By Jaime Buck

When retail executive Jeffrey Comment took the reigns of Helzberg Diamonds in 1988 as chairman and CEO, he began a 16-year journey of instilling the importance of brand building throughout the corporation. Comment shared his insights on this and other highlights of his career with an audience of students, faculty and staff at GIA’s world headquarters and Robert Mouawad Campus in Carlsbad June 29.

Titled “Building a Moat Around Your Brand,” Comment’s lecture focused on the necessity of brand protection. “If you don’t protect your brand, you’ll lose it,” he warned, citing several cases of one-time successful retailers who ignored the importance of their brand until it was too late – and were pushed out of the market by their competitors.

The jewelry industry is especially challenging, he said, because of the importance placed on the fall-to-winter holiday season. “Jewelers sell 25 percent of their volume and gain 95 percent of their profit in that time,” he said. “You’ve got a narrow window to make it happen.”

The key to protecting and developing a brand, he said, is to first ask four very important questions – inquiries he dubbed the “two who’s and the two how’s.” 

“You have to understand what your brand is before you can protect it,” he said. “So ask yourself these questions: Who am I? Who is my customer? How do I differentiate myself? How do I go to market?”

He illustrated his point by sharing some of Helzberg Diamonds’ business practices over the past several years, noting that the firm has grown from 72 stores to 265 retail locations since 1988. Owned by parent company Berkshire Hathaway (investment magnate Warren Buffet’s enterprise), Helzberg is flourishing, he said, after deciding on its brand’s greatest value and doggedly ensuring that everything they do reflects it.

“Service is our mantra,” he said. “It’s at the core of who we are and everything we do. We want to be the service provider.”

Comment also addressed four key components he said have helped the company thrive: people, merchandise, real estate and marketing. “We live and breathe training for our people every day,” he said, noting the appreciation he has for GIA because of the high quality training it provides for the industry.

“Jeffrey’s time with us was fascinating,” said GIA Career Services Manager Kimberly Northup. “With a community service resume as impressive as his professional accomplishments, he is a great example of personal and professional excellence. In just an hour-and-a-half, he was able to inform and inspire us.

The insights he shared were especially valuable for GIA students preparing to enter the industry.”