National Pawnbroker Fall 2016

Official Publication of the National Pawnbrokers Association

FALL 2016

SAFE HARBOR

THE LATEST ON THE MILITARY LENDING ACT (MLA) How to Combat Unwanted Legislation

PawnEMV ExpoCARDS 2016

Convention Review EXPLAINED

Facebook Etiquette

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MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT

Working Together for Success THIS YEAR’S PAWN EXPO THEME WAS “DRIVING SUCCESS” and that’s just what the NPA is trying to do. Whether it’s learning how to manage your employees, navigating compliance regulations, or finding that perfect gem, we are here to help guide you and your business on the road to victory.

Larry Nuckols NPA President

The pawn industry has been under a microscope this year with unprecedented scrutiny.

• The Department of Defense (DoD) expanded the Military Lending Act regulation which will soon require pawnbrokers to verify the military status of every pawn customer who walks up to their counter.

• The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) issued civil investigative demands (CIDs) to several pawn stores in Virginia.

• The penalties for Form 8300 violations have been increased.

• The CFPB also issued the Small Dollar Lending Rules last month. However, pawn was not included at this time.

The CFPB is reaching out to state and local governmental agencies to make their presence known, so compliance has never been more important than it is now. If you are not completely aware of the vast powers this agency has, I would encourage you to do your research.

As pawnbrokers, we must be sure to cross every “T” and dot every “I”, not only within our own membership, but across the industry as well. Reach out to your fellow pawnbrokers on these issues and ask them to join us if they’re not already members.

The NPA has spent more time in Washington, DC, the past two years than ever before. The Government Relations Committee has visited with numerous agencies as well as the DoD. • Cliff Andrews, our NPA lobbyist, has been on Capitol Hill talking to members of the House and Senate to make our concerns known.

• We are using Rally Congress, the online advocacy platform, to send letters to lawmakers letting them know where we stand on the issues.

• Individual meetings are being held with members of Congress in our home towns to solicit support.

We need to continue to strengthen our grassroots efforts to educate our local politicians and make them aware of our concerns. As individual business owners, we need to do everything we can to gain positive PR for ourselves and the pawn industry. Success can be ours if we work together.

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Table of Contents

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COMBATING UNWANTED LEGISLATION Page 24

HIGHLIGHTS Pawn Expo 2016 – Convention in Review Page 32

32

Facebook Etiquette Page 22

IN THIS ISSUE Message from the President Message from the Executive Director Business Sense Rapaport Insights: State of the Diamond Industry The Power of the Organic Search Engine Listing Community Involvement American Jewelry and Loan: Working with Diversity FBL Scholarship Winners

1 4

Member Spotlights Pawnbroker Spotlight: Jonathon Gandy, American Pawn Industry Partner Spotlight: Worldwide Diamond Young Pawnbroker to Watch: Kara Blakeman Behind the Scenes with Cliff Andrews

18 46

42 45

Compliance New AML Online Course

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Government Relations Government Relations Update

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11 14 17 20

Contributors for this issue of National Pawnbroker Kathleen Barbee Lombard Financial Services, Inc Edward Bean Suffolk Jewelers, Inc Ric Blum Ohio Loan Co

Member News NPA Board of Directors Young Professionals NPA Mentor Program NPA Anniversary Awards New NPA Board Member Interviews State Association News New NPA Members

29 49 50 51 53 54 56

Book Corner Pawnder This Calendar of Events Index of Advertisers

55 58 60 60

Cyndee Harrison American Jewelry and Loan Rudy Klancnik Emmett Murphy 3 CLiCk Media, LLC The Rapaport Group

National Pawnbroker is the official publication of the National Pawnbrokers Association (NPA), and is published quarterly. No part of this publication may be reproduced without the written consent of Dana Meinecke, NPA Executive Director. Sale or distribution of any or all of the contents of this magazine is prohibited. All rights reserved. For more information on advertising or to obtain additional copies of National Pawnbroker, call (817) 337-8830, or send an email to Margie@ NationalPawnbrokers.org. For membership information, email Helen@NationalPawnbrokers.org. EDITOR’S NOTE: This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information on the subject matter covered. It is provided and disseminated with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal or other professional services. If legal advice is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Expressed opinions are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of ownership. © 2007-16 National Pawnbrokers Association: PO Box 508, Keller, TX 76244 • (817) 337-8830 • NationalPawnbrokers.org EDITOR: Margie Swoyer, Director of Communications & Marketing, Margie@NationalPawnbrokers.org DESIGNER: Will Bowling, WBCreative

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MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

NPA STAFF

Full Speed Ahead

Dana Meinecke NPA Executive Director

VROOM! VROOM! DO YOU HEAR THAT?

Dana Meinecke

It’s the sound of pawnbrokers gunning their engines at the starting line ready to begin the race toward success after attending this year’s Pawn Expo. With over 25 education sessions, 16 expert speakers, and 120 exhibitors, attendees left the convention with their minds (and bags) filled with new ideas, new concepts, and new ways of doing business.

Browse pages 32-41 to see what you missed if you weren’t able to attend.

Executive Director Dana@NationalPawnbrokers.org

Thank you to all of the attendees and exhibitors for making this year’s convention and trade show another rousing success. We also want to give a special shout out to our sponsors for their generous support. They include The Trendz, Marshall & Sterling, Data Age/PawnMaster, ABC Diamond Buyer, Aagam Creation LLC, Geib Refining Corp, Dillon Gage Metals, Wexler Insurance Agency, Elemetal LLC, and Esha Jewels Inc. I am very excited to announce that we have our first group of pawnbrokers who have achieved their Certified Professional Pawnbroker (CPP) designation! Six individuals were recognized during the Annual Membership Meeting and Breakfast on July 12 for completing the CPP program. They include Douglas Braswell, Don Clark, Maurice Fuller, Ben Levinson, Willie Showell, and Nick Uroda. Congratulations to all! The CPP program was developed to provide education to pawnbrokers and help enhance the image of the industry. For more information on how you can earn your CPP designation, visit NationalPawnbrokers.org/CPP. As a member of NPA, you know the value of your membership and what it provides – excellent experiences, compelling content, and indispensable resources to help you become the best pawnbroker that you can be. But even more important, the NPA advocates for each and every pawnbroker’s right to do business. Last year, the Department of Defense (DoD) made changes to the Military Lending Act (MLA) that affects you as a business owner. We could see even more of this kind of excessive regulation and have joined in a lawsuit against the DoD. We need your support so we may continue to fight against these kinds of changes that affect your livelihood. When your membership notice arrives, make sure you renew. Help us present a united front as we educate Washington on what our industry does and why our customers need us.

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Helen Moore Director of Membership Helen@NationalPawnbrokers.org

Lindsay Wilson Director of Meetings and Events Lindsay@NationalPawnbrokers.org

Margie Swoyer Director of Communications and Marketing Margie@NationalPawnbrokers.org

Marliss Allen Program Coordinator, Events and Communication Marliss@NationalPawnbrokers.org

Priscilla Fitz Program Coordinator, Executive and Membership Priscilla@ NationalPawnbrokers.org

MAILING ADDRESS: PO Box 508, Keller, TX 76244 PHYSICAL ADDRESS: 891 Keller Pkwy, Ste 220 Keller, TX 76248 Phone: (817) 337-8830 Fax: (817) 337-8875 NationalPawnbrokers.org

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GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

Military Lending Act Opinion In mid-June, the NPA launched a Rally Congress initiative requesting that pawnbrokers across the nation write letters to their congressional members asking for assistance in having the pawn exemption reinstated by the Department of Defense (DoD). As of August 1, approximately 12,000 letters have been sent to Senators, Representatives, and the President of the United States.

Edward Bean NPA GRC Chair

Below is one of many letters that members have received in response. The Representative sent the request directly to the DoD, and the DoD issued a response.

REQUEST #1: I need your assistance in seeing that the DoD either restores the exemption for pawnbrokers from MLA coverage…

RESPONSE #1: The original Military Lending Act (MLA) adopted

by Congress applies to all “consumer credit” with exceptions for residential mortgage loans and loans used to purchase automobiles or other consumer goods which remain exempt from the MLA. The intent of the act was to curtail predatory lending practices, such as triple digit interest rate loans to military service members and their families. In the initial implementing regulation, the Department defined consumer credit as three relatively narrow types of loans including some payday loans (defined as closed-end credit with a term of 91 days or fewer in which the amount financed does not exceed $2,000), some car title loans, and tax refund anticipation loans. However, soon after the original regulation went into effect, the Department began to receive reports that some lenders ignored the spirit of the Military Lending Act by merely modifying their existing, high-cost loan products to fall outside the Department’s definition of consumer credit.

After extensive consultation with other federal financial regulatory agencies, the Department amended its regulation to adopt an existing definition of consumer credit as found in the Truth in Lending Act. Loans made by pawnshops have been considered consumer credit under the Truth in Lending Act for over forty years, and thus are now included within the provisions of the MLA.

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As such, we do not anticipate the Department restoring the exemption.

REQUEST #2: Or, at the very least, create and publish a simple, secure, and low-cost safe harbor method for pawn transactions that does not depend on obtaining a social security number (SSN).

RESPONSE #2: Neither the Department’s old rule nor the new rule requires a creditor to take any action to assess whether any consumer-applicant is a covered borrower. And nothing in the Department’s final rule requires a creditor to conduct a covered-borrower check. Moreover (if the creditor elects to conduct that check), the final rule does not prescribe any method for a covered-borrower check.

To underscore the Department’s consistent policy regarding a covered-borrower check, the Department modified § 232.5 to state, at the outset: “A creditor is permitted to apply its own method to assess whether a consumer is a covered borrower.” Under the Department’s new rule, as under the old rule, a creditor who seeks to ascertain whether consumer-applicants are covered borrowers may use a “simple check box on credit applications,” as one commenter suggests, or any other method that suits its business operations.”

However, for those wanting to use the MLA database, the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC) has worked with financial industry experts to narrow down the use case requirements, which include: pre-screened offers of credit, credit applications, checks for loss of covered borrower

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

status, Consumer Reporting Agency (CRA) portfolio refresh, payday lenders, dispute resolution, and assessment of risk for bank portfolio acquisition. The expected volumes for these use cases are unknown and unknowable. As such, the strategy is to build out an architecture which is scalable and can support the initially expected volumes that have been provided by the larger banks and financial institutions which represent 90 percent of the credit with a margin to account for the smaller institutions.

The DoD’s strategy is to offer a hybrid approach tailored to the size/volume of different industry sectors: Consumer Reporting Agencies - DMDC distributes the MLA Population to be available at the point of credit checks. This supports all industry, but particularly the use case for real time applications for credit.

Top 10-20 Large Financial Institutions - Direct system to system connections to DMDC providing individual real-time query and offline batch capability. These are the large volume institutions representing 80-90% of the industry volume. This is being pursued in a pilot program capacity to determine long-term feasibility and effectiveness. Due to the costs and associated IT requirements, the number of participants for the pilot is restricted based on overall usage.

Small/Medium Financial Institutions - Public site which provides both an individual real-time query and offline batch capability with a PDF eligibility certificate for each individual request.

Small Volume/Payday lenders/Pawn Shops - Public site which provides both an individual real-time query and offline batch capability with a PDF eligibility certificate for each individual request.

There are a number of planned improvements that are currently in development or underway to strengthen DMDC’s capability, accuracy, reliability, and integrity to better support MLA. Discussions with the financial industry about the new MLA Rule determined that there was a need for high capacity real-time requests, which cannot be met by the current MLA website. To address that need, the DoD is potentially pursuing two solutions: (1) Provide a web service for the large financial institutions with highest projected transaction volumes to perform automated requests to DMDC for MLA covered borrower status

(2) Send MLA covered borrower information to the national Consumer Reporting Agencies (CRAs) so that they may serve as an alternate mechanism for identifying MLA covered borrowers Based on this, DMDC will offer three modes for obtaining the MLA covered borrower status to support the various user communities offering consumer credit. This will include the existing MLA public web site, a new MLA system-to-system web service, and a new direct connection to the Consumer Reporting Agencies (Experian, Equifax, and Transunion) who will then provide MLA information on credit inquiries.

REQUEST #3: It is not possible to have a reliable check in determining whether or not a consumer is covered

by MLA without the utilization of SSN’s.

RESPONSE #3: The Department and its Inter-Agency partners conducted a full week of listening sessions with various constituencies with a view toward hearing their issues and concerns regarding implementation of the Final Rule implementing the MLA. With respect to the Pawnbrokers, the Department held a 90-minute meeting with their leadership and heard and addressed their concerns.

