August 19, 2025 • 44 mins
Alexis Padis, President of AGS, shares insights from her first year of leadership and discusses her vision for the organization's future after being re-elected for a second term.
Alexis shares what leadership development looks like in an organization with a storied history, and the humility and foresight required to implement changes that might not come to fruition during her own presidency.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:18):
Welcome to In the Loop term and she's in the
middle of it.
News just came out she wasreelected for, I guess, the next
segment of her term, which isthe next one year, and I wanted
to talk to her about what she'slearned in the past year as well
as what she hopes to accomplishin the next year and setting up
for her successor.
And then we also talk aboutupcoming events.
(00:39):
Ags Converge and this is anupcoming event in Carlsbad and
it's going to be a really coolevent that blends together GIA
and AGS, two siblingorganizations.
Alexis is fantastic on the micand is very inspiring.
The quote that kept on comingto mind the entire time as she
talks about her true year term,the quote true wisdom is
(01:00):
planting a tree whose shadeyou'll never know, and I think
that that really epitomizes thework she's doing as president of
AGS and the work she hopes tocontinue and provide for her
successor.
But I thought it was a reallycool conversation.
I'm very inspired.
Thanks and enjoy.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
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Slash go.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
And now back to the show.
Welcome back everybody.
I'm joined by Alexis Pattis,president of AGS, for her
one-year follow-up interview.
How are you doing today, alexis?
Speaker 3 (02:31):
I'm great, Michael.
How are you doing?
Speaker 1 (02:33):
So well, I was just speaking with you right before
we started recording and I got apress release that you were
re-elected to being president ofAGS, but at the same time I was
thinking back to our firstinterview, which was just about
one year ago, and I remember youtelling me it was a two-year
period.
Is that just kind of likeprocess?
(02:53):
Is that normal?
What does that look like?
Speaker 3 (02:56):
Well, I'm very honored to be reelected as
president.
You'd go into the presidencyfor the American Gem Society
knowing that it is a two-yearcommitment but, as a part of our
bylaws, the president has to bereelected.
Our slate, which consists ofall of our proposed board
members, needs to be approvedevery year by the membership.
So it was a nice little nodfrom the membership that I'm
(03:16):
doing a good job and I cancontinue with my term.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Let's go.
So it sounds very exciting.
I guess one of the cool thingsas I went back and I listened to
our first episode.
You were a, you were thedirector at large, and then you
were conclave chair and thenyou're a member of the executive
committee and then president.
What have you learned in yourfirst year as president?
What has that been like?
Speaker 3 (03:38):
Well, you know, I'm fortunate that I get to wear
quite a few different hats, bothwithin our own retail stores
where I'm with Pattis Jewelry.
We're based here in the SanFrancisco Bay Area.
We have five locations and I'mpresident of our company here.
I also have the honor ofserving as president of the
American Gem Society, and Ithink you know it's very
exciting times, you know it's.
(04:02):
The one thing I've learned aboutleadership is that it really
truly, truly is 10 percenttalking and 90 percent listening
.
So much of my role here withinthe stores and with the AGS is
listening to both our teammembers here and our membership
base with the American GemSociety.
And so much is learned fromjust listening to people and
listening to their perspectives.
So for me, this first year hasreally been a crash course in
(04:24):
the power of listening andreally listening before making
decisions.
As a president, you hear a lotof perspectives.
One of the things that is mostimportant to me is to be very
open and welcoming to ourmembers and to be a sounding
board and to be an opportunityfor our members to feel that
they have the ability to talk tosomebody who can make a
difference with, whatever theirexperiences.
And then, of course, there'sthat challenge of bringing
(04:47):
everyone together around ourcore mission of the American Gem
Society, which really revolvesaround continued education and
gemological expertise.
So I'm really fortunate to havethat true North Star for how I
view the AGS and it's ourmission.
And I'm really fortunate againto have our CEO, catherine, who
is an exceptional leader.
Help me along the way, alongwith her team.
(05:08):
Uh, but it's been a wild ride.
You know, this, this year in ourindustry has been a trip.
I mean, you think one thing youthink it's going to be Russian
sanctions, then we've gottariffs and we've got economic
conditions where nobody reallyknows which direction we're
going and you've got lab grownreally being a disruptor in our
industry.
I, you know, when I said yes torolling onto the executive
(05:30):
committee, it was March of 2020.
Wow, and I was sitting in anempty store and I had no idea
what the world would look likefour years from then when I
became AGS president, and youknow it's been a wild ride.
But I really, you know, I feellike, in terms of where our
industry's at, we've perhapslost some of those North Stars,
(05:51):
the companies that we could lookto to kind of be the calm or to
set the benchmark, theorganizations to set the calm,
and to me, that's why theAmerican Gem Society is of the
utmost importance, especially intimes like these, to be that
North Star, and I really I takethat responsibility very
seriously because it's one whereour members, whether they be
(06:13):
retailers or suppliers orsustaining members, need a place
they can look to for calm, forinformation, for education, for
peers that they know that theycan rely on the advice they're
getting.
And that's really what the AGSprovides.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Wow, it's super interesting, especially because
you know you're talking abouthow you signed up.
You mentioned the term ofrolling rolled onto the board.
It's fascinating because it'salmost like you're being
educated on the role and thenyou have to do the role, so it's
like they're training you tobecome president and then
eventually, I believe, you rolloff, you become a new member of
(06:49):
the board.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
You just get kicked off, that's the joy.
So I actually roll off next yearmid-year and then I'm off the
AGS board and I think that's thebeauty in it, right Is I had my
two years to really make mymark as an organization, but the
two years prior to I was reallytransitioned and smoothly by
Lisa Bridge, who was mypresident predecessor, and then
(07:11):
I've really worked hard to makesure that the person after me,
brian Moeller, our presidentelect, is ready.
So it's it's the short termleadership term, but you really
have this long transition periodinto it and it's just a change
of scope.
You know, I started as adirector at large, which is a
really broad category.
At that point You're justtrying to get a feel for how the
(07:32):
board works.
You're providing insights andfeedback, but you don't have a
point of ownership.
And then I transitioned toconclave chair, where you have
this great educationalnetworking event that you're in
charge of and it's super easy toenergize yourself around it and
to become kind of the face ofthat event.
And then you roll onto theexecutive committee and you're
(07:52):
responsible in such a differentway.
It's so much more deeperthinking.
Long-term thinking, you know,ultimately impacts the
trajectory of the organization.
We're really fortunate.
We celebrated 90 years, lastyear as an organization and I
sit here very humbled by thatgoing.
How do I ensure that thisorganization lasts another 90
years plus, that's?
Speaker 1 (08:13):
a great goal.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
That's the big goal, right, and Lisa started that in
a lot of the work we've beendoing.
It was really spearheaded byJohn Carter.
What now six years ago?
Then Michael Richards and LisaBridge, then me and now Brian,
and then Mitchell Clark, whowill roll into the
president-elect as soon as Brianbecomes president.
There's this overarching goalof how do we position this group
(08:35):
to last far beyond any of ourterms.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
Wow, what a really interesting legacy of it all.
It's almost very the fact thatit's very planned out, it's very
stable, but I do want to talkabout leadership.
Leadership is something that Ithink is very it's almost like
very intangible, because somepeople got it.
Not everybody got it, you know,some people really are leaders,
(08:59):
and it's something that I feellike I've always been pressured
to be a leader from a young age.
I think it had to do with,unfortunately, due to sports, I
was just rather tall andathletic from a pretty young age
.
As a result, as a young guy,that puts you into a leadership
position.
What's fascinating is, I do feellike leadership is whether you
(09:22):
get it from sports or not.
It does sort of kind of bakeinto, like the, the, you know
the the base of who you are as aperson.
But it sounds like you've beentaking on these leadership roles
for quite a substantial amountof time in your career and you
are rather young.
Is that something you've kindof always been?
You've always been a leaderoutside of work, in inside of
(09:44):
work.
Is that kind of somethingyou've sort of known about
yourself since you were evenyounger?
Speaker 3 (09:50):
Funny you mentioned sports, because I was an athlete
growing up and I think for alot of us that was really our
first taste of leadership.
If you know, you could getnominated as team captain or
voted for team captain and thatwas something that you know from
a young age.
That happened.
But I think leadership, youknow, I don't necessarily think
it is.
Some people have the, somepeople don't.
I think if somebody is reallypassionate about something and
(10:13):
they have a clear vision of whatthey want to see happen,
leadership comes naturally.
And for me, I know myleadership purely revolves
around my passion.
I love our industry, backwardsand forwards, and I was so
fortunate when I first joined.
Where you're coming in as anewbie, you're the opposite of a
leader right.
You're the, the person that'sliterally holding onto your
parents' coattails in thatsituation and I was embraced so
(10:35):
wonderfully by some amazingpeople in the industry and you
know, through them leading me, Ibecame a leader right and all
you can do is be grateful topeople like that.
You know I said I stand on theshoulders of a lot of people,
especially as a female in theindustry.
The industry has come so far insuch a short period of time
(10:56):
about really embracing women andwomen in leadership.
The vast majority of ourindustry organizations are now
run by leaders, and I was adirect beneficiary of some
amazing people that reallybrought me along for the ride.
So you know, I think it justdepends.
I think we all are a leader inone respective part of our lives
.
In my case, I'm just reallyfortunate to be so, so
(11:18):
passionate about our industry,and so much of my industry
passion is derived from myexperience with AGS.
All of my best friends are AGSmembers.
Going to Conclave was reallythat big moment of this industry
is so big.
How do you make a difference?
