Joe Soukenik ’80

When Joe Soukenik ’80 found himself ankle-deep in a 16,000-bulb garlic farm this past summer, he was struck by an understandable thought: Don’t quit your day job.

 

Joe’s daughter, Anna Soukenik ’12 operates the farm in Quebec, and Joe and his wife, Julie, had traveled up north to offer their assistance during the short planting season this summer.

 

“You know, you do everything you can for your kids, and you find a way to help in whatever way you are able.”

 

The Soukeniks are a close-knit bunch. Joe sent each of his four children (Anna, Jack ’10, Eliza ’16 and Mira ’19) to his alma mater and the family maintained ties to the community. Joe says every part of his life is built on a foundation of faith, and Gilmour has been a big part of that. “I learned to swim in that pool,” he says, “My brother went there; my sister got married there. Gilmour has always been family.  And when Julie and I talk about it, we say: `How can we not give back to the institution that helped raise our kids?’”

 

But Joe doesn’t just extend that familial spirit to those who share his blood. His business, Rivchun Jewelers, follows the same philosophy. “Our crew and our customers become our family, too. We grow by referrals, and each time we do, it’s like expanding the family. We’re a part of weddings, births, you name it.” Joe says that, in his mind, any business, at its core, is about the care of people.

 

It hasn’t always been a smooth road, but Joe’s strategy is to sit, reflect and pray, “because that’s where the battles are won.” When the pandemic struck, Joe found himself questioning the morality of his work: “Is it even proper to make jewelry during a pandemic?” But his customers didn’t stop coming, and Joe kept going.

 

It has now been 37 years for Joe in the jewelry business, and 22 at Rivchun. His son, Jack, recently joined the sales team, marking the third generation of Soukeniks in the company, continuing the journey Joe embarked upon so long ago. That journey has taken him across the East and West coasts of the U.S. and into Canada. It hasn’t been without its moments of doubt. Joe asks God each year, “Is this where I’m supposed to be?” And, so far, the answer has always been, “Yes.”