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Ronnie Vanderlinden Steps Down as DMIA President After 8 Years
Stuart Samuels of Premier Gem Corp. will succeed him.
Ronnie Vanderlinden, pictured at left, will step down from the role of president of the DMIA after eight years in the position. Stuart Samuels, right, will succeed him.
New York—The Diamond Manufacturers and Importers Association of America has new leadership.
Ronnie Vanderlinden is stepping down from the role of president after eight years.
Ronnie Vanderlinden is stepping down from the role of president after eight years.
In his outgoing message to DMIA members, he told them “it is imperative that we continue to adapt and embrace online business.”
He added: “If you have not already done so, have an online presence, so that your business will not only be local but also be ‘glocal.’”
Members unanimously voted in a Feb. 9 meeting for Stuart Samuels of Premier Gem Corp. to succeed him as president.
In Samuels’ acceptance address to membership he told them he looked forward to tackling some of the industry’s toughest issues during these challenging times, and said that as president he will strive to grow the diamond and jewelry industries, both in the U.S. and globally.
He also expressed appreciation on behalf of the entire DMIA membership to Vanderlinden for his dedication, vision, leadership, and commitment to the advancement of the worldwide diamond industry.
He also thanked outgoing Vice President Fred Knobloch and directors Melissa Kulhanjian, Marvin Finker and the late Manny Gordon for their service to DMIA.
Also elected on Feb. 9 were Vice Presidents Saul Goldberg, Eli Haas, Hertz Hasenfeld, Matthew Schamroth and Parag Shah. Russell Kwiat was elected secretary and Marc Knobloch as treasurer.
The DMIA’s newly elected board of directors consists of: Jose Batista, David Bialo, David Doppelt, Abe Fastag, Ishaia Gol, Ben Goldberg, Patrice Gordon, Bharat Gandhi,
Tom Heyman, Danny Kaleko, Moshe Klein, Danny Klugman, Alan Rehs, Michael Steinmetz, Michael Verstandig, Scott West, and Stanley Zale.
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