And the AGS, to me, is theorganization that really focuses
on jewelry stores doing thingsthe right way for the right
(11:40):
reasons, and that's why Igravitated towards it and why I
think I sit in this position,because it just resonated with
me and I wanted to do anything Icould to spread the mission of
the AGS.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
And how has president for a year now, has that
informed your role?
As you know, president for forPattis Pasture Jewelry, do they
kind of relate to each other?
Because I wonder what the kindof difference in scope is of
being a leader for a you know, agemological society and then
(12:12):
for a business, because on onehand your product, quote unquote
is education and on the otheryour product is product, which
is jewelry.
Speaker 3 (12:22):
Literal product yeah, exactly?
Speaker 1 (12:24):
Is there kind of like a shift in mindset?
Does one form the other?
Speaker 3 (12:28):
You know, rather than call it a balancing act between
AGS and my role here in thestores, I call it more of a
juggling act, and you can add innew mom to that equation.
You can add in my husband and Ijust bought a house.
We're also in the process ofrebuilding the house that we
lived in that burned down.
I'm really honored to serve onthe executive committee of
(12:50):
Jewelers for Children, which isour industry's big nonprofit
partner that supportsorganizations like Make-A-Wish
and Casa and all these fantasticorganizations.
The thing about it is that theyall feed each other.
The thing about it is that theyall feed each other.
Being in these different kindsof roles is really energizing.
I wake up every morning knowingthat there's going to be
something that is exciting.
That's going to happen one wayor another, whether it be on the
(13:12):
sales floor where somebodyproposes, or whether it be.
Ags is announcing this amazingevent Converge that's coming up
in September in a partnershipwith GIA.
I know there's always going tobe something and it's a lot of
hats to wear, but I'm reallyfortunate to have an incredible
team with the American GemSociety.
Both the staff and the team ofAGS is absolutely exceptional.
(13:32):
You know, catherine.
We have two Catherines now bothCatherines Donna Wade, janice
Denise and the entire team.
They are exceptional and do somuch work to make sure that our
society members feel the valueof their membership.
And then I've got a greatmanagement team here at PADIS,
and that's really what makes itpossible.
I also am so fortunate Our boardwith the AGS is so involved.
(13:56):
It's probably the most activeboard in the industry.
So the balancing slash,juggling act is really a product
of the people around me, and Icouldn't do any of this if it
weren't for these amazing people, these amazing peers that I
feel so fortunate to work withand learn from.
And you know, it's just makingsure everybody has the right
(14:17):
opportunity to shine is what itboils down to.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
I love how you take an education mindset from it too
.
Again, with AGS being sofocused on on education, I do
feel like, uh, like, in abroader scope, I find that some
people like being experts atthings and they're very
uncomfortable with being, uh,not an expert.
You know being a beginner and Ido find, though, that every now
(14:40):
and then, resetting yourself tobe a beginner again and
resetting is like a great way tokind of inform yourself even
deeper, because a lot of timeswe don't even realize that we do
things very subtly becausewe're such experts at them.
But I do want to ask like ayear is a long time.
Have you had any big decisionsyou've had to come across?
(15:03):
Have you had any big decisionsyou've had to come across?
I always joke that the tariffepisode is going to be coming
any day now.
So long as we have a tariffdeadline, every time I go to
schedule it, it's guaranteedit's going to roll back another
90 days.
What has that been like for youthis past year?
Any big decisions you've had tocome across?
Speaker 3 (15:23):
You know, like we've mentioned, there's just so much
change and so much evolution inour industry and it's, you know,
try to put a date on tariffs.
What tariffs?
What are you talking?
about it's just, you know it's.
Hopefully three months from now, we'll all be looking at each
other and be like remember whenwe were so stressed about
something that didn't matter?
Let's keep our fingers crossed,because learned and I claim to
(15:50):
be an expert on nothing that,initially, is why I wanted to
join AGS is because I wanted tobecome a certified gemologist
appraiser, which is the highestcredential our industry holds.
It's in addition to being a GIAgraduate gemologist.
It's that commitment to ongoingeducation in order to stay a
CGA, and that was purely mydriver right Is I want to know
(16:10):
that I've got the highest levelof education that our industry
has to offer.
By no means does that make mean expert but, if nothing else,
I have a credential to show thatI'm committed to that expertise
of sorts.
You know, and it's.
I think the big decisions arecontinual decisions for an
organization.
It's not these moments of blackor white, it's my type of
(16:33):
leadership is very collaborative.
I very much feel strongly, andthe best use of time is to get
as many stakeholder opinions aspossible to make sure that we're
headed in the right direction.
And, in the case of the AGS,every three to five years we do
a strategic plan and I wasfortunate to take it over.
Lisa had begun this strategicplan as our past president.
(16:55):
I took it over and we're reallynow hitting the ground running.
It's a ton of behind the sceneswork that I have to thank the
AGES team and our board for, butit's resulting in a lot of
really positive moves towardsensuring that the organization
continues long into the future.
We're looking at our governanceand our membership structure and
(17:15):
anyone who's ever lookedthrough bylaws.
You go a little cross-eyedafter a few hours and in our
case we had 90 years worth ofbylaws and adjustments and edits
and sometimes things became alittle circular and you've got
to reference this to get to thisand up down left right.
So we really streamlined somuch of that, which is not a
sexy proposition at all, butit's one that's very necessary
(17:39):
to allow us to be nimble intothe future, and it led us to
propose a bylaws update, andsome of the exciting things that
have come out of it is that ourcredentialing, which
traditionally just reallyextended to our retailers, is
now going to be available to allof our membership types.
There's no reason that oursupplier members, our sustaining
members, shouldn't also be ableto get credentials if they want
(18:00):
to.
It's kind of that mentality of arising tide raises all boats,
and a passion project of mine inparticular is we had a supplier
task force which represented agood amount of the AGS member
suppliers, and we aretransitioning what's considered
a temporary task force, whichrepresented a good amount of the
(18:21):
AGS member suppliers, and weare transitioning what's
considered a temporary taskforce or kind of an ad hoc
committee into a permanentcommittee that will have a seat
at our board and on our boardand hopefully that sends that
very clear message to oursuppliers that you are a huge
part of the lifeblood of ourorganization and you deserve a
seat at the leadership table.
So we have what's called ourpartner advisory council.
That will be a standingcommittee.
Breckin Farnsworth from Parlayis going to chair it, and that's
just two examples of ways wherewe look at our membership base
(18:44):
and go what can we do better?
How do we ensure that we havethe most feedback we can
possibly get?
To basically serve as a stampof that we're going in the right
direction.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
Can possibly get to basically serve as a stamp of
that we're going in the rightdirection.
Wow, it's such a man, a largescope.
Because increasingly that's oneof the focuses at Punchmark is
we had a real shift in mentality.
It used to be that we wereservicing retailers and then we
had a moment where we were like,wait, but the other part of the
ecosystem and the equation isthese vendors, and shouldn't we
be servicing them as well?
(19:15):
But it's like oh, the vendorsservice the retailers, but we
service the vendors as well.
Shouldn't we all be talking toeach other all the time?
And when you start to have thatkind of conversation about you
know like having a round tableas opposed to you know
one-on-ones, suddenly yourealize, yeah, instead of having
like an ad hoc committee, maybeyou need to have more of like a
(19:36):
seat at the table.
I think that's a reallyreasonable way to kind of
approach it and also signifiesthat you're going into something
new.
That's really cool.
I love to hear that.
Speaker 3 (19:46):
And I think it's a smart approach for you guys as
well, because you know, if thesuppliers aren't healthy, then
the retailers aren't healthy.
If the retailers aren't healthy, then the retailers aren't
healthy.
If the retailers aren't healthy, the suppliers aren't healthy.
It's such a symbioticrelationship and the more we all
can do to ensure the long-termhealth of all levels of our
industry, the better we all areoff.
And it's just, you know, it'sorganizations like Punchmark and
(20:06):
like AGS that hopefully providethose collaborative efforts to
make sure that, as an industry,we're as strong as we can
possibly be.
The more we work together, themore we all pull on the rope in
the same direction, the betterwe all are.
It's truly, truly symbiotic.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
I truly could not agree more.
But everybody, we're going totake a quick break and when we
come back I want to talk aboutConclave and Converge.
So everyone, stay with us.
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Learn more about them in theshow notes below.
And now back to the show.
Welcome back everybody Stillspeaking with Alexis Paz,
president of AGS, in her nowsecond year.
Yes, I would like to talk aboutthese.
They're not really trade shows.
I guess you might even callthem what is the term that you
(21:48):
use for these events?
Speaker 3 (21:49):
Oh, that's a great question.
Well, I think you hit the nailon the head.
It's not a trade show.
To me, it is the preeminenteducation and networking
opportunity that our industryhas to offer.
Two C words Converge andConclave.
So Conclave is the American GemSociety event we host every
year.
The locations change.
It centers entirely aroundeducation and networking.
(22:12):
It has no real sellingopportunities because you know,
you kind of, if you're sittingin an educational seminar and
you have the opportunity to beon a trade show floor, you kind
of get this push-pullenvironment, whereas at Conclave
you can focus exclusively onpersonal empowerment and on
education and making sure thatyou are at the upper echelon in
(22:32):
terms of industry standards andeducation and expertise.
This year we've had anincredible opportunity, in a
partnership with GIA, to put onan event called Converge.
It's at a slightly differenttime of year this year.
It's in September, september7th through the 10th and it's in
Carlsbad, and a good portion ofthe event it'll be hosted at
the Omni Carlsbad as well as atthe GIA campus.
