go out to the Bacon family.

PLAN NOW FOR OUR NEXT BUYING SHOWS! July 2020: St. Louis, MO Future Show Locations January 2021: Palm Springs, CA July 2021: Cincinnati, OH January 2022: Birmingham, AL July 2022: Minneapolis, MN FAMILY. DIVIDEND. SUPPORT. BUYING POWER.

From RJO’s Facebook Page SERVICES Centralized Billing

THE RJO PAGE ON FACEBOOK hosts a variety of interesting discussions every day. Here is an edited exchange from a posting earlier this month:

Patronage Dividend RJO Website (rjomembers.com) Buying Shows (Fall/Spring) In the Loupe – RJO’s newsletter Free Print and Radio Ad Library (on the RJO website)

Post: What’s your favorite way to display your gold chains or do you?

Currently we keep ours in the safe and show them from our Quality or Midas boards, but we’re looking to put them back in the show room.

Reply Two: This looks really nice!

Educational Seminars

Reply Three: Ours need a lot of help.

Going to put frames around each length.

(at the Buying Shows)

Member-to-Member Incentive Program (Recruitment Program)

Organized Buying Trips to Antwerp and IdarOberstein RJO Directory

Reply Four: The Royal Chain chain box is pretty awesome. It has all of your numbers and chain types categorized.

Reply Five: I would like to find a box like that, but don’t want to be locked in to one company. I would like to find just the box alone.

(offered at varying times)

Reply Six: Rio Grande might have something like that. They have felt pads with chain holders you can put in trays. We used that for a while and kept them labeled, 14k, 18k, and we kept yellow, white, and silver separated.

Free Hotel Room Incentive

Reply Seven:

Travel Vouchers at Shows

(at the Buying Shows)

RJO Informational Email Blasts Purchase Vouchers (at the Buying Shows)

RJO Membership Certificate RJO Next Gen and RJO Succession Experiences Private Label Credit Card Service JewelConnect Scholarship Opportunities (from the RJO Foundation)

Reply Eight: This is just a random thought, but would a keychain hanging box work for chains as well? If it has the length and spacing you want?

FAMILY. DIVIDEND. SUPPORT. BUYING POWER.

RJO Foundation Raises $9,300 at Buying Show THE RJO FOUNDATION has thrived in its mission to support the advancement of the jewelry industry by providing scholarships and grants to individuals or programs. Much of the Foundation’s financial strength stems from support of many RJO members in the fundraising opportunities provided during the RJO Buying Shows.

The Winter Show in Houston provided a significant boost, as a number of activities were developed with the Foundation in mind.

According to RJO’s Financial Manager Connie Miller, these Show efforts raised $9,317: • Diamond-shaped Jewelry (such as the RJO logo necklace shown at the left) brought in $5,635.

• Buying Show shirts raised another $2,533.

• Pay-to-Play Sunday Evening Gala Games, which featured casino-style blackjack and craps, raised $1,046 raised for RJO Foundation.

• RDI cash cube dollars donated $103.

Trip Offers Invaluable Knowledge & Unique Customer Advantage RJO HAS BEEN HOSTING fall trips to Europe for more than 30 years, helping our members to distinguish themselves as Direct Diamond Importers. Many make the commitment to travel with RJO year after year, and the appeal can be summarized by the experience of first-time travelers, as well.

Greg Lynn, President of Greg Lynn Jewelers in Palm Coast, FL, took his first trip this past October: “My knowledge and the relationships built during the trip were invaluable. Getting a better history of the sourcing, cutting, and supply chain of the various color stones and diamonds enhances the selling experience with my customers. Having a

detailed history for each individual stone I have selected adds a whole different level of provenance and value to the stones, and it opens the door for follow-up custom designs after future trips.”

invaluable, not to mention the trip includes fabulous food and history of the areas you visit.”

To learn more about this great opportunity, contact RJO trip coordinator Connie Matsen at: cmatsen@rjomembers.com.

