Dec. 18, 2024—Manufacturing Jewelers & Suppliers of America (MJSA) recently elected Edward N. DeCristofaro as chair of the alliance’s board of directors.
The president of LDC Inc. in Providence, Rhode Island, DeCristofaro previously served as chair from 2012 to 2014, a period when the alliance established its current headquarters in Attleboro, Massachusetts, and since then he has continued to serve on the board as an officer at large.
DeCristofaro has been part of the jewelry industry since he was 17, when he joined LDC shortly after his father, Lawrence, launched the company in 1985 as a tool and die manufacturer. He soon took over the company’s operations and ultimately built many of LDC’s machines and tools, developing proprietary technology. After becoming full owner in 2003, he led the company to its current position as a full-service jewelry manufacturer specializing in sterling silver, gold-filled, and fashion jewelry. In addition to his involvement with MJSA, DeCristofaro has been president of the Providence Jewelers Club and is currently on the board of the Jewelers Board of Trade and a member of both the Twenty-four Karat Club of New York City and the Boston Jewelers Club.
The former chair of MJSA, Joseph Esposito, will now become the chair of the MJSA Education Foundation, a 501(c)3 subsidiary that supports career and training initiatives for students and workers throughout the jewelry industry. Esposito is executive vice president of National Chain Group in Warwick, Rhode Island.
Other board changes include:
• Steven A. Cipolla, the former chair of the MJSA Education Foundation, will become an officer at large. He is president of National Chain Group.
• William Taubner, president of Ball Chain Manufacturing Co. in Mount Vernon, New York, will begin a three-year term as director. The family-owned and -operated business, founded in 1938 by Frank Taubner and his son, Val, is the last remaining U.S. manufacturer of ball chain, producing millions of feet of chain weekly. Taubner, part of the fourth generation to lead the company, has been president of Ball Chain since 1992.
• Richard Milici Jr., president/CEO of Blackstone Industries LLC in Bethel, Connecticut, will step down from the board after serving two consecutive three-year terms.
For a full list of MJSA board members, click here.