It'll be hosted at the OmniCarlsbad as well as at the GIA
(22:53):
campus.
So, in addition to all of theamazing offerings that Conclave
our AGS Conclave usually hasConverge is supercharged, if
that makes sense.
So you've got GIA right therewith us.
You've got the GIA experts thepreeminent industry experts
available to you in teachingcourses.
(23:14):
We have an open house at the GIAcampus, which is really an
opportunity.
They very, very, very rarelyopen their doors to anyone that
doesn't have a specificappointment.
If you've ever been gettingthrough security there is not
easy.
So it's these incredibleopportunities to kind of merge
what our two organizations areabout.
(23:35):
Gia is the education expert inour industry.
Ags is the guild of jewelersthat agree to adhere to that
education, to those standardsset by GIA, and we're really
bringing the two together insuch a big and exciting way.
And we're just under a monthbefore the event and I can tell
you I have chills way.
And we're at just under a monthbefore the event and I can tell
(23:56):
you I have chills.
I am so beyond excited becauseit really will be, in my opinion
, the best event our industryhas ever seen.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
What a really cool opportunity.
I don't know why this quotekeeps on popping up in my head
as we talk more and more abouteducation.
It's you know, if you give mesix hours to cut down a tree,
I'll spend the first five hourssharpening my axe, and it does
feel very much like one of those, the more you invest in
yourself in the education.
My grandpa always saideducation, they can never take
(24:22):
it away, and I think that that'sreally cool, that there's such
a focus.
Do you find that there's like areal, like a difference in
strategy?
Or because when you have twodifferent organizations like AGS
versus GIA, I know that you doconsider them to be sister
companies more or less or, Iguess, related in some way with
(24:42):
such a focus on education?
Is there any point where youhave to, like here's, you know
the main topics we need to focuson so that we're not stepping
on each other's toes, or is itjust kind of a little bit of a
free for all?
Speaker 3 (24:54):
Well, in the case of GIA and AGS sibling organization
you're 100% right is the termwe use.
We were both founded by theShipleys, beatrice and Robert.
Gia was founded in 1931.
Ags was founded in 1934.
They were really created.
We use the word symbiotic buttruly these two organizations
(25:21):
are created to serve and purposeto one another without directly
competing.
So in a lot of ways the effortsby leadership on both sides to
bring the organizations togethercollaboratively just makes
sense, because we don't compete.
We do very different things.
The GIA is the laboratory, it'sthe education.
Ags provides credentialingbased off of the GIA education
as well as our own.
And then we are that retailernetwork, that supplier network
of like-minded people that areall working together to better
(25:44):
our industry.
So the GIA is the institution,they are the credentials and
standard setting organization,and AGS is the group of
retailers and suppliers thatbring that institution to life.
We are the networkingenvironment, we are the people
side of things, we are theretailers that experience that
last 18 inches across thecounter and that ultimately are
(26:05):
the gatekeeper to the consumersthat we're trying to protect by
being gemological experts in ourfield.
So they work so beautifullywith one another and we're
really fortunate with Catherine,having worked very closely with
Susan, jacques and now withPritesh, to keep our
organizations working togetherfor the betterment of the
industry.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
It's really is very interesting the fact that there
are, that they can kind of feedinto each other.
I sometimes wonder, though,when it comes to education,
there's a lot of times there's areal focus on cutting edge.
You know, these things that areare right on, right on the
bleeding edge what is happeningand what is being worked on, but
(26:45):
also the fundamentals, and theeducation of that has been there
for many years in the past, arejust as important, and we can't
like neglect those.
Do you have to have, like, aconversation with, you know,
your counterpart at GAA todiscuss, like we should have
this percentage of Converge tobe focused on, you know, cutting
(27:08):
edge education and thispercentage to be focused on,
like the you know, thefoundation bedrock of what
jewelry?
Speaker 3 (27:17):
education is Well, it's interesting.
So Conclave is our event everyyear and as an AGS member you
have to have a credentialedemployee as part of your team.
So I think there is kind of abaseline assumption that people
have the basic skills, peopleknow the four C's, they know
kind of the basic informationaround color and jewelry
fabrication.
All those what Converge andConclave are are that
(27:40):
opportunity for continuingeducation and that's why I
gravitated towards the AmericanGem Society because of that
continuing education component,to make sure that we are on the
cutting edge of everythingthat's happening in the industry
.
And I think, in terms ofeducational sessions that are
offered at Converge, it reallyfocuses on there is some degree
of basics being taught, but itreally focuses on what's
(28:02):
important today, what'shappening in our industry today,
what treatments do we need tolook out for, what things are on
the horizon that we should beaware of.
And that's where thepartnership with GIA really
serves this educational event sostrongly, because nobody is
more on the cutting edge andit's seeing all the things we
can expect to see on the horizon, especially as a retailer, more
than GIA, wow.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
They are the front line.
Yeah, and I find that those youknow you can't offer a
certification or a yeah, likethese advanced education things,
without a heavy focus on whatis happening today.
You know, as just in the lastyear I feel like lab groans have
(28:44):
taken even a further stepforward as far as like quality
and process and things like that, and I would not want someone
to focus only on what ishappening right now, because
there are still importantaspects that have been going on
for the last 30 years.
But I do also wonder it's like,how do you balance that?
But at the same time, one ofthe things I do find very
(29:07):
interesting is that a lot ofthese people are going through
these you know experiences atthe same time, as a store owner
yourself, I just had theopportunity to speak with Bill
Becker, the president of RJL,and what's fascinating about him
is he also owns a store, andhearing how he has to balance
(29:27):
going to a trade show with beingpresident, it's like, oh, how
does that work?
He's like, well, you got to havea lot of trust and trust people
to do the buying, because hedoesn't do as much buying
anymore, because he obviouslycan't.
When I spoke with you last, youhad talked about balancing the
succession journey with yourparents and stepping into new
(29:48):
leadership at Padish Jewelry.
Can you maybe give us an updateon what that looks like for you
right now and how you'rebalancing?
You know your own journey as aas a business owner.
Speaker 3 (30:01):
You know I'm really fortunate.
I am now second generation andmy parents are so involved and
wonderful and really passionateabout the industry.
So you know my mom is actuallythe one to kind of caveat on
what you mentioned.
You know we've seen she saysthis to me all the time You've
seen more change in the lastfive years than I've seen in the
last 50 years in the industry.
(30:21):
You know that's how quicklythings are evolving.
Change is slow until it's notright.
All of a sudden we're here andone thing that didn't even come
up yet is AI.
Like let's throw that otherthing into the ring of all these
unbelievable variables thatwe're dealing with on all sides
of our industry.
Succession planning is a trickysubject.
It's one that I'm navigatingpersonally as I've stepped into
(30:44):
leadership at Patashori, as myparents begin transitioning
their roles.
I don't ever foresee my parentstruly being away from the
business in any real way.
I think it's in their lifebloodand when you're a business
founder you want to be involved.
But I do know how complex andhow emotional and how rewarding
that process can be and it'ssomething that we're really
(31:05):
working on with the AGS side.
So Amanda Coleman Phelps, who'sone of our board members.
Uh chairs a business transitiontask force and we've partnered
with obsidian business planningto actually provide a course for
people going through succession, and it's a course that we're
probably going to be goingthrough here.
Speaker 1 (31:22):
I was going to say are you going to sign up Like,
have to take it yourself?
Speaker 3 (31:25):
I am the poster child of why this course needs to
exist, because we're very muchin the throes of session
planning.
As a new mom, you know my focus.
I used to be, you know, 150percent in the stores.
You know we're open seven daysa week it never really dawned on
me that I needed to take timeaway, but now, when I have this
little human that's relying onme and wants mommy time, it's a
little bit more difficult to beas involved as I've been.
(31:48):
And then you add inresponsibilities of some of
these different industryleadership roles, that juggling
act becomes a little bit moredifficult.
And my parents being asinvolved as they are has really
helped allow me to continue toserve in the industry.
And I know my time is comingwhere I will not be able to be
as active as my parents perhapswant to enjoy the fruits of
(32:08):
their labors.
They've been doing this for 50years.
This holiday season was thefirst time where I kicked them
out.
After we had our big 50th party, I kicked them out and sent
them to Hawaii for a few daysCool, you know.
And that was the first timethey'd ever been out of the
store in a December time frameand I encourage them to do that
(32:31):
more and more because they'veearned it.
They've been working theirkeisters off for so long and I
have so much respect for themand the business they've built.
And you know, I just countmyself lucky that they want to
continue to be involved and Iwill take them in any way, shape
or form.
But I think succession planningis such an important topic and
if anyone is interested, whohappens to be listening to this
podcast, the AGS has a fantasticprogram, the Obsidian that if
you'd like to sign up, pleasefeel free to email me or you can
(32:54):
come onto our website at agsorg.
It is an exceptional,exceptional course.
We've had a few classes gothrough it.
It's really not being offeredin any real way elsewhere and I
think you know as well as I dothere's nothing more important
to make sure that our industrylasts long past you or I is to
make sure that you know it's notjust about passing the torch.
(33:14):
It's about making sure that theflame burns even brighter for
this next generation, becausethings are just getting tougher
and faster moving and you needto make sure that that passion
exists.
Speaker 1 (33:24):
I definitely agree, but at the same time, though, so
we're talking a lot about yourleadership journey.
So you have been taking onincreasing roles, increasing
roles, and now not pushing yourparents out, but having your
parents take a step back.
Speaker 3 (33:40):
Quite the opposite.
Quite the opposite.
I'm like, please stick around.
