6 RETAILER HALL OF FAME 2017 letter from the publisher W hat does it mean to be a success in business? Most people, if asked, I would bet use financial success as the benchmark. You make a lot of money, you are a success. Others would say that if the business created has thrived beyond themselves and become a special part of their community, then they are a success. Perhaps for some it is about respect and the strong relation- ships formed over time, or being considered an expert in your field known for a commitment to your customers and doing things the “right” way. This year’s inductees to the National Jeweler Retailer Hall of Fame exhibit all these traits. The idea of a Hall of Fame has been around for centuries and is based on the Norse myth of Valhalla. The Norse believed in a hall where honored dead heroes went to be enshrined for their great deeds forever. The first time the term “Hall of Fame” was used here in America was when Dr. Henry Mac- Cracken, then the chancellor of New York University, built a Hall of Fame for Great Americans in the Bronx in 1900. A group of electors inducted authors, scientists, businessmen … everyone but sports figures. I recount all this to point out that electing someone to an industry’s Hall of Fame is not something to be taken lightly. You are being chosen by your peers as the best in what you do because you are not just fleetingly great but consistently great, maintaining that high level of success through challenges and changes. The stories of our class of inductees is inspiring—a single mother deter- mined to learn everything she could about her craft; a grandson set on con- tinuing his family business based on his guiding principles, whatever the cost; and an innovator taking a chance, changing his career direction and moving his family across continents. In my letter in The State of the Majors, I talked about how that issue was a great benchmarking tool for where your business is. This National Jeweler Retailer Hall of Fame issue is a great benchmarking tool for how you do business. So, what does it mean to be a success in business? Read on and find out. Matthew Tratner PUBLISHER Matthew Tratner mtratner@nationaljeweler.com | 646-658-5805 EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Michelle Graff michelle.graff@nationaljeweler.com | 212-687-2758 EDITORIAL Senior Editor Brecken Branstrator brecken.branstrator@nationaljeweler.com | 212-687-2763 Associate Editor Ashley Davis ashley.davis@nationaljeweler.com | 646-658-5802 CONTRIBUTORS Research Summer Gu Editorial Jennifer Heebner Copy Editor Peggy Jo Donahue Design and Layout Weswen Design MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS Director of Marketing & Communications Molly Fallon | mfallon@jewelers.org Assoc. Dir. of Communications & Digital Development Lauren Thompson | lthompson@jewelers.org SALES Susie Biddle sbiddle@nationaljeweler.com | 646-658-0247 India | Bhupal Potdar | bhupalpotdar@gmail.com EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD Ryan Berg, Lee Michaels Fine Jewelers Cathy Calhoun, Calhoun Jewelers Bill Farmer, Jr., Farmer’s Jewelry Karen Goracke, Borsheims Larry Pelzel, Neiman Marcus Craig Rottenberg, Long’s Jewelers PRESIDENT & CEO David J. Bonaparte BOARD OF DIRECTORS 120 Broadway, Suite 2820 | New York, NY 10271 | www.nationaljeweler.com Ryan Berg, Chairman, Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry John Henne, Chair-Elect, Henne Jewelers Mark Light, Vice Chair, Signet Jewelers HollyWesche,ViceChair,WescheJewelers Coleman Clark, Treasurer, BC Clark Jewelers Cathy Tivol, Secretary, TIVOL Bill Farmer, Jr., Past Board Chair, Farmer’s Jewelry Mercedes Abramo, Cartier North America Mike Alexander, Jewelers Mutual Marc Bridge, Ben Bridge Jeweler Cathy Calhoun, Calhoun Jewelers Jenny Caro, Jewelry By Designs Ronda Daily, Bremer Jewelry Karen Goracke, Borsheims Efraim Grinberg, Movado Group, Inc. Simon Katz, Simons Jewelers Robert F. Moeller II, R.F. Moeller Jeweler Joseph Molfese, Bella Cosa Jewelers Larry Pelzel, Neiman Marcus Michael Pollak, Hyde Park Jewelers Matthew Rosenheim, Tiny Jewel Box Craig Rottenberg, Long’s Jewelers Lane Schiffman, Schiffman’s Betsy Wolgemuth, Koser Jewelers