20 - Sunday, September 8, 1991 - North Shore News

HIGH PROFILES
hooked on the business

Jim Kemp discusses his
first decade with Birks

IF SOMEONE had shown Jim Kemp a flashy ring in the
early 1980s, chances are he would have shrugged his
shoulders and said something to the effect of: ‘‘Hmm,

Jewelry exec

oF

See aes

NEWS photo Nei! Lucente

JIM KEMP has an eagle eye when it comes to spotting fine jewelry.

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looks nice, I guess.’”

Kemp would be the first to ad-
mit that he would have been un-
able to say what the piece of jew-
elry was worth or even if it was
genuine or a fake.

By Surj Rattan
News Reporter

But show Kemp that same ring
today and the Toronito-born
business executive will tell you in
seconds its value and if it’s real
ora fake.

At 33, Kemp is one of the
youngest executives to ascend the
success ladder of the Montreal-
based Henry Birks and Sons jew-
elry company, an established in-
stitution in the jewelry business.

Today Kemp is the B.C.
regional manager of Birks. He
oversees all 1! of Birks’ B.C.
stores and their 260 employees.

Like many Birks’ managers,
Kemp rose to the top by learning
the business from the ground
floor up. He originally joined
Birks on April Fool's Day, 1982,
as a sales clerk in the repair
department.

He admits he didn't know the
first thing about the jewelry
business when he was asked to
join the company one day while

¢ NAME: Jim Kemp

© AGE: 33

* RESIDENCE: West Vancouver
* BORN: Toronto

* OCCUPATION: B.C. regional
manager of Henry Birks and Sons
° FAMILY: Wile Nancy, one
daughter.

out on the golf course.

“‘T was looking for a job in the
advertising industry when we were
going through a recession in 198}
and 1982. There were no jobs
available at the time, and I spent
a year deciding if I wanted to
continue pursuing a career in the
advertising business.

“Then one afternoon, after
playing golf, | met Drummond
Birks (chairman of the board of
Birks) and he offered me some-
thing | could not refuse. [ got
hooked and fell in love with the
business very quick,’’ says Kemp,
as he walks around Birks’ Park
Royal store in West Vancouver.

The company was first started
by Henry Birks in 1879. Kemp
says it is important for the com-
pany to maintain the high staad-
ards established by the store's

See Employees page 24

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