They informed us that only 2-3% of their business is military-related. They informed us also that there are no legal barriers to asking for a social security number and that their objection to same is that some patrons may wish not to provide it. We cannot know, of course, if it will be an issue, because it has never arisen and because neither the law nor regulation, require a covered borrower check.

Should shops be hesitant to write down or save a SSN from a prospective customer, they could simply ask for the number (never even writing it down) or have the client insert the number directly into the store computer using the DMDC single query mechanism. That query then produces a certificate that the pawn shop may retain for safe harbor purposes. This certificate does not reflect the SSN and the number would not have to be retained in any way. This process typically takes less than one minute and produces a certificate showing only status and name.

The Department has consulted with the financial industry and the three nation-wide Consumer Reporting Agencies regarding the need for a SSN, and they advised that SSNs must be employed for (Continued on page 13)

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MEMBER NEWS

Advocating for All MEET NPA’S NEWEST BOARD MEMBERS

MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL PAWNBROKERS ASSOCIATION

welcomed three new Board of Directors members. Scott Paulsen, Douglas Braswell, and Michael Willingham were elected at the Annual Membership Meeting at Pawn Expo in Las Vegas, NV. All three men will serve the association for a term of at least two years.

Douglas Braswell, owner of Braswell & Son Pawnbrokers, is in his twenty fourth year of pawnbroking. His father started the company in 1979, and they have been NPA members since 1991. Douglas owns three stores in Central Arkansas, two in Little Rock, and one in Conway. He joined the NPA Board of Directors hoping to help combat the new Military Lending Act (MLA) expanded regulations and see the survival of the pawn industry.

Michael Willingham, co-founder, Vice President, and Chief Operating Officer of iPawn Arkansas, Inc., has been a pawnbroker and member of the NPA for six years. As a new NPA Board of Directors member, he hopes to advocate not only for pawnbrokers right to run their business effectively, but for the right of customers to have access to pawn.

Douglas Braswell, Braswell & Son Pawnbrokers, Little Rock, AR

Michael Willingham, iPawn Arkansas, Inc., Little Rock, AR

Scott Paulsen, owner of Peninsula Pawn, has two stores: one in Seaford, DE, and the other in Cambridge, MA. He has been a pawnbroker for eight years and an NPA member for five. Scott joined the NPA Board of Directors with hopes to help carry the pawn profession forward and to improve the industry for everyone.

He would like to accomplish his goals by improving advocacy and government relations, and increasing membership.

Scott Paulsen, Peninsula Pawn, Seaford, DE

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PAWNBROKER SPOTLIGHT

Georgia on My Mind AMERICAN PAWN SHOP INC

Jonathon Gandy (front row, left of the Chamber of Commerce banner) and David Hufstetler (back row, right of the banner) pose with their staff at the Thomasville, GA store.

AMERICAN PAWN SHOP INC JOINED NPA IN 1992 WITH ONE STORE. In 2003,

they added two more stores, and in 2004, added another two. We caught up with Jonathon Gandy, one of the managers, to find out a little more about the pawn business in southern Georgia.

NATIONAL PAWNBROKER (NP): Tell us

about your company.

JONATHON GANDY (JG): American Pawn Shop Inc has five stores located in the southern part of Georgia - Thomasville, Moultrie, Cairo, Bainbridge, and Americus. The company has been in business for 30 years and is owned by three brothers - Steve, David, and Marty Hufstetler.

NP: How did you get started in the pawn industry?

JG: While employed in law enforcement at the University of Georgia, I conducted research at the UGA library along with visiting pawn stores in the area.

NP: What makes your stores different from other pawn stores in the area?

JG: Most of our stores are larger than any others in the area and have a much larger and diverse inventory. All of our stores have great employees

who understand that customer service is our number one priority.

NP: In your opinion, what are the biggest challenges facing pawnbrokers today?

JG: Federal legislation that is detrimental to our industry.

NP: How does American Pawn Shop Inc give back to the local community?

JG: We participate in charitable contribution requests which amount to around $30,000 per year companywide. We also sponsor an annual $5000 college scholarship fund for children of law enforcement.

NP: How will the new Military Lending Act rate cap affect your company?

JG: If it is passed, it opens up the door for others receiving similar treatment that could put us out of business.

NP: What is your favorite thing about being a pawnbroker?

JG: Making money.

NP: Why are you a member of NPA? JG: There is strength in numbers.

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GOVERNMENT RELATIONS (Continued from page 7)

accuracy. It is simply impossible to have a reliable check without it. The National Pawnbrokers Association estimates only 2-3% of their business is military-related, establishing further that the burden to ensure that service members and their dependents are protected is negligible.

Exempting pawnbrokers, or any other entity, from MLA Final Rule compliance requirements undermines the efficacy and intent of MLA, and cannot be supported by the Department.

For your reference, at the link below is the website that is used to verify if an individual is covered by MLA: https://mla.dmdc.osd.mil/

It appears that the DoD has no intention of reinstating the exemption that the pawn industry has enjoyed.

The DoD states in this reply that “a creditor is permitted to apply its own method to assess whether a consumer is a covered borrower.” This is terribly misleading. The only method that grants you the safe harbor is connecting to the DMDC data base and receiving a verified response. In order to get this response, you must submit the consumer’s SSN, name, and date of birth. If your method misses the covered borrower, you are in violation and will be subject to excessive penalties.

The NPA has joined a lawsuit against the DoD. We are continuing to exercise all our political pressure to create a process that we can use to comply with the MLA. Please continue to do your part and keep the Rally Congress letters going out from your business and your customers.

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INDUSTRY PARTNER SPOTLIGHT

Worldwide Diamond Company SHINING BRIGHTLY AROUND THE WORLD

Pawnbrokers send Robert Wiener many interesting items including Scrooge McDuck.

ROBERT WIENER FOUNDED WORLDWIDE DIAMOND COMPANY IN 1993 and the company has been a member of

NPA since then. Mr. Wiener was a radio and print journalist from Los Angeles when a friend invited him to join his diamond company in 1977.

He then began traveling the world buying and selling diamonds.

As a traveling diamond merchant, he established a foundation of dealers, retail stores, and pawnbrokers before opening his own office in Los Angeles. The company has four employees and is still based in the same building on South Hill Street today. Networking and building relationships have helped the company grow, and their customer base includes more than 3000 clients in 10 countries.

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Traditionally a loose diamond company, Mr. Wiener’s business concentrated on Russian-cut diamonds under 3-carats. After working with pawnbrokers, the company expanded its diamond selection and began purchasing estate and vintage jewelry, as well as manufacturing new product utilizing secondary-market diamonds. Vintage jewelry is one trend that the company has decided to follow since old cut diamonds used in antique or reproduction rings are very popular today.

According to Mr. Wiener, “The biggest challenge to the diamond business is the dwindling lack of interest by young people in owning diamonds and diamond jewelry. Couples may purchase a diamond ring for their engagement, but that may be the only diamond they ever buy, unlike previous generations. There are many other places for young people to spend their money today, such as vacations, handbags, shoes, and

INDUSTRY PARTNER SPOTLIGHT electronic items, rather than diamond jewelry.”

The company participates in a number of trade shows including two major antique jewelry shows (Miami Beach and Las Vegas), the International Jewellery London, Pawn Expo, and several regional pawnbroker conventions.

Community service is important to Mr. Wiener, and his company donates regularly to a variety of charities in the local community.

He also serves on the Diamond Club Board of Directors.

His daughter, Lisa, has been working full-time in the company since 2009, and her specialty is in jewelry manufacturing as well as buying finished jewelry and colored gemstones.

Lisa Wiener greets Clive Toys, owner of Max’s Pawn, Bossier City, LA, at a recent pawnbroker convention.

To find out more about Worldwide Diamond Company, visit WWDiamond.com or call (213) 622-2191.

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YOUNG PAWNBROKER TO WATCH

Kara Blakeman MAKING A DIFFERENCE, ONE PAWN TRANSACTION AT A TIME

BEING ABLE TO HELP THOSE IN NEED

and knowing that she can make a difference are the two things that Kara Blakeman, manager and bench jeweler at Classic Jewelry and Loan in Barboursville, WV, loves best about the pawn industry. She started her pawn journey twelve years ago when her father, Richard, who had opened a store eight months earlier, asked her to work during the holidays. After one month, she fell in love with the pawn world and has been a part of it ever since.

Just like any girl, Kara has dreamt of having her name in lights. So when a sign arrived that was to be put on the front of the store, Kara told her father of her dream. Doing what most fathers do, Richard gave his little girl just what she asked for. For over five years, a sign that reads “Kara is Lazy” has hung outside Classic Jewelry and Loan for all passers-by to see. Kara says, “Our customers, especially children, love it! At least once a day, I get asked, ‘Who is Kara and why is she lazy?’ It’s always a good laugh and maybe now I can prove I am NOT lazy!”

Kara is doing just that. She works the pawn counter as much as possible and also spends time searching for new faces to fill positions, ordering products, and pricing and repairing jewelry. She strives to keep good staff, stay open to suggestions, and continue to learn.

Attending NPA’s Pawn Expo is invaluable to her business, according to Kara. She has taken Certified Pawn Professional (CPP) courses, attended education sessions, and networked with other pawnbrokers that have allowed her to share new concepts with her father and co-workers. Besides Pawn Expo, Kara has attended Stuller’s Bench program twice, graduated from the New Approach School for Jewelers in Franklin, TN, and is just 30 hours shy of receiving her bachelor’s degree in public relations.

Kara has written several press releases that have attracted local news mediums. A few have even made national newsletters. She enjoys being able to educate people about the pawn industry and is hopeful that young people will continue to enter the field. “We are the future and it is extremely vital in the growth,” she states.

Kara offers three pieces of advice to young pawnbrokers who are new to the industry: 1) Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there, 2) Never stop learning, and 3) Make time for yourself.

Outside of work, Kara owns a photography business and is dog mom to two pups: Bentli, a 3 year old Chiweenie, and Roxie, a 9 year old “mix of all sorts.”

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BUSINESS SENSE

Rapaport Diamond Insights ROUGH IMPROVING, BUT TOUGH GOING FOR POLISHED TRADE

By Avi Krawitz

THE FIRST HALF OF 2016 saw the leading diamond mining companies restrict their rough diamond production as polished demand continued to slide. Importantly, the move helped the miners reduce rough inventory they built up last year given that rough sales have improved, despite stagnant polished trading and manufacturing.

margins. Polished prices reflected this by softening with the RapNet Diamond Index (RAPI™) for 1-carat diamonds falling 1.7 percent in July. RAPI for .30-carat diamonds declined 1.8 percent and RAPI for .50-carat diamonds slipped .5 percent.

RAPI for 3-carat diamonds dropped 1.5 percent during the month (see chart A).

The polished market was quiet in July continuing the downtrend witnessed through the second quarter. Sluggish demand was compounded by the U.S. wholesale market shutting down for the annual summer vacation period and dealers in Belgium and Israel readying for their vacations in August.

Sentiment weakened with dealers frustrated by selective demand, rising inventory, and tight profit

Melee prices also softened with some concern that synthetic melee will impact the natural diamond market in the long term. The Rapaport Melee Index (RMI™) declined six percent in the second quarter (see chart B).

Dealers lack the confidence to buy in a down trending market and are limiting their purchases to filling existing orders rather than building up inventory. Retailers prefer to take goods on consignment (memo).

Chart A The RapNet Diamond Index (RAPI™) is the average asking price in hundred $/ct. of the 10 percent best priced diamonds, for each of the top 25 quality round diamonds (D-H, IF-VS2, GIA-graded, RapSpec-A3 and better) offered for sale on RapNet - Rapaport Diamond Trading Network.

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BUSINESS SENSE

Chart B

“While the rough diamond market appears to be making a cautious recovery as compared to last year, the polished diamond trade continues to find it tough going,” said spokespersons for the Antwerp World Diamond Centre (AWDC).

ROUGH REBOUND

Trading in rough diamonds witnessed a rebound in 2016 after experiencing a slump in demand during the latter part of 2015. With manufacturing levels at an estimated 70 percent of capacity, rough and polished inventory levels have built up in the midstream with the number of stones listed on RapNet, Rapaport’s diamond trading network, significantly up from January.

The improvement in rough demand lifted mining company results for the first half of the year. De Beers sales volume rose 31 percent year on year to 18.3 million carats, while its average price of sales declined 14 percent. Similarly, Russia-based ALROSA’s sales volume increased 21 percent to 21.7 million carats with the average price achieved for its gem-quality production declining seven percent.

reduce inventory that was built up when demand slumped in 2015. Indeed, ALROSA’s inventory is estimated to have fallen by 4.8 million carats in the first half of this year to about 17 million carats – “just two million carats above [ALROSA’s] estimated normalized level,” according to Wiktor Bielski, an analyst at VTB Capital. However, he expects a small increase in inventory in the “seasonally weaker” second half.

