(PRESS RELEASE) After being closed for nine weeks, the offices of the Independent Jewelers Organization (IJO) have reopened, as announced by President and CEO Jeff Roberts. “Our staff has been working from home all these weeks, and it’s good to be up and running again – albeit with the necessary restrictions in place.”
IJO is constantly looking for ideas and ways to help its members, and throughout the pandemic has continually offered access to online webinars, blogs and training videos. “I personally reached out to every IJO member individually, to see how they were managing and offering help,” said IJO’s director of member services, Penny Palmer. “There were a lot of members who weren’t ‘connected’ to the rest of the membership, so I assisted them in getting access to our discussion channel on our website as well as our Facebook pages. There’s a great deal of comfort knowing you’re not out there all alone.”
Roberts stated, “There are still many, many members who have not been able to reopen yet, but we were also concerned with the rest of the industry. We decided to make a special offer to eligible retailers regarding membership for the remainder of this year, just in case there’s something we can do to help. IJO offers many resources that can help alleviate some of the struggles people are experiencing.”
Anyone interested in information on IJO’s special offer can contact Penny Palmer at 800-624-9252 or email penny@ijo.com. “The sense of family in IJO is what sets us apart from other groups,” Palmer added, “and I’ve always been very proud of what we do.”