APPOINTMENTS
Leonard Rosenkrantz, formerly vice president of sales for David G. Stevens (Baume-Mercier) and Columbia Diamond Ring Co., has joined MVI Marketing Ltd. of Beverly Hills, Calif., as senior analyst and manager of business development.
Vivian Alexander of Maurice, La., has made two appointments. Nan Piper Kochanski, the company’s new vice president of sales, will head up its U.S. and international sales efforts through her agency, NK Creative Services. Her more than 20 years of experience in the jewelry industry includes leadership positions at Lagos and QVC network; she has also led teaching workshops for the Jewelers of America Center for Business Studies. Laurie Myers Suire has been promoted to vice president of marketing. She has been with Vivian Alexander for three years and has worked in sales, product development, financial management, marketing research, and development of the company’s Web site.
Victoria Tynedale has been appointed Western sales manager at Chase-Durer of Beverly Hills and Geneva, a manufacturer of specialty aviation chronographs as well as sport and classic timepieces. Her duties include market strategy for new accounts, sales, training, and customer support. She is a Graduate Gemologist with a degree in electrical engineering and has owned watch specialty stores.
Lew Linkin has been hired as vice president of sales in the Mid-Atlantic states for Man-Am Creations Inc. and Neil Amrani Platinum, Tappan, N.Y.
Paul K. Silverman has been named manager of the new jewelry division at MJM Global Services Inc., a full-service insurance brokerage in New York. Prior to joining the firm, he was manager of marketing and communications for the Jewelers’ Security Alliance. He has conducted numerous security training programs for retail jewelers and was a coauthor of JSA’s Manual of Jewelry Security. MJM Global Services has been designated an agent for Jewelers Mutual Insurance Co., Hanover Insurance, and Lloyd’s of London.
Fred Barr has joined MPI Systems Inc., Wilton, Conn., as senior programmer/analyst. He will provide tech support and customization for ShopControlPro and other MPI jewelry-related software. He has been providing computer systems consultation since 1987.
Lee Nohe has been named a senior account executive at Rocket Jewelry Box Inc. He is a 20-year jewelry industry veteran and has experience designing programs for jewelry packaging and displays.
Doreen Guerin is the new show director for the Couture Collection & Conference, a by-invitation-only showcase for internationally recognized jewelry designers and manufacturers. She will oversee Couture U.S., Couture Latin America, and Couture Europe. Previously, she had been director of marketing and trade shows for Toy Manufacturers of America, producer of the American International Toy Fair; show manager for Converting Machine & Materials in Chicago; and show manager at National Knitwear & Sportswear Association, where she produced and managed three shows.
Peter P. Luplow has been named vice president for merchandise at Ben Bridge Jeweler. A 22-year veteran of the company, he has held management positions in six different retail locations. Most recently, he had been a regional vice president of sales in training in the Oregon, Northern California, Colorado, and Nevada markets. He is a Graduate Gemologist and a Certified Gemologist Appraiser.
OBITUARIES
Harry Rotter, 83, a longtime Chicago jewelry wholesaler and ring manufacturer, died April 2 after a long illness. Rotter was president of Harry Rotter & Co. in downtown Chicago and a member of the Jewelers Board of Trade. He had been in business for 50 years and was well known in the Chicago jewelry industry.
JACQUES BIENENFELD, PEARL INDUSTRY PIONEER
Jacques Bienenfeld, 90, president of Jacques Bienenfeld & Son, died Dec. 19. He was considered by industry insiders as the last of the “old guard” natural pearl dealers who became involved in the cultured pearl business after it gained worldwide acceptance. His career in the pearl trade lasted 74 years.
At age 16, Bienenfeld became an apprentice to his uncle, a trader of rare natural pearls, in Paris. He entered the cultured pearl market in the late 1920s and established his own company in the United States in the early 1940s. He remained active in the cultured pearl business until his death.
Bienenfeld was a founding member of the Cultured Pearl Association of America and served as its president in the early 1970s.
ROBERT E. WILSON, N.H. WATCHMAKER
Robert E. Wilson, 75, of Keene, N.H., a watchmaker, died Feb. 5. He graduated from the Thacker School of Watch Repair in Pittsburgh in 1948 and worked for Milo R. Williams Jewelers in Greenville, Pa., for 10 years. After moving to Keene, he became an assistant manager for Simons Jewelers and later was the manager of the company’s stores in Brattleboro, Vt., and Peterborough, N.H. He had also worked in the Sarasota, Fla., Simons store. At the time of his death, he was a certified master watchmaker at Cheshire Goldsmith in Keene.
He was a member of the American Watchmakers-Clockmakers Institute. A U.S. Army veteran, he served in the 101st Airborne Division as a paratrooper in Germany.
ROBERT MEYER, INDUSTRY SALES REP
Robert Meyer, an industry representative for more than 50 years, died Feb. 26. Lines he handled included Mike Mendelson & Associates, Elco Milglo, Forstner Manufacturing, and Charles Rothman.
He was active in promoting Chicago as a strong jewelry center and was president of all three of the major local associations of his time: the Golden Roosters of Chicago (1978-79), the Chicago Jewelers Club (1987), and the Chicago Jewelers’ Association (1988-90).
After he retired from Bob Meyer and Associates, he served on the board of directors of several Chicago businesses and did volunteer work.