“I recommend this trip to other jewelers. The knowledge and experience you obtain from being there firsthand builds confidence and sets you apart as a more professional jeweler. The relationships you form and the knowledge you gain from the other jewelers on the trip is long-lasting and Second Trip 2019, hosted by Connie and Steve Matsen

Sign Your Store Up Today for Antwerp/Idar-Oberstein in October 2020

2020 Dates

First Europe Trip Antwerp: October 4-8 Hosted by Liz Schlauch & Nancy Marchell Idar-Oberstein: October 8-12 Hosted by Liz Schlauch

Second Europe Trip Antwerp: October 11-15 Hosted by Connie & Steve Matsen and Erika Godfrey

FAMILY. DIVIDEND. SUPPORT. BUYING POWER.

RJO Partners with Gem Legacy to Save Lives ARE YOU GIVING BACK to the jewelry industry and sharing your commitment with your clients?

"They want to know the social impact of their purchases, because they want to feel good about wearing jewelry they buy from you,” says Rachel Dery, Graduate Gemologist, GIA and Director of Communication and Outreach for Gem Legacy. Gem Legacy is a vehicle to share the positive impact of gems in sourcing communities: sending kids to school; building new homes; buying mining equipment; providing for orphans; and improving vocational training.

A 501c3 charity, Gem Legacy is dedicated to supporting education, vocational training, and local economies in East African colored gemstone mining communities."

Dery says stats backup the notion clients are swayed by brands that give back. Gem Legacy’s vision is to maximize the power of gems to change lives and support the marginalized in mining communities. The organization focuses on youth education and entrepreneurship initiatives in Tanzania, Kenya, and Malawi, offering RJO members partnership tools for these opportunities.

According to Dery, recent success stories include ensuring a full education for 18 orphans, installing a compressor and power tools at a mine operated by widows, offering gemological training for 250 miners and dealers, and providing new faceting machines and 10 scholarships to attend a Gem Faceting Training School. Gem Legacy is working to change the perception of the impact of gems and jewelry on people and our world.

For more information, visit gemlegacy.org, or follow thegemlegacy on social media. A video may be viewed here.

Protecting Your Store’s Repair Business IF YOU HAVE NOT HEARD about Repair.Jewelry, perhaps it’s time to have a look. It’s the RJO-exclusive marketing response to the growing threat of new online services taking jewelry repair business from retail stores. Launched at last year’s Summer Buying Show and promoted in Houston, this updated system has been designed to combat the possibility of another jewelry service transferring online.

Andrew Boundy of VRB Internet Solutions, an RJO vendor, summed up the system in simple terms: “People can now get their jewelry piece repaired by entering details online and simply mailing it in. I know you may think that’s nuts, but if I told you 20 years ago guys would buy their fiance’s engagement rings from an online bookseller, you may not have believed that either. The internet waits for nobody, and these new services are coming for retailer business right now. I built Repair.Jewelry to promote the retail jeweler alternative to those looking for online repair.”

Since its July launch the system has 120 RJO stores signed up as jewelry repair providers but is looking to increase that number to enable countrywide (RJO) alternatives to the new mail-in model.

“It’s a simple numbers game,” says Boundy.

“Websites—coupled with mail/couriers—can cover everywhere, and we need to do that with retailers and goldsmiths. Furthermore, we need to buy online

ads to make sure we are shown during searches for online services, and that takes significant revenue.

The current system price of $162 per year—that’s year, not month—is the Houston introductory price we are honoring for another month. If we can get enough RJO stores, we won’t need anyone else to cover the country, and that would be amazing for the group.”

The threat of online services reaching into stores’ margins is well known. In 2014, Amazon’s revenue was around $90 billion, and in 2019, $280 billion, a three-fold increase. Etsy went from $270 million to $600 million in only three years, beginning in 2015.

There are many other examples, says Boundy, but with always-on mobile data now ubiquitous, the opportunity to complete tasks on your phone becomes tempting.

“Online is the space where we will fight in the future, and if we do nothing, it will be difficult to promote the store-repair model, even if it is superior in basically every way,” says Boundy.

Easy-to-understand, short videos may be viewed online. Go to https://repair.jewelry/jewelers and enter your RJO number under “Register Store” to view them, or follow the QR code to the right.

FAMILY. DIVIDEND. SUPPORT. BUYING POWER.

