Stuller, Inc. on Thursday announced that Dr. Charles D. “Chuck” Lein (pictured left) will be retiring as president and chief operating officer, effective Jan. 31.

The company said it will restructure Lein’s function into two separate positions. Jay Jackson, currently executive vice president of supply chain, will assume the role of COO; and Matthew Stuller (pictured below), chief executive officer and founder of the Lafayette, La.-based company , will temporarily assume the role of president.

“We employed a leading national executive search firm to find a suitable replacement for Chuck; and, as we began assessing candidates, two things became very evident,” Matthew Stuller said. “We need a COO who can roll-up his sleeves and dig into the day-to-day functions of our operation, without the added responsibility of president. And, we found no one better suited to lead Stuller’s operations than our very own Jay Jackson.”

Jackson has more than 13 years of experience managing Stuller’s sales, supply chain and manufacturing operations. Prior to joining Stuller in 1996, Jackson enjoyed a 30-year stint at Sears in its product services division.

“With this transition in key leadership roles, we are positioned to maintain our aggressive growth strategies,” Matthew Stuller said. “We will always be the fastest, most reliable supplier of high-quality, value-added products and business solutions for the jewelry industry.”

He continued, “Chuck has led us through 15 years of impressive growth and literally hundreds of major accomplishments, including our selection as a DTC Sightholder in 2005 followed by our sight renewal in 2007,” Stuller says. “During Chuck’s time with us, he has become a very dear friend and has provided professional leadership based on his integrity, talent, energy and passion for excellence.”

Stuller, Inc., has 13 operations located in three continents around the world, and provides a range of goods and services for jewelry professionals. Stuller’s core product categories include: diamonds, gemstones, finished jewelry, mountings, findings, bridal jewelry, fabricated metals, tools, and supplies.

JCK