FRAGILE BALANCE

ALROSA cut its production guidance for the full year to 37 million carats after output fell 16 percent in the first six months. The decrease indicates a shift in strategy after the company maintained production growth in 2015, despite the slump in market conditions. It reasoned at the time it’s more cost effective to hold inventory than scale down its operations.

In contrast, De Beers, already in 2015 reduced production, this year placed its Damtshaa mine in Botswana and the Snap Lake operation in Canada on care and maintenance, and sold its Kimberley mines in South Africa.

The rise in sales paired with lower production levels has been key to help mining companies (Continued on page 59)

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BEHIND THE SCENES

Cliff Andrews NPA LOBBYIST

CLIFF ANDREWS HAS BEEN A LOBBYIST FOR THE NPA FOR THE PAST 11 YEARS.

You may have seen him at the NPA Legislative Conference or at Pawn Expo and wondered just what does a lobbyist do? With 16 years of political experience as a federal legislative strategist, Cliff advocates for his clients. He is a Principal with CapCity Advocates, LLC, the federal government relations company he started in 2004.

Cliff works in a bipartisan manner before many different House and Senate committees and maintains strong Republican, Democratic, and leadership relationships. He starts his day by scanning the news, reviewing legislative actions from the previous day, and looking at the schedule for the Hill (hearings, mark-ups, and press releases). Sometimes he reviews the Federal Register and various agency websites, especially if there is an expected or pending rule. Following that, there is a mix of hearings, meetings on the Hill and downtown, and conference calls.

Besides the Military Lending Act (MLA) regulations, Cliff feels there are a number of challenges facing pawnbrokers in the next few years. “There is a constant focus by the Hill and regulators on the cost of credit. The MLA

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stems from the policy concern and we will face other attempts to control how a pawn loan is structured. We will always have privacy and data security concerns, and these issues will only grow as technology expands and laws require compiling and accessing databases of customer information.”

“Online lending and new financial technology market disruptors will try to build their presence in the short term credit market. While nobody does what pawnbrokers do, some of these new lenders might take some market share, but more importantly, might attempt to structure laws and a federal charter that allows them to be regulated on different (i.e. easier) terms.” NPA members can help Cliff and the association by forming relationships with their Congressmen or Congresswomen as well as their Senators.

Cliff was born and raised in Washington, D.C., and holds a master’s degree in political management from George Washington University and a Bachelor of Science degree from James Madison University. He loves Muay Thai (a martial art from Thailand), koi ponds, and the outdoors. Cliff and his family live in northern Virginia with their Alaskan malamute.

You can reach Cliff at GRC@NationalPawnbrokers.org.

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SOCIAL MEDIA

Facebook Etiquette

20 DO’S AND DON’TS FOR A SUCCESSFUL PAGE IN TODAY’S EVER-EVOLVING WORLD, it can be hard to keep up with the latest and greatest marketing avenues. Apps and social media platforms come and go, but one that has stuck around without any sign of leaving, is Facebook.

With an average of 1.1 billion active daily users, Facebook is by far the most popular social networking site. You have the potential to reach almost the entire population of China in just one day. With such opportunity, comes responsibility.

Your Facebook page is an extension of your business, so how you present it could be the difference between success and failure.

When promoting your business on Facebook, there are things that should, and should not, be done.

DO: 1. Create a Facebook page – Pages are for

businesses, brands, and organizations.

Profiles are for individuals.

2. Complete all aspects of your page – Include

a profile picture, phone number, address, website, etc.

3. Post frequently – The goal is to keep your

business fresh in the minds of your followers.

Posting about five times a day, or less, is optimal.

4. Experiment with posts – Every business is

different depending on products, location, age group, etc. Test several kinds of posts and see what your audience responds to best.

5. Keep posts short & sweet – Audiences

are more likely to read a short, one or two paragraph post compared to a full-page article.

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6. Answer questions – Your audience wants

you to be genuine and personable. Show them you aren’t just a robot, and that there is a real person behind that screen taking the time out of their day to respond.

7. Provide helpful links – Help educate your

audience on the things you are selling.

Post articles to help them make thoughtful, educated purchasing decisions.

8. Run promotions – Having a sale or running

a promotion? Facebook is one of the best ways to let your customers know about it.

And it’s free!

9. Keep customers informed – Let your

customers know of any store closings, recalls, or business changes that could affect them. An informed customer is a happy customer.

10. Use multimedia – Visual content is the first

thing a person will see. Add a video or photo to your posts to draw attention to what you have to say

SOCIAL MEDIA DON’T: 1. Leave the “About” section blank – Use one or

two short paragraphs to give a preview of what your business is all about. This is one of the first places people will look when scanning your page.

2. Post too often – While you should post

frequently, be sure not to post so often that you start to become an annoyance. If you post five times a day, but notice people stop engaging after the third post, it may be time to cut down.

3. Be needy – People don’t like to feel as if they

are being pressured into something. Don’t beg your Facebook friends to “like” your page or ask your followers to “like” your posts.

4. Post before proofreading – Using bad

grammar or spelling can reduce your creditability quicker than you can build it. Have a second person read over what you have to say before you post anything.

5. Constantly sell – While your audience may

want to see the products or services you offer, don’t make that your only focus. Over 50 percent

of your posts should be fun and informative rather than directed at the things you are selling.

6. Ignore negative comments – Ignoring negative

comments on your page can make it look like you don’t care about the concerns of your customers. Respond calmly and respectfully. Do not get defensive.

7. Express opinions on politics or religion –

Remember that your page is a direct reflection of your company. Sharing personal political or religious opinions can scare off current and potential customers.

8. Badmouth competitors – Your customers want

to see you do well based on your own efforts, not by knocking down your competitors.

9. “Like” your own posts – Your audience knows

that you are fond of your posts; after all, you are the one that posted them. Leave the “likes” to your audience.

10. Be slow to respond – Take your time to make

sure what you are sending or posting is well thought out and accurate, but don’t take too long to respond.

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GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

Combating Unwanted Legislation: Part 1 of 3

By Ric Blum

IN THE ABOVE ARTICLE TITLE, “Combating Unwanted Legislation,” there are three “i’s” and only one “u”. That gives us a three to one ratio, clearly not in u’r favor. Because no matter what I say, I write, or I do, it’s up to “u” to carry the battle forward.

“There are two things you don’t want to see being made - sausage and legislation.” This quote, or one of its many variations, is often attributed to Otto von Bismarck, conservative Prussian statesman, 1815-1898.

My take on this quote is that even though you may be pleased with the outcome, both involve things that are best not discussed in all social circles.

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In order to combat unwanted legislation (or inversely, to support positive legislation), you need to know about it. Quite often we don’t find out about legislation until it has been introduced, or worse, it is ready for a vote. Once it gets to that point, the best we can hope for is to get the proposed legislation tabled or assigned to a committee to die a slow death.

Ideally, if you hear that detrimental legislation is being (or has been) drafted, you should talk with the sponsoring party (legislation needs an elected official to “sponsor” it before it can be heard) and let them know about your concerns. I have seen this simple approach have varying levels of success

GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

with state and local legislation. Drafts have either not been heard, had revisions made, or have gone on to their first hearing.

WHAT CAN YOU DO?

“There are two things you don’t want to see being made - sausage and legislation.”

When detrimental laws appear in your backyard, or have potential to affect your livelihood, you need to take action. You cannot rely on anyone else to look out for you. Others often don’t see or understand the possible ramifications of this negative legislation as you do.

It wouldn’t be the first time legislation has been drafted or introduced where neither the sponsor nor any of his committee members had supported the legislation ~Otto von Bismarck Depending on whether it is with any idea of its impact. a local, state, or national law, The legislation was simply your course of action remains a draft handed to them by a pretty much the same. First, constituent or paid lobbyyou need to know the lay of the land, so to speak. ist and they agreed to sponsor it. Or they owed Local governing agencies seem to work year-round. someone a favor. For the naive, that means a politiYour state legislature may be either part-time or cal contribution may have been made to a fund for year-round with ample breaks or recesses. And which they may have an affiliation. your federal legislature is year-round, but again, Once the sponsor becomes aware of the outcry with ample breaks and recesses. from others, the suspect legislation will often die in Next, you need to know who the players are. These committee. This is the way the sponsor saves face could be local, city, or county council members, by not having his committee members vote down members of state legislatures, or members of the his bill.

U.S. Congress.

On the local level, things move much faster. It is On the local level, you should have little difficulty not uncommon for an issue to be brought before speaking directly with council members and maka governing body and receive three hearings all at ing your position heard. Call and write your local once followed by a vote at that same meeting. Or, representatives. Very few actually do so. the issue may be declared an emergency action and be voted upon after its initial hearing and discusInvite them to stop by your pawn store. Quite sion (if any). possibly they may have never been in one. Also, if possible, attend fundraisers. Even though it may I have always been an advocate (when it comes to cost you something to get in the door, a face is often pawnbroking statutes) of a single state law rather more important than a check in the mail. Don’t be than one hundred local laws. This puts everyone afraid to attend the local meetings or hearings and in the state on the same playing field and you don’t present your case in person (and bring others who have different laws on different sides of the street. support your cause).

Of course if you have two major cities on opposite sides of the state line, or a city that straddles At the state level, you still have a good chance of it, this theory is often of little relevance. The local talking directly with your state senator, representative, governing agencies will still have control over some or even a committee member or committee chair. They permits (occupancy), signage, and zoning. like to hear from constituents and you can often set up a meeting with them when they are in their home office if meeting in the state capitol is not possible.

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GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

Don’t wait until there is a problem. Develop a personal relationship in good times so that it is already established when you may need it. Some may even give you some notice when negative legislation is being introduced or call you as their “expert” to help understand the impact.

But quite often when you call (or stop by without an appointment), you will deal with a Chief of Staff or an aide. This is not always a bad thing.

Members of state legislatures do not always read everything that is put before them and rely heavily upon their staff to give them a synopsis of pending legislation as well as feedback from constituents and the public as a whole. A solid relationship with a staff member may be just as important.

It never hurts to make your thoughts known by phone, email, and a personal letter. Keep in mind that emails may get lost in the shuffle. The legislator’s aides usually check the email and many do not make it to the desk of the legislator themselves.

Call the legislator. If one person calls, it is not a big deal. If three or more people call, they start to take notice. If a dozen people call, you’ve got their attention. Be prepared to get a recording, secretary, or office staff. Let them know of problems or concerns you may have. That is what pays off.

Don’t shoot from the hip. Prepare a draft of the points you’d like to make and have the correct bill or issue numbers. Stick with your written agenda. Don’t get sidetracked with other political matters. Always leave a call back number.

If/when you get a return call, it will be from a higher level staff member. They usually don’t allow low level staff to return calls. Return calls are from someone who has experience speaking to constituents and the public. With either phone calls or personal visits, always ask for a return call. Emails and letters are often answered automatically or dismissed.

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In addition to your legislators, also make contact with your state regulators. Get to know them.

You never know when an issue might develop on the state level. Again, if possible, make personal contact with the intended party and their staff at their office(s), your pawn store, public and private events, and fundraisers. Hand them a business card and realize there is a time and place for every conversation. If the venue is not appropriate, ask to further the conversation at a later date.

Do your research and homework on the subject matter you intend to discuss. If you aren’t educated on the subject, how can you expect to impose your thoughts and feeling on others? Be prepared to answer questions or to get back to them with the right answers.

LOBBYING Sometimes you need to bring out the big guns.

This is where the use of a paid lobbyist comes into play. Lobbyists are professionals who know the right people to contact with a concern or an issue with a piece of legislation and can make your concerns heard. Quite often a lobbyist will already know the right party or a more influential party who may be able to shed some light on the matter in question.

Sometimes all it takes is educating a person of authority of the needs to either go forward with something or to squelch negative legislation.

Look for Part 2 of this article to be continued in the Winter 2016 issue of National Pawnbroker.

Ric Blum is Vice-President of Ohio Loan Co., Inc. in Dayton, OH. He has served as President of the Ohio Pawnbrokers Association, Secretary/Treasurer of the National Pawnbrokers Association, and as a member of the Board of Directors and the Board of Governors of the National Pawnbrokers Association. He was named the National Pawnbrokers Association Pawnbroker of the Year in 2014 and the Ohio Pawnbrokers Association 2015 Ohio Pawnbroker of the Year.

