An employee who excels in crafting beautiful, unique jewelry designs for Borsheims customers was named this year’s Ike-It Employee of the Year. Jay Wolff, Senior Jeweler at Borsheims, was presented with the award on February 25th after being nominated and selected by his colleagues. The award is named for longtime Borsheims owner Ike Friedman, who passed away in 1991.
Jay began his career at Borsheims in 2012 as a Jeweler after growing up in the business. His grandfather and father owned Wolff Jewelers and Goldsmith in Iowa and Nebraska, and he worked at the Iowa location from 1992-2001. His contributions included being a Goldsmith, Sales Associate and Manager for the family-owned business. In 2001, he moved to Omaha, Nebraska, and became a Jeweler for Hostetter’s Jewelry until the store’s closing in 2012.
Today, Jay is known at Borsheims as a kind-hearted leader and someone who consistently goes above and beyond to design special, one-of-a-kind creations for Borsheims customers. One such item, which Jay deems his favorite, is a watch that a customer received from her parents for her 1954 college graduation that Jay reset into a bracelet with the engraved message from the customer’s parents still intact on the back.
Jay’s Borsheims colleagues nominated him and voted for him to win this prestigious award. Their feedback includes:
- Jay is a good listener and provides reasonable solutions when handling jewelry that may have sentimental value or be challenging to repair. He is always calm under pressure and confident when sharing limitations on work to be done.
- Jay always has a smile and an attitude of doing what is the best thing for the customer and for Borsheims. Never any drama. A sheer joy to work with.
- Jay is the best!!!! He is easy to work with, he explains what needs to happen and will do his best to try to make the difficult jobs work!
- One of the things that sets Jay apart is his willingness to support new team members. Every time I walk a new hire through the Pod, Jay takes the time to explain the purpose and importance of the Pod and welcomes them to the team.
- Jay always goes above and beyond by making everyone feel welcome when passing through the Pod. He always takes the time to greet everyone.
- Jay is amazing at what he does. He has a way of communicating with everyone on the team that is calm and with the attitude to strive for better.
- Fabulous jeweler, great team player, steps up when people need help in the Shop.
Jay and his wife reside in Blair, Nebraska, with their daughter, Chloe and son, Riley. When he’s not crafting or repairing beautiful jewelry for Borsheims, he enjoys being outdoors and spending time with family.
Borsheims’ Ike-It Employee of the Year Award is named for and is a tribute to Ike Friedman, who owned Borsheims from 1947 to 1989. The honor was started in 1992, the year following Friedman’s passing. It is awarded annually to one associate who embodies Borsheims’ commitment to customer service and who demonstrates the company’s core values. This year marks the 33rd anniversary that Borsheims has given the award.
