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My Life: Joel Hassler

Published

9 years ago

February 17, 2015

INSTORE Staff Instore February 2015 Issue

My Life: Joel Hassler

Joel Hassler

Rasmussen Diamonds, Racine, WI

Joel Hassler purchased Rasmussen Diamonds, a 115-year-old jeweler, from his in-laws, Bill and Kathy Sustachek, in 2011. Outside of the store, Joel has a passion for all things culinary, loves to travel and closely follows soccer. He is active in Rotary and the Share Our Strength charity. In 2012, he was named the “Young Professional of the Year” by the Racine Chamber of Commerce. Joel is married to Kori and they have two daughters, Indiana and Keira.

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.”