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Hot List: March 2010

1 Face This

According to iStrategyLabs, here's how big Facebook, which has 350 million users worldwide, is in the United States:

103,085,520
number of Facebook users in the U.S. in 2010

42,089,200
number of Facebook users in the U.S. in 2009

144.9
percent of increase of total Facebook users in the U.S. between 2009 and 2010

2 Web Tools

3 Social PSYCHE

4 Top Tweets

Jam, the social media unit of the London-based digital communications agency i-level, identified the five most-mentioned brands on Twitter. They are:

■ Starbucks
■ Google
■ BBC
■ Apple
■ AIG

Organizations Proceed with Merger

The Vision Council and Optical Laboratories Association met during The Vision Council's annual Executive Summit at the end of January to conclude discussions and confirm their intention to merge the two organizations. At the Chairman's Dinner, Mike Daley, The Vision Council chairman, announced that the OLA and The Vision Council had signed a letter of intent to merge.

“OLA and The Vision Council have always worked closely together due to similar interests,” notes Kevin Bargman, OLA president. “After months of discussion we've determined that joining together helps us both better serve the ophthalmic industry and our members.”

JOINING FORCES

The announcement follows months of discussions and deliberation, an OLA member survey, and an open forum held during the OLA's 2009 Annual Meeting, all with positive results.

Jon Jacobs, OLA president-elect, says, “In the times we face today, it would be remiss of the board to not look at a way of making our OLA stronger for future generations. By combining both OLA and The Vision Council resources, we can target more labs and offer increased benefits to all. It's also a way of cutting cost to both organizations. By combining the trade show portion of OLA's annual meeting and pursuing more service-based opportunities, we can focus on what we do best for our industry.”

TRADITION + VISION = THE FUTURE

One feature of the agreement is a plan to co-locate the OLA Annual Meeting with International Vision Expo West. Tradition + Vision = The Future is the theme for the OLA 2010 Annual Meeting, chosen by OLA vice president and program chairman for this year's meeting, Mike Francesconi.

“You can apply that theme to all of the efforts on this project over the last year,” Francesconi observes. “We are moving forward as always with developing the highest quality laboratory education for the OLA Annual Meeting. Location and dates will be confirmed as soon as negotiations are completed.”

John Haigh, OLA director, summed up merger thoughts: “There is much more that the OLA will be able to do by the restructuring of the organization, via the synergy of combining efforts with The Vision Council. OLA will be able to devote more attention to member services and benefits; lab, ECP, and consumer advocacy; legal and technical information; and education.”

The Vision Council is proactive about the merger and immersed in strategic planning and implementation goals. Daley notes: “We’re excited about moving these two great industry organizations closer together and will update the industry as the merger agreement is finalized and more details emerge.”

Optical Aid For Haiti Grows

The optical industry is continuing to help out the victims in earthquake-devastated Haiti.

OGS PAVES PATH

In response to the disaster, Optometry Giving Sight immediately reached out to partner organizations, including Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity (VOSH).

Vic Connors, CEO of Optometry Giving Sight USA, says, “VOSH is currently on the ground in Haiti and is identifying locations for potential vision centers. Right now, the priority in Haiti is still emergency relief.”

Donations can be made at www.givingsight.org.

OTHERS FOLLOW

Other optical companies and organizations have followed suit:

■ Aspex Eyewear Group has pledged a $10,000 donation, started a clothing, shoes, and toiletry collection, and will donate more than 2,000 frames.
■ In addition to collecting and matching employee donations for the American Red Cross, the VSP Global Family of Companies is helping out through its eyewear donation arm, Eyes of Hope, and donated eyewear can be directed to VSP doctors, schools of optometry, and optometric associations participating in mission trips.

Visit www.vsp.com/community.

■ Glaucoma specialist Mildred A.G. Olivier, MD, a volunteer member of the Prevent Blindness America board of directors, traveled to Haiti after the earthquake and spent a week providing medical care to those in need. She is a member of the Association for Haitian Physicians Abroad.
■ Seiko Eyewear has collected and matched donations from employees for the American Red Cross.
■ The Vision Council has created a listing of organizations to which the optical industry can contribute.

It's available at thevisioncouncil.org/members/haiti.

Let the Snow Go On

SECO International's SECO 2010 event, held February 10 to 14 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta, had a surprise visitor: six inches of snow. The 87th SECO meeting was expected to draw 7,000 optometrists, opticians, certified ophthalmic technicians, and paraoptometrics.

