Meet our 2010 Convention Speakers
Doug Hucker- AGTA
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
"Color Gemstone Jewelry: Stepping Stones to Success in the Coming Season"
Colored gemstone jewelry is rapidly evolving from just a fashion staple to one of the primary sources of growth in revenue and margins in the retail industry. Spend an hour with Douglas K. Hucker, CEO American Gem Trade Association looking at the marketplace, the trends and the issues that are impacting your success with this exciting and challenging product.
Douglas K. Hucker is the CEO of AGTA, the American Gem Trade Association. As Chief Executive Officer of the AGTA, Mr. Hucker represents the premier organization of United States and Canadian colored gemstone professionals. The organization is comprised of colored gemstone importers, retail jewelers, jewelry manufacturers, appraisers, and other industry related professionals. The AGTA, headquartered in Dallas, TX, is primarily responsible for the promotion of natural gemstones in the United States. The industry leader in the efforts to advance ethical and professional sales of natural colored gemstones, the AGTA each year produces the GemFair Tucson, the most important natural colored gemstone and cultured trade show event in the world.
Elizabeth Bowles - Aristotle
"Positive Interactive Brand Experiences that Shape Consumer Perception"
What can you do to your online presence to increase your sales? Combining media and resources both online and offline can boost your customer loyalty and sales. See case studies from larger retailers to local Arkansas companies and take home some “How To’s” that you can do from your stores.
Elizabeth Bowles is President and General Counsel of Aristotle Inc. Her leadership enabled the company to expand its email hosting/filtering and dial-up service area in 2003 to cover all 50 states and to develop new server-based email and application hosting technologies. In 2006, Aristotle expanded again to offer broadband wireless Internet access in the greater Little Rock, Arkansas, area and surrounding communities. Aristotle’s commitment to providing the highest quality of Internet technologies and customer service, combined with Elizabeth’s strong anti-spam stance, have made Aristotle a nationally-recognized leader in the fight against spam and spyware. Elizabeth is a proven leader in Internet security education, chairing several American Bar Association anti-spam and anti-spyware/malware sub-committees. As a technology and legal expert, Elizabeth is a consultant and keynote speaker and has appeared on regional and national news and talk shows.
Donna Jolly- Donna Jolly & Associates
"Social Media - This is How You Do It"
Everybody is connected! Social media does not allow anyone to hide. The question is undefined can people find YOU? Find out if social media marketing is a myth or miracle.
Donna Jolly, a social media and marketing consultant, has worked with some of the jewelry industries most prestigious members, including Hearts On Fire, Kathy Ireland Jewelry, and the American Gem Society. Prior to her consulting career, she was the marketing director for the American Gem Society Laboratories. Donna has worked with a wide range of clients, from self-help expert Lucinda Basset to financial giants Barclays and UBS. A graduate of Millsaps College, she is the author of Bourbon Decay, and writes Audacious Ink, a social media and content marketing blog.
Janet Robb - Arkansas Better Business Bureau
"The Profitability of Ethics - How Marketplace Trust Affects YOUR Bottom Line"
This presentation focuses on the importance of trust in the marketplace and how a business can establish that trust with its community, vendors and customers. The erosion of trust in business & a review of examples of seemingly innocent ethical lapses that lead to disatrous results will also be discussed. This presentation presents the topic of ethics on a level that relates to ordinary, everyday business decisions and actions.
Janet J. Robb is the President and CEO of the Arkansas Better Business Bureau and has served in this capacity since joining the Bureau in 1995. The BBB is a statewide nonprofit business association of approximately 3300 member businesses that support self-regulation of advertising, mutual resolution of marketplace complaints and advises the public on issues of general business ethics and policies in the marketplace. Prior to assuming her duties at the Better Business Bureau, Ms. Robb engaged in the private practice of law and also served as a staff attorney for the Arkansas Court of Appeals.
George Slicho - Presentation jointly sponsored by Jewelers Mutual and Jewelers Security Alliance
"Loss Prevention - Protecting Your Employees, Your Assets & Your Profits in a Challenging World"
This presentation will include:
- Pre-employment background screening
- The importance of continuous training and awareness
- Communicating through local area and state wide networks
- Armed robbery and violence prevention both at the store and at home
- Recent crime patterns and statistics
There will be an approximately 15 minute question &
answer session at the end of the presentation.
George Slicho retired from the Zale Corporation after 17.5 years as the SVP-Loss Prevention in 2008. During his career at Zale, George was responsible for corporate security, loss prevention and physical inventory for the entire company, which at the peak had 2,500 stores in the U.S. and Canada doing approximately $2.5 billion in sales. Also, during various times, George oversaw the Internal Audit, Risk Management, and Facility Management Departments for the company. George has a total of 25 years in retail loss prevention experience heading up the LP departments at 2 department store chains prior to joining Zale.
His 37 year law enforcement/private security career began as a Special Agent with the Federal Bureaus of Investigation serving in 3 different field offices. He currently has a loss prevention, security consulting, private investigations company, Slicho LP, in Dallas, Texas, where he continues to reside with his wife of 34 years and 2 adult children.