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PAWN EXPO 2016

National Pawnbrokers Association 2015-2016 Board of Directors

President, Larry Nuckols Bri$ex Financial San Antonio, TX

National Pawnbrokers Association

Larry is a co-owner of Bri$ex Financial and fo Pawn & Jewelry in 1993. He has served on th pawn associaIons for 25 years and currently GRC. He and his wife of 40 years, Beverly, hav one wonderful grand-daughter, Veronica.

2015-2016 Board of Directors

Larry is a co-owner of Bri$ex Financial and form President, Larry Nuckols Pawn & Jewelry in 1993. He has served on the Bri$ex Financial Tim isassociaIons co-owner and managing partner of Pa pawn for 25 San Antonio, TX Larry is a co-owner of Brittex Financial and Vice President, Tim Collier PRESIDENT, formed Money Mart Pawn & years and currently se president of the Arkansas Pawnbrokers Pacer, Ltd Jewelry in 1993. He has served on the boards of Texas pawn associations for years, GRC. He and his wife of 40 Beverly, Asso have LARRY NUCKOLS 25 years and currently serves on NPA’s GRC. He and Beverly, his wife of 40 Brittex chair of the NPA. Tim and his wife, Lisa, have Li$leFinancial Rock, AR years, have two children and one wonderful one wonderful grand-daughter, Veronica. granddaughter, Veronica.

San Antonio, TX years and have three sons, Walker, and twins

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is Ltd. co-owner and Vice President, Tim Collier VICE PRESIDENT, Tim is co-owner and managing partner ofTim Pacer, He founded themanaging partner of Pace company in 1990 after a 10-year career in retail jewelry with Gordon’s president of the Arkansas Pawnbrokers Associa Pacer, Ltd TIM COLLIER Jewelers and several independent jewelers. He is president of the Arkansas Pacer, Ltd chair of the NPA. and hisand wife, Lisa,professi have be Li$le Rock, AR Rob is CFO forand RTim &hisRwife, Pawn holds Treasurer, Robert Anderson CPA, CMA Pawnbrokers Association and past GRC chair of the NPA. Tim Little Rock, AR Lisa, have been married for 31 years and have three sons, Walker, and twins, years and have three sons, Walker, and twins, cerIficaIons in both the US and Canada.

HeG R & R Pawn Garrett and Griffin.

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Society award winner for Leadership in Techn chair of the NPA Finance Commi$ee. He is al Indiana Pawnbrokers AssociaIon and an Adv TREASURER, Rob is CFO for R & R Pawn and holds professional certifications for St.accounting Elizabeth Coleman Pregnancy and Ado CPA Society award winner for ROBERT ANDERSON, in both the U.S. and Canada. He is an Indiana has daughters.

He plays and coaches ice Leadership in Technology and serves as chair of two NPA Finance Committee.

CPA, CMA Rob isthe CFO for Rand &team R Pawn profession Treasurer, Robert Anderson CPA, CMA He is also Treasurer for the Indiana Pawnbrokers Association an Advisory Hockey, and his hasand wonholds the USA Hocke R & R Pawn Board Member for St. Elizabeth Coleman Pregnancy and Adoption Services. cerIficaIons in both the US and Canada.

He R & R Pawn Pond Hockey Championship three years in is a Indianapolis, IN Rob has three daughters. He plays and coaches ice hockey with USA Society award winner for Leadership in Techno Indianapolis, IN Hockey, and his team has won the USA Hockey National Adult Pond Hockey chair of the NPA Finance Commi$ee.

He isofalso As the Business Development Manager Lo Championship three years in a row (2012-2014).

Secretary, Kathleen Barbee Indiana Pawnbrokers AssociaIon andresponsib an Adviso Services, L.P., Kathleen is primarily Lombard Financial Services St. Elizabeth Coleman and the AdopI growth ofFinancial the business.

She has spent las Fort Worth, TX As the Director of Operations and Partnerfor SECRETARY, of Lombard Services, Pregnancy Kathleen is primarily responsible for the operations of the company.

She KATHLEEN BARBEE has two daughters.

He plays and coaches icevol ho focusing on its growth strategy, as well as has spent the last several years focusing on its growth strategy as well as Lombard Financial Hockey, and his team has won the USA Hockey various NPA endeavors.

Kathleen is excited to volunteering for various NPA endeavors. Kathleen is excited to utilize her Services experience to serve the membership of the NPA. She and her husband, Pond Hockey Championship three years in a row experience to serve the membership of the N Fort Worth, TX Justin, who has recently joined the company, have two dogs named Sadie husband, JusIn, have two dogs which provid and Kerley, all of whom are avid TCU fans. Go Frogs!

As the Business Development Manager of Lom Secretary, Kathleen Barbee entertainment.

Services, L.P., Kathleen is primarily responsible Lombard Financial Services growth the business. She has spent the last s Fort Worth, TX is of president Immediate Past President, Ben Levinson IMMEDIATE PAST Ben is president of Dynasty Jewelry & LoanBen Ltd, which has been of Dynasty Jewelry & Loan, w focusing on its growth strategy,since as well as volun is a past president of the operated PRESIDENT, owned and 1987.

He i Dynasty Jewelry &family-owned Loan Ltd and operated since 1987. HefamilyPawnbrokers Association of Georgia.

Ben is married to Susan, whose family various NPA endeavors. Kathleen is excited to u BEN LEVINSONGA the Pawnbrokers of Georgia. Ben Norcross, has a 90-year history in the pawn business.

They have a daughter,AssociaIon Molly, Dynasty Jewelry experience to serve the of the NP an attorney in Atlanta; a son, Joel, a fifth-generation a membership whose pawnbroker; family hasand a ninety-year history in the & Loan Ltd snoodle. husband, JusIn, have two dogs which provide c Norcross, GA They have a daughter, Molly, an a$orney in A entertainment. fifh generaIon pawnbroker; and a snoodle.

Indianapolis, IN

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Immediate Past President, Ben Levinson Dynasty Jewelry & Loan Ltd FALL 2016 | Norcross, GA

Ben is president of Dynasty Jewelry & Loan, wh familyowned and operated since 1987.

NATIONAL PAWNBROKERS ASSOCIATION | 29 He is a the Pawnbrokers AssociaIon of Georgia. Ben is

PAWN EXPO 2016

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EDWARD BEAN Suffolk Jewelers, Inc. Boston, MA

Ed is president of Suffolk Jewelers, Inc. in Boston, MA, and also a lawyer. As a third-generation pawnbroker, he has been in the business for 52 years.

He is a founding member of the NPA, and was elected to its first board of directors in 1988. He is also a past president and served as chairman of the Government Relations Committee. He and his wife, Laurie, have three children and have been married for 15 years.

DOUGLAS BRASWELL Braswell & Son Pawnbrokers Little Rock, AR

Douglas is the owner of Braswell & Son Pawnbrokers with three locations in central Arkansas. He is a second-generation pawnbroker who has worked in the industry for 23 years. Douglas is a Graduate Gemologist and is a member of the Arkansas Pawnbrokers Association Board of Directors and is a Past President. He and his wife, Camille, have two teenage sons.

SETH GOLD American Jewelry and Loan Detroit, MI

Seth is a fourth-generation pawnbroker and Vice President of American Jewelry and Loan. He oversees the marketing and daily operations for the company which is the subject of the hit television show Hardcore Pawn.

Seth is the chair of the Membership Committee. He and his wife, Karen, have been married for 10 years and reside in the greater Detroit area with their family.

LAUREN KAMINSKY GOLDMAN E Z Pawn Corp New York, NY

Lauren is President of New York City multi-store operation, E Z Pawn Corp.

She is a third-generation pawnbroker, and works closely with her father, David, and brother, Jason, to run their 14 stores. Lauren graduated from Boston University’s School of Management where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree in business administration and entrepreneurship. She is also partners in the pawnshop-concept storefront, Beauty & Essex. Lauren is a graduate of GIA’s Diamond Essentials course.

MICHAEL GOLDSTEIN Empire Loan Boston, MA

Michael is the owner of Empire Loan, an eight-store pawn chain, operating in Massachusetts and Rhode Island. He is a third-generation pawnbroker originally from New York. Michael founded Empire Loan in 1985 and claims to be the first fully computerized pawn store in the Northeast. Through the Empire Loan Charitable Foundation, founded in 2012, he and his staff have contributed over $360,000 to local non-profits. He and his wife, Allison, live in Concord, MA, with their three children.

BRIAN MOULTON National Jewelry & Pawn Durham, NC

Brian graduated from East Carolina University with a degree in systems engineering before deciding to get into the family business. In 2010, he joined his father at National Jewelry & Pawn, a 12-store operation in North Carolina, becoming a third-generation pawnbroker. He strongly believes we can change the negative perceptions of the pawn industry one customer at a time.

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PAWN EXPO 2016

SCOTT PAULSEN Peninsula Pawn Seaford, DE

Scott is the owner of Peninsula Pawn with two locations, one in Delaware and the other in Maryland. He and his wife, Rita, started Peninsula Pawn in 2006 and Scott founded the Delaware Pawnbrokers Association in 2016. In their spare time, Scott and Rita enjoy traveling and spending time with their two kids and two grandkids.

KATHY PIERCE Monster Pawn Bloomington, IL

Kathy owns Monster Pawn in Bloomington and has ownership in Midwest Exchange also in Bloomington as well as the Monster Pawn stores in Normal and Springfield in central Illinois. She serves on the NPA and Government Relations Committees. Kathy and her husband, Edwin, have been married for 23 years. They have three children, Everson, Annellia, and Tripper. Max, the basset hound, previously worked six days a week at the Bloomington store, but is now retired and spends his afternoons sleeping on the couch with his sister, Honey Bunny, the golden retriever.

KERRY RAINEY Bayou Pawn & Jewelry Hammond, LA

Kerry is the owner of Bayou Pawn & Jewelry, with three locations in Louisiana. He is an experienced jeweler with 30 years on the bench. He has served as a board member of the Louisiana Pawnbrokers Association for 23 years and is the chair of the NPA Convention Committee. Kerry and his wife, Sharman, along with their three sons, enjoy traveling and scuba diving.

JORDAN TABACH-BANK Beverly Loan Company Beverly Hills, CA

Jordan is the owner and CEO of Beverly Loan Company in Beverly Hills, Jewelry-N-Loan in Costa Mesa, and New York Loan Company in New York City. He is a member of the State Bar of California and serves as co-chair of NPA’s Government Relations Committee. He and his wife, Casey, have a son, a daughter, and a mutt named Wilbur.

DIANE TAYLOR Traders Loan & Jewelry Reseda, CA

Diane has owned Traders Loan & Jewelry since 1998. She is the past president of the California Pawnbrokers Association. Diane has two sons, Brian who just passed the California state Bar exam, and Chris, a recent college graduate headed to Southwestern Law School in August. She also has two dogs, Katie and Max.

MICHAEL WILLINGHAM iPawn Arkansas, Inc. Little Rock, AR

Michael is co-founder, Vice President, and Chief Operating Officer of iPawn Arkansas, Inc., a full-service pawn operation based in Little Rock, AR. The company began in 2011 as a single store operation and has expanded to three stores servicing central Arkansas. Throughout his career, Michael has learned from colleagues, and has the desire to help others as he’s been helped. For the past five years, he has offered a Radical Mentoring course to 45 hand-selected students. He feels involvement increases awareness and action, and hopes to foster that understanding in those he’s mentored.

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PAWN EXPO 2016

DRIVING SUCCESS at Pawn Expo 2016

New This Year 1.

2.

3.

Complete Champion Culture: Driving to the Limits of Possibility presented by the Opening Session Keynote Speaker Derek Daly, former Formula One and Indy 500 race car driver

4.

The Marketplace (formerly the Diamond District)

5.

New Product Knowledge Sessions offering hands-on opportunities to gain essential knowledge on products used every day • Guitars and Stringed Instruments

Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High and Crucial Accountability: Tools for Resolving Violated Expectations and Broken Commitments sessions by Justin Hale, VitalSmarts Garrison Wynn’s Generations Working Better Together session

• Luxury Watches • Rare Coins 6.

New CPP Courses for those working on their CPP designation • Security, Risk, and Crisis Management • Product Knowledge

CONVENTION STATS Total pawnbroker attendees: 455 Total states represented: 49, plus the District of Columbia Number of international attendees: 36

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Number of exhibitors: 103 companies Percent of first-time attendees: 32% Total convention attendees: 750

PAWN EXPO 2016

Networking Reception Attendees meet, mingle, and connect at the Networking Reception

Opening Session Keynote Speaker Derek Daly, a former Formula One and Indy 500 professional race car driver, shares his story

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PAWN EXPO 2016

NPA Annual Awards The NPA held its Annual Awards Luncheon on Tuesday, July 12, 2016, at The Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, NV, to honor members who have demonstrated superior leadership and service to the pawn industry.

