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Hot List: June 2007

Retail Education

1 A new Institute for Service Excellence (ISE) opened recently in New Jersey. It is the third NRF Foundation-affiliated Retail Skills Center in New Jersey and 23rd in the nation.

The placement facility will serve as a one-stop shop for prospective employees and employers, helping place qualified candidates with careers at local retailers.

The facility offers basic and customized service skills training, skills assessments, staff certifications, English as a second language, and a host of customer service training.

Additional training can be accessed at NRF University wired, visit www.nrfuniversitywired.com.

Watch Your Eyes

2 Vistakon has announced that research conducted in Japan found that during spring, summer, and fall, ultraviolet (UV) exposure to the eye during early morning and late afternoon was approximately double that of the mid-morning/early afternoon period that is most often thought of as peak sun exposure time.

Using a specially designed model to measure and record the amount of UV-B rays entering the eye from sunrise to sunset, researchers at Kanazawa Medical University concluded that eyes are at greater risk to UV exposure at times that many individuals may not be taking proper steps to protect their eyes.

New Laboratory Structure for Silhouette

Silhouette Optical, Ltd., has announced a restructuring of its laboratory services through a partnership with Pech Optical Corp. Starting this month, company representatives say, Pech Optical will incorporate key personnel, proprietary technologies, and equipment from Silhouette Optical Laboratories, which will discontinue its operation effective July 1.

A seamless transfer is expected with customer services and warranty processing transition plans in place.

B&L Goes Private

Bausch & Lomb is going shopping to explore its sale options. At press time, the company had inked a merger agreement with affiliates of Warburg Pincus, a global private equity firm, but B&L representatives announced their intentions to consider other offers based on interest from Advanced Medical Optics (AMO).

Under the merger agreement, Bausch & Lomb may solicit superior proposals from third parties during the next 50 calendar days. To the extent that a superior proposal solicited during this period leads to the execution of a definitive agreement, Bausch & Lomb would be obligated to pay a $40 million break-up fee to affiliates of Warburg Pincus. Bausch & Lomb advises that there can be no assurance that the solicitation of superior proposals will result in an alternative transaction. The transaction is valued at approximately $4.5 billion dollars.

Midwest management SHIFTS

Midwest Vision Congress and Exposition has been replaced by the Midwest Eyecare Congress, developed and managed exclusively by the North Central States Optometric Council. It will run May 8 to 10, 2008 at the Park Hyatt hotel in Rosemont, Ill.

The Midwest Vision Congress and Exposition was a partnership between the North Central States Optometric Council and both the Vision Council of America and Reed Exhibitions.

web world

EyeCare America, the public service program of the Foundation of the American Academy of Ophthalmology, has announced a redesigned public information website at www.eyecareamerica.org. The site offers eye health information while also raising awareness about eye disease and providing access to medical care.

The Vision Care Institute, LLC, a Johnson & Johnson company, has added a new address to its website: www.tvciedu.com. The new address allows visitors to view the curriculum, register for a class, take a virtual tour of the facility's Jacksonville, Fla., headquarters, and hear from students and faculty about TVCI.

CooperVision has launched an Online Learning Center at http://learning.coopervision.com. This free educational resource offers ECPs and staff contact lens training and support. It also includes links to accredited, prepaid courses available from the Contact Lens Society of America (CLSA) and the American Optometric Association (AOA).

A&A Optical has introduced a brand web address, www.aaopticalco.com, with a new look reflecting A&A's 35th anniversary branding. A&A Optical's new website provides increased service, shopping convenience, and up-to-date company and product information for A&A customers.

5 Questions for…

The Vision Care for Kids Act of 2007 is working its way through Congress this session with the support of optical organizations and politicians. EB spoke with a sponsor of the bill, former Missouri governor, Sen. Christopher S. "Kit" Bond about the children's vision issue.

EB: Why are you interested in this effort?

KB: Every child deserves the opportunity to reach their full potential. Good vision is critical to learning and helping kids succeed in school. I also have a personal connection because I still suffer from permanent vision loss in one eye as a result of undiagnosed amblyopia in my childhood.

EB: Why is this legislation tough to pass? What makes this round different/better than previous rounds?

KB: Most legislation in Congress is tough to pass. It's not a simple process. The U.S. Congress deals with many important issues that are very critical to America's needs. This bill has to compete with other good bills in order to make it to the Senate floor for final passage.

What will help this year is the fact that we have support from several organizations in the vision community such as the American Academy of Ophthalmology, American Optometric Association, American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus, Vision Council of America, and Prevent Blindness America.

EB: What is your ideal for children's vision care on the national level?

KB: Approximately one out of every four children has vision problems. This is not just a local issue, but a national issue. The Vision Care for Kids Act is a national initiative that ensures that children in need across the U.S. get the vital vision care that they need to succeed in school. It establishes a national grant program to complement and encourage existing state efforts to improve children's vision care.

EB: How can eyecare practitioners get involved?

KB: Eyecare practitioners can get involved by lobbying the federal government to make sure this act passes on the national level and encouraging their state government to continue to invest in existing efforts locally.

