Courtney Walker Rejoins GIA as Director of New York Operations

By Larne Boyles

The Institute has appointed Courtney Walker as director of New York Operations for the GIA Gem Laboratory. He will oversee the New York facility and develop additional support for the Laboratory’s ever-growing operational needs in this role.

“Courtney brings to GIA proven leadership, excellent interpersonal skills and operational diversity,” said Thomas C. Yonelunas, chief executive officer of the GIA Gem Laboratory. “These strengths are clear given the vast responsibilities he has been charged with during his impressive and extensive professional career.”

Walker began his career at the accounting firm of Balser, Horowitz, Frank & Wakeling in Long Beach, California, in 1976. After becoming a partner in the firm, he moved on to serve as vice president and chief financial officer at GIA’s former Santa Monica headquarters from 1986 to 1996.

In this role, he recruited and managed the team that issued GIA’s $30 million bond offering, the proceeds of which were used to acquire the land and construct the first phase of buildings in Carlsbad. When it was time for GIA to relocate its headquarters, however, Walker made the decision to move to the Midwest.

He landed a job with K-Products, an apparel company in the business-to-business promotional products industry that is located in Iowa. While there, he developed and taught a series of management philosophies, including open-book management principles that emphasized involving employees as business partners.

“Working in the apparel industry taught me the best asset a company has is its people. But many leadership teams today overlook it,” he said. “The ultimate goal is to win the employees’ hearts with a commitment to push through the nine-to-five mentality, strive to exceed customers’ expectations and embrace the organization’s mission statement such that they make it part of themselves.”

Walker became a private investor after K-Products was acquired by another company in 1998. He then had time to pursue another talent, giving inspirational speeches and musical performances around the country with his wife. After five years of traveling nearly 10,000 miles every six weeks, he realized he wanted to combine his talent to inspire with his knowledge of management principles in a more permanent setting.

When he learned the New York headquarters of the GIA Gem Laboratory was looking for a director of Operations, he immediately began discussions with Yonelunas. Though he hadn’t planned on moving to New York, he looked forward to the attractions of the city and, especially, to returning to the Institute.

“Today’s successful companies possess an educated employee base that truly understands the needs of their customers and clients,” Walker said. “GIA is a unique organization blessed with a lot of people working to make this a reality, and it’s great to be back with them.”

Courtney Walker
Born: Los Angeles, California, 1953
Married: Chris, 1976
Children: Joy, 25, and Grace, 22
Education:
     1976: Bachelor’s degree, Business Administration, California State University, Long Beach
     1979: Certified Public Accountant (California)
Experience:
     Present: Director of New York Operations, GIA Gem Laboratory, New York
     1998-Present: Private Investor
     1996-1998: Vice President of Finance & CFO, Executive Vice President & CFO, K-Products, Inc.,
     Orange City, Iowa
     1986-1996: Director of Finance, Vice President & CFO, GIA, Santa Monica, California
     1976-1986: Accountant, CPA, Partner, Balser, Horowitz, Frank & Wakeling Long Beach, California