CHARLES R. JONES LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD The NPA awarded its highest honor, the Charles R. Jones Lifetime Achievement Award, to Earl Oller, owner of Silver Lining Jewelry & Loan in Portland, OR. Mr. Oller founded the Oregon Pawnbrokers Association in 1986 and served a near continuous term as president until 2014. He was a fierce advocate for pawnbrokers in Oregon where he was a member of multiple task forces, partnering with the Oregon Department of Public Safety and the Portland Police Bureau.

He served the National Pawnbrokers Association for nearly a decade, including the NPA Advisory Board (1994), NPA Board of Directors (19961997, 2000-2001), and the NPA Board of Trustees (2002-2006), and helped mentor the next generation of leaders in the industry.

Earl Oller passed away on March 9, 2016, but his legacy will continue to provide guidance for pawnbrokers in Oregon and across the nation to navigate the ever-changing environment they face.

The Charles R. Jones Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes individuals who, through their outstanding leadership and efforts, have gone above and beyond to make a significant and lasting impact on the pawn industry over the course of their career. Honorees are regarded by their peers as leaders in the industry and recognized as such, nationally.

Josh Oller accepts the Charles R. Jones Lifetime Achievement Award on behalf of his late father, Earl Oller.

2016 PAWNBROKER OF THE YEAR NPA’s 2016 Pawnbroker of the Year Award was presented to Greg Engstrom of AmeriPawn of Valparaiso in Valparaiso, IN. As a long-time member of the NPA, Mr. Engstrom has shown a tireless commitment to the pawn industry through exemplary service to his local community, charitable giving, and support of the NPA government relations efforts. While serving as president of the Indiana Pawnbrokers Association, he demonstrated to lawmakers, his customers, and the community the important role that pawn stores play in the day-to-day lives of Americans.

“Mr. Engstrom’s efforts to strengthen pawnbrokers’ relationships with communities, law enforcement, and customers have benefited the association and the industry as a whole,” said Larry Nuckols, president of the National Pawnbrokers Association. “The association is proud to have a consummate professional and all-around standout pawnbroker among its ranks.”

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Frank Massa accepted the NPA Pawnbroker of the Year Award for Greg Engstrom, AmeriPawn of Valparaiso, Valparaiso, IN.

PAWN EXPO 2016

NPA Annual Awards

2016 INDUSTRY PARTNER OF THE YEAR NPA awarded Los Angeles diamond and jewelry specialist, The Trendz, the 2016 NPA Industry Partner of the Year Award. The Trendz is a trusted pawn industry partner that has provided value and the highest standards of service since 2003.

The Trendz has been an Industry Partner member of the National Pawnbrokers Association for 13 years and has earned a reputation for excellence in the diamond and jewelry industry. They have supported pawn stores nationally by providing sponsorships, advertising, and superior customer service. Ashok Mehta & Priya Mehta founded The Trendz in 2002, which is located in the Downtown Los Angeles Jewelry District.

2016 OUTSTANDING COMMUNITY RELATIONS

NPA President Larry Nuckols presents the Industry Partner of the Year Award to The Trendz’ Ashok Mehta.

NPA’s 2016 Outstanding Community Relations Award was presented to Wright Pawn & Jewelry Company of Houston, TX. Pamela Wright accepted the award at the Annual Awards Luncheon on July 12, 2016.

Since founding Wright Pawn & Jewelry Company in 1992, Mrs. Wright has dedicated time and resources to charitable giving and community outreach events, working at the ground level with community leaders to give back to the residents of Houston. Harnessing the power of media to raise awareness and change perceptions of the pawn industry, Mrs. Wright has appeared in print, radio, and television to advance the positive image of today’s pawn stores. She has successfully represented pawnbrokers on Great Day Houston and has been featured in several publications, including Houston Woman Magazine and Houston Modern Luxury.

The Outstanding Community Relations Award was created in 2015 and is presented to an NPA pawnbroker or affiliate member company who advances the standard and quality of life in their community through public service or volunteerism.

Pamela Wright of Wright Pawn & Jewelry Company of Houston, TX, is presented the Outstanding Community Relations Award.

2016 YOUNG PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR NPA’s 2016 Young Professional of the Year Award was presented to Kathleen Barbee, Lombard Financial Services, Fort Worth, TX. The NPA Young Professional of the Year Award recognizes young professionals who have demonstrated exceptional success in their businesses and local communities and have made a significant contribution to the pawn industry during the previous year.

Ms. Barbee has shown an unceasing commitment to the pawn industry and a dedication to fostering the next generation of pawnbrokers through networking, training, and education. She is a member of the NPA Board of Directors and currently serves as Board Secretary.

Kathleen Barbee accepts the Young Professional of the Year Award from Larry Nuckols, NPA President.

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PAWN EXPO 2016

Education Sessions

Marvin G. Richardson, Assistant Director, ATF, discusses electronic record keeping and ATF Form 4473.

Lombard Financial Services president, Kevin Prochaska, shares ideas on managing inventory as a return on investment.

NPA’s GRC Committee lead a panel expla ining the impact of the Military Lending Act’s expan ded regulations as it pertains to pawnbroke rs.

General Session Keynote Speaker, Garrison Wynn, entertains with his seminar on how generations can work better together.

Justin Hale delivers “Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High” .

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Jamie Hasty, SESCO Management Consultants, explains employee regulations.

PAWN EXPO 2016

Education Sessions

Attendees learn about 8300s and SARs in Robert Frimet’s compliance session.

es how to Adam Harris teaches attende from ches wat determine counterfeit s. one uine the gen

Kenja Purkey, McDonald Marketing, advises attendees on how get the most return for their marketing dollars.

Professional numismatist, Brian Silliman, provides expertise and insider tips on counterfeit coins.

Doug Davis provides information on numismatic crimes.

Attendees learn how to buy and sell guitars from Ian Harold, Musical Instrument Reclamation Corp.

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PAWN EXPO 2016

Adam and Beth Anundi of Capital Pawn accept the Outstanding Service recognition from Seth Gold that was given to their store employee, Maria Lucero.

Annual Membership Meeting and Breakfast Members elect three new pawnbrokers to the NPA Board of Directors during the annual membership meeting.

Welcome Reception Tuesday night’s Welcome Reception featured an over-sized racetrack with remote-controlled cars plus plenty of food, drinks, and networking.

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PAWN EXPO 2016

Pawnbroker Networking Luncheon Pawnbrokers discuss industry concerns with their peers.

Young Professionals Luncheon NPA’s young (and youngat-heart) members build relationships and nurture friendships over lunch.

Trade Show Pawn industry suppliers share the latest and greatest in products and services.

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PAWN EXPO 2016

Trade Show

Trade Show Booth Awards Best Booth Award: Musical Instrument Reclamation Corporation, Franklin, TN

ar Award: Rookie of the Ye ncing, Denver, CO Pawnbroker Fina

Most Imaginative Aw ard: Data Age/PawnMast er, Clearwater, FL

Trade Show Drawing Winners Two lucky winners were selected in drawings at The Trendz and NPA booths held on the trade show floor.

Beth Anundi, Capital Pawn, won $500 cash from The Trendz.

David Ashe, La Familia Pawn & Jewelry, won a free 2017 store membership from NPA.

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PAWN EXPO 2016

Closing Reception Pawn Expo 2016 comes to an end at the Closing Reception, but we’re powering up for next year!

NPA THANKS OUR PAWN EXPO 2016 SPONSORS THE TRENDZ

TURN YOUR DIAMONDS INTO CASH

PMS 282

PMS 1255

GEIB REFINING CORP

JEWELS INC.

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MEMBER NEWS

Detroit Pawn Store Pilots a Unique Approach to Workforce Diversity AMERICAN JEWELRY AND LOAN LAUNCHES PROGRAM TO EMPLOY INDIVIDUALS ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM

Front row (l to r): Power to the Grid team members John Sun, Sean Rosen, Michael Sanchirico Back row: American Jewelry and Loan employees Mark Trombley and Jackie Panetta

AMERICAN JEWELRY AND LOAN is one of the most highly recognized pawn stores in the country thanks to being the subject of a reality television series seen in 52 countries. An engaging website where fans can connect with owners Les and Seth Gold from anywhere is, therefore, a critical part of their business model.

Seth, who launched the website in 2009, is always looking for innovative ways to market their ecommerce, eBay, and Etsy stores. Attractive product photography and well-written product descriptions bring in greater profit, but talented ecommerce professionals are difficult to find. He was intrigued when he heard about a unique program that might help him connect with talented staff. “When I learned about the Power to the Grid program,” he recalls, “I knew that it’d be a win-win.”

Created in 2014, Power to the Grid is a business focused on the hiring, training, and placement of individuals who fall on the autism spectrum.

These individuals often have strong job skills and qualifications, but social and communication challenges are an obstacle to traditional employment.

“When these individuals are in school, there are special accommodations to address their needs, but when they graduate from high school, it can be a real challenge for them to find meaningful employment.

In essence, they fall off of the grid,” says Stefan Kogler, founder of Power to the Grid.

One of the Power to the Grid team members who has been working at American Jewelry and Loan since January 2016 is Michael Sanchirico. Michael is a whiz with a camera, has great skills with software like Photoshop, and has a great mind for marketing.

Yet for years, the talented artist and writer toiled at (Continued on page 57)

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Repair. Resell. Repeat.

Keep your jewelry repair business humming with our comprehensive selection of dependable products.

From hand tools to findings to high-quality solder, we get it to you fast so you can make the right repairs and make the most profit.

Start repairing now at Stuller.com/Repair.

Stuller.com

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The NEW ACE makes finding lost items easier than ever before.

EW The N

COMPLIANCE MSRP $299.95 NEW NPA ONLINE COMPLIANCE PROGRAM

Big on Features!

Easy to Operate!

• • • • •

For Pawnbrokers and Dealers in Precious Metals

One-Touch™ just turn on and start searching Digital Target ID for better target information New Pulse-Width Modulation audio Adjustable Frequency to help eliminate interference New 7” x 10” searchcoil

Includes 3 FREE ACCESSORIES:

ClearSound Easy Stow Headphones

Environmental Cover-Up

NPA Announces New Online Compliance Program ENSURE COMPLIANCE, AVOID FINES, AND BE PROACTIVE The NPA, in conjunction with Robert Frimet, Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialist, has developed an online compliance program specifically for the pawn and dealers in precious metals industries. The program, AML for Pawnbrokers and Dealers in Precious Metals, will: • Identify all triggers of the 8300 trade/business rule for pawnbrokers

7 x 10" searchcoil cover

• Teach the legal requirements for a dealer in precious metals • Show how to identify and report suspicious activity • Verify recordkeeping and reporting requirements

MADE IN USA

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The cost for the course is $29.95 for NPA members; $39.95 for non-members. For more information, visit NationalPawnbrokers.org/compliance.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Your 2016 Future Business Leaders SIX STUDENTS RECEIVE $1000 SCHOLARSHIPS

Dallas Milligan, second from left, received a $1000 FBL scholarship from Highland Jewelry and Loan. Manager Eddie Futrell, owner Rich Clousing, and Bernie Zemen, Highland Town Council president, present him with a check.

Austin Hipps, sponsored by Larry’s Jewelry & Pawn, received a $1000 FBL scholarship from NPA.

NPA’S FUTURE BUSINESS LEADERS (FBL) scholarship program proudly announces the winners of this year’s $1000 scholarships: Austin Hipps Harvest, AL Sponsored by Larry’s Jewelry & Pawn, Florence, AL

Dallas Milligan Munster, IN Sponsored by Highland Jewelry and Loan, Highland, IN

Shivani Parekh El Cajon, CA Sponsored by Simon & Simon Jewelry and Loan, National City, CA

Anne Powell Spokane, WA Sponsored by Double Eagle Pawn Shop, Spokane, WA

Julia Mae Newberry Mansfield, OH Sponsored by Johnson Brothers’ Jewelry & Loan, Mansfield, OH

Savannah Garris Alpine, AL Sponsored by Sylacauga Pawn Shop, Sylacauga, AL

In addition to the six individual scholarships, $2000 was given to Concerns of Police Survivors, Inc. (C.O.P.S.), an organization that provides resources to assist in the rebuilding of the lives of surviving families and affected co-workers of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty.

Since 2003, the FBL scholarship fund has presented more than $140,000 in scholarships to deserving students.

All scholarships are completely funded through NPA member donations and are given annually to the children, grandchildren, customers, employees, or individuals sponsored by an NPA member in good standing.