Speaker 1 (33:44):
There's going to be a moment, I'm sure, where you
realize that you don't have, youknow, 57 hands and at a certain
point you're going to have topass on responsibilities to
someone else.
Is that?
If there's one thing I knowabout hyper doers, like you know
, people that are, you know,super motivated they sometimes
have a hard time, you know,letting others take the reins Is
(34:06):
that something that you alsohave to grapple with?
You know delegating and maybenot being on the show floor as
much.
Is that, you know, a learningopportunity into itself?
Speaker 3 (34:16):
Definitely, and it's one that I'm in a continual
learning process of, because I'ma little bit of an energizer
bunny and sleep is overrated andI just go, go, go.
And I think one thing I learnedI lean on Lisa bridge a lot for
advice because she, you know,is an amazing leader and also a
mom.
Her and I had her second child,my first child, within about a
(34:36):
month of each other.
So I lean on her and she alwayssaid just continue to be
present when you're when you'rein work mode, be in work mode
and be present at work.
When you're mom mode, be in mommode and be present as a mom.
And that applies across theboard through whatever role I'm
in and for my crazy personalitytype and my OCD, control-free
kind of tendencies, it'sdifficult, but leadership is a
(34:58):
test of all of those things andI've learned to be a better
delegator out of necessity andmaking sure that the people that
that around me feel empoweredand feel like they have the
latitude and decision making tobe able to proceed, so that I'm
not the bottleneck in aparticular issue or decision,
because we don't live in a worldwhere a bottleneck allows for
(35:20):
success.
Right, If a bottleneck ispreventing things from happening
that need to happen.
You better just be able to doit, and you know it's, I think,
a product of being one of fourchildren that you've learned.
You've learned to pivot yourroles.
I'm the second of four.
My older brother is amazing,but there are certain things
that I took a leadership role inbecause I was the first to
drive, first to go to college,that kind of stuff first to date
(35:40):
.
Fortunately, he didn't have todeal with my dad in the same way
that I did as the first personto date.
So you know, it's just learningto be flexible as much as
possible in this crazy world welive in.
I wish I could say I have theanswers in that, but I very much
am in a process of evolving myown skill set to make sure that
(36:00):
I can keep up, because there's alot going on right now.
Speaker 1 (36:03):
Like I said, you know , an education and learner's
mindset is definitely.
It's important, even withthings that you know might be
more antithesis of who you are.
I find it very fascinating withwhen I started with Punchmark.
There was only eight of us and,as a result, you know we can be
involved with everything allthe time, everywhere.
And then you know, a lot ofthings were just trapped in Russ
(36:26):
and Dan's brain and, as aresult, as you start to expand
out, we had to find ways to likeliterally just pull information
out of their brains and theywere like no, no, no, I'll, I'll
handle that.
It's like no, you can't,because you can't take on more
responsibilities.
If your cup is already full, uh, at a certain point it's just
going to overflow and you're notgiving your best to all the
(36:49):
aspects.
So really cool that you're.
You know, having to handle allthese new things as well as the
increased changes, just to kindof maybe put a bow on this.
Alexis, I wanted to just talk.
You got one more year.
Is there anything?
I mean it starts with Converge.
It sounds like that is the nextthing on your to-do list.
Beyond that, is there anythingin particular that you see for
(37:12):
yourself in the next year.
Apart from, you know, planningto have AGS continue for another
90 years.
Speaker 3 (37:18):
You know, I think what Converge for me is.
I'm a very collaborative personand I look at our industry and
go there's so many alphabetorganizations, there's so many
people that want to do the rightthing, so many organizations
that are trying to do similarthings.
Why don't we work together more?
And to me, converge is thatperfect example of collaboration
within our industry.
So I'm hoping this event servesas a model for our industry to
(37:40):
really start to look at how wecan work together more and, as I
said before, start pulling onthe rope in the same direction,
because that's in all of ourbest interests, because there's
only so many resources out there.
So that's a big goal for me ismaking sure that our industry is
as collaborative as possible.
We talk about successionplanning.
That succession plan is just asimportant for the AGS board of
(38:01):
directors.
So Brian, my president-elect,and I that's been a real focus
for us is to make sure we havethis long trajectory of future
leaders to serve on the AGSboard.
So I'm going to use this as anopportunity if there is anyone
that happens to be listeningwhether you're an AGS member yet
or not, if you are interestedin helping develop the society
(38:21):
for the long term and areinterested in serving on the
board, please don't hesitate toreach out, or to reach out to
anyone at the AGS team, becausewe really are eager to find
people that want to serve andthat want to lead.
And then you know, I think youhit the nail on the head.
You know it's a short two yearterm.
Right, two years is a veryfinite period of time.
Of course, the AGS takes thisapproach of kind of blurring the
(38:44):
lines between the presidenciesto make sure that what Lisa
wants to wanted to getaccomplished is accomplished
under my term, what I want toget accomplished is accomplished
under Brian's term, and theneverything falls somewhere in
between.
So you know, making sure thatthere's this long term mindset
to how we lead the American GemSociety is really, really
crucial.
And it's a hard thing whenyou're in this two-year term,
(39:06):
but you do everything you can tomake sure that what you feel is
best for the organizationbegins to happen.
And it's been nice, as non-sexyas the bylaws change may be for
me personally, I know it's theright direction for our
organization.
And it's not glamorous.
It's not, you know, perhapswidely known at this point, but
(39:27):
the AGS team, the staff in LasVegas, where they're
headquartered, is perhaps themost exceptional group of
individuals I've ever workedwith, and I know that they've
been working amazing things tomake sure that my term as
(39:47):
president for these two yearterms is fruitful and that you
know that progress continues tohappen well beyond my term.
Speaker 1 (39:55):
What a really, I guess, inspiring kind of outlook
on it.
I you know, in listening back toour first conversation, one of
the quotes that I left was youknow, true wisdom is, you know,
planting a tree whose shadeyou'll never know.
And I think that that's verymuch the epitome is, is you know
you as a, as a president,knowing that you're working in
(40:17):
the right direction and settingup these things, who's you know,
for bows you'll never take andfor even for things that you're
working on right now that, yeah,are not not sexy and I always
sometimes laugh about.
You know, sometimes I look atour development team and they're
working on these, likeinfrastructure stuff, and it's
like we can't tell our customers, hey, we just built better
(40:41):
infrastructure for your serversso that they handle traffic
better, because no one cares,they just assume that that's
happening.
But I sometimes don't know howto convey like, hey, you know
we're putting in the work behindthe scenes, but at the same
time, sometimes I guess that'swith humbleness and the kind of
the burden of being a leader isthat you know you can't take
(41:01):
battles for everything andsometimes others get to take the
credit.
But that is still kind of partof the spirit of working in the
right direction.
So I love that for you, alexis.
I think it's really exciting.
Speaker 3 (41:10):
I don't mean I get to take plenty of bows, most of
which I don't deserve, but thereal bows are should be given to
my team here in San Franciscothat allow me to take time away
to be a part of AGS and theamazing AGS team that does so
much work, and they don't get totake the bounce, and that's
where you know I want to make apoint of acknowledging that the
(41:31):
hard work is being done by them.
I just get to be, I get to behonored of serving in the role
of president of thisorganization, and it comes from
a place of just absolutely 100%believing in what we do and
wanting to see that forward,because it's been such a huge
part of my own personaldevelopment.
Speaker 1 (41:49):
I love that, Alexis.
If people are interested inlearning more about AGS, where
should they go?
Speaker 3 (41:54):
AGSorg.
So very, very easy URL.
But I will say we're reallygreat from an online presence.
We're on Instagram, we're onFacebook.
I'm all over all of the socialmedias at all times.
As a retailer, it's just thenature of the beast, so please
don't hesitate to reach out inwhatever channel you're the most
comfortable with, and we'd behappy to be in touch.
It's, I think, perhaps the mostimportant time to consider
(42:16):
becoming an AGS member.
We're not a buying group.
We have no geographiclimitations.
If you have a fellow AGSretailer in your market and you
want to become AGS, we welcomeyou.
It is very much.
The broader the tent we cancast over the industry, the
better our industry as a whole.
So if we can encourage peopleto join AGS, that's all we're
about.
We're not an exclusiveorganization.
(42:38):
We're a very inclusiveorganization because we're all
about making sure that everyoneis on the cutting edge of
education and on technologicaladvancement, genealogical
expertise, continuing education,which ultimately benefits the
consumer, and making sure thatconsumers have jewelers that
they can trust and rely on.
Speaker 1 (42:55):
Absolutely, and it betters the name of the industry
Absolutely.
But, alexis, thank you so much.
I'm really excited to followthe rest of your term.
It sounds like you're doingincredible work over there and I
hope that Converge goes supersmoothly.
We have a couple of members ofour team that are going there
and I hope it goes really well.
But thanks everybody.
I appreciate you all listening.
(43:16):
We'll be back next week,Tuesday, with another episode.
Cheers Bye.
All right, everybody.
That's the end of the show.
Thanks so much for listening.
This week my guest was AlexisPattis.
She is the president of AGS andalso just a really inspiring
(43:37):
person.
This episode was brought to youby Punchmark and produced and
hosted by me, michael Burpo.
This episode was edited by PaulSuarez with music by Ross
Cockrum.
Don't forget to rate thepodcast on Spotify and Apple
Podcasts and leave us feedbackon punchmarkcom slash loop.
That's L-O-U-P-E.
Thanks.
We'll be back next week,tuesday, with another episode.
Cheers Bye, thank you.
Welcome to In the Loop term and she's in the
middle of it.
