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Hunter Tivol McGrath Takes Over as Tivol CEO
He succeeds his mother, Cathy Tivol, who will remain involved in the business as company chair.
Hunter Tivol McGrath is the new CEO of Tivol, making him the fourth generation to run the family business. He wears a cat’s eye ring that once belonged to his grandfather, Harold Tivol, to work every day, a reminder that “the meaning behind the jewelry is what makes it invaluable,” he said.
Kansas City, Mo.—Tivol, a 113-year-old family-owned business, announced Wednesday it has a new CEO, Hunter Tivol McGrath.
He succeeds his mother, Cathy Tivol, who will move into the role of company chair.
McGrath is the fourth generation of his family to run the jewelry store his great-grandfather, Charles Tivol, opened in downtown Kansas City, Missouri, in 1910.
Though McGrath cleaned the store’s cases as a young boy and helped with odd jobs while in college, he originally set out on a different career path.
He worked as a certified public accountant at another company but was inspired to join the family business in 2011 after suddenly losing his sister, Brooke Tivol McGrath, to a rare form of meningitis.
McGrath started as a sales associate at Tivol’s Hawthorne Plaza location in Overland Park, Kansas, later transferring to the Tivol flagship store in Kansas City’s Country Club Plaza.
He was promoted from sales associate to diamond buyer before being named vice president five years ago.
“The store really gives me the best of both worlds,” McGrath said. “Being a former CPA, I love numbers. The store also gives me the opportunity to go beyond the numbers and create and build relationships with our clients.”
As CEO, he will continue to work alongside his mother, who will remain involved with the business and still come into the store, and Tivol President Brian Butler.
“Over the years, Hunter learned the business from the ground up, showing his prowess in leadership skills while upholding my grandfather’s high standards of excellence,” Cathy said.
“I couldn’t be prouder of everything he’s accomplished and look forward to seeing where his vision will take Tivol in the future.”
McGrath said his grandfather Harold Tivol, who died in 2016 at age 92, and his grandmother Ruthie Tivol, who passed away in 2021 at age 91, influenced the family business and the jewelry industry as a whole by shifting the focus to marketing designers.
His mother carried on that focus, creating partnerships with the industry’s top brands , many of whom are exclusive to Tivol.
McGrath said he wants to maintain his family’s standards while also staying current with jewelry trends and maintaining the personal relationships the company, now in its 113th year, have built over the decades.
McGrath said he wants to maintain his family’s standards while also staying current with jewelry trends and maintaining the personal relationships the company, now in its 113th year, have built over the decades.
“Technology is definitely a good tool. It streamlines the business and makes it run efficiently,” he said. “But we will never lose sight of personal relationships. These are a rarer gem and have always been what my family treasures most.”
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