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 was founded in 1988 by Shannon Taysom Passey in Cedar City, UT. At the time she was working for her father, Vernal Taysom, who owned Gem Jewelers. As a side buisness, Vernal started engraving corporate awards and tropies, 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 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 - 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 proerty from Vernal 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 - Gem Awards Launches Online Store
In 2018 gemawards.com was launched initially to help serve our local customers better; however, the demand for our products throgh Utah and the rest of the United States have grown exponentially since. The growth has helped us lower prices and increase the speed at which we produce our trophies, plaques and other awards.
2025 - New Look for Gem Awards
In 2025, Gem Awards proudly launched a fresh rebranding campaign centered on the belief that recognition matters. Our goal is to help you express genuine appreciation for the people in your life—strengthening bonds and celebrating the relationships that truly 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 essential part of every relationship.