To learn more about the FBL scholarship program, visit NationalPawnbrokers.org and click on the Community Relations tab.

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BUSINESS SENSE

The Power of the Organic Search Engine Listing WHEN PAY-PER-CLICK ADVERTISING ISN’T A SURE THING…

by Emmett Murphy, 3 CLiCK Media

WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF ONLINE PAYPER-CLICK (PPC) advertising networks like Google AdWords stopped all advertising for pawn loans? This may already be the case. Google recently published an update to their adWords Financial Service Policy that they may not approve PPC ads for personal loans where the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) is 36 percent or higher, as well as personal loans which require repayment in full in 60 days.

Pawnbrokers are already reporting that ads and advertising campaigns relating to pawn loans have been disapproved by Google. Some pawnbrokers are creating “work-arounds” to circumvent these new guidelines. However, this is potentially in violation of Google’s policy, and Google has the authority to suspend accounts, disapprove ads, or disable domains

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if the violation is repeated or deemed “serious”. At this time, Facebook, Bing, and other online advertisers that offer PPC services have not yet adopted a similar policy.

In light of these changes, your first line of marketing attack should be building organic search engine results. Google’s website defines organic search results as, “a free listing in Google Search that appears because it’s relevant to someone’s search terms”. Nonorganic results, such as PPC, appear because they are paid advertisements.

Even if pawnbrokers are able to continue marketing via PPC in the future, there are still compelling reasons to harness the power of organic listings. For example, if your business relies solely on PPC or other

BUSINESS SENSE forms of paid advertising, your online marketing may be adversely affected by competitive PPC bidding wars, which can edge out smaller businesses from top positions that drive up the price of a click. Additionally, a new trend of blocking PPC ads using browser plugins or add-ons is emerging. Users have the ability to prevent PPC ads from displaying in search results with only organic results remaining.

Here is the rundown of why you should harness the power of the organic search engine listing:

Location, Location, Location Just like in real estate, the old adage “location, location, location” holds true in online marketing.

Getting your website listed on the first page of all search engines should be your primary focus.

However, even on the first page there are positions more valuable than others.

Where users click, and don’t click, may be surprising.

Evidence suggests that organic listings receive more clicks than ads.

SEO Expert, Rand Fishkin, reported that organic listings near the top of the page can receive up to eight times more clicks than a nearby ad.

According to a recent study by Chikita Online Advertising Network, the top listing in Google’s organic search results receives 33 percent of the traffic, compared to 18 percent for the second position, and the traffic only declines from there. Additionally, organic listings on page one of a Google search receive approximately 90 percent of the clicks. Less than five percent of users advance to page two, and less than two percent make it to page three.

Mark Twain said it best, “Buy land. They’re not making it anymore.” Just like physical real estate, your business should be investing in dominating search engine “real estate” because it’s disappearing. The

“free” organic listing real estate on search engines, such as Google, is dwindling, and fast. The number of organic listings in a typical search for “pawn shop” has been reduced to four or less on the first page of a Google search. Additionally, on mobile devices, which typically account for more than 50 percent of a pawn store’s website traffic, there are even fewer positions for organic listings. If you want to be on the first page and ranking for the keyword “pawn shop”, you may have to invest your time and energy to get there.

Organic Infers Authentic In general, organic listings are perceived by users as more authentic. It’s worth the effort to achieve the top spots on the front page of a search engine.

These listings can lead to maximizing your business leads and attracting customers who may not know about your services.

Approximately 70 percent of search engine users skip over paid ads to favor organic listings.

Organic listings are also free.

Additionally, once a search engine indexes a page or post from your website, that listing is typically “sticky”. This means that the listing will likely stick around for a while in a top position and will continue to provide traffic to your website.

Another important reason why organic listings are so powerful relates to a search engine’s algorithm itself.

The primary goal of the search engine algorithm is to ensure that its users’ search terms produce relevant organic listings. This is why companies like Google and Bing work so hard to filter out searches that don’t pertain to users’ search terms. This gives you an opportunity to create pages or posts on your website that relate to more diverse keywords or key phrases than just “pawn” or those which relate to your store’s brand, such as “sell a Rolex” or “used musical instruments”.

(Continued on page 52)

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Which parcel is worth up to 50% more?

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Learn which parcel gets you more and why, plus how you can maximize your diamond profits at The White Pine Academy.

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DIAMONDS - JEWELRY - WATCHES 48

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ACCREDITED BUSINESS ®

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS

Developing Leaders for the Next Generation WHAT A GREAT START to the year it has been for NPA Young Professionals (YPs)! Our group had an outstanding turnout at Pawn Expo in Las Vegas, NV, where almost one-third of attendees were YPs. The YPs did an excellent job representing our group at the convention. Individuals completing all the requirements Kathleen Barbee, to achieve their Certified Young Professionals Pawn Professional (CPP) Committee Chair designation were recognized at the NPA Annual Membership Meeting on Tuesday, July 12. Three of the six recipients were YPs! A big congratulation goes out to Maurice Fuller of Chesapeake Square Pawn in Chesapeake, VA, Willie Showell of Nathan’s Lynnhaven Pawn Shop in Virginia Beach, VA, and Nick Uroda of Clark Loan & Jewelry Inc. in Aberdeen, MD, for receiving their certification.

At the NPA Annual Awards Luncheon, NPA

recognized several individuals for their work and dedication to the industry and I was honored to be the recipient of this year’s Young Professional of the Year Award. This is the second year this award has been presented; Joshua Davis of Gold N Connection was last year’s recipient. To read more about all of the awards and their recipients, turn to page 34.

On Wednesday, July 13, the YPs held a luncheon and had an astounding attendance of almost 100 people.

We networked with our fellow young professionals, pawnbrokers and industry partners alike. Later that night, we continued the camaraderie with a happy hour where over 25 young professionals gathered.

I would like to thank all the young professionals for making 2016 such a successful year so far, and I sincerely hope that we will continue to grow as a group so that we may have the opportunity to lead this industry forward for many years to come.

If you would like to join the NPA Young Professional Pawnbroker Member Forum and stay connected with fellow NPA YPs, please contact Marliss@NationalPawnbrokers.org.

CPP

RAISE YOUR STANDARDS TO

NEW HEIGHTS

EARN YOUR CPP DESIGNATION

AVAILABLE COURSES • Store Operations • Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations

BER NON-MEM Rate

For more information about the program, visit NationalPawnbrokers.org and click on the CPP tab

MEMBER Rate

• Human Resources • Federal Regulations • Security, Risk, and Crisis

NPA Recognizes First Certified Pawn Professionals The NPA recognized the first recipients of its Certified Pawn Professional (CPP) designation program at Pawn Expo this past July in Las Vegas, NV. Six individuals completed a rigorous learning program to achieve their mark of distinction among those in the pawn industry.

The CPP learning program was created in 2015 by the NPA to provide a professional designation for individuals in the pawn industry. CPP designees have at least three years of professional pawnbroking experience and have completed a series of CPP courses, including Store Operations; Marketing, Advertising, and Public Relations; Human Resources; Product Knowledge; Federal Regulations; and Security, Risk, and Crisis Management.

The inaugural group includes: Douglas Braswell, Braswell & Son Pawnbrokers, Little Rock, AR Don Clark, Clark Loan & Jewelry, Aberdeen, MD Maurice Fuller, Chesapeake Square Pawn, Chesapeake, VA Ben Levinson, Dynasty Jewelry & Loan, Norcross, GA Willie Showell, Nathan’s Lynnhaven Pawn Shop, Virginia Beach, VA Nick Uroda, Clark Loan & Jewelry, Aberdeen, MD

Management • Product Knowledge

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MEMBER NEWS

Pawnbrokers Pay It Forward FORMER MENTEE BECOMES A MENTOR THE NPA MENTOR PROGRAM, developed in 2013, helps new pawnbrokers transition into the pawn industry by pairing them with seasoned veterans for a year-long educational and productive experience.

Beth and Adam Anundi, owners of Capital Pawn in Salem, OR, began their pawnbroking journey in 2011. Six months later, they joined NPA and attended their first Pawn Expo.

There, they were introduced to Kerry Rainey of Bayou Pawn & Jewelry in Hammond, LA, who became their mentor.

Five years later, they are now paying it forward by mentoring another couple who are new to the industry. Melissa and David Hawkins of Fairbanks, AK, opened their store in 2015, and joined NPA earlier this year. They wanted to avoid as many pitfalls and obstacles as they could since they are new to the industry and they understand the value of wisdom from someone who has gone through the process previously.

Communication is conducted primarily through email, text, and phone. A sampling of the topics discussed includes software, safes, insurance, pricing, employees, and compliance. The couples met for the first time at Pawn Expo 2016 in Las Vegas this past July, and have already made plans for the Hawkins to travel to Salem for a store visit.

Melissa advises new pawnbrokers to “Do it! The advice and guidance is so valuable. I’ve made a new friend who has an insight into my life and what I’m going through. And most of all, I’ve received the benefit of my mentor’s trials, errors, triumphs, and successes. My mentor is an amazing resource for our business.”

There are advantages for mentors as well, according to the Anundi’s. “You get to enjoy the process of teaching and sharing your knowledge, and you also learn from your mentee. Plus, you will have new friends in a different state!”

If you would like more information about the NPA Mentor Program, go to the Members Only area of the NPA website (NationalPawnbrokers.org) and click on the Membership button.

Beth and Adam Anundi of Capital Pawn, Salem, OR, wrap up Pawn Expo at the Closing Reception.

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David and Melissa Hawkins chat with Beth Anundi.

MEMBERSHIP

NPA Member Anniversary Awards CELEBRATING MEMBERSHIP LOYAL MEMBERS ARE THE BACKBONE OF AN ASSOCIATION. Without them, the NPA would not have been able to provide advocacy, education, mentoring benefits, and much more for the last 29 years. Thank you to our members who have committed the past 10, 20, and 25 years to the improvement and growth of the industry and of the association. All award members will receive a membership lapel pin signifying their years of support.

25-YEAR ANNIVERSARY COMPANY

CITY

STATE

COMPANY

CITY

STATE

A-Able Pawners and Jewelers Inc

Waukegan

IL

H & F Pawn

Killeen

TX

Ace Music & Pawn Shop

Elkin

NC

Heather’s Pawn Loans

Oklahoma City

OK

American Jewelry and Loan

Detroit

MI

Horizon Pawn

Gallup

NM

Braswell & Son Pawnbrokers

Little Rock

AR

Johnson Brothers’ Jewelry & Loan

Mansfield

OH

Cash Northwest, Inc

Lacey

WA

Larry’s Super Pawn, Inc

Warren

OH

Chicago Pawners & Jewelers Inc

Chicago

IL

Magazine Pawn Shop

New Orleans

LA

Clark Pawners and Jewelers, Inc

Chicago

IL

Mentor Financial Jewelry and Loan

Mentor

OH

Dixie Pawn, Inc

Manassas

VA

Mister Money Investments Inc

Fort Collins

CO

Dollar Pawn, Inc

Haleyville

AL

Naranja Trading Post & Pawn

Naranja

FL

Empire Loan

Boston

MA

National Pawn Shop

Plantation

FL

Ingram Pawners & Jewelers, Inc

Chicago

IL

New York Pawnbrokers Inc

Bronx

NY

King’s Pawn Shop

Greeley

CO

Pike County Pawn Shop, Inc

Waverly

OH

L Oppleman Pawnbrokers

Lynchburg

VA

Porter’s Pawn and Bargain Center, Inc

Mountain Home

AR

Moss Pawn Jewelry & Guns

Jonesboro

GA

R & R Pawn

Indianapolis

IN

North County Pawn Center

Jennings

MO

Solar Loan and Sales Company

Des Moines

IA

Old South Pawn

Macon

GA

Sunset Strip Pawn

Sioux Falls

SD

Pawnbrokers of America

Akron

OH

Swop Shop

Goldsboro

NC

Shane’s - The Pawn Shop Inc

Chicago Heights

IL

United Pawnbrokers

Jonesboro

AR

Sunset Pawn, Inc

Hutchinson

KS

The Pawn Advantage Store

Santa Rosa

CA

20-YEAR ANNIVERSARY COMPANY

10-YEAR ANNIVERSARY COMPANY

CITY

STATE

A Pawn & Cash Inc

Blacksburg

VA

CITY

STATE

Alvarado Pawn, Inc

Alvarado

TX

Ace Diamond & Jewelry Brokers, Inc

Youngstown

OH

America’s Super Pawn, Inc

Oneco

FL

American Pawn & Jewelry

Huntsville

AL

Capital Pawn Shop, Inc

Montgomery

AL

AmeriPawn of Valparaiso

Valparaiso

IN

Classic Jewelry and Loan

Barboursville

WV

Austintown Pawn, Inc

Youngstown

OH

Jay Pays

Seattle

WA

Brett’s Pawn Shoppe, LLC

Birmingham

AL

Joe Davis - Pawnbroker

Bridgeport

CT

Crown Jewelers & Pawn, Inc

Salt Lake City

UT

Motor City Pawnbrokers

Roseville

MI

David H. Fell & Company, Inc

City of Commerce

CA

Paragon Mills Loan Co, Inc

Nashville

TN

Dillon Gage Inc. of Dallas, Metals Division

Dallas

TX

Queen of Pawns and Jewelry, Inc

West Palm Beach

FL

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(Continued from page 47)

PRO TIP: REFINE YOUR SERP

Use All of Your Power Tools The best way to build more organic search engine listings for your website is by engaging with search engine optimization (SEO) techniques and content marketing. SEO builds organic listings and website authority that last.

