Former CEO of Sterling Jewelers is a noted philanthropist.
Nate Light
The Diamond Empowerment Fund (D.E.F) will present its first ever “Diamonds Do Good” Lifetime Achievement Award to Nathan R. “Nate” Light, the former CEO of Sterling Jewelers Inc., at its “Diamonds Do Good” Awards gala in Las Vegas, June 2 at the Four Seasons Ballroom.
D.E.F’s “Diamonds Do Good” Lifetime Achievement Award will be an annual award given to an individual who has promoted the importance of developing social purpose programs and charitable giving to help communities where the diamond industry does business.
Light was active philanthropist beginning in the 1980s with the Foundation Fighting Blindness and then helped organize the industry’s “Party With a Purpose” at JCK Las Vegas in 1994. He helped galvanize giving around industry charities, and because of his early efforts, today, more than $48 million has been raised by the industry for JFC to benefit children in need around the world.
Nate Light joined Sterling Jewelers in 1977 and helped grow the company from a chain of 32 stores to a national retailer with more than 1,000 stores, 14,000 employees and annual revenues of nearly $1 billion.
For more information on the Diamonds Do Good Awards gala, visit diamondsdogoodawards.org.
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Four Decades of Excellence: How Wilkerson Transformed a Jeweler's Retirement into Celebration
After 45 years serving the Milwaukee community, Treiber & Straub Jewelers owner Michael Straub faced a significant life transition. At 75, the veteran jeweler made a personal decision many business owners understand: "I think it's time. I want to enjoy my wife with my grandchildren for the next 10, 15 years."
Wilkerson's expertise transformed this major business transition into an extraordinary success. Their comprehensive approach to managing the going-out-of-business sale created unprecedented customer response—with lines forming outside the store and limits on how many shoppers could enter at once due to fire safety regulations.
The results exceeded all expectations. "Wilkerson did a phenomenal job," Straub enthuses. "They were there for you through the whole thing, helped you with promoting it, helping you on day-to-day business. I can't speak enough for how well they did." The partnership didn't just facilitate a business closing; it created a celebratory finale to decades of service while allowing Straub to confidently step into his well-earned retirement.