Vendor Profile

Shah Luxury: Affordable Luxury & Custom Manufacturing “Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic,” wrote Arthur C. Clarke, science fiction writer and futurist. Clarke seems to have captured the essence of RJO vendor Shah Luxury, which is on the cusp of launching a new hologram technology to allow customers to assess custom jewelry decisions as the piece in question hovers in 3D above their cell phone. But more on that in just a minute.

“I joined Shah Luxury six years ago,” says Brian Howard, Shah Luxury’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “After being in the industry the previous 14 years and seeing the capabilities of product, resources, and commitment to our retail partners with endless customer service, I felt like I was able to offer retailers a product and service that gives them an express way to success. Offering quality core essential product, a lifetime warranty, and the power of future evolution— backed by technology—is a win-win for retailers. I have always said we do well when the retailer does well.

Our second-to-none team at Shah allows us to have fun and enjoy what we do.”

Shah Luxury is known as Shah Diamonds in New York and has been a pioneer for 45 years in the jewelry industry, says Howard.

“We offered price-point fashion that expanded into a premier bridal line through Carizza, complimented by our three factories we own outright,” he says. “This allows us to offer total customization and manufacturing to our partnering retailers. Our awardwinning Carizza Bridal designs offer affordable luxury quality, and our ‘As You Wish’ custom jewelry service offers start-to-finish custom pieces in 7-10 working days; that is a huge plus for retailers. We also focus on our smart carat solitaires we offer from $1600 to $2000 a carat. This has been huge as well!”

see it from any angle, zoom in, and spin it in any direction. In a world where customizing dominates, the hologram technology allows you to do that instantly before your eyes. Changing colors or materials, it shortens the process by weeks not having to go back and forth with cad renders. It’s complemented by our ‘As You Wish’ service.”

“The overall experience is amazing,” he continues. “It allows the consumer to interact and co-design or fully understand the makeup of their desired piece of jewelry. That experience continues by emailing the state-of-the-art file from the machine to the consumer’s cell device, turning their phone or tablet into a hologram as well. Being able to show off or illustrate the desired piece as it’s being manufactured is so captivating. It’s a process that allows the consumer to feel fully involved, confident, and excited they were able to be a part of it. For the retailer’s staff, they have the ability to customize right there on the spot, making the closure rate increase by almost 70 percent. No more back and forth with the vendor, for info and cads. It also allows them to have over 1,500 different pieces of jewelry on demand to choose from, without having to stock inventory. It’s a new-age technology that brings digital catalogs at the touch of a button. Keyword searches allow you to focus on specifically what the consumer asked for, instead of looking through hundreds of pieces. If they decide total custom—or design their own piece—they can come back in 24 to 48 hours to see the piece in virtual reality.”

Shah Luxury is located at 22 West 48th Street, Suite 600, New York, NY. Phone: (205) 887-1189 Website: www.Shahluxe.com

Shah has been a vendor member of RJO for more than a dozen years, and Howard says, “RJO offers the ability to truly partner and network with retailers—retailers truly looking to add sales and overall better experiences. It’s a group that truly promotes quality time between the retailer and vendor.”

Okay. So ... what about the hologram? ’The new hologram technology allows for a virtual reality view of the product,” explains Howard.

“Whether it’s fashion or a bridal ring, it allows you to

A video of the technology in action may viewed here, and a PDF brochure about the service may be downloaded here.

FAMILY. DIVIDEND. SUPPORT. BUYING POWER.

Next Gen Voices & Views

Why You Should Attend the Next Gen Experience in May THE NEXT GEN EXPERIENCE will be held from May 16-18, 2020 in Oak Brook, IL. Next Gen was developed to create an impactful curriculum of hands-on learning and interactive dialogue to aid the next generation of retail jewelers in preparing for the future of our industry and their business.

With a revised curriculum for 2020, Experience attendees will work with other stores preparing for the future, through receptions, group dinners, roundtables, and curriculum sessions focusing on personal and business development. The curriculum outline includes: Business Development: - The Big Picture - Financial Planning - Communication Styles and Improving Productivity - Trends and Insight into Today’s Diamond Market (DPA)

Personal & Business Development: - Making a Better You for Your Business Idea Exchanges: - Next Gen Panel - What is your most profitable event? How do you prepare for it? How do you cultivate business?