EB: What do you think about the current state of children's vision care?

KB: In 2005, the Centers for Disease Control reported that two-thirds of all children entering school have never received a vision test. These numbers show that we need to improve the state of children's vision care in America. We need to do this. We need to improve vision care for children to better equip them to succeed in school and in life.

For more information, visit www.2020advocacy.com.

Mido: New Location, New Leadership

On land and in the air, Mido had a wide variety of events and announcements. Prior to the show starting, ANFAO, the Italian Optical Goods Manufacturers' Association, and ICE, the Foreign Trade Institute, in concert with the Ministry of International Trade, chartered a plane from New York to Milan and offered an exclusive preview of 2008 trends in Made In Italy eyewear.

The following day, the show kicked off in its new location, attracting record crowds and boosting its number of international visitors as well as its physical space. The first evening of the show, actress Andie McDowell helped launch a fashion show and celebration of eyewear.

Clockwise from top left: Transitions announces its Healthy Sight for Life initiative; Sàfilo shows off its latest at fashion shows; fashions hit a high in an ANFAO in-flight fashion show

At the end of the evening, Cirillo Marcolin announced that he would step down as president of ANFAO and Mido after eight years in the leadership position.

On the Town

Optical was on the move again this month, gathering to exchange ideas, celebrate excellence, and do good for the community (shown top to bottom).

AIT Industries, a member of the Indo Group, visited the New Corporate Headquarters for INDO of Spain in Sant Cugat. The entire sales team, executive team, and key technical support personnel attended. The conference theme was "Enhancing the Customer Experience."

Luxottica Group presented Wayne Lange with the regional sales manager of the year award. Lange had a top sales increase for the year and demonstrated a unique professionalism and an alignment with senior management goals. Shown l to r: Luxottica Group executive vice president Pierre Fay, Lange, and sales director, eastern division, Greg Pollock.

Four companies—bevel, Face à Face, Orgreen, and ic! Berlin—sponsored a soccer event at Chelsea Piers in Manhattan which raised over $500 for Doctors Without Borders—a charity that aims to provide medical help to the neediest worldwide. About 30 participants played. Shown l to r: Pascal Jolent, Face à Face; Taka Miyamoto, Aerfish Japan; Ray Khalil, Lafont USA; Philippe Roth, Face à Face; Garry Hapton, Brass Monocle Eyewear; Dave Randhawa from Lafont; Rene Montoya and Darrell Sell, bevel; and James Berk Gleek, Howard Optical.

Carl Zeiss Vision and Transitions Optical recognized Kansas City Ophthalmics as the 2006 Carl Zeiss Vision Premier Transitions Lab during a recognition ceremony held at the lab's headquarters in Independence, Mo. Pictured from the Kansas City Ophthalmics team (l to r): Rick Dietz, Jason Jones, Henry Bode, Sonja Ballard, Traci Armanees, and Brandy Thompson.

Couteur Designs, a division of the Kenmark Group, named Dr. Harvey Ohriner from Las Vegas, the winner of the Jhane Barnes in the City promotion. Ohriner purchased the highest dollar amount in Jhane Barnes Eyewear from September 14, 2006 to March 1, 2007. He will receive a trip for two to New York, hotel accommodations for two nights, $1,000 spending cash, a $500 Jhane Barnes gift card, and will meet menswear designer Jhane Barnes at her showroom.

Optical Shop of Aspen hosted a party at its Aspen store for Oakley-sponsored athletes at the X Games. Attendees included Gretchen Bleiler, JJ Thomas, Eero Ettala, Seth Morrison, Pep Fujas, Jacob Webster, and Elena Hight. Oakley and OSA employees hosted the event. Shown: Oakley's Coz Lykos and OSA's Michi Arena with guests.

STAR Gazers

1. Seventeen-year-old Sanjaya from American Idol may possibly be the most controversial idol in its history. Despite consistent negative remarks from the judges, the singer continued to get the audience's vote. Sanjaya wears John Varvatos style V708.

2. Bindi Irwin, daughter of the late Steve Irwin, is following in her dad's footsteps and starring in a Discovery Kids wildlife documentary titled "Bindi the Jungle Girl." The young star wears Disney Princess style Sweetheart from Marchon.

3. Hilary Duff shot to fame during her star role on the Disney hit "Lizzie McGuire." Duff has since gone on to launch a film career, while also releasing a successful pop album and introducing a clothing line. This Renaissance girl is an admitted fan of the fashion world and looks chic wearing Valentino style 5365S from Sàfilo.

4. Prior to playing young Chris Rock in the TV series, "Everybody Hates Chris," Tyler James Williams, age 15, had guest roles on "Law & Order" and "Two for the Money." Williams looks grown up wearing Sean John style SJ112S from Marchon.

5. Ashley Olsen, wearing Ray-Ban Wayfarers from Luxottica, and her 20-year-old twin Mary-Kate recently came in at number-one on Forbe's new list of young Hollywood's top moneymakers. Since their time playing Michelle Tanner on "Full House," the twins have raked in money with everything from posters to DVDs.