News just came out she wasreelected for, I guess, the next
segment of her term, which isthe next one year, and I wanted
to talk to her about what she'slearned in the past year as well
as what she hopes to accomplishin the next year and setting up
for her successor.
And then we also talk aboutupcoming events.
(00:39):
Ags Converge and this is anupcoming event in Carlsbad and
it's going to be a really coolevent that blends together GIA
and AGS, two siblingorganizations.
Alexis is fantastic on the micand is very inspiring.
The quote that kept on comingto mind the entire time as she
talks about her true year term,the quote true wisdom is
(01:00):
planting a tree whose shadeyou'll never know, and I think
that that really epitomizes thework she's doing as president of
AGS and the work she hopes tocontinue and provide for her
successor.
But I thought it was a reallycool conversation.
I'm very inspired.
Thanks and enjoy.
Speaker 2 (01:21):
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growth agency.
Our mission reaches way beyondtechnology.
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been friends way before becomingclients.
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Slash go.
Speaker 1 (02:14):
And now back to the show.
Welcome back everybody.
I'm joined by Alexis Pattis,president of AGS, for her
one-year follow-up interview.
How are you doing today, alexis?
Speaker 3 (02:31):
I'm great, Michael.
How are you doing?
Speaker 1 (02:33):
So well, I was just speaking with you right before
we started recording and I got apress release that you were
re-elected to being president ofAGS, but at the same time I was
thinking back to our firstinterview, which was just about
one year ago, and I remember youtelling me it was a two-year
period.
Is that just kind of likeprocess?
(02:53):
Is that normal?
What does that look like?
Speaker 3 (02:56):
Well, I'm very honored to be reelected as
president.
You'd go into the presidencyfor the American Gem Society
knowing that it is a two-yearcommitment but, as a part of our
bylaws, the president has to bereelected.
Our slate, which consists ofall of our proposed board
members, needs to be approvedevery year by the membership.
So it was a nice little nodfrom the membership that I'm
(03:16):
doing a good job and I cancontinue with my term.
Speaker 1 (03:19):
Let's go.
So it sounds very exciting.
I guess one of the cool thingsas I went back and I listened to
our first episode.
You were a, you were thedirector at large, and then you
were conclave chair and thenyou're a member of the executive
committee and then president.
What have you learned in yourfirst year as president?
What has that been like?
Speaker 3 (03:38):
Well, you know, I'm fortunate that I get to wear
quite a few different hats, bothwithin our own retail stores
where I'm with Pattis Jewelry.
We're based here in the SanFrancisco Bay Area.
We have five locations and I'mpresident of our company here.
I also have the honor ofserving as president of the
American Gem Society, and Ithink you know it's very
exciting times, you know it's.
(04:02):
The one thing I've learned aboutleadership is that it really
truly, truly is 10 percenttalking and 90 percent listening
.
So much of my role here withinthe stores and with the AGS is
listening to both our teammembers here and our membership
base with the American GemSociety.
And so much is learned fromjust listening to people and
listening to their perspectives.
So for me, this first year hasreally been a crash course in
(04:24):
the power of listening andreally listening before making
decisions.
As a president, you hear a lotof perspectives.
One of the things that is mostimportant to me is to be very
open and welcoming to ourmembers and to be a sounding
board and to be an opportunityfor our members to feel that
they have the ability to talk tosomebody who can make a
difference with, whatever theirexperiences.
And then, of course, there'sthat challenge of bringing
(04:47):
everyone together around ourcore mission of the American Gem
Society, which really revolvesaround continued education and
gemological expertise.
So I'm really fortunate to havethat true North Star for how I
view the AGS and it's ourmission.
And I'm really fortunate againto have our CEO, catherine, who
is an exceptional leader.
Help me along the way, alongwith her team.
(05:08):
Uh, but it's been a wild ride.
You know, this, this year in ourindustry has been a trip.
I mean, you think one thing youthink it's going to be Russian
sanctions, then we've gottariffs and we've got economic
conditions where nobody reallyknows which direction we're
going and you've got lab grownreally being a disruptor in our
industry.
I, you know, when I said yes torolling onto the executive
(05:30):
committee, it was March of 2020.
Wow, and I was sitting in anempty store and I had no idea
what the world would look likefour years from then when I
became AGS president, and youknow it's been a wild ride.
But I really, you know, I feellike, in terms of where our
industry's at, we've perhapslost some of those North Stars,
(05:51):
the companies that we could lookto to kind of be the calm or to
set the benchmark, theorganizations to set the calm,
and to me, that's why theAmerican Gem Society is of the
utmost importance, especially intimes like these, to be that
North Star, and I really I takethat responsibility very
seriously because it's one whereour members, whether they be
(06:13):
retailers or suppliers orsustaining members, need a place
they can look to for calm, forinformation, for education, for
peers that they know that theycan rely on the advice they're
getting.
And that's really what the AGSprovides.
Speaker 1 (06:27):
Wow, it's super interesting, especially because
you know you're talking abouthow you signed up.
You mentioned the term ofrolling rolled onto the board.
It's fascinating because it'salmost like you're being
educated on the role and thenyou have to do the role, so it's
like they're training you tobecome president and then
eventually, I believe, you rolloff, you become a new member of
(06:49):
the board.
Speaker 3 (06:50):
You just get kicked off, that's the joy.
So I actually roll off next yearmid-year and then I'm off the
AGS board and I think that's thebeauty in it, right Is I had my
two years to really make mymark as an organization, but the
two years prior to I was reallytransitioned and smoothly by
Lisa Bridge, who was mypresident predecessor, and then
(07:11):
I've really worked hard to makesure that the person after me,
brian Moeller, our presidentelect, is ready.
So it's it's the short termleadership term, but you really
have this long transition periodinto it and it's just a change
of scope.
You know, I started as adirector at large, which is a
really broad category.
At that point You're justtrying to get a feel for how the
(07:32):
board works.
You're providing insights andfeedback, but you don't have a
point of ownership.
And then I transitioned toconclave chair, where you have
this great educationalnetworking event that you're in
charge of and it's super easy toenergize yourself around it and
to become kind of the face ofthat event.
And then you roll onto theexecutive committee and you're
(07:52):
responsible in such a differentway.
It's so much more deeperthinking.
Long-term thinking, you know,ultimately impacts the
trajectory of the organization.
We're really fortunate.
We celebrated 90 years, lastyear as an organization and I
sit here very humbled by thatgoing.
How do I ensure that thisorganization lasts another 90
years plus, that's?
Speaker 1 (08:13):
a great goal.
Speaker 3 (08:15):
That's the big goal, right, and Lisa started that in
a lot of the work we've beendoing.
It was really spearheaded byJohn Carter.
What now six years ago?
Then Michael Richards and LisaBridge, then me and now Brian,
and then Mitchell Clark, whowill roll into the
president-elect as soon as Brianbecomes president.
There's this overarching goalof how do we position this group
(08:35):
to last far beyond any of ourterms.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
Wow, what a really interesting legacy of it all.
It's almost very the fact thatit's very planned out, it's very
stable, but I do want to talkabout leadership.
Leadership is something that Ithink is very it's almost like
very intangible, because somepeople got it.
Not everybody got it, you know,some people really are leaders,
(08:59):
and it's something that I feellike I've always been pressured
to be a leader from a young age.
I think it had to do with,unfortunately, due to sports, I
was just rather tall andathletic from a pretty young age
.
As a result, as a young guy,that puts you into a leadership
position.
What's fascinating is, I do feellike leadership is whether you
(09:22):
get it from sports or not.
It does sort of kind of bakeinto, like the, the, you know
the the base of who you are as aperson.
But it sounds like you've beentaking on these leadership roles
for quite a substantial amountof time in your career and you
are rather young.
Is that something you've kindof always been?
You've always been a leaderoutside of work, in inside of
(09:44):
work.
Is that kind of somethingyou've sort of known about
yourself since you were evenyounger?
Speaker 3 (09:50):
Funny you mentioned sports, because I was an athlete
growing up and I think for alot of us that was really our
first taste of leadership.
If you know, you could getnominated as team captain or
voted for team captain and thatwas something that you know from
a young age.
That happened.
But I think leadership, youknow, I don't necessarily think
it is.
Some people have the, somepeople don't.
I think if somebody is reallypassionate about something and
(10:13):
they have a clear vision of whatthey want to see happen,
leadership comes naturally.
And for me, I know myleadership purely revolves
around my passion.
I love our industry, backwardsand forwards, and I was so
fortunate when I first joined.
Where you're coming in as anewbie, you're the opposite of a
leader right.
You're the, the person that'sliterally holding onto your
parents' coattails in thatsituation and I was embraced so
(10:35):
wonderfully by some amazingpeople in the industry and you
know, through them leading me, Ibecame a leader right and all
you can do is be grateful topeople like that.
You know I said I stand on theshoulders of a lot of people,
especially as a female in theindustry.
The industry has come so far insuch a short period of time
(10:56):
about really embracing women andwomen in leadership.
The vast majority of ourindustry organizations are now
run by leaders, and I was adirect beneficiary of some
amazing people that reallybrought me along for the ride.
So you know, I think it justdepends.
I think we all are a leader inone respective part of our lives
.
In my case, I'm just reallyfortunate to be so, so
(11:18):
passionate about our industry,and so much of my industry
passion is derived from myexperience with AGS.
All of my best friends are AGSmembers.
Going to Conclave was reallythat big moment of this industry
is so big.
How do you make a difference?
And the AGS, to me, is theorganization that really focuses
on jewelry stores doing thingsthe right way for the right
(11:40):
reasons, and that's why Igravitated towards it and why I
think I sit in this position,because it just resonated with
me and I wanted to do anything Icould to spread the mission of
the AGS.
