For Immediate Release
Contact: Penny Palmer, IJO
April 2024
800.624.9252
IJO ANNOUNCES TWO NEW SCHOLARSHIPS AND VIP LEVEL
Southport, CT: At the recent conference of the Independent Jewelers Organization (IJO) in Dallas, TX, an announcement was made of the establishment of two new educational scholarships and a new VIP level for IJO members.
The Bill Roberts Memorial Scholarship is given by Jeff Roberts and the IJO staff to honor Jeff’s father and founder of IJO. $5,000 will be awarded annually to individuals wishing to continue their educational journey with instruction at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). “In founding IJO more than 50 years ago, my dad always focused on education,” stated Roberts. “He created the IJO/GIA Title Program – with more stringent requirements than most programs – to ensure IJO members were working smarter than their competition. I created this scholarship to honor his legacy.”
The second scholarship, funded by Stephen and Rebecca Barnes, is the Richard Swetz Memorial Scholarship, in memory and honor of Richard – a true mentor to the membership and the Barnes family. This $1,000 award will be given annually to individuals who want to further their studies in the field of jewelry and can be applied to bench jewelers wanting to hone their skills or any other jewelry related studies.
According to Barnes, “When I reached out to Dolores Swetz to let her know about the scholarship she was so touched – it meant so much to her. Dolores then graciously added an additional $2,000 to the scholarship on behalf of herself and the Swetz family.”
Individual may apply online at www.ijo.com and the deadline for applications is June 1st. Recipients will be notified and presented with their awards at IJO summer shows, the next one being at the Marriott Marquis in Chicago July 13-16. Reach out to penny@ijo.com with any questions.
It was also announced that a new VIP reward level was established to increase the benefits for IJO’s biggest supporters. “We have so many loyal and supportive members in this organization, and I felt we weren’t doing enough to show our appreciation,” added Roberts. “These benefits enhance their Pinnacle Travel Reward Package of 5 hotel nights, 2 airline tickets and a $3,000 check at each conference (in addition to their rebate check).”
The Premier level for stores with annual purchases of $550,000+ annually adds a flight upgrade to 2 Business Class Airline tickets at each conference and an additional 1% rebate on all purchases over a 12-month period. This is in addition to luxury sedan airport transfers, waived membership fees, exclusive Chairman’s dinner, Elite VIP event, bonus appreciation gifts and a VIP Brunch.
More information on the IJO Scholarships