Alan Bell to Receive Lifetime Achievement Award

RAPAPORT... Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America (MJSA) has named Alan Bell, former president of Rio Grande, as the recipient of its Lifetime Achievement Award.Bell began working for Rio Grande, the jewelry-supply store his father founded, in 1971 at the age of 20, becoming the company's seventh employee. He led the business's transition from a storefront to a mail-order catalog business, before helping transform the company into a worldwide jewelry supplier and manufacturer, MJSA said last week. In 2012, Bell oversaw Rio Grande's sale to Richline, owned by Warren Buffett conglomerate Berkshire Hathaway."It may be trite to say, but in Alan's case it's true: He proved you can do well by doing good," said MJSA CEO David Cochran. "He's a rock-solid leader. When he served as MJSA chair from 2006 through 2008, a time that saw a change of leadership at MJSA and the start of the Great Recession, his steadiness, integrity, and visionary outlook proved invaluable." In March, Bell announced he would retire from Rio Grande after 49 years.Image: Alan Bell. (MJSA)