- Dealing with conflict - What’s your store’s most effective community involvement Closing: - Defining Roles, Next Steps and Closing Roundtables Learn more about the Next Gen Experience on the RJO website.

Registration deadline is April 5. To register, complete this Registration Form and contact Sabrina Smead at: sabrina@rjomembers.com, or call 800-247-1774.

As part of an ongoing series, we asked RJO's future jewelry retailers: What advice or encouragement would you tell RJO members who are considering attending the Next Gen Experience this May? You meet a great network of people you’re able to bounce ideas and questions off of. You not only learn about running a business, you learn a lot about yourself. It’s a great three days of learning, networking and fun.

Eddie Bacon Bacon Jewelers in Perry, IA We get so caught up in working in our business. We need to set aside time to work on our businesses. Next Gen is an excellent opportunity to meet other likeminded people in the very same situation who have experience and knowledge we can learn from.

Will Doland Doland Jewelers in Davenport, IA

NEW VENDORS Evocateur Barbara Innamorati Norwalk, CT (203) 956-0705 www.evocateurstyle.com Evocateur’s art-driven jewelry is turning heads everywhere. It’s a stunning collection of cuffs, earrings and pendants that marries original art with 22K gold leaf and enamel.

M. Hakimi Mazda Hakimi Columbia, MO (573) 268-3405 www.mhakimijewelry.com Family owned pearl, diamond and color stone jewelry wholesale importer and manufacturer.

S &I Diamond Drilling Elliott Davidson, Ivan Perlman New York, NY (212) 869-7557 www.sidiamondsny.com We offer diamond services: recuts, repairs, boiling, fracture filling, laser drilling, and irradiation.

Samuel Spil Linda, Morris, Joseph, and Isaac Spil Charlotte, NC (800) 438-1714 www.samuelspil.com Samuel Spil Company was founded as a family business by Samuel Spil in 1961. We pride ourselves in providing excellent customer service and daily selling items.

SS Lab Grown LLC Pady Shah New York, NY (212) 704-4188 SSLAB Grown is the business entity of current loose goods natural/mined vendor Star Solitaire that will deal exclusively in offering CVD/HPHT lab grown diamonds.

Teva Diamonds Matan Oved, Martha Jimenez New York, NY (877) 683-3426 www.tevadiamonds.com A family-owned business with 30+ years of experience selling high quality affordable natural diamonds for short- and long-term memo.

FAMILY. DIVIDEND. SUPPORT. BUYING POWER.

Memories at Every Turn

FAMILY. DIVIDEND. SUPPORT. BUYING POWER.

From the Show (Click on photos below to view larger versions)

FAMILY. DIVIDEND. SUPPORT. BUYING POWER.

Sunday Evening Get-Together Honors Mary Harger After 57 Buying Shows, and more than 28 years, Mary Harger, Director of Vendor Services, retired from RJO. During the Winter Buying Show, RJO threw a spectacular event in Mary’s honor, including comments from CEO Sarah Streb, a video retrospective, warm wishes from family and friends, and a serenade from Elvis.

At the RJO Membership Luncheon at the Winter Buying Show in Houston, RJO CEO Sarah Streb announced a variety of positive trends and milestones for the organization. Included in her presentation were the two charts shown on the left.

2019 Dividend The 2019 year-end patronage dividend turned out to be a record $7.8 million in dividend dollars—more than $1 million dollars over last year. Loyalty, support and financial responsibility of our members are what make these figures possible.

2019 Membership

We welcomed 79 new members from 38 different states in 2019. RJO continues to grow with the best retailers in the industry.

FAMILY. DIVIDEND. SUPPORT. BUYING POWER.

Jeweler Profile

Nacol’s Jewelry: A Family Tradition since 1889 IF YOU’RE DRIVING SOUTH TOWARD TEXAS and crossing over the Oklahoma border, you’ll soon find yourself in Wichita Falls, TX, home to Nacol’s Jewelry.

Owners Jeff Nacol Turnbo and his wife Shannon represent the fourth generation to keep the Nacol’s tradition alive in the town of a little more than 100,000.