Themed “Embracing the Generations,” the show featured nearly 350 hours of education, including 12 hours of free special session education for optometrists and 88 free courses for allied health professionals. Also featured were 100 multimedia posters, a symposium series on optical products and services, and a comprehensive optometry student program and board review course.

1. Moderator Neil Gailmard, OD, (l) presents Know Your Patients, Grow Your Practice with (center, l to r) Ann Abel-Epstein, OD; Hilary Hawthorne, OD; and Shelly Ungar Toltz, OD; 2. The Vision Council's Mike Daley (l) and Ed Greene walk the show floor; 3. (l to r) Penn Moody, OD, of Moody Eyes in Indianapolis, Ind., with PixelOptics' Clay Musslewhite and John Ditski; 4. Reviewing data at CIBA's Shared Passion for Healthy Vision and Better Life Media Briefing are CIBA Vision's (l to r) Rick Weisbarth, OD; Jan Wagner; and Francesco Balestrieri; 5. At the SoloHealth press conference to announce the next generation of vision screening kiosks are (l to r) Bart Foster; Stephen Kendig; and Tony Sommer; 6. and 7. Attendees brave snow to get to SECO International events

Optometry's Marketplace offered a hall filled with 275 exhibits. Special events included the Rockin’ the Generations Party featuring three bands staged at the Marriott Marquis Hotel, and over 50 events specifically for optometry alumni, students, and affiliated organizations.

License Lineup

Viva International Group has signed global licensing agreements with the brands Mark Nason and William Rast. Both brands will debut in 2011.

Signature Eyewear has renewed its Laura Ashley Eyewear collection license, which was originally signed in 1991, through December 2011.

L'Amy America has extended its existing licensing agreement with Chloé.

The Marcolin Group and Tom Ford International have renewed their licensing agreement for the design, production, and worldwide distribution of optical frames and sunglasses under the Tom Ford brand through 2015.

Walman Optical has announced a license agreement with Callaway Golf Company to promote the Callaway Sunwear collection featuring the technologically advanced NEOX Transitions™ SolFX™ outdoor lenses.

EssilorMeets in Florida

The annual Essilor National Sales meeting 2010 was held in early January at the Westin in Hollywood, Fla. The jam-packed schedule combined product announcements, award presentations, division meetings, and educational sessions with free-time activities and nighttime celebrations.

1. The ultimate sand castle greets guests along the beach in Hollywood, Florida, for Essilor's annual National Sales meeting; 2. Dancers enclosed in bubbles flex, stretch, and dance at the gala dinner; 3. Guests arrive to an elegant backdrop at the Independent Distribution Division dinner; 4. Attendees are welcomed to the event by a pair of fairy princesses, replete with feathers and wings; 5. Essilor's Carl Bracy tells attendees about marketing strategies and promotional plans for 2010; 6. Flanked by Essilor executives, RD Cherry receives both the IDD Lab of the Year honors and the Crizal Award of Excellence

Brian Boxer Wachler, MD, a Los Angeles-based eye surgeon, uses marketing savvy to benefit his practice. Recently, he launched “LASIK Idol,” a song and video competition to reward a lucky winner with a free Lasik procedure worth $6,700. Citing the desire to do something fun and different, Wachler says, “With a bit of creativity and fun, anyone can make a convincing video, and I can't wait to see what people come up with!”

To woo contestants, Wachler and his colleagues at the Boxer Wachler Vision Institute performed their own hip-hop debut, featured on the LASIK Idol website at www.lasikidol.com. Wachler drew even more traffic to his website by inviting people to vote for their favorite act.

Executive Summit Breaks Attendance Records

With 200 guests, this year's The Vision Council Executive Summit broke all previous attendance records. With an emphasis on networking, events scheduled at the Fairmont Turnberry Isle Resort in Miami went beyond traditional keynote addresses and general sessions to include a series of sell-out breakout sessions, breakfast roundtables, and cabana chats. The biggest news coming out of the meeting, however, was the signing of a letter of intent between The Vision Council and the Optical Laboratories Association (OLA).

