These Are the 2024 Retailer Hall of Fame Inductees

New York—National Jeweler has chosen this year’s inductees for its Retailer Hall of Fame, the annual honor given to jewelers who’ve made significant contributions to their communities and the industry.
 
The 2024 inductees are as follows. 
 
Multi-Store Independent
Ron Leitzel and Tonia Leitzel Ulsh of Mountz Jewelers
 
Multi-Store Independent
Craig and Judd Rottenberg of Long’s Jewelers

Majors
Virginia (Gina) C. Drosos of Signet Jewelers

“Ron and Tonia, Craig and Judd, and Gina are all so deserving of this honor,” National Jeweler Editor-in-Chief Michelle Graff said.

“We are pleased to be able to recognize them, and eager to share their stories in our annual Retailer Hall of Fame issue, which will be out this fall.” 

Ron Leitzel and Tonia Leitzel Ulsh are the brother-and-sister duo who own and operate Mountz Jewelers, which has three locations in Central Pennsylvania and has been in business for 45 years.   

Ron is a certified watchmaker, and Tonia is a GIA graduate gemologist (G.G.) and an AGS certified gemologist appraiser.

Ron has served on multiple bank boards and is a member of the Alexis De Tocqueville Society of the United Way, while Tonia serves on the board of directors of Jewelers of America and The Salvation Army of Harrisburg Capital Region. 

She is also a member of the Alexis De Tocqueville Society of the United Way and Legatus, and volunteers for Midwest Food Bank, United Way of Carlisle and Cumberland County, and Saint Patrick School in Carlisle.

Mountz Jewelers is involved in many nonprofit events throughout central Pennsylvania. The store, with help from its 48 employees, has been recognized with multiple community and industry awards.   

Judd and Craig Rottenberg are the brothers behind Long’s Jewelers, a family-owned jeweler dating back 140 years.

Today, Long’s Jewelers has six stores, five in Massachusetts and one in New Hampshire.

Following his graduation from Syracuse University with degrees in marketing and retail, Judd went on to earn his G.G. from GIA. 

For the past 30 years, he’s led efforts to grow Long’s Jewelers, focusing on the retail stores, the product, and the customers. He has been a member of AGS for over 20 years, holds an AGS certified gemologist degree and serves on the AGS board of directors.   

Craig joined the family business in 2005 from a background in banking, technology, and merchandising. He oversees all business aspects of Long’s, including operations, marketing, finance, and technology. 

Craig has served on the board of directors for Jewelers of America, Jewelers for Children, Diamonds Do Good and the New England Chapter of the Young Presidents’ Organization.

Gina C. Drosos is the CEO of Signet Jewelers, where she leads an organization with nearly 30,000 employees. 

Signet banners include Kay Jewelers, Zales, Jared, Banter by Piercing Pagoda, Diamonds Direct, Blue Nile, James Allen, Rocksbox, Peoples Jewellers, H. Samuel, and Ernest Jones.  

Drosos was appointed Signet CEO in July 2017 and has served on Signet’s board since 2012. 

Under her leadership, the company’s market capitalization has quadrupled since the start of the pandemic.  

Employee engagement and pride have earned Signet distinctions as a four-time Certified Great Place to Work, and the No. 12 company on Fortune and Great Place to Work’s 2022 “Best Workplaces in Retail” list. 

The company’s board of directors and Signet leadership team are currently the most diverse in its history. 

Before joining Signet, Drosos served as president and CEO of biotech startup Assurex Health and group president of Global Beauty Care at Procter & Gamble, where she spent 25 years.  

Drosos is a graduate of the University of Georgia and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.    

She has been on the Akron Children’s Hospital board since 2019 and served on the board of Back2Back Ministries, an international nonprofit that provides comprehensive care to vulnerable children and families.  

She also serves on the board for Foot Locker and the executive committee for the United States Golf Association.