December 22, 2020
Francis “Fran” Zimniuch (pictured), the East Coast sales manager for
InStore and parent company SmartWork Media for 16 years, died on Dec. 17, of complications related to COVID-19. He was 66.
Zimniuch was born in Philadelphia and attended Temple University. His first foray into the jewelry publishing world was at
Accent magazine, where he worked from 1985 to 1988. Following that, he sold for
Professional Jeweler, from 1998 to 2002.
He began at SmartWork in 2004, following a recommendation from former
JCK publisher Charlie Bond, who had worked with him at
Professional Jeweler.
“It was one of the best pieces of advice I have ever gotten from a colleague,” wrote SmartWork director of the board Dan Kisch on