Speaker 1 (11:51):
And how has president for a year now, has that
informed your role?
As you know, president for forPattis Pasture Jewelry, do they
kind of relate to each other?
Because I wonder what the kindof difference in scope is of
being a leader for a you know, agemological society and then
(12:12):
for a business, because on onehand your product, quote unquote
is education and on the otheryour product is product, which
is jewelry.
Speaker 3 (12:22):
Literal product yeah, exactly?
Speaker 1 (12:24):
Is there kind of like a shift in mindset?
Does one form the other?
Speaker 3 (12:28):
You know, rather than call it a balancing act between
AGS and my role here in thestores, I call it more of a
juggling act, and you can add innew mom to that equation.
You can add in my husband and Ijust bought a house.
We're also in the process ofrebuilding the house that we
lived in that burned down.
I'm really honored to serve onthe executive committee of
(12:50):
Jewelers for Children, which isour industry's big nonprofit
partner that supportsorganizations like Make-A-Wish
and Casa and all these fantasticorganizations.
The thing about it is that theyall feed each other.
The thing about it is that theyall feed each other.
Being in these different kindsof roles is really energizing.
I wake up every morning knowingthat there's going to be
something that is exciting.
That's going to happen one wayor another, whether it be on the
(13:12):
sales floor where somebodyproposes, or whether it be.
Ags is announcing this amazingevent Converge that's coming up
in September in a partnershipwith GIA.
I know there's always going tobe something and it's a lot of
hats to wear, but I'm reallyfortunate to have an incredible
team with the American GemSociety.
Both the staff and the team ofAGS is absolutely exceptional.
(13:32):
You know, catherine.
We have two Catherines now bothCatherines Donna Wade, janice
Denise and the entire team.
They are exceptional and do somuch work to make sure that our
society members feel the valueof their membership.
And then I've got a greatmanagement team here at PADIS,
and that's really what makes itpossible.
I also am so fortunate Our boardwith the AGS is so involved.
(13:56):
It's probably the most activeboard in the industry.
So the balancing slash,juggling act is really a product
of the people around me, and Icouldn't do any of this if it
weren't for these amazing people, these amazing peers that I
feel so fortunate to work withand learn from.
And you know, it's just makingsure everybody has the right
(14:17):
opportunity to shine is what itboils down to.
Speaker 1 (14:19):
I love how you take an education mindset from it too
.
Again, with AGS being sofocused on on education, I do
feel like, uh, like, in abroader scope, I find that some
people like being experts atthings and they're very
uncomfortable with being, uh,not an expert.
You know being a beginner and Ido find, though, that every now
(14:40):
and then, resetting yourself tobe a beginner again and
resetting is like a great way tokind of inform yourself even
deeper, because a lot of timeswe don't even realize that we do
things very subtly becausewe're such experts at them.
But I do want to ask like ayear is a long time.
Have you had any big decisionsyou've had to come across?
(15:03):
Have you had any big decisionsyou've had to come across?
I always joke that the tariffepisode is going to be coming
any day now.
So long as we have a tariffdeadline, every time I go to
schedule it, it's guaranteedit's going to roll back another
90 days.
What has that been like for youthis past year?
Any big decisions you've had tocome across?
Speaker 3 (15:23):
You know, like we've mentioned, there's just so much
change and so much evolution inour industry and it's, you know,
try to put a date on tariffs.
What tariffs?
What are you talking?
about it's just, you know it's.
Hopefully three months from now, we'll all be looking at each
other and be like remember whenwe were so stressed about
something that didn't matter?
Let's keep our fingers crossed,because learned and I claim to
(15:50):
be an expert on nothing that,initially, is why I wanted to
join AGS is because I wanted tobecome a certified gemologist
appraiser, which is the highestcredential our industry holds.
It's in addition to being a GIAgraduate gemologist.
It's that commitment to ongoingeducation in order to stay a
CGA, and that was purely mydriver right Is I want to know
(16:10):
that I've got the highest levelof education that our industry
has to offer.
By no means does that make mean expert but, if nothing else,
I have a credential to show thatI'm committed to that expertise
of sorts.
You know, and it's.
I think the big decisions arecontinual decisions for an
organization.
It's not these moments of blackor white, it's my type of
(16:33):
leadership is very collaborative.
I very much feel strongly, andthe best use of time is to get
as many stakeholder opinions aspossible to make sure that we're
headed in the right direction.
And, in the case of the AGS,every three to five years we do
a strategic plan and I wasfortunate to take it over.
Lisa had begun this strategicplan as our past president.
(16:55):
I took it over and we're reallynow hitting the ground running.
It's a ton of behind the sceneswork that I have to thank the
AGES team and our board for, butit's resulting in a lot of
really positive moves towardsensuring that the organization
continues long into the future.
We're looking at our governanceand our membership structure and
(17:15):
anyone who's ever lookedthrough bylaws.
You go a little cross-eyedafter a few hours and in our
case we had 90 years worth ofbylaws and adjustments and edits
and sometimes things became alittle circular and you've got
to reference this to get to thisand up down left right.
So we really streamlined somuch of that, which is not a
sexy proposition at all, butit's one that's very necessary
(17:39):
to allow us to be nimble intothe future, and it led us to
propose a bylaws update, andsome of the exciting things that
have come out of it is that ourcredentialing, which
traditionally just reallyextended to our retailers, is
now going to be available to allof our membership types.
There's no reason that oursupplier members, our sustaining
members, shouldn't also be ableto get credentials if they want
(18:00):
to.
It's kind of that mentality of arising tide raises all boats,
and a passion project of mine inparticular is we had a supplier
task force which represented agood amount of the AGS member
suppliers, and we aretransitioning what's considered
a temporary task force, whichrepresented a good amount of the
(18:21):
AGS member suppliers, and weare transitioning what's
considered a temporary taskforce or kind of an ad hoc
committee into a permanentcommittee that will have a seat
at our board and on our boardand hopefully that sends that
very clear message to oursuppliers that you are a huge
part of the lifeblood of ourorganization and you deserve a
seat at the leadership table.
So we have what's called ourpartner advisory council.
That will be a standingcommittee.
Breckin Farnsworth from Parlayis going to chair it, and that's
just two examples of ways wherewe look at our membership base
(18:44):
and go what can we do better?
How do we ensure that we havethe most feedback we can
possibly get?
To basically serve as a stampof that we're going in the right
direction.
Speaker 1 (18:53):
Can possibly get to basically serve as a stamp of
that we're going in the rightdirection.
Wow, it's such a man, a largescope.
Because increasingly that's oneof the focuses at Punchmark is
we had a real shift in mentality.
It used to be that we wereservicing retailers and then we
had a moment where we were like,wait, but the other part of the
ecosystem and the equation isthese vendors, and shouldn't we
be servicing them as well?
(19:15):
But it's like oh, the vendorsservice the retailers, but we
service the vendors as well.
Shouldn't we all be talking toeach other all the time?
And when you start to have thatkind of conversation about you
know like having a round tableas opposed to you know
one-on-ones, suddenly yourealize, yeah, instead of having
like an ad hoc committee, maybeyou need to have more of like a
(19:36):
seat at the table.
I think that's a reallyreasonable way to kind of
approach it and also signifiesthat you're going into something
new.
That's really cool.
I love to hear that.
Speaker 3 (19:46):
And I think it's a smart approach for you guys as
well, because you know, if thesuppliers aren't healthy, then
the retailers aren't healthy.
If the retailers aren't healthy, then the retailers aren't
healthy.
If the retailers aren't healthy, the suppliers aren't healthy.
It's such a symbioticrelationship and the more we all
can do to ensure the long-termhealth of all levels of our
industry, the better we all areoff.
And it's just, you know, it'sorganizations like Punchmark and
(20:06):
like AGS that hopefully providethose collaborative efforts to
make sure that, as an industry,we're as strong as we can
possibly be.
The more we work together, themore we all pull on the rope in
the same direction, the betterwe all are.
It's truly, truly symbiotic.
Speaker 1 (20:22):
I truly could not agree more.
But everybody, we're going totake a quick break and when we
come back I want to talk aboutConclave and Converge.
So everyone, stay with us.
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Learn more about them in theshow notes below.
And now back to the show.
Welcome back everybody Stillspeaking with Alexis Paz,
president of AGS, in her nowsecond year.
Yes, I would like to talk aboutthese.
They're not really trade shows.
I guess you might even callthem what is the term that you
(21:48):
use for these events?
Speaker 3 (21:49):
Oh, that's a great question.
Well, I think you hit the nailon the head.
It's not a trade show.
To me, it is the preeminenteducation and networking
opportunity that our industryhas to offer.
Two C words Converge andConclave.
So Conclave is the American GemSociety event we host every
year.
The locations change.
It centers entirely aroundeducation and networking.
(22:12):
It has no real sellingopportunities because you know,
you kind of, if you're sittingin an educational seminar and
you have the opportunity to beon a trade show floor, you kind
of get this push-pullenvironment, whereas at Conclave
you can focus exclusively onpersonal empowerment and on
education and making sure thatyou are at the upper echelon in
(22:32):
terms of industry standards andeducation and expertise.
This year we've had anincredible opportunity, in a
partnership with GIA, to put onan event called Converge.
It's at a slightly differenttime of year this year.
It's in September, september7th through the 10th and it's in
Carlsbad, and a good portion ofthe event it'll be hosted at
the Omni Carlsbad as well as atthe GIA campus.