“Our most popular items this year have been soft flexy diamond bracelets in all metal colors, approximately 1.5 ct total weight, sold by IDD through RJO and yellow gold diamond fashion pendants and rings,” says Jeff. “Also, yellow gold men chains. Yellow gold is back!”

“The Nacol family came to the United States in the late 1800s and set up shop in Eunice, LA in 1889 (see below), where they sold and serviced everything from jewelry to firearms to sewing machines,” says Jeff.

“They opened a Wichita Falls store in the mid-1950s and have been here ever since!” Jeff is the greatgrandson of founder Samuel Nacol, whose original store was more general store than jewelry. Since then, Nacol’s has moved its store around the area, and for the past 70 years has focused its sales on jewelry.

“Our favorite part about being an independent jeweler is the ability to move quickly,” he continues. If there is an event we want to do, offer a certain price on an item, or change our business structure, we don’t have anyone we are accountable to or have to run these ideas by.

We can more consistently meet our customers’ needs sooner and easier than any big company.”

And focus they do. When contacted for this profile, Jeff was working on the store’s Leap Year sale. That followed the New Year’s weather promotion, a 24Krose giveaway, a bridal fair, and Valentine’s Day—and we’re only through the first two months of 2020!

Nacol’s Facebook page is filled with videos and photos from their regular and successful in-store events.

One example of moving quickly to meet customer needs involves a store regular from outside the Wichita Falls area.

“We have a customer who shops frequently from us who lives in the Dallas metroplex area, 120 miles away,” says Jeff. “When he purchases, we personally deliver the merchandise to him in Dallas, over a twohour drive.”

Keeping in touch with fellow jewelers is also important to Nacol’s, and Jeff says RJO is a big help with that.

“In the jewelry world, you are kind of on an island by yourself,” he says. “When you go to these Shows you feel like you are part of something bigger than your independent store. You have access to hundreds of years worth of ideas and successes you wouldn’t be able to access alone.”

When not running sales or promotions, or attending RJO events, Jeff and Shannon are proud foster parents who “keep adopting kids.” Jeff also is an ordained minister, who officiates 10-20 weddings a year.

Nacol’s Jewelry is located at 3108 Kemp Blvd., Wichita Falls, TX. Phone: (940) 691-4600 Website: www.nacols.com

Does RJO Have Your Most Up-to-Date Email Addresses?

If you’ve changed your email address lately or would prefer to receive RJO communications at a different address, please let us know.

Address updates and changes can be directed to Erin Sharp in the RJO office at: erin@rjomembers.com FAMILY. DIVIDEND. SUPPORT. BUYING POWER.

COVER STORY

Let’s Put On a Show!

Behind the Scenes in Houston at the RJO Winter Buying Show For the average RJO jeweler, a Buying Show usually begins by arriving at the host hotel the Friday or Saturday of the Show, dropping off luggage into the hotel room, and then making way to Show Registration, to pick up a lanyard with a nametag.

But there is a lot that happens behind the scenes before that nametag can be printed.

Some of the preparation happens just a few hours before, some just a few days before. But the first work on the Houston Buying Show began years ago, when the location was just an inkling in RJO’s eyes.

In fact, Houston was originally supposed to be Dallas.

- Sarah Streb RJO CEO

“BELIEVE IT OR NOT, Show planning starts four to five years in advance!” says RJO Board member Nancy Marchell, of Signature Jewelers in Grand Forks, ND. “The RJO Board of Directors reviews proposals from five or more properties we consider to be prospective Show locations. Trying to find a vibrant and interesting city to host our RJO Shows is important, but there is so much more that goes into selecting a Show location. Even though there are many great facilities across the country, not all of them can accommodate a Buying Show for a group the size of RJO.” “In fact, Houston was originally supposed to be Dallas,” says RJO CEO Sarah Streb.

“Interestingly, Houston was proposed by the Marriott people,” says Jeff Wickersham, of Wickersham Jewelry in Wausau, WI. “We were supposed to be in Dallas, but something happened, so they asked Sarah to consider moving. We ended up taking the Show to Houston, and Marriott offered some good incentives at the Houston hotel. It really became a win/win for both parties.”

