News Bits From the Industry

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Masoud Nafey, O.D., has joined Eyefinity as vice president of professional relations. Dr. Nafey also serves as the national director of professional services for VSP Onsite Clinics and maintains clinic hours two days a week.

HOYA Vision Care has announced the appointment of Bruce Scott as general manager of Seiko Optical of America. Scott brings more than 25 years of industry experience to the position, including his previous role as regional vice president with Essilor.

OWL, an association of interdisciplinary ophthalmic professionals, announced that Michael Ackermann, Ph.D.; Taryn Conway; Candace Simerson; and John Vukich, M.D., have joined its Board of Directors.

Richard Sanchez of Visibility Management has been elected the new chairperson of the Prevent Blindness Board of Directors. Prevent Blindness has also announced new members elected to the board: Sandra Block, O.D., of the Illinois Eye Institute at Princeton Vision Clinic and Illinois College of Optometry; Stephen Corman of Corman Enterprises, LLC; and Mark Ginsberg of VSP Global.

WestGroupe USA has announced the appointment of Christopher Mullen to the position of central regional sales director. Mullen has more than 19 years of experience in both sales and management positions in the optical industry.

Dan Smith has rejoined Zyloware Eyewear as director of regional accounts. Smith previously worked for Zyloware from 2010 to 2015.

Masoud Nafey, Eyefinity

Bruce Scott, Seiko Optical of America

Richard Sanchez, Prevent Blindness

{BUSINESS UPDATES}

Seven nonprofit organizations will receive grants ranging from $1,000-$5,000 given by the ABB Cares Program. Nominated by Family Vision Center of Porter and Crosby, TX, Addi’s Faith Foundation received the platinum award of $5,000.

Modern Optical International sponsored a food drive to support Libby’s Place, an on-campus food bank at Aurora University in Aurora, IL. Modern Optical employees donated more than 800 items.

State Optical Co. has announced the debut of its launch collection to Canada’s independent eyewear market. Canada is now the only country outside of the U.S. where State Optical frames are available.

Smith has announced a three-year partnership with Intrawest as the official eyewear, goggle, and helmet sponsor for Intrawest’s mountain properties.

Super Optical International has teamed up with Shark Glass Recycling North America to use recycled windshield glass in the lens blocks that are used in Super Optical’s FastGrind system. The lens blocks will use 50% Shark Glass and 50% Super Optical proprietary material.

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Emily Ashworth, chief technology officer at ABB Optical Group, received the South Florida Business Journal Technology Award.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…

Hilco Vision has acquired Jonathan Paul Eyewear, a pioneer of the fitover category of sunwear and creator of the Jonathan Paul Fitover brand. The announcement follows acquisitions by Hilco Vision in Germany last year and most recently in the Benelux region, and is part of an effort by the company to be a global partner to its customers.

Independent Doctors of Optometric Care (IDOC), LLC, the largest privately held alliance of independent optometrists in the U.S., has been acquired by Investors Management Corp. (IMC), a Raleigh, NC, private investment firm. IDOC has previously been held by The Riverside Company. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Essilor announced it has taken a 50% stake in Photosynthesis Group, a Hong Kong-based company that markets sunglasses and corrective lenses under a range of banners, including MJS. Separately, the company agreed to purchase a 55% equity interest in Jiangsu Creasky Optical, an ophthalmic lens manufacturer and distributor based in China.

Read more about these and other news stories at EB News: eyecarebusiness.com/eb-news.

Vision Expo East Gets Googling

New to this year’s International Vision Expo and Conference East (March 30-April 2 at the Javits Center in New York City) is Google Partners Connect—an initiative facilitated by Marketing4ECPs, a Google Premier Partner, and Liz Austin, Google agency development manager, to help eyecare professionals remain competitive in the digital space.

Sponsored by Essilor, the program consists of a series of free, 20-minute learning sessions on the show floor, hosting experts to help eyecare professionals answer online marketing-related questions, as well as offering complimentary digital consultations.

Other programs include a new series of Rising Star Sessions that will offer education attendees access to a panel of emerging professional thought leaders, as well as programming presented by Vision Expo’s Young Professionals Club and other young leaders in the industry.

TO REGISTER AND FOR ACCESS TO HOTEL/TRAVEL DISCOUNTS: VISIONEXPOEAST.COM.

Ashley Mills, The Vision Council’s new CEO, speaks at the Galleria during Vision Expo East 2016

Hundreds of exhibitors at Vision Expo launch new products and showcase the latest fashion trends