Gary J. Long has been named recipient of the Robert B. Westover Distinguished Service Award. The honor is presented by the California Jewelers Association to individuals for their outstanding contributions to the jewelry industry. He will be honored during the West Coast Jewelry Show on Aug. 27 at the Westin Century Plaza Hotel & Spa.

Long, founder and owner of Gary J. Long Jewelers in Stockton, Calif., is only the fifth recipient of the award—named in honor of CJA’s longtime president Robert B. Westover.

Long operated his own store for more than 20 years and has been in the jewelry industry since 1970. He has been active in several industry organizations, including the American Gem Society as a past board member, the Jewelers 24 Karat Club of Southern California, the Centurion Jewelry Show as a board member, and the Professional Jeweler Prime Time Show as a past board member.

He is also active in community organizations, including the American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, and the Stockton Symphony, the Greater Stockton Chamber of Commerce, and the Mid-Valley Business Bureau, the Stockton Sunrise Rotary Club, the Brookside Country Club, and the Lincoln Center Merchants Association. He has a bachelor’s degree from Sacramento State University.

He and his wife Maggie have three children.

JCK