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Ohio Mover and Shaker Went From Bench Apprentice to Store Manager

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Ian Wamboldt of Rodriguez’s House of Stones

Ian WamboldtManager, Rodriguez’s House of Stones, New Philadelphia, OH

After Ian Wamboldt completed two years with the U.S. Air Force National Guard as an avionics mechanic in 2008, he learned of an opening at House of Stones as a bench jeweler apprentice. It seemed like an odd occupational leap to him, but he gave it a shot. “I learned a lot, but I knew so many people in the community that I was constantly being interrupted and coming upstairs to greet them, and I eventually got into sales by default,” he explains. Promoted to manager, he took on an array of responsibilities that included diamond appraisals and grading, visual merchandising, marketing, and buying. He’s board chairman of the Tuscarawas County Chamber of Commerce, studied history at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania and has an MBA, too. He’s now studying to add graduate gemologist and colored-stone specialist to his impressive resume.

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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.

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