It'll be hosted at the OmniCarlsbad as well as at the GIA
(22:53):
campus.
So, in addition to all of theamazing offerings that Conclave
our AGS Conclave usually hasConverge is supercharged, if
that makes sense.
So you've got GIA right therewith us.
You've got the GIA experts thepreeminent industry experts
available to you in teachingcourses.
(23:14):
We have an open house at the GIAcampus, which is really an
opportunity.
They very, very, very rarelyopen their doors to anyone that
doesn't have a specificappointment.
If you've ever been gettingthrough security there is not
easy.
So it's these incredibleopportunities to kind of merge
what our two organizations areabout.
(23:35):
Gia is the education expert inour industry.
Ags is the guild of jewelersthat agree to adhere to that
education, to those standardsset by GIA, and we're really
bringing the two together insuch a big and exciting way.
And we're just under a monthbefore the event and I can tell
you I have chills way.
And we're at just under a monthbefore the event and I can tell
(23:56):
you I have chills.
I am so beyond excited becauseit really will be, in my opinion
, the best event our industryhas ever seen.
Speaker 1 (24:00):
What a really cool opportunity.
I don't know why this quotekeeps on popping up in my head
as we talk more and more abouteducation.
It's you know, if you give mesix hours to cut down a tree,
I'll spend the first five hourssharpening my axe, and it does
feel very much like one of those, the more you invest in
yourself in the education.
My grandpa always saideducation, they can never take
(24:22):
it away, and I think that that'sreally cool, that there's such
a focus.
Do you find that there's like areal, like a difference in
strategy?
Or because when you have twodifferent organizations like AGS
versus GIA, I know that you doconsider them to be sister
companies more or less or, Iguess, related in some way with
(24:42):
such a focus on education?
Is there any point where youhave to, like here's, you know
the main topics we need to focuson so that we're not stepping
on each other's toes, or is itjust kind of a little bit of a
free for all?
Speaker 3 (24:54):
Well, in the case of GIA and AGS sibling organization
you're 100% right is the termwe use.
We were both founded by theShipleys, beatrice and Robert.
Gia was founded in 1931.
Ags was founded in 1934.
They were really created.
We use the word symbiotic buttruly these two organizations
(25:21):
are created to serve and purposeto one another without directly
competing.
So in a lot of ways the effortsby leadership on both sides to
bring the organizations togethercollaboratively just makes
sense, because we don't compete.
We do very different things.
The GIA is the laboratory, it'sthe education.
Ags provides credentialingbased off of the GIA education
as well as our own.
And then we are that retailernetwork, that supplier network
of like-minded people that areall working together to better
(25:44):
our industry.
So the GIA is the institution,they are the credentials and
standard setting organization,and AGS is the group of
retailers and suppliers thatbring that institution to life.
We are the networkingenvironment, we are the people
side of things, we are theretailers that experience that
last 18 inches across thecounter and that ultimately are
(26:05):
the gatekeeper to the consumersthat we're trying to protect by
being gemological experts in ourfield.
So they work so beautifullywith one another and we're
really fortunate with Catherine,having worked very closely with
Susan, jacques and now withPritesh, to keep our
organizations working togetherfor the betterment of the
industry.
Speaker 1 (26:24):
It's really is very interesting the fact that there
are, that they can kind of feedinto each other.
I sometimes wonder, though,when it comes to education,
there's a lot of times there's areal focus on cutting edge.
You know, these things that areare right on, right on the
bleeding edge what is happeningand what is being worked on, but
(26:45):
also the fundamentals, and theeducation of that has been there
for many years in the past, arejust as important, and we can't
like neglect those.
Do you have to have, like, aconversation with, you know,
your counterpart at GAA todiscuss, like we should have
this percentage of Converge tobe focused on, you know, cutting
(27:08):
edge education and thispercentage to be focused on,
like the you know, thefoundation bedrock of what
jewelry?
Speaker 3 (27:17):
education is Well, it's interesting.
So Conclave is our event everyyear and as an AGS member you
have to have a credentialedemployee as part of your team.
So I think there is kind of abaseline assumption that people
have the basic skills, peopleknow the four C's, they know
kind of the basic informationaround color and jewelry
fabrication.
All those what Converge andConclave are are that
(27:40):
opportunity for continuingeducation and that's why I
gravitated towards the AmericanGem Society because of that
continuing education component,to make sure that we are on the
cutting edge of everythingthat's happening in the industry
.
And I think, in terms ofeducational sessions that are
offered at Converge, it reallyfocuses on there is some degree
of basics being taught, but itreally focuses on what's
(28:02):
important today, what'shappening in our industry today,
what treatments do we need tolook out for, what things are on
the horizon that we should beaware of.
And that's where thepartnership with GIA really
serves this educational event sostrongly, because nobody is
more on the cutting edge andit's seeing all the things we
can expect to see on the horizon, especially as a retailer, more
than GIA, wow.
Speaker 1 (28:23):
They are the front line.
Yeah, and I find that those youknow you can't offer a
certification or a yeah, likethese advanced education things,
without a heavy focus on whatis happening today.
You know, as just in the lastyear I feel like lab groans have
(28:44):
taken even a further stepforward as far as like quality
and process and things like that, and I would not want someone
to focus only on what ishappening right now, because
there are still importantaspects that have been going on
for the last 30 years.
But I do also wonder it's like,how do you balance that?
But at the same time, one ofthe things I do find very
(29:07):
interesting is that a lot ofthese people are going through
these you know experiences atthe same time, as a store owner
yourself, I just had theopportunity to speak with Bill
Becker, the president of RJL,and what's fascinating about him
is he also owns a store, andhearing how he has to balance
(29:27):
going to a trade show with beingpresident, it's like, oh, how
does that work?
He's like, well, you got to havea lot of trust and trust people
to do the buying, because hedoesn't do as much buying
anymore, because he obviouslycan't.
When I spoke with you last, youhad talked about balancing the
succession journey with yourparents and stepping into new
(29:48):
leadership at Padish Jewelry.
Can you maybe give us an updateon what that looks like for you
right now and how you'rebalancing?
You know your own journey as aas a business owner.
Speaker 3 (30:01):
You know I'm really fortunate.
I am now second generation andmy parents are so involved and
wonderful and really passionateabout the industry.
So you know my mom is actuallythe one to kind of caveat on
what you mentioned.
You know we've seen she saysthis to me all the time You've
seen more change in the lastfive years than I've seen in the
last 50 years in the industry.
(30:21):
You know that's how quicklythings are evolving.
Change is slow until it's notright.
All of a sudden we're here andone thing that didn't even come
up yet is AI.
Like let's throw that otherthing into the ring of all these
unbelievable variables thatwe're dealing with on all sides
of our industry.
Succession planning is a trickysubject.
It's one that I'm navigatingpersonally as I've stepped into
(30:44):
leadership at Patashori, as myparents begin transitioning
their roles.
I don't ever foresee my parentstruly being away from the
business in any real way.
I think it's in their lifebloodand when you're a business
founder you want to be involved.
But I do know how complex andhow emotional and how rewarding
that process can be and it'ssomething that we're really
(31:05):
working on with the AGS side.
So Amanda Coleman Phelps, who'sone of our board members.
Uh chairs a business transitiontask force and we've partnered
with obsidian business planningto actually provide a course for
people going through succession, and it's a course that we're
probably going to be goingthrough here.
Speaker 1 (31:22):
I was going to say are you going to sign up Like,
have to take it yourself?
Speaker 3 (31:25):
I am the poster child of why this course needs to
exist, because we're very muchin the throes of session
planning.
As a new mom, you know my focus.
I used to be, you know, 150percent in the stores.
You know we're open seven daysa week it never really dawned on
me that I needed to take timeaway, but now, when I have this
little human that's relying onme and wants mommy time, it's a
little bit more difficult to beas involved as I've been.
(31:48):
And then you add inresponsibilities of some of
these different industryleadership roles, that juggling
act becomes a little bit moredifficult.
And my parents being asinvolved as they are has really
helped allow me to continue toserve in the industry.
And I know my time is comingwhere I will not be able to be
as active as my parents perhapswant to enjoy the fruits of
(32:08):
their labors.
They've been doing this for 50years.
This holiday season was thefirst time where I kicked them
out.
After we had our big 50th party, I kicked them out and sent
them to Hawaii for a few daysCool, you know.
And that was the first timethey'd ever been out of the
store in a December time frameand I encourage them to do that
(32:31):
more and more because they'veearned it.
They've been working theirkeisters off for so long and I
have so much respect for themand the business they've built.
And you know, I just countmyself lucky that they want to
continue to be involved and Iwill take them in any way, shape
or form.
But I think succession planningis such an important topic and
if anyone is interested, whohappens to be listening to this
podcast, the AGS has a fantasticprogram, the Obsidian that if
you'd like to sign up, pleasefeel free to email me or you can
(32:54):
come onto our website at agsorg.
It is an exceptional,exceptional course.
We've had a few classes gothrough it.
It's really not being offeredin any real way elsewhere and I
think you know as well as I dothere's nothing more important
to make sure that our industrylasts long past you or I is to
make sure that you know it's notjust about passing the torch.
(33:14):
It's about making sure that theflame burns even brighter for
this next generation, becausethings are just getting tougher
and faster moving and you needto make sure that that passion
exists.
Speaker 1 (33:24):
I definitely agree, but at the same time, though, so
we're talking a lot about yourleadership journey.
So you have been taking onincreasing roles, increasing
roles, and now not pushing yourparents out, but having your
parents take a step back.
Speaker 3 (33:40):
Quite the opposite.
