“We view our customers as friends, and we want to form a lifelong relationship,” says Chad Berg, Co-Owner and Vice President of Lee Michaels Fine Jewelry. “Each person that walks through our door or visits our website is a client, whether it’s a nervous young man looking for the perfect engagement ring or the couple celebrating 50 years of marriage.”
Founded by Chad’s father, Lee Michael Berg, the company now has nine stores across the South.
“When I was born there were three Lee Michaels locations, and the business occupied a lot of Dad’s time,” says Berg. “Some of my earliest memories are of working alongside him and answering phones, cleaning floors and gift-wrapping packages.”
Berg’s parents required him to work outside the family business before officially getting hired. After college, he was selected for the executive development program at Neiman Marcus; he then went onto become an assistant men’s sportswear buyer for the aforementioned company. “A few years later, I earned my graduate gemologist certification” and then went into the family business, he explains.
Now he oversees several stores, along with managing the marketing department. He is also part of the buying team that selects the jewelry. “I always enjoy the time I spend working with customers every day in our stores,” he says. His family life is also a priority: he finds every opportunity to spend quality time with his wife, Vanessa, and their two sons.