“Obviously, Sarah brought this information to the Board before we decided to move forward,” continues Wickersham. “As she does with all of the RJO work, Sarah works

FAMILY. DIVIDEND. SUPPORT. BUYING POWER.

The Texas-shaped pool at the Marriott Marquis Houston

extremely hard to weed out the locations for the RJO Board. She breaks down the costs and rates, along with doing research on the properties. She also asks RJO’s Vendor Advisory Committee for their opinion.”

“Working with Sarah, the RJO Board reviews room rates, food and beverage costs, transportation, and ease of access to the hotel and exhibit space, just to name a few things,” says Marchell. “Sometimes we find a perfect location, but the dates we need are not available. Many times we will try that location for a future Show. Because each city and facility is so different, the Board of Directors has started visiting the Show properties prior to our Buying Shows, so we can help fellow retailers and vendor partners find their way around the seminars and events a little easier.”

“We actually did not go visit the Houston site until months prior to the Show,” adds Wickersham.

“Knowing the locations and the area make it so much easier on the leadership and staff. It’s really to improve our members’ experiences at a Show.”

Houston passed the visit test with flying colors.

“I loved the hotel and convention center equally. The hotel was clean and comfortable, and it provided good food!” says RJO Board member Erika Godfrey, of Hawthorne Jewelry in Kearney, NE. “Marriott Marquis Houston offered great areas for RJO to gather for the seminars, and the pool was super cool to see. The convention center was in a perfect location from the hotel; it was large and easy to maneuver around! The area outside these buildings offered fun restaurants and nice walks.”

Wickersham agrees the weather was a great draw, and he particularly appreciated the convention center offering “real” restaurants within its confines, rather than pop-ups and fast food.

“Houston was a great location for many reasons,” says Marchell, also noting the weather and location.

“Texas hospitality is like no other,” she says, “and with so many places for visitors within walking distance this location was a winner! As RJO continues to grow, finding a winning host city has become even more challenging.”

RJO settled on Houston as its 2020 Winter Buying Show location in November 2017, according to Kaitlin Flores, Senior Event Manager at Marriott Marquis Houston.

“The Buying Show was planned by several members of my team in conjunction with RJO CEO Sarah Streb,” says Flores, “until all of the planning materials reached my hands around October 2019.” Largest among Flores’ duties was overseeing the execution of the General Membership Meeting, including the Luncheon and Keynote around noon on Saturday, the nightly receptions, and the Get-Together on Sunday evening.

“The Membership Luncheon on Saturday was planned by me and executed by my Banquet Chef, Andrew, and my Banquet Manager, Atifa,” says Flores. “We served roughly 450 chicken breasts during the lunch hour. This required three chefs to cook and plate the meal.” Flores says the length of her days depended on the schedule of the conference. On most nights “I was at work later— until around 8 p.m., just to be sure all of our details fell into place. In the mornings, I would arrive at 7, to be sure the breakfast functions started correctly.”

Flores handled the events smoothly, as this is where her experience lies. What was new to her was the security needs of hosting nearly one-thousand jewelers and jewelry vendors.

“The security aspect, hands down, was the most interesting to me!” she says. “We placed heavy focus on all of the rules and preventative measures RJO has in place to prevent jewelry theft. My team took a lot of notes from the RJO security supervisor as he presented during our pre-Show meeting.

We were so zoned in, because we truly care about the guests’ safety, and our senses were heightened with the information we learned.”

FAMILY. DIVIDEND. SUPPORT. BUYING POWER.

I’m brutally honest about what can happen in this business, and it clearly gets their attention.

- Kenny Mullins, Vice President, Positive Protection, Inc.

Comments from Buying Show First Timers Jewelers We really enjoyed the seminars and the luncheon with the new vendors showcasing their products and the uniqueness of their companies.

We loved the hotel you chose. It was beautiful. We didn’t get to explore the town, because we were at the Show the entire time, and by nighttime, we chose to eat somewhere nearby because we were too tired to explore the town. For our first-time visit, we were extremely impressed with the Show! Can’t wait for the next one.

- Beth Skatell, Skatell’s Jewelers in Spartanburg, SC Shane Decker’s presentation was my favorite part.

Houston is a beautiful city, and I was able to take a break and run nine miles through the city, which was pretty cool.

