Date: February 2017

As International Women’s Day approaches, I found myself thinking of the many influential women in our business that have astounded me with their talent and determination. One woman in particular is Sharon Wei, a local Columbus jewelry designer who focuses on freshwater pearls from her home country of China.

In 2004, a beautiful, vivacious and visibly pregnant young Sharon walked through the doors of Argo & Lehne with no scheduled appointment.  As a side note, when Sharon walks into a room she has a happy glow that is truly infectious. Of course we were drawn to her persuasive personality, but when she showed us the quality and design of her workmanship we were hooked. She landed her first big account and we landed one of our hottest lines and a friend for life.
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The Who

Freedom a la Cart is a unique approach to catering through cause cuisine. They offer a large, tasty selection of culinary delights from breakfast ‘til dinner such as bacon wrapped dates, or their signature box lunches.

Their mission is to empower survivors of human trafficking to build a new life of freedom and self-sufficiency. They believe that those who have lived in slavery should be empowered through economic independence. They are committed to training members of the community on the issue surrounding human trafficking in Franklin Country, as well as providing care to survivors.

Not only do they provide support services and workforce training, but they actually employ 25-30 females who are all survivors of human trafficking. The survivors employed must be referred by a program and have completed a drug and alcohol recovery program before their start.

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We are kicking off the month of March by featuring the first of four woman’s cause organization, Dress for Success Columbus! They strive to empower the career-focused ladies out there who may be struggling to land that interview or seeking extra guidance on how to succeed.

The Who

Dress for Success Columbus promotes the economic independence of women in need by providing professional attire, a network of support, and the career development tools to help women thrive in work and in life. They address every phase of a woman’s career by providing a number of programs: Interview and Employment Suiting, Career Center, Job Training, and Professional Women’s Group Employment Retention. These programs are free of charge for every woman they assist. Any woman referred by a community partner is eligible for service.
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The Who

The mission of CHOICES is to interrupt the cycle of domestic violence in this community and advocate for social change. CHOICES defines domestic violence as physical assault, psychological, emotional, economic and/or sexual abuse between intimate partners. This cuts across all geographic, religious, socio-economic, racial, sex and age barriers. Domestic violence increases in frequency and severity within a relationship yet is not a relationship issue. Domestic violence is learned, criminal, generational, cyclical, and is correlated with substance abuse.
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The Who

The Stefanie Spielman Fund for Breast Cancer Research was founded in 1998 at Ohio State’s Comprehensive Cancer Center—James Cancer Hospital and Solove Research Institute, or (OSUUCCC—James). The Spielman Fund was created to ensure that both the current needs of breast cancer research, as well as the long-term vision, are provided for. Therefore, the Spielman fund consists of both endowment and current use funds. Current use funds are fully expended during a short period of time, giving them immediate impact, while endowed funds are invested and maintained in perpetuity to provide long-term impact. Which, is important, as the endowed funds ensure the OSUCCC—James can drive the fight against breast cancer, no matter how the economy is performing.

The Stefanie Spielman Comprehensive Breast Center itself is the first of its kind. The center offers the full continuum of breast cancer care. The full continuum of care offers prevention and screening through detection, diagnosis, treatment and survivorship all-in-one. Coining the term, “Don’t get a routine mammogram. Get a James mammogram”.
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One thing we just love about our business is being a part of “the proposal”! It’s a huge moment in peoples’ lives. And it’s filled with love, joy, excitement, drama and even suspense. We feel privileged to help make it easy and amazing for our customers. Here are a few heartwarming stories from them:

Mike & Katherine

“We met Dion through friends and when we began thinking about engagement, we knew we wanted to work with him. His passion for his work is infectious and made the experience so special. I expected the custom design process to be overwhelming, but with Dion it was stress-free and fun!
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Working in a third generation jewelry store, I’m often asked, “What’s the secret of Argo & Lehne’s success?”

For those who don’t know me, I’m Michelle Berger, President of Argo & Lehne Jewelers. Native to Upper Arlington, I left for 15 years, returned to Columbus and collaborated with the Argo’s to lead the store in a new direction. We had countless meetings identifying the store’s unique niche in our local industry, our target customers and where we see ourselves in the future. Whatever changes we made, we knew we would be consistent and authentic with who we have always been: a jeweler with the highest quality products, highest ethical standards and highest level of service – a Columbus tradition.
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