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The William “Wag” Wagner Business Excellence Award Edge Retail Academy Omaha, NE

The William “Wag” Wagner
Business Excellence Award
William “Wag” Wagner 1966 - 2018 Edge Retail Academy Omaha, NE
William “Wag” Wagner

1966 - 2018

The William “Wag” Wagner Business Excellence Award

Edge Retail Academy endeavors to support independent jewelry stores, to achieve business excellence.

We created this award to honor our Business Advisor, William “Wag” Wagner who passed away in 2018. The Award and $1,000 prize are intended to recognize one stellar jewelry business each year.

Don Broyles
Calvin Broyles Jewelers “Wag was a unique individual. He had an incredible work ethic, excelled at whatever he put his mind to and had an incredible ability to connect with people. Wag could crunch numbers, sell and make your business better by helping you focus on what was important. Congratulations to all the recipients of the William (Wag) Wagner award, that live up to his standard. ”
Don Broyles
Calvin Broyles Jewelers “ Wag was a unique individual. He had an incredible work ethic, excelled at whatever he put his mind to and had an incredible ability to connect with people. Wag could crunch numbers, sell and make your business better by helping you focus on what was important. Congratulations to all the recipients of the William (Wag) Wagner award, that live up to his
standard. ”
Stacy Wagner “ Wag loved seeing his clients succeed in improving their businesses. He pushed them to achieve their goals, always providing encouragement with a reassuring hand. His clients always knew he would be there to support them … He was passionate about their success!
" Thank you, to The Edge Retail Academy for paying tribute to Wag by establishing this annual Business Excellence Award in his honor and helping keep his legacy alive! ”

2024 Wag Award Winner

Quest Fine Jewelers Winners of 2024 Wag Award
Huan Tain

Quest Fine Jewelers

Huan Tain of Quest Fine Jewelers has been awarded the 7th annual William (Wag) Wagner Business Excellence Award.

"Working with Scot and the entire Edge Retail Academy team has been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made for my company,” said Huan Tain. “Their experience, insight, and dedication to my success have been invaluable, and I’m incredibly grateful for their support. I feel I’ve only scratched the surface of what’s possible, and I’m excited for all that lies ahead. For anyone considering a partnership with Edge Retail Academy, I can confidently say it will be one of the best decisions for your business."

With help from Edge Retail Academy, Quest Fine Jewelers grew 25% in gross sales in 2024, and 31% in gross profit dollars. They reduced their overall inventory by an incredible $400,000 and decreased their aged inventory by $261,000.

2023 Wag Award Winner

Romantique Jewelers Winners of 2023 Wag Award
Dominick and Kim Rodriguez

Romantique Jewelers

Dominick and Kim Rodriguez of Romantique Jewelers have been awarded the sixth annual William (Wag) Wagner Business Excellence Award.

David Brown, ERA President, commented “Dominick and Kim increased sales by an impressive 16% and raised their gross profit by 20%, all while increasing their gross margin by over 3%!

Dominick Rodriquez added “with the help of Robyn Holzrichter, our Edge Retail Academy Business Advisor, we implemented strategies to get our inventory healthier. We decreased our overall inventory by over $100K and reduced our aged inventory by over $200K!”

2022 Wag Award Winner

Lonnie Iannazzo , Vincent Anthony Jewelers , Edge Retail Academy Omaha, NE
Lonnie Iannazzo

Vincent Anthony Jewelers

Lonnie Iannazzo of Vincent Anthony Jewelers has been awarded the fifth annual William (Wag) Wagner Business Excellence Award.

David Brown, ERA President, commented “The Vincent Anthony team identified opportunities and developed strategies with their Edge Retail Academy Business Advisor that allowed them to increase sales by 16%, raise gross profit by 21% and even increase his gross margin by 2%.” 

Charleen Pfaff, Lonnie’s Edge Retail Academy Business Advisor, added “Vincent Anthony focused on inventory management; the store reduced its aged inventory by nearly 50% which freed up significant cash flow to buy fast sellers.”

Lonnie Iannazzo added “with the help of Charleen, we are focused on our KPI's including having a good product turn, selling many items 5, 6 and even 10 times in a year.  You can imagine how this turnover impacts our bottom line.”

2021 Wag Award Winner

Dana Friedman, Petite G Jewlers, Edge Retail Academy Omaha, NE
Dana Friedman

Petite G Jewelers

Dana Friedman of Petite G Jewelers has been awarded the fourth annual William (Wag) Wagner Business Excellence Award.

David Brown, ERA President, commented “Dana diligently embraced strategies and recommendations from her Edge Retail Academy Business Advisor that allowed her to increase sales by 31%, raise gross profit by 40% and even increase her gross margin by 3.3%.”

Charleen Pfaff, Dana’s Edge Retail Academy Business Advisor, added “Petite G focused on inventory management; the store achieved its optimum inventory level, including reducing aged inventory by $120,000.”

Dana Friedman noted “In addition to sharpening our inventory mix and creative store events, Charleen provided us with sales team development and training, which led to an engaged team, and helped grow our revenue significantly.”

2020 Wag Award Winner

Spencer, Sam, Jane, Caleb Falls Falls Jewelers Edge Retail Academy Omaha, NE
Spencer, Sam, Jane, Caleb Falls

Falls Jewelers

Sam and Jane Falls of Falls Jewelers have been awarded the third annual William (Wag) Wagner Business Excellence Award.

David Brown, ERA President, commented “The Falls are very focused on diligently reviewing business metrics and applying best practices to make meaningful improvements to their store’s financial health. In 2020, this focus paid off; Falls Jewelers increased sales by 24% and raised gross profit by 28%, while reducing their aged inventory by 20%.”

Sam Falls said “When we first started with ERA a year ago, we never dreamed our business would be in the financial position it is in now. I have a renewed passion for our business and tremendous hope for future successes.”

2019 Wag Award Winner

Cindi and Dean Rottermond  Rottermond Jewelers Edge Retail Academy Omaha, NE
Cindi and Dean Rottermond 

Rottermond Jewelers

Rottermond Jewelers, a two-store Michigan chain founded in 1984, is renowned for its unparalleled inventory, top-notch customer care, and expert custom jewelry design.

Edge Retail Academy President David Brown commented “Cindi and Dean are very focused on diligently reviewing business metrics and applying best practices to make meaningful improvements to their store’s financial health. In 2019, this focus paid off; Rottermond increased sales by 22% and gross profit by 31%, while reducing their aged inventory by 20%.”

Cindi Rottermond was excited to learn about winning the award. “Wag was an important early advisor as well as close friend to us. We are very touched to be honored with an award honoring business excellence that is named for one of our most trusted advisors.”

2018 Wag Award Winner

Sophie Shor and Lucy Zimmerman Roman Jewelers Edge Retail Academy Omaha, NE
Sophie Shor and Lucy Zimmerman

Roman Jewelers

Roman Jewelers of Bridgewater Township, New Jersey is a family-owned retailer of more than 30 years with a passion for designing custom jewelry across 4 generations.

Edge Retail Academy Business Advisor, Sherry Smith, has worked with Roman Jewelers for 2 years. Sherry commented “Sophie and Lucy were very open-minded to implement industry best practices. They focused extensively on improving the margins of their sales team through a new compensation plan.”Roman Jewelers found their gross profit increased 16% in one year with the new plan.

Sophie Shor was excited to learn about winning the award. “My daughter Lucy and I never would have believed we were capable of accomplishing our margin goals without the guidance of Sherry and the Edge Retail Academy. They have made a measurable impact to our business.”

for more information on the award, please contact Edge Retail Academy.
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