- Stewart Riddle, SJ Custom Jewelers in Newport, OR We really enjoyed the Show! It is great to meet with the vendors in person and also to interact with other members, get ideas, and share stories. The Houston venue was great. The hotel and surrounding area had a lot of good food and fun bars! We did a little wandering around the area, too.

- Sherry McCord, trinkets in Cape May, NJ

Vendors We brought three staff members, and our favorite part was the camaraderie and family atmosphere.

We liked the accessibility to the hotel, which was fabulous.

- Edward Sejzer, Michal’s Imports in Lincolnshire, IL We had four team members there, so the warmth of the whole RJO group was the highlight for us. And, of course, the orders written. We also liked it was warmer than the Northeast, which is home for us.

- Vik Jain, Fana in Fort Lee, NJ

“I’m brutally honest with them about what can happen in this business,” says Kenny Mullins, the person in charge of briefing Flores and the Marriott staff on security issues, “and it clearly gets their attention.” Mullins led the security detail for the Houston Show, a role he’s played many times before.

“I started with Positive Protection, Inc. (PPI) about 23 years ago, and I became an owner 10 years ago,” says Mullins. “While I’ve missed a few RJO Buying Shows, I’ve been to most of them during that time.”

Mullins has thrived at PPI and today is an owner and director of operations. Many Show attendees will recognize him, as he sits on a stool at the entrance to the Buying Show Floor, touting a smile and a bit of a New Yorker accent.

“I’ve been able to be at a number of events, including Mary Harger’s retirement,” says Mullins. “I’m very happy for Mary and Don, but equally sad since I’m such good friends with them.”

Mullins notes, “The Houston Show was unique in that working with RJO is like working with family.

My favorite part was working with the fine RJO staff, since they take security seriously, which makes my job easier.”

Protecting the “at least tens of millions” of dollars of Buying Show jewelry is a top task of Mullins, who directs a crew of his own people, as well as local law enforcement officers. Once the vendors have their wares in place, the task becomes fairly routine, basically theft protection.

When asked if he’s ever had to respond to a theft accusation at any of the events he provides security, such as RJO, Mullins answers directly, “Yes.” When prompted to provide a bit more detail, he lowers his head and shakes it back and forth. “We don’t talk about those things.”

He is more forthcoming about the movement of the jewelry getting in and out of the Show. “It’s quite a challenge,” he says. “We have a system developed where we have ... um ... let’s just say an efficient way of getting as many items here in the least number of trips.” Each trip, he says, requires security vehicles and his own presence, and the trips present their own security

FAMILY. DIVIDEND. SUPPORT. BUYING POWER.

An armadillo at the Marriott Marquis Houston

challenges. Mullins is hesitant to provide more details.

In addition to comprehensive security, PPI also reduces potential headaches for RJO and its members. PPI offers insurance for the Show that covers much more than just material loss.

“It’s my job to protect them physically, as well as businesswise. Our goal is to take on any security, insurance, or legal concerns that may arise for RJO or its members during the Show, so when they leave, nothing follows them.”

One aspect of Mullins’ presence at the Buying Shows is he’s always engaged and makes himself seen throughout the Show. “When I’m not sitting at the entrance of the Show Floor, I’m walking the venue inside and out, always looking for anything out of the ordinary.” he says.

Just as he puts in extra days of work before the Buying Show begins, Mullins—or someone from his staff—also sticks around a few extra days after the Show closes.

RJO staff members also arrive several days before the Show opens. Joining Streb in arriving early at the Houston Show were Linda Brown, Alison Groves, Mary Harger, Connie Matsen, Connie Miller, Kristi Nelson, Erin Sharp, and Sabrina Smead. The team followed their standard practice of arriving the Thursday before a Show and leaving the Tuesday after.

“We are busy from start to finish,” says Alison Groves, RJO Special Event's Coordinator and Vendor Associate.

“We are responsible for many things, such as placing and removing signage, answering and handling registrations for all vendors and retailers, and meeting audio/visual needs. We also open and close the Buying Show Floor, and attend and take minutes in RJO meetings, such as Board, MRC, Foundation, Next Gen, and European Branding Opportunity.”