Quite the opposite.
I'm like, please stick around.
Speaker 1 (33:44):
There's going to be a moment, I'm sure, where you
realize that you don't have, youknow, 57 hands and at a certain
point you're going to have topass on responsibilities to
someone else.
Is that?
If there's one thing I knowabout hyper doers, like you know
, people that are, you know,super motivated they sometimes
have a hard time, you know,letting others take the reins Is
(34:06):
that something that you alsohave to grapple with?
You know delegating and maybenot being on the show floor as
much.
Is that, you know, a learningopportunity into itself?
Speaker 3 (34:16):
Definitely, and it's one that I'm in a continual
learning process of, because I'ma little bit of an energizer
bunny and sleep is overrated andI just go, go, go.
And I think one thing I learnedI lean on Lisa bridge a lot for
advice because she, you know,is an amazing leader and also a
mom.
Her and I had her second child,my first child, within about a
(34:36):
month of each other.
So I lean on her and she alwayssaid just continue to be
present when you're when you'rein work mode, be in work mode
and be present at work.
When you're mom mode, be in mommode and be present as a mom.
And that applies across theboard through whatever role I'm
in and for my crazy personalitytype and my OCD, control-free
kind of tendencies, it'sdifficult, but leadership is a
(34:58):
test of all of those things andI've learned to be a better
delegator out of necessity andmaking sure that the people that
that around me feel empoweredand feel like they have the
latitude and decision making tobe able to proceed, so that I'm
not the bottleneck in aparticular issue or decision,
because we don't live in a worldwhere a bottleneck allows for
(35:20):
success.
Right, If a bottleneck ispreventing things from happening
that need to happen.
You better just be able to doit, and you know it's, I think,
a product of being one of fourchildren that you've learned.
You've learned to pivot yourroles.
I'm the second of four.
My older brother is amazing,but there are certain things
that I took a leadership role inbecause I was the first to
drive, first to go to college,that kind of stuff first to date
(35:40):
.
Fortunately, he didn't have todeal with my dad in the same way
that I did as the first personto date.
So you know, it's just learningto be flexible as much as
possible in this crazy world welive in.
I wish I could say I have theanswers in that, but I very much
am in a process of evolving myown skill set to make sure that
(36:00):
I can keep up, because there's alot going on right now.
Speaker 1 (36:03):
Like I said, you know , an education and learner's
mindset is definitely.
It's important, even withthings that you know might be
more antithesis of who you are.
I find it very fascinating withwhen I started with Punchmark.
There was only eight of us and,as a result, you know we can be
involved with everything allthe time, everywhere.
And then you know, a lot ofthings were just trapped in Russ
(36:26):
and Dan's brain and, as aresult, as you start to expand
out, we had to find ways to likeliterally just pull information
out of their brains and theywere like no, no, no, I'll, I'll
handle that.
It's like no, you can't,because you can't take on more
responsibilities.
If your cup is already full, uh, at a certain point it's just
going to overflow and you're notgiving your best to all the
(36:49):
aspects.
So really cool that you're.
You know, having to handle allthese new things as well as the
increased changes, just to kindof maybe put a bow on this.
Alexis, I wanted to just talk.
You got one more year.
Is there anything?
I mean it starts with Converge.
It sounds like that is the nextthing on your to-do list.
Beyond that, is there anythingin particular that you see for
(37:12):
yourself in the next year.
Apart from, you know, planningto have AGS continue for another
90 years.
Speaker 3 (37:18):
You know, I think what Converge for me is.
I'm a very collaborative personand I look at our industry and
go there's so many alphabetorganizations, there's so many
people that want to do the rightthing, so many organizations
that are trying to do similarthings.
Why don't we work together more?
And to me, converge is thatperfect example of collaboration
within our industry.
So I'm hoping this event servesas a model for our industry to
(37:40):
really start to look at how wecan work together more and, as I
said before, start pulling onthe rope in the same direction,
because that's in all of ourbest interests, because there's
only so many resources out there.
So that's a big goal for me ismaking sure that our industry is
as collaborative as possible.
We talk about successionplanning.
That succession plan is just asimportant for the AGS board of
(38:01):
directors.
So Brian, my president-elect,and I that's been a real focus
for us is to make sure we havethis long trajectory of future
leaders to serve on the AGSboard.
So I'm going to use this as anopportunity if there is anyone
that happens to be listeningwhether you're an AGS member yet
or not, if you are interestedin helping develop the society
(38:21):
for the long term and areinterested in serving on the
board, please don't hesitate toreach out, or to reach out to
anyone at the AGS team, becausewe really are eager to find
people that want to serve andthat want to lead.
And then you know, I think youhit the nail on the head.
You know it's a short two yearterm.
Right, two years is a veryfinite period of time.
Of course, the AGS takes thisapproach of kind of blurring the
(38:44):
lines between the presidenciesto make sure that what Lisa
wants to wanted to getaccomplished is accomplished
under my term, what I want toget accomplished is accomplished
under Brian's term, and theneverything falls somewhere in
between.
So you know, making sure thatthere's this long term mindset
to how we lead the American GemSociety is really, really
crucial.
And it's a hard thing whenyou're in this two-year term,
(39:06):
but you do everything you can tomake sure that what you feel is
best for the organizationbegins to happen.
And it's been nice, as non-sexyas the bylaws change may be for
me personally, I know it's theright direction for our
organization.
And it's not glamorous.
It's not, you know, perhapswidely known at this point, but
(39:27):
the AGS team, the staff in LasVegas, where they're
headquartered, is perhaps themost exceptional group of
individuals I've ever workedwith, and I know that they've
been working amazing things tomake sure that my term as
(39:47):
president for these two yearterms is fruitful and that you
know that progress continues tohappen well beyond my term.
Speaker 1 (39:55):
What a really, I guess, inspiring kind of outlook
on it.
I you know, in listening back toour first conversation, one of
the quotes that I left was youknow, true wisdom is, you know,
planting a tree whose shadeyou'll never know.
And I think that that's verymuch the epitome is, is you know
you as a, as a president,knowing that you're working in
(40:17):
the right direction and settingup these things, who's you know,
for bows you'll never take andfor even for things that you're
working on right now that, yeah,are not not sexy and I always
sometimes laugh about.
You know, sometimes I look atour development team and they're
working on these, likeinfrastructure stuff, and it's
like we can't tell our customers, hey, we just built better
(40:41):
infrastructure for your serversso that they handle traffic
better, because no one cares,they just assume that that's
happening.
But I sometimes don't know howto convey like, hey, you know
we're putting in the work behindthe scenes, but at the same
time, sometimes I guess that'swith humbleness and the kind of
the burden of being a leader isthat you know you can't take
(41:01):
battles for everything andsometimes others get to take the
credit.
But that is still kind of partof the spirit of working in the
right direction.
So I love that for you, alexis.
I think it's really exciting.
Speaker 3 (41:10):
I don't mean I get to take plenty of bows, most of
which I don't deserve, but thereal bows are should be given to
my team here in San Franciscothat allow me to take time away
to be a part of AGS and theamazing AGS team that does so
much work, and they don't get totake the bounce, and that's
where you know I want to make apoint of acknowledging that the
(41:31):
hard work is being done by them.
I just get to be, I get to behonored of serving in the role
of president of thisorganization, and it comes from
a place of just absolutely 100%believing in what we do and
wanting to see that forward,because it's been such a huge
part of my own personaldevelopment.
Speaker 1 (41:49):
I love that, Alexis.
If people are interested inlearning more about AGS, where
should they go?
Speaker 3 (41:54):
AGSorg.
So very, very easy URL.
But I will say we're reallygreat from an online presence.
We're on Instagram, we're onFacebook.
I'm all over all of the socialmedias at all times.
As a retailer, it's just thenature of the beast, so please
don't hesitate to reach out inwhatever channel you're the most
comfortable with, and we'd behappy to be in touch.
It's, I think, perhaps the mostimportant time to consider
(42:16):
becoming an AGS member.
We're not a buying group.
We have no geographiclimitations.
If you have a fellow AGSretailer in your market and you
want to become AGS, we welcomeyou.
It is very much.
The broader the tent we cancast over the industry, the
better our industry as a whole.
So if we can encourage peopleto join AGS, that's all we're
about.
We're not an exclusiveorganization.
(42:38):
We're a very inclusiveorganization because we're all
about making sure that everyoneis on the cutting edge of
education and on technologicaladvancement, genealogical
expertise, continuing education,which ultimately benefits the
consumer, and making sure thatconsumers have jewelers that
they can trust and rely on.
Speaker 1 (42:55):
Absolutely, and it betters the name of the industry
Absolutely.
But, alexis, thank you so much.
I'm really excited to followthe rest of your term.
It sounds like you're doingincredible work over there and I
hope that Converge goes supersmoothly.
We have a couple of members ofour team that are going there
and I hope it goes really well.
But thanks everybody.
I appreciate you all listening.
(43:16):
We'll be back next week,Tuesday, with another episode.
Cheers Bye.
All right, everybody.
That's the end of the show.
Thanks so much for listening.
This week my guest was AlexisPattis.
She is the president of AGS andalso just a really inspiring
(43:37):
person.
This episode was brought to youby Punchmark and produced and
hosted by me, michael Burpo.
This episode was edited by PaulSuarez with music by Ross
Cockrum.
Don't forget to rate thepodcast on Spotify and Apple
Podcasts and leave us feedbackon punchmarkcom slash loop.
That's L-O-U-P-E.
Thanks.
We'll be back next week,tuesday, with another episode.
Cheers Bye, thank you.
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