The Jewelers Education Conference and Show (JEC),  which takes place July 11–13 in Overland Park, Kan., and serves middle American independent retail jewelers, has announced its 2014 lineup.

Bill Boyajian and Aaron Davis will be the keynote speakers. Boyajian is a past president of the GIA, a position he held for 20 years. His keynote is titled “Developing the Mind of a Leader,” and his breakout session will be called “The Four S’s of Jewelry Store Management: Staff, Stock, Suppliers, and Self.” The conference features eight presenters and 50 suppliers on the showroom floor.

Aaron Davis was a member of the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers’ 1994 National Championship football team and has since made a career for himself as the “Enthusiator.” He has received the Communications and Leadership Award from Toastmasters International and was named Minority Business Owner of the Year by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. His keynote is “Attitude of a Champion,” and his breakout session is “Attitude of a Sales Professional.”

Other speakers include Becka Johnson-Kibby of the Edge Retail Academy; John Kennedy, president of the Jewelers Security Alliance; David Sexton, vice president of Loss Prevention for Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company; Alex Fetanat, president and CEO of GemFind; Terry Chandler, president and CEO of the Diamond Council of America; and master jeweler Chris Ploof. 

More information about the conference is available at jewelerseducationalconference.org. 

JCK