SEO is often less expensive than paying for online advertising or PPC. If you’re not familiar with SEO techniques, you may need to bring in a professional, but, if you are willing to learn a little about how to optimize your website, it can be free.

Historically, SEO and PPC have worked in tandem, creating a powerful combination that dominated the online marketplace in your industry.

However, PPC for pawnbrokers may be a thing of the past, making strong SEO an asset for your business.

SERP is a Search Engine Result Page and is essentially how your potential visitors see your website listing on a search engine. This is often the most overlooked element of website marketing, but it can be a powerful advertising tool. Your website SERP should match what your customers are looking for as well as project a relevant and professional message. The length of SERP titles and descriptions are limited, but are extremely important for your customers to understand exactly what they are clicking. Here are a few tips: • Make sure page titles match what your customers are likely to search.

• Use free online tools such as seomofo.com/snippet-optimizer.html to refine and optimize the SERP. • Google Webmaster tools provide options as to what Sitelinks appear in SERP. • Make sure all pages and posts on your website are optimized with titles, snippets (meta descriptions), and URLs to give search engines the information they need to rank for the page or post.

Emmett Murphy is the New Media Strategist at 3 CLiCK Media. He handles all Public Relations for the National Pawnbrokers Association and has appeared frequently in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Time magazine on behalf of the NPA and the pawn industry. For more information, visit 3clickmedia.com.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

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STATE NEWS

State Association Updates STATE PAWN NEWS FROM ACROSS THE NATION

FLORIDA Joshua Davis, President

Florida Pawnbrokers Association josh@gcpawn.com

The Florida Pawnbrokers Association (FPA) Lobbyist and Board were able to help prevent some new legislation from passing recently. This legislation would have required police departments to alert victims of thefts on how to obtain items for free without any mention of due process for the pawnshop.

ILLINOIS Kelly J Swisher, President

Illinois Pawnbrokers Association arlingtonloan@gmail.com

As you all know, not much is getting done in Springfield.

The summer break is in full swing, so any changes to the pawn regulation will have to wait until the fall session.

If you have any suggestions for topics, in addition to our normal agenda, for the fall meeting that is scheduled for September 18, 2016, please contact me. The meeting will be held at noon (brunch at 11) at the I Hotel, 1900 S 1st St, in Champaign, IL.

INDIANA Greg Engstrom, President

Indiana Pawnbrokers Association gregengstrom@hotmail. com

Indiana has an AAA credit rating and had an balanced budget for the past seven years. Since a pro-business environment exists, the Indiana Pawnbrokers Association (IPA) is working on some legislation to bring pawnbrokers up to speed. Our number one goal this legislative season is to allow handgun pawn loans. Indiana is one of a handful of states that disallows handguns to be used as collateral for a loan. After Steve

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Krupnik (IPA’s first president) broached this topic some 20 years ago, it is hopefully the right time now to change this. We have the support of a few legislators, agreement with many from law enforcement, and a common sense approach.

In other news, the 26th Annual Midwest Pawn Convention will be held May 5-7, 2017, in Nashville, TN.

NEW YORK Eric Modell, President

Collateral Loanbrokers Association of New York eric@modellfinancial.com

The Collateral Loan Association of New York (CLANY) is battling New York City on several fronts. First, in December 2013, they tried to enact a law requiring electronic data submission to LeadsOnline. CLANY sued the City et al based on the argument that the laws violated the New York state constitution and that civil rights of both pawnbrokers and their customers were being denied. The judge found in favor of CLANY and the city appealed. That appeal is still open. We hope, and expect, that the original decision will be upheld and we will be successful in obtaining a permanent injunction stopping this law. A decision is expected before the end of the year.

As the city fought to get our records through LeadsOnline, they tried a back door approach, and served several pawnshops with subpoenas demanding all books and records for an entire year be delivered to our licensing agency en masse. We objected to this and filed a motion to quash. The city responded with a cross motion to dismiss. On August 8, 2016, the judge agreed with CLANY and dismissed the cross motion. He informed the city that inspectors should be visiting shops and examining samples of records. The judge then gave the city 30 days to respond to our arguments. With this partial decision on our side, we are even more confident that our motion will be granted and the subpoenas will be quashed. The judge is set to hand down his final decision in early November.

We further expect that once we are victorious in both lawsuits, other municipalities in the state will benefit from the rulings and electronic reporting to third parties will be eliminated statewide.

STATE NEWS OHIO Lou Tansky, President

Ohio Pawnbrokers Association lou@unclebenspawnshop. com

The importance of the presidential campaign cannot be understated as this historic election will have a dramatic effect on the regulatory atmosphere under which we operate.

On October 3 of this year, pawnbrokers will begin complying with the requirements of the Military Lending Act (MLA). On that date, our members must begin: • Limiting all interest and other charges for credit to 36 percent Military Annual Percentage Rate (MAPR) for pawn loans made to active-duty service members and dependents, • Requiring written disclosures of both the MAPR and the Truth In Lending Act (TILA)-based APR for all transactions with service members and dependents, and

Pawnbrokers will be responsible for verifying whether or not every customer is, or is not, a service member or dependent at the time of each transaction. The Department of Defense’s means for obtaining this information is by a check of its own database – the Defense Manpower Data Center (DMDC). However, to get a “verified response”, you need the customer’s Social Security Number (SSN), which many of our members do not ordinarily collect. We will continue to provide updates to our members on how best to comply with these requirements.

At this time of year, when many legislators are back home in their districts, it’s a good idea to become acquainted with them and let them know how the MLA and other legislation affect your business. This holds true on a statewide and local level as well. Call or write your state representative or senator, mayor, city councilperson, or any other elected official who can, in some way, influence the way you do business.

Your Ohio Pawnbrokers Association has had some success communicating our message through a grassroots effort. Now is the perfect time to continue that success.

• Requiring oral disclosures of the MAPR and APR for the transaction.

BOOK CORNER

Hiring For Attitude by Mark Murphy

What causes an employee with the right skills and talent to succeed or to fail? According to a study reported in Fortune and Forbes magazines, only 11 percent of people fail because they lack the necessary technical skills to complete the job; the other 89 percent fail because of attitudinal reasons.

STEP 1: Make them believe you’re going to talk with their previous employer. Ask about their previous employer in detail. Ask their full name and specifically how it is spelled. If a candidate actually believes that the previous employer will be contacted, they are more likely to be truthful in their responses.

STEP 2: Ask them to describe their boss. Ask questions that highlight the previous employer’s management style.

Take note of their positive and negative feedback and compare it to your own qualities. Would this be a good fit?

In Hiring for Attitude, Mark Murphy presents convincing reasons and case studies on why new hires fail to rise to STEP 3: Ask them what their boss considered their the expectations of their employers and how the employer strengths. Asking this question instead of, “What do you can make the right hiring decisions to help prevent this consider your biggest strengths?” will provide you with failure. what they actually believe compared to a canned answer Hiring for skill is simple, but hiring for attitude can be that reflects what they think you want to hear. challenging. The number one attitudinal problem with STEP 4: Ask them what their boss considered their employees is coachability. There is no point in investing weaknesses. It is very important that this question is asked time and energy in hiring people who do not respond last. If the first three steps are completed successfully, positively to feedback and who cannot accept and there will more likely be a stronger level of trust to elicit implement feedback. Mark Murphy presents a field-tested, an honest answer. While listening to their answer, assess four-step question technique that allows employers to whether their weakness is something you can live with. If separate coachable candidates from the rest. they can’t think of a weakness, you’ve hit a warning sign they’re not coachable.

FALL 2016

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MEMBER NEWS

National Pawnbrokers Association New Members MAY 1, 2016 – JULY 31, 2016 PAWNBROKERS Alabama Pawn Central • Opelika Pawn City of Dothan, Inc • Dothan Pawn City, Inc • Lanett Pawn Headquarters • Phenix City Pocket Pawn, Inc • Ozark Pronto Midtown Inc • Mobile Pronto of Alabama Inc • Mobile Pronto, Inc • Theodore

Idaho Infinity Coins • Idaho Falls Illinois Niles Loan & Diamond Broker, Inc • Algonquin Pawn King • Decatur Pawn King • East Moline Pawn King • Jacksonville Pawn King • Rock Island Pawn King • Cahokia Pawn King • Collinsville (2) Pawn King • Moline Pawn King • Urbana Pawn King • Pekin Pawn King • Springfield Village Jewelry and Loan LTD • Melrose Park

Arizona Flagstaff Pawn • Flagstaff Liberty Pawn Shop • Tucson Arkansas Honest Abe’s Pawn Shop • Jacksonville California Monte De Piedad • National City (2) Monte De Piedad • San Ysidro (4) Monte De Piedad • San Diego (5) Monte De Piedad • Escondido Monte De Piedad • Chula Vista (2) PB Pawn & Jewelry • San Diego The Jewel Buyers • Beverly Hills The King’s Pawn Inc • Escondido

Indiana 5th Street Pawn LLC • Fort Wayne Iowa Brown Loans •Council Bluffs Pawn King • Davenport (2) Michigan CC Coins • Dearborn Minnesota Avi’s Pawn • Richfield

Colorado Massa Auto Pawn • Aurora Massa Auto Pawn • Pueblo Massa Auto Pawn • Denver Massa Auto Pawn • Colorado Springs Massa Auto Pawn Inc • Lakewood

Mississippi Pawn Mart II • Pascagoula Pawn Plus Shop • Hattiesburg

Connecticut Connecticut Consignment Depot, LLC • Ansonia Delaware Atlantic Pawn • Delmar

Georgia U-Need A Pawn • Columbus Gold and Silver Pawn • Hinesville Southland Pawn & Jewelry, Inc • Morrow Welsh Pawn Shop • Savannah (2) Welsh Pawn Shop • Rincon |

NATIONAL PAWNBROKERS ASSOCIATION

New Mexico B & R Inc • Gallup New York Pawn Rite-4225 WPR LLC • Bronx Rochester PawnBrokers Inc • Rochester

Florida Alamo Money Mart • Panama City Arcadia Pawn • Arcadia Cash Inn South, Inc • Miami Jax Jewelry & Pawn • Jacksonville La Familia Pawn & Jewelry • Maitland

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Missouri Pawn King • Saint Louis

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North Carolina Jim’s Pawn Shop • Fayetteville JLGG of Southern Pines LLC • Southern Pines JPS of Wilmington • Wilmington Reid’s PawnShop, Inc • Kannapolis Oklahoma Circle D Pawn Inc • Seminole Circle D Pawn Inc • Shawnee (2) Circle D Pawn Inc • Tecumseh Whitey’s Pawn and Tools Inc • Sand Springs

MEMBER NEWS South Dakota Presidential Pawn • Rapid City

Wyoming Depend A Pawn LLC • Casper

Tennessee Best Pawn • Memphis

APPRENTICE Charles Younce • La Follette, TN

Texas M & S Pawn, LLC • Kyle Utah Classic Jewelers Exchange • Murray Virginia American Enterprises Pawn Shop • Newport News AmeriPawn • Richmond Blue Ridge Pawn, LLC • Bedford Chesapeake Square Pawn • Chesapeake Pawn Emporium • Harrisonburg Royal Pawn, Inc • Alexandria Shenandoah Valley Pawnbroker LLC • Elkton Superior Pawn & Gun • Virginia Beach Washington Goldbay Pawn • Spokane Pawn Fathers, Inc • Lynnwood Pawn Fathers, Inc • Everett

INTERNATIONAL CC Belconnen • Belconnen, ACT • Australia CC Tuggeranong • Greenway, ACT • Australia CC Woden • Woden, ACT • Australia CC Gosford • Gosford, NSW • Australia CC Liverpool • Liverpool, NSW • Australia GuatePrenda • Guatemala City • Guatemala Astana Lombard • Astana, Akmolinskaya • Kazakhstan INDUSTRY PARTNERS Watch Geeks • Miami, FL EMS Pawn Systems • Blackwood, NJ Quality Plastics • Sparks, NV Williams Gold & Silver, LLC • Las Vegas, NV Technology Media Group • Dallas, TX

MEMBER NEWS (Continued from page 42)

a retail job: sweeping floors, unloading trucks, and feeling frustrated that employers couldn’t see his potential.

