Gem Awards Logo

About Gem Awards

Hello, and thank you for taking the time to learn more about Gem Awards! We are a family-owned engraving store located in beautiful Southern Utah.

Since 1988, we have provided thousands of awards locally to schools, universities and companies.

Our launch into the eCommerce space in 2018 has propelled us into being one of the fastest growing awards retailers in the nation.

We hope as you explore this page you will get a better understanding of who we are as a company and how we can help you build relationships through recognition.

Jacob Passey
Owner & CEO

Recognition Matters

We want to help you express appreciation for everyone in your life
to help strengthen and build relationships that matter.

Our Mission

To uplift and recognize individuals by
providing high-quality, personalized
products that celebrate their
achievements and special moments.

Our Vision

To inspire recognition and appreciation as
an integral part of every relationship.

Gem Awards

By The Numbers

18

Team Members

300+

Orders Shipped Every Day

4,000+

5 Star Reviews

37

Years in Business

Explore Our History

1988
Gem Awards is Founded
Gem Awards is Founded

Gem Awards was founded in 1988 by Shannon and Bruce Passey in Cedar City, Utah.  At the time Shannon was working for her father, Vernal Taysom, who owned Gem Jewelers.  As a side business, Vernal started engraving corporate awards and trophies, but with another business to run and little time, he was unable to grow the business to its full potential.  This is when Shannon saw the opportunity to buy the small startup from her father and officially founded Gem Awards.  For the first two years, Gem Awards was located in an old building where Lins Supermarket currently stands.  In 1990 they moved across the street next to the downtown movie theatre and remained there for the next 20 years – leaving a mark on Cedar City’s Historic Downtown

2008
Moving to Larger Facility
Gem Awards moves to Horse Alley

After 20 years of growth, Shannon & Bruce realized they needed a larger building to fulfill the demand.  They had the opportunity to buy a parcel of horse property near an industrial park and they took it.  With the move, they were able to build a building to fit their needs and help them supply all of Southern Utah in a much more efficient way.

2018
GemAwards.com Launched
Gem Awards launches online store

Seeing the need to expand online, Bruce and Shannon enlist the help of their son Jacob to create a website for Gem Awards.  After almost a year of development, Gem Awards makes their first online sale on gemawards.com.  It was a brass bell, shipped to Maria in Miami Florida!

2019
Expansion to the ETSY marketplace
Gem Awards Expands to the ETSY marketplace

Jacob expands our products to the ETSY marketplace.  Known for it’s personalization, Gem Awards products become and instant hit on the platform.

2020
Recognizing first responders during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Gem Awards launches campaign to recognize first responders during the COVID-19 Pandemic

During the COVID-19 Pandemic, Gem Awards shipped over 10,000 custom medals to first responders all of the country.  These medals recognized them for their selfless service during this difficult time in world history.

2021
Top 1% on Etsy!
Gem Awards is recognized as top 1% seller on ETSY

After just 2 years on the platform, Gem Awards is recognized as a Top 1% seller, selling more product than 99% of sellers on the platform.

2022
Jacob Passey named President and CEO of Gem Awards
Jacob Passey named President and CEO of Gem Awards

After graduating from Southern Utah University with a bachelors in Management and Accounting, Gem Awards is sold to Jacob Passey and he is named President and CEO.

2023
Expansion to Amazon Marketplace
Gem Awards Expands to the Amazon Marketplace

With growing success in the eCommerce landscape, Gem Awards sets their eyes on the worlds largest online marketplace – Amazon.  A strategic hire is made, and Darren Styler joins the team.  With expertise in starting and scaling multiple Amazon stores, Darren quickly grows Gem Awards’ presence on the platform and soon many products become featured as Amazon’s Choice.

2024
Expanding Production Facility
Gem Awards expands production facility

With daily order processing exceeding 300 orders per day, Gem Awards expands to a second production facility in Cedar City and hires a new team to exclusively process online orders.

2025
Rebrand
Gem Awards announces major rebrand

Gem Awards moves into the modern age with a new logo, fresh color pallet and simplistic fonts.  The rebrand is slowly rolled out throughout the year on signage, packaging and products.

 

 

 

Brands we’ve worked with

-