Ralph Destino, chairman, Gemological Institute of America Photo by David Beyda

Elsewhere in this issue you will read about GIA's robust global expansion and the status of our plans for India, Africa, China and Southeast Asia. Throughout these pages, you will meet some new GIA people like Nirupa Pandya Bhatt, who will direct our expansion in India and the Middle East, and Les Milner, who will head up our new Lab in Johannesburg. With these and other initiatives in full implementation mode, these surely are exciting days at GIA. At the same time, however, we want to make certain that the core ingredients of the GIA culture are fully embedded in all our new locations.

I recently had a long and heartfelt conversation with one of our veteran gemologists, a man who has had an admirable 25-year career at GIA. He spoke wistfully of his early days and of the giants who mentored him as he learned his craft. ("Mr. Liddicoat showed me … X," "Mr. Crowningshield taught me … Y," "Mr. Krashes helped me with … Z.") As he walked me down his personal memory lane, he repeatedly used the word "family," as in "we were a family back then" and "we interacted like family members back then."

Make no mistake: his reminisces were not complaints in any way. He was decidedly proud of GIA's great growth since those early days and, indeed, gratified that he had played a role in that growth. He took a great deal of professional satisfaction in GIA's leadership position in gemological education, research and stone grading, but wondered whether "feelings of family," so important at the beginning, would gradually – and sadly – disappear from GIA's culture as our globalization moved ahead.

My answer was a resounding "no," and here's why. As long as management remains committed to the principle that our people are our most important asset, and as long as we continue to value the importance of every individual, we will never lose the sense of family that has always been a hallmark of the GIA experience. International expansion will bring about an evolution from the idea of a "local family village" to a new "global family village" – but there will be no loss of commitment to the fundamentals of our corporate culture.

To address that broader reach, we will enhance the levels of communication and support, both internally and externally, for all our constituents including our students, our alumni and, indeed, our Laboratory clients. We want – and need – everyone to feel connected to our Institute and its mission, and we will exert every effort to that end.

These strengthened lines of communication will touch everyone. Through expanded recognition and reward programs, we will keep our employees not only fully informed, but enthusiastic and engaged as well, wherever they may be located. Our new "My GIA" portal will provide a 24/7 information path for our Lab clients. There will be a greater flow of updates and reports to our alumni and to the trade at large to ensure the alignment of all our constituencies with management's goals and aspirations. At the same time, our public outreach program will become increasingly more and more valuable to the ultimate consumers of gemological products.

While we will never again be "small," no one should fear any lessening of the traditional ties that link us together. Instead, we look forward to the stimulating experience of sharing our lifestyles with those of our new global "family" members … and vice versa.