Now, he collaborates with employees at American Jewelry and Loan to create product photography and post items for sale on pawndetroit.com. It’s a position ideally suited for him, after having previously struggled with the hiring process.

“I sent out so many resumes, but I never got a ‘yes’ after an interview,” said Michael, who lives in Brighton and has a bachelor’s degree from Western Michigan University. “Power to the Grid has been invaluable.”

Michael works at American Jewelry and Loan with other Power to the Grid colleagues including Sean Rosen. Like Michael, Sean has completed college and considers himself a perfectionist. Speaking of his attempt to find work in a grocery store he says, “You know when you hear people say ‘You won’t last a day’? Well, that was me.” Now, Sean lists jewelry and cites his attention to detail as the secret to his success

in his new role. “I think I’ve finally found somewhere that works for me.”

American Jewelry and Loan was the first business to pilot an on-site training center. This allowed the Power to the Grid team to work alongside existing employees for mentoring and training as well as testing the program’s model.

“Some people have said we were brave to do this. We weren’t brave. We knew it would work,” Seth Gold said. “Every new employee goes through training.

Everyone is new at some time. These guys are part of our business now. They’re teammates. And we value their work.”

Pawnbrokers who would like to know more about this workforce diversity program or might be interested in replicating it in their own stores are encouraged to contact Les (Les@pawndetroit.com) or Seth (Seth@pawndetroit.com). You can also learn more at PowertotheGrid.com.

Submitted by Cyndee Harrison, American Jewelry and Loan.

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PAWNDER THIS

What’s In a Name?

BY RUDY KLANCNIK

FOR 18 YEARS I DREADED THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. That’s what happens when your name is Rudolph Klancnik. Every year it was virtually the same conversation. This relatively shy kid had to state his name in front of his entire class on the first day of school. First I had to explain that no, I don’t go by Rudolph. Who would go

by Rudolph unless they live at the North Pole? It’s Rudy, I would say as confidently as possible. Then I’d have to pronounce my complicated consonant-littered last name.

Thank you for that one, Yugoslavia.

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My mom’s name was Pearl. Today that name doesn’t even register in the Top 250 of popular baby names. If you know someone who’s recently had a baby, there’s a better than average chance they named the girl Emma and the boy Liam. Those two rank number one in their respective gender. Noah and Ethan finish a close second and third on the boys’ side, while Olivia and Eva are second and third for baby girls.

When my son was born, I decided to give him the break I wasn’t afforded. I named him Jake. Not Jacob. Just Jake. I purposely picked a one-syllable first name because I knew it would be such a breath of fresh air compared to his crazy last name. Kalanick. Klancenik. Klandyke.

Calandck. Yep, I’ve seen all of them and heard practically every pronunciation under the sun. But luckily for Jake, I did the right thing and now he can relax the first day in school every year.

All of those top-ranked names are solid choices. What makes zero sense is the parent who must do something so super cool and amazingly unique by naming their son or daughter something crazy – and thus ruining their lives.

Here are some real-world examples: Vanellope, Pistol, Happiness, Pemberley, Envie, Rarity, Kinzington, Ransom, Rebelle, Sierraleone, Siqi, Snowy, and Temprince.

But it didn’t work out that way. What I failed to take into account was that every other boy in Jake’s school would also be named Jake. I had picked the most popular name in America for any boy born in 2004. He has so many Jakes in his age group that his friends call him – wait for it – Klancnik. Of course they do. At least most of them can now pronounce it correctly.

Here is the boys’ looney toons lineup card: Rydder, Jceion, Hatch, Tuf, Lloyal, Psalms, Xzaiden, Charger, Forever, Kyndie, Power, Warrior, Gospel, Kaptain, Subaru, and Vice.

Naming your offspring is serious business. Pick the wrong name and you scar them for life. Pick the perfect name and

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they become a country music star or CEO of a Fortune 100 company. Parents hold all the cards which, of course, is incredibly unfair to the kid.

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And that’s just the girls.

OK, if you named your kids any of these, I’m sorry for laughing in your face. I’m not laughing with you. I’m laughing at you! What could anyone be thinking by naming their son or daughter something they’ll never be able to fight back from?

BUSINESS SENSE (Continued from page 18)

The two mining companies, which together account for more than half of global production, reduced their output to align with lower polished demand, and that has resulted in a fragile supply-demand balance at the mid-point of the year. However, the outlook remains cautious as the market enters the seasonally weaker second half.

“Higher rough demand may have been the result of hopes that end-demand may improve and result in a drawdown of inventories,” analysts at ABN Amro wrote in a note about the diamond sector. “[But] the improvement in end-demand remains fragile and this doesn’t justify higher polished and rough diamond prices. We think rough diamond prices will struggle and lower prices are likely in the current environment.”

TIPS FOR PAWNBROKERS OPERATING IN THE DIAMOND MARKET •

Understand your merchandise and break it down by shape, size, color, and clarity before selling.

•

Grade your larger and fine-quality diamonds at the GIA to achieve higher sales prices.

•

Sell your diamonds to reputable firms and get multiple offers.

•

Monitor your prices throughout the year.

For more information about the diamond industry, visit diamonds.net.

The Rapaport Group is an international network of companies providing added value services that support the development of fair, transparent, competitive, and efficient diamond and jewelry markets. Established in 1978, the Rapaport Price List is the primary source of diamond price and market information. Group activities include Rapaport Information Services, Rapaport Magazine, and Diamonds.net, providing research, analysis, and news; RapNet – the world’s largest diamond trading network; Rapaport Laboratory Services provides GIA gemological services in India, Belgium, and Israel; and Rapaport Trading and Auction Services specializing in recycled diamonds and jewelry. The Group supports over 20,000 clients in 121 countries and has offices in New York, Las Vegas, Antwerp, Ramat Gan, Mumbai, Surat, Dubai, and Hong Kong.

PAWNDER THIS Not surprisingly, celebrities enjoy naming their kids with names so ridiculous that only in Hollywood would they stand a chance. Penn Jillette, of Penn & Teller fame, named his sons Moxie Crimefighter and Zolten. Yes, you read that correctly. Gwen Stefani called her second baby Zuma Nesta Rock. I can’t even make that up. And perhaps you’ve heard of North West, the daughter of Kanye and Kim. According to research on names that lead to juvenile detention, boys named Alec, Ernest, Ivan, Malcolm, and Tyrell don’t stand much of a shot of staying out of the joint. Historically, negative names such as Adolf and Osama are likely retired forever. And I’m guessing the names Donald and Hillary won’t be parental favorites moving forward regardless of who wins in November. Then again, what’s the last presidential name that was a favorite baby name? Uh, wait just a minute. There is one. My teenage daughter is going on her 18th year proudly carrying the name Reagan. If I had had another girl, I was thinking about Kennedy just to keep folks guessing. But he was a boy, and Jake won the day.

Or Klancnik as he’s better known to his friends.

Rudy J. Klancnik writes for fun, sells stuff for a living, and cheers for any team playing Ohio State or the Yankees.

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

INDEX OF ADVERTISERS

October 2016

ADVERTISER Page

ADVERTISER Page

3 CLiCk Media (212) 365-0691 3ClickMedia.com

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Embassy Suites, DFW North Outdoor World Grapevine, TX Contact Peggy Roden: TAP@rmaworldwide.com

Aagam Creation LLC (248) 961-0506 aagamcreation.com

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Money Mizer Pawns & Jewelers 8 (866) 588-7296 moneymizer.net

CALIFORNIA PAWNBROKERS ASSOCIATION CONVENTION

Bravo Pawn Systems (888) 407-6287 bravopawnsystems.com

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Burrell Printing (800) 531-5234 burrellprinting.com

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TEXAS ASSOCIATION OF PAWNBROKERS CONVENTION

OCTOBER 22-24, 2016

Bluestone Trading Company Inc Back Cover (888) 800-BLUE (2583) bluestone-trading.com

OCTOBER 28-30, 2016 Riverside, CA Contact Kim Andosca: Kandosca@amgroup.us

March 2017

DIXIE CONFERENCE AND TRADE SHOW

The Buyers (562) 945-7276 thebuyers.com

8

Dillon Gage (888) 436-3489 dillongage.com

5

Garrett Metal Detectors 44 (800) 527-4011 garrett.com

MARCH 10-12, 2017 Perdido Beach Resort Orange Beach, AL Contact Rosemary Hipps: Larrysjp@comcast.net

Geib Refining (800) 228-4653 geibrefining.com

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Gemological Institute of America 23 (800) 421-7250 gia.edu

July 2017

Hi-Tech Precious Metals & Refinery 53 (866) 950-7528 hitechPMR.com

PAWN EXPO 2017

JULY 18-20, 2017

Hoover & Strong (800) 759-9997, ext 164 hooverandstrong.com

The Mirage Hotel and Casino Las Vegas, NV Contact Lindsay Wilson: Lindsay@NationalPawnbrokers. org

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International Gemological Institute Inside Front Cover igionline.com

North American Metals 13 (800) 773-1626 northamericanmetals.com Padmavati Exports 27 (212) 869-0544 padmavatiexportsinc.com Paysouth Merchant Services 16 (617) 578-9444 paysouth.com/partners/npa Rapaport Auctions (212) 354-9800 rapaportauctions.com RMF Consulting Group (866) 204-7209 checkconsultants.com

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8

Stallcup Group (817) 479-3880 stallcupgroup.com

12

Stuller, Inc (800) 877-7777 stuller.com

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United Precious Metal Refining, Inc (800) 999-FINE (3463) unitedpmr.com

10

Wexler Insurance Agency

Inside Back Cover (800) 432-1853 wexlerinsurance.com White Pine Trading (646) 666-7588 whitepinediamonds.com

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Worldwide Diamond (213) 622-2191 wwdiamond.com

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The NPA does not specifically endorse any entity including but not limited to exhibitors and advertisers; makes no representations, warranties, or guarantees; and assumes no responsibility for the products or services provided by these entities.

The NPA expressly disclaims all liability for damages of any kind arising from the use or the performance of the products or services provided by these entities.

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WEXLER INSURANCE AGENCY, INC.

INSURING

PAWNBROKERS

SINCE 1968

The Best Coverage at Competitive Prices Available Coverages: v Pawned & Owned Jewelry & Guns

No Coinsurance for: v Pawned & Owned Guns & Jewelry or Other Stock

v Pawned & Owned Other Stock

v Business Personal Property

v Memo

We pay based on your choice of the following:

v Products Liability for Guns & Ammunition

v Actual cost of the loan plus legally accrued interest

v And many more see back page

v 2 or 3 times pawn value

Wexler Insurance Agency, Inc. 1120 Ponce de Leon Blvd.

Coral Gables, FL 33134 Tel: 305-445-5050 Fax: 305-448-8189 Nationwide: 1-888-4-WEXLER 1-800-432-1853 E-mail: info@wexlerinsurance.com

v Replacement Cost

New York Office 580 Fifth Avenue Suite 715A New York, NY 10036 Tel: 212-391-5211 Fax: 212-391-5212 California Office 2711 East Coast Hwy. Suite 106 Corona del Mar, CA 92625 Tel: 949-723-3835 Fax: 949-723-3839

Ohio Office 7363 E. Kemper Rd. Suite C & D Cincinnati, OH 45249 Tel: 513-891-2131 Fax: 513-891-2132

Ask about our exclusive Workers Comp program for Pawnshops which is available in all 50 states.

CALL 1-800-432-1853 FOR AN IMMEDIATE QUOTE OR VISIT US AT WWW.WEXLERINSURANCE.COM FALL 2016 | NATIONAL PAWNBROKERS ASSOCIATION | 61

Something this exciting shouldn’t be kept a secret!

It’s no secret that Bluestone Trading Company is known for its top-dollar offers.

From one piece to entire estates, family trusts and more – we buy it ALL! We’re a company with Midwestern values that treats our customers the way we want to be treated – since 1978.

• Free Overnight Shipping

• Same Day Wire Payment /Overnight Check • Huge Inventory

BUY • SELL • MEMO • 888 800-BLUE (2583) • www.bluestone-trading.com • webinfo@bluestone-trading.com