1. OLA officers (l to r): Mike Francesconi, Katz & Klein, Kevin Bargman, Hawkins Optical, Jon Jacobs, Superior Optical; 2. A breakfast breakout group discusses employee benefits; 3. REM's Mike Hundert addresses attendees; 4. Former VCA execs Bill Sullivan (l) and John Blocha share a laugh; 5. Santinelli's Gerard Santinelli (l) and Shamir's Hilaire van der Veen at the general session; 6. Fortune Magazine'sGeoff Colvin talks business news in his keynote address; 7. (l to r) Linda and Rick Elias (PPG) and former AOA president Pete Kehoe, OD, and wife Melissa; 8. The Vision Council's Mike Daley (l) and Walman's Marty Bassett present the VisionPAC prize to A&R Optical's John Fried

TRANSITIONS Is Outta Sight

Transitions Academy, held January 31 to February 2, 2010, at Disney's Yacht & Beach Club Resort in Orlando, Fla., brought together 1,400 industry professionals from around the world together to “Never Lose Sight of the Possibilities.”

Featuring education tracks tailored to eyecare professionals, wholesale labs, optical industry speakers, and managed vision care, the event also offered updates on Transitions Optical programs and products, including the launch of Transitions XTRActive lenses.

Erik Wahl returned for a second year as the keynote speaker with an entertaining and interactive presentation featuring art and improvisation themed, “Discover Your Untapped Potential.” A Disney Institute event, “And Now a Word from Our Sponsor,” gave attendees a chance to write, direct, produce, and star in their own commercials.

1. Catching up and moving forward, (l to r) Transitions’ Dave Cole, Brian Hauser, and John Ligas at Transitions Academy; 2. Cole introduces XTRActive, the newest development in the Transitions family of lenses; 3. Stuart Kosh of VSP Ultra Lens Laboratory greets Richard Rubin, LDO, of the The Eye Center, Pembroke Pines, Fla.; 4. The Lab of the Year evening celebration kicks off with inspiring vocalists; 5. Winchester Optical celebrates its win as this year's Transitions’ Lab of the Year

Transitions 2009 Lab of the Year winners were: Brazil: PSA Nilo Laboratorio Optico, Belo Horizonte City; Latin America: RyR OptiLab, Guatemala; EMEA: Lenstec Optical Laboratories, U.K.; and U.S.: Winchester Optical Company. Transitions’ first Retailer of the Year award will debut this year.

Eyewear Designer Appears on Style Network

Optician-turned-eyewear-designer Thomas Ferguson can now add one more discipline to his repertoire: TV personality.

Ferguson, the lead eyewear designer for Los Angeles-based Focus Group West, was on an episode of the Style Network's “What I Hate About Me.” The show features style-challenged individuals who get makeover help from fashion experts.

In the episode, Ferguson helped a young woman choose eyewear to revamp her look. “She couldn't find glasses that fit properly and had trouble weeding through trends,” said Ferguson. “This young lady's issue is something a lot of people deal with.”

While he wouldn't reveal the winning specs, Ferguson says that around 30 pairs were in the running.

CELEBRITY RX

Hollywood beckoned even before the Style Network came calling for Ferguson, who managed a dispensary for about three years before moving on to work for REM and Base Curve, the company's luxury division.

In the retail setting, he styled the eye-wear looks for stars such as Geena Davis and Jeremy Piven for red carpet events.

For eyewear styling in Tinseltown and in general, Ferguson says, an optician's point of view is a welcome benefit.

STAR Gazers

Two-time Grammy winner Lady Gaga shielded her Poker Face with custom-designed Giorgio Armani eye-wear by Safilo. The singer, as well known for her fashion as for her voice, was dressed head-to-toe in Giorgio Armani Privé for the awards event. While her program may be ending its run, the talk show mogul will continue to be a trendsetter. Oprah Winfrey recently wore Fendi's F729R style, which sports rich zyl temples and crystals, by Marchon. Gary Oldman wears Face à Face specs in Woody Col. 192 for his role in the post-apocalyptic tale, “The Book of Eli.” Speaking of bespectacled characters, Oldman will also star in “Harry Potter and the Deathly Actor Hollows: Part II.” Joe Mantegna needs sturdy eyewear to battle “Criminal Minds.” The 30-plus-year star of the stage, television, and film—known for roles in “The Godfather” trilogy, the stage version of Glengarry Glen Ross, and as Fat Tony on Fox's “The Simpsons,” among many—was spotted wearing Wiley X's Reign model, which pairs style with function; it exceeds the ANSI Z87 1-2003 high velocity standard. Black Eyed Peas frontwoman Fergie is ready for a good time in her latest oversized and glamourous sun-wear. The singer/dancer/actress, who most recently starred in the movie/ musical “Nine” and whose band took home three Grammys, dons Tommy Bahama's 133S style, in Spring Moss, by Altair.