Press Releases

Matthew Tratner Joins JA New York as Group Show Director

Effective on October 23.

Published

2 months ago

October 11, 2023

Press Releases

Matthew Tratner

(PRESS RELEASE) NEW YORK — JA New York announces that industry veteran Matthew Tratner is joining the organization as Group Show Director, effective October 23, 2023. Matthew’s strong leadership skills, his long-standing industry relationships and his extensive experience spearheading substantive programs and initiatives will serve to bolster the strength of these 100+ year old events.

“We are thrilled that Matthew is joining JA New York as Show Director,” noted Gannon Brousseau, EVP, Emerald, JA New York’s parent company. “This industry is fueled by relationships, and Matthew has meaningful connections that extend throughout all facets of the jewelry industry ecosystem. His enthusiasm, coupled with his knowledge and experience, will truly be an asset to our events and we are delighted to welcome him to the team.”

“I’m very excited to join JA New York as Group Show Director,” Matthew enthused. “Based on location and longevity alone, JA New York shows are uniquely positioned to be destination events for our industry. I look forward to leveraging my relationships, strengthening existing partnerships and working closely with the shows’ dedicated team to ensure that JA New York is a relied-upon resource serving the nuanced needs of this incredible industry.”

Matthew most recently held the position as Senior Vice President, Business Development and Marketing, for GCAL by Sarine. He assumed this role after being part of the team to successfully broker the GCAL/Sarine partnership as Vice President and General Manager of Sarine North America. Prior to that, Matthew worked with Gemological Institute of America (GIA) as Director, Global Business Development where he created and implemented sales and marketing strategies for new and existing services, such as the Diamond Origin Program and the Lab Grown Diamond Report. He previously served as Director of Membership & Sales for Jewelers of America (JA) where he oversaw operations for the jewelry industry’s largest trade association and effectively increased annual revenue year-over-year and grew supplier side membership by 15%.

Matthew will officially join the JA New York team on October 23, just a week before the JA New York Fall Show, taking place October 29-31st at the Jacob Javits Center. For more information, to schedule an interview with Matthew or to obtain press credentials to attend the upcoming event, please contact Michelle Orman at Michelle@LastWordComm.com.

When There’s No Succession Plan, Call Wilkerson

Bob Wesley, owner of Robert C. Wesley Jewelers in Scottsdale, Ariz., was a third-generation jeweler. When it was time to enjoy life on the other side of the counter, he weighed his options. His lease was nearing renewal time and with no succession plan, he decided it was time to call Wilkerson. There was plenty of inventory to sell and at first, says Wesley, he thought he might try to manage a sale himself. But he’s glad he didn’t. “There’s no way I could have done this as well as Wilkerson,” he says. Wilkerson took responsibility for the entire event, with every detail — from advertising to accounting — done, dusted and managed by the Wilkerson team. “It’s the complete package,” he says of the Wilkerson method of helping jewelers to easily go on to the next phase of their lives. “There’s no way any retailer can duplicate what they’ve done.”