Press Releases

Karen Goracke Receives Women’s Jewelry Association’s Visionary Award

Karen Goracke was honored at WJA’s 2021 Awards for Excellence Gala in New York City.

Published

2 years ago

October 26, 2021

Press Releases

Karen Goracke

(PRESS RELEASE) OMAHA, NE — Borsheims President and CEO Karen Goracke was presented with the Visionary Award at the Women’s Jewelry Association’s (WJA) 2021 Awards for Excellence Gala in New York City on Wednesday evening. The annual fundraising event brought together 250 guests in person and hundreds more virtually for a night of networking and celebration.

Being honored alongside Goracke was fashion industry titan and award-winning creator of New York Fashion Week, Fern Mallis. Themed Building Resilience Through Responsible Business, the event highlighted three important focus areas: diversity, equity and inclusion; responsible sourcing and sustainability; and leadership development for women.

In her acceptance speech, Goracke made a point to recognize her many sponsors, colleagues and mentors who have helped support and guide her throughout her distinguished career. In the audience to support her on Wednesday night were her husband of 30 years, two of her adult sons, and Sonny Sethi of Tara Pearls, one of her many mentors.

WJA’s mission to “help women in the jewelry and watch industries advance and develop professionally through networking, education, leadership development, and the provision of member services” means a great deal to Goracke. Having stepped into the jewelry industry more than 30 years ago as a young woman fresh out of college, Goracke understands how essential these things were to her professional development. With over 85% of Borsheims staff being female, the company has been a longtime champion for working mothers and a proponent of promoting women to leadership positions. Before being appointed President and CEO by Warren Buffett, Goracke served in several different roles, including Sales Associate, Inventory Supervisor, Buyer, and Director of Merchandising. This range of experience, paired with her involvement in various industry affiliations, has helped her acquire a breadth of knowledge not only of Borsheims but also of the worldwide jewelry industry.

Visit borsheims.com/blog for photos of Goracke from the event.

It Was Time to Make a Decision. It Was Time to Call Wilkerson.

Except for a few years when he worked as an accountant, Jim Schwartz has always been a jeweler. He grew up in the business and after “counting beans” for a few years, he and his wife, Robin, opened Robin James Jewelers in Cincinnati, Ohio. “We were coming to a stage in our life where we knew we have to make a decision,” says Jim Schwartz. He and Robin wanted to do it right, so they called Wilkerson. The best surprise (besides surpassing sales goals)? “The workers and associations really care about helping us move out own inventory out of the store first. It was very important to us.”