“We also are tending to food and beverage issues,” says Connie Miller, RJO Financial Manager. “We print additional badges, handle complaints, answer questions throughout the Show, sell Foundation fundraising items, and much more.”

“Paperwork and logistics are pretty large,” continues Groves.

“For this Show, we shipped out 25 boxes of freight to the convention center and 19 boxes of freight to the hotel. We then had to fill out paperwork to get everything back to the home office.”

“We are typically working nonstop from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., from the moment we arrive, to the moment we leave,” says Miller.

“We do enjoy our Monday evening, though, when Sarah takes us all out for a staff dinner.”

With so many professionals working tirelessly behind the scenes, it’s no wonder there are no surprises at the Shows. Or ... are there?

“Yes!” says Marriott’s Flores.

“Armadillos! We found out the reception for the Sunday GetTogether would be hosting live armadillo races and a mechanical bull ride. These are both super-high-risk activities for a Marriott property, and approval typically requires months of investigation. We ended up having roughly one to two weeks to try and pull things together and get approval from Marriott’s corporate offices in Bethesda, MD, to allow the armadillos into our ballroom and to allow the attendees to ride a mechanical bull. Everything ended up working out and being approved, but not without a few sleepless nights on my end!”

After such great success in Houston, we can’t wait for RJO’s Summer Buying Show in St. Louis!

FAMILY. DIVIDEND. SUPPORT. BUYING POWER.

We ended up having roughly two weeks to get approval from Marriott’s corporate offices to allow armadillos into our ballroom and to allow attendees to ride a mechanical bull.

- Kaitlin Flores, Senior Event Manager, Marriott Marquis Houston

CALENDAR March 2020

F

April 2020

8 Daylight Savings Time begins

5 Registration deadline for Next Gen Experience

9 Purim begins at sundown

8 Passover begins at sundown

10 All payments must be received in the RJO Office

10 - Good Friday - All payments must be received in the RJO Office 12 Easter

17 St. Patrick's Day

13 Vendor Registration opens for Summer Buying Show

19 First day of Spring

23 - All invoices must be received in the RJO Office - Ramadan begins at sundown

23 All invoices must be received in the RJO Office

30 Retailer Registration opens for Summer Buying Show

NEW MEMBERS Better Bling Studio Britt Caffarena Stafford, TX

Greg Beckman Jewelers Greg S. Beckman Ottawa, OH

Referred by Amber Gustafson, Amber’s Designs, Katy, TX

Bill French Jewelers Bill French Copperas Cove, TX

The Diamond Store Bryan A. Rickel Mitchell, SD

Referred by Mark Turner, Turner’s Jewelers, Seneca, SC

Mauk Jewelers Jeffrey T. Mauch Fergus Falls, MN Referred by Brian Chilson, Chilson Jewelers, Cambridge, MN

Edwards Jewelers Nancy Culbertson Modesto, CA Referred by David Mann, Mann’s Jewelers Inc., San Jose, CA

EKA Jewelers Robert Addonizio Milford, DE

Referred by Alan Miller, Alan Miller Jewelers, Oregon, OH

Howard’s Howard and Debi Reed Macon, GA

Referred by Greg Greffin 24 Karat Rose & Loyalty Co., Wayzata, MN

Sanders Jewelry JC Sanders Andalusia, AL

Niche of Time Mark and Jamie Segrist Saint Joseph, MO Referred by Shane Decker, Ex-Sell-Ence, Colorado Springs, CO

Referred by Bill Harrison, Kim International, Dallas, TX

Tammy’s Jewelry Tamela Moseley Waynesville, NC

Wiersema Jewelry Misty Wiersema Fremont, MI Referred by Erika Schimke Reese, Kevin Schimke Jewelers, Stockton, CA

Windham Jewelers Abram Wilmot Windham, ME Wyatt’s Diamond Jewelers James Keppler, Dean Keppler Monroe, WA Referred by Kate Farnsworth, Parle Jewelry Designs, Pocatello, ID

Thank you to the jewelers referring new members to our group. These jewelers will receive a $1,000 finder’s fee for their referral, payable after a new member has been in good standing for at least six months.

FAMILY. DIVIDEND. SUPPORT. BUYING POWER.