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TJS to Honor 2 Longtime Former Stuller Employees
The Jewelry Symposium will honor two industry veterans with lifetime achievement awards at its upcoming May event.
Dennis "Buzz" Busby (left) and Randy Welch each worked at Stuller for more than 40 years. The longtime colleagues and friends will be honored with lifetime achievement awards at The Jewelry Symposium next month.
Troy, Mich.—The Jewelry Symposium (TJS) will honor two industry veterans with lifetime achievement awards at its upcoming event.
TJS will present the awards to Dennis "Buzz" Busby, former casting director at Stuller, and Randy Welch, former senior tech process engineer at Stuller.
The awards recognize their decades of work supporting, educating, and advancing the fine jewelry industry, said the organization.
The awards will be presented at its 2026 symposium in Detroit, slated for May 16-19.
“We are honored to present Mr. Busby and Mr. Welch the TJS Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s symposium,” said Linus Drogs, chairman of the board at TJS.
“Both men have contributed much to the progress of fine jewelry manufacturing.”
Busby has been a regular at TJS, a continuation of the long-running Santa Fe Symposium (SFS), attending 29 of its 34 years.
Busby and Welch have always been eager to share the latest advancements in the jewelry making process, said Drogs.
Related stories will be right here …
TJS will present the awards to Dennis "Buzz" Busby, former casting director at Stuller, and Randy Welch, former senior tech process engineer at Stuller.
The awards recognize their decades of work supporting, educating, and advancing the fine jewelry industry, said the organization.
The awards will be presented at its 2026 symposium in Detroit, slated for May 16-19.
“We are honored to present Mr. Busby and Mr. Welch the TJS Lifetime Achievement Award at this year’s symposium,” said Linus Drogs, chairman of the board at TJS.
“Both men have contributed much to the progress of fine jewelry manufacturing.”
Busby has been a regular at TJS, a continuation of the long-running Santa Fe Symposium (SFS), attending 29 of its 34 years.
Busby and Welch have always been eager to share the latest advancements in the jewelry making process, said Drogs.
The pair have authored and co-authored presentations for SFS and other industry conferences throughout the years, both separately and together.
“Whether shared with hundreds of people at the symposiums or shared in thousands of individual conversations over the years, their goodwill and ongoing endeavors for knowledge sharing represent the embodiment of the TJS mission,” said Drogs.
The two are longtime friends and colleagues, joining Stuller in the 1980s.
Welch retired in August 2024 after 43 years with Stuller, while Busby retired in December 2024 after 41 years.
The lifetime achievement award is not presented annually, and is instead given to recognize exceptional industry leaders “when the timing is right,” said TJS.
Previous honorees include gold technical expert Dr. Christopher Corti, who was honored in 2025, and SFS founder Eddie Bell in 2023.
Lifetime achievement award winners receive a commemorative plaque and a free, full-access pass to TJS' annual symposium for life.
For more information about TJS, visit its website, or email Jessa Cast at jessa@thejewelrysymposium.com.
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