In 1979, he first joined the board of directors of the Diamond Dealers Club in New York, the largest diamond exchange in the United States, and in the years that followed held several senior positions, including chairman of the board and secretary.
In January 1990, he was elected president of the Diamond Dealers Club and immediately conceived and formed the Diamond Industry Steering Committee, an umbrella organization of the four diamond trade associations in New York, and served as its first chairman [REF].