FYI

FYI...

News Bits From the Industry

{PEOPLE}

The Optical Women’s Association (OWA) announces the addition of two members to its board of directors: Debra Bulken of Luxottica and Lorinda Frabroni of Walman Optical.

Alcon has appointed JeanMarie Davis, O.D., FAAO, to its U.S. Vision Care Professional Affairs team as director of professional relations and practitioner partnerships.

The Society to Advance Opticianry has named five optician members to its board of directors: Barry Santini, O.O. (president), April Frey, O.O. (secretary), Amy Endo, O.O. (director), Aaron Wilson, O.O. (director), and Joe Sollecito (candidate representative).

Live Eyewear has announced the appointment of Quinton Laing to the company’s newly created webmaster role and the promotion of Alex Burke to the position of specialty sales manager.

Optima, a division of PFO Global, has announced sales team additions: Christina Jones has taken over the role of director of sales, West; Teresa Osborne has been hired as director of sales, East; and Tim Gibbons has been hired as director of sales, Midwest and Canada. The personnel additions are part of a large-scale reintroduction of the Optima brand of polycarbonate lens products.

JeanMarie Davis, O.D., FAAO, Alcon

Debra Bulken, Optical Women’s Association

Lorinda Frabroni, Optical Women’s Association

{BUSINESS UPDATES}

Safilo Group has announced its return to the Argentina market, signing a distribution agreement with OCSA SLR of Messrs. Cosentino.

Leadership expert and New York Times best-selling author Mark Murphy is scheduled as the keynote speaker for IDOC’s National Business Conference in Scottsdale, AZ, from October 26-29.

Hilco has announced the acquisition of two companies in the Netherlands: Opti-plus, maker of accessories and tools; and Proteye, which specializes in frame design and in-house lens edging in the industrial safety and swim fields.

{AWARDS}

Illinois Eye Institute (IEI) at Princeton Vision Clinic, based at the Illinois College of Optometry, is this year’s recipient of the Bonnie Strickland Champion for Children’s Vision Award, given by Prevent Blindness and The National Center for Children’s Vision and Eye Health. The IEI was selected for its commitment to addressing the unmet visual needs of Chicago Public Schools students. Vivian James, Ph.D., North Carolina preschool exceptional children coordinator for the Office of Early Learning—State Board of Education Department of Public Instruction, received an honorable mention.

Forbes has ranked Essilor in “The World’s Most Innovative Companies” list for 2016. Essilor comes in at No. 62 out of 100 companies. This marks the sixth year in a row the company has made the list.

CooperVision has been honored by the Puerto Rico Manufacturers Association with environmental, health, and safety awards recognizing advancements in its Puerto Rico production facility, including the Environmental Innovation Project of the Year Award.

Babiators ranks No. 937 in Inc. magazine’s annual Inc. 5000, a list of America’s fastest-growing private companies. Inc. lists Babiators’ three-year growth of 421%. The company’s revenue in 2015 was $3.7 million.

ClearVision Optical has been recognized by New York SmartCEO as a 2016 Family Business Awards honoree. The Family Business Awards honors 30 of New York state’s top family businesses.

opti Munich Celebrates 10 Years in 2017

The opti Munich International Trade Show for Optics & Design celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2017. The upcoming show will be held from Saturday, Jan. 28 to Monday, Jan. 30 at the Fairground Messe München.

In its inaugural year, opti Munich offered three halls and 30,000 square meters of space. opti now offers 40,000 square meters in four halls (with two additional halls expected by 2019), allowing companies to increase their stand space every year.

The show’s 2017 theme of “Optic 4.0—Digital Solutions” addresses the theme of digitalization in the optics sector and offers business solutions based on topics of digital information and communication, digital production and automation, digital process management, and digital/smart services. This focus strives to answer questions like, “How can digitalization further professionalize and optimize business processes?”

FOR MORE INFORMATION: OPTI.DE/EN/

Scenes from opti Munich 2016, from colorful, new children’s eyewear to art and celebrities in the house