(PRESS RELEASE) NEW YORK, NY — Black in Jewelry Coalition (BIJC) and Jewelers of America (JA) have announced the grant recipients in their jointly developed Emerging Jewelers Accelerator Program (EJAP), a series of interactive workshops designed to provide selected new retail jewelry entrepreneurs with a deeper understanding of how to build and maintain a successful business in the jewelry industry. Four jewelers successfully completed the program and were awarded grants.
The grants were awarded to: Patricia Carruth, Your Personal Jeweler, Royal Oak, MI; Cloyette Harris-Stoute, Twin Elegance Jewelry, St. Albans, NY; Soojin Kim, Suu Atelier, Los Angeles, CA; and Ashley Perryman, Jewelry Lady, Indianapolis, IN.
“The inaugural Emerging Jewelers Accelerator Program was a huge success. The program’s cohort and our SMEs were fully engaged throughout the program, making a positive learning environment to generate real business impact,” says Jewelers of America President & CEO David Bonaparte.
Following up on the success of the EJAP program’s first cohort retail jewelry entrepreneurs and subject-matter experts (SME), BIJC and Jewelers of America will be continuing the program with a second cohort of six retail jewelers starting in early 2025. SMEs will once again lead interactive workshops during the eight-month program.
After the workshops are complete, participants will provide a presentation encapsulating the program’s educational content and how it would be utilized in their business. One of the participants will be eligible to receive a $10,000 grant. The remaining four will be awarded $4,000 each. Following the completion of the EJAP program, the cohort will continue to have access to periodic check-in calls, quarterly workshops, and invitations to industry events.
“We are looking forward to another wonderful year of the Emerging Jewelers Accelerator Program. Starting and maintaining a successful retail jewelry business is not an easy task, and we hope that through our SME-led workshops, we can ensure a long legacy of making their clients’ dreams a reality,” says Black in Jewelry Coalition President Malyia McNaughton.
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The 2024 EJAP program was supported by the JCK Industry Fund. This year’s program will kick off in February with interactive workshops conducted in the following core business topics by subject matter experts in a variety of business topics.
Applications are open for subject matter experts and participants. The applications will be open through November 22, 2024.
The EJAP Committee is made up of: Regina Ciarleglio, Jewelers of America; Annie Doresca, Jewelers of America; Molly Fallon, Jewelers of America; Sharie Fogarty, Jewelers of America;
Dahlia Fyffe, Jewelers of America; Amanda Gizzi, Jewelers of America; Lisa Jones, Gemological Institute of America; Malyia McNaughton, Made by Malyia; Susan Posnock, Jewelers of America;
Adrianne Sanogo; Black in Jewelry Coalition.
Information on the EJAP can be found on the Black in Jewelry Coalition’s website and Jewelers of America’s website.
