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Safilo Group and J.C. Penney announce the renewal of a five-year licensing agreement for the design, manufacturing, and distribution of optical frames and sunglasses for the Liz Claiborne for women and Claiborne for men brands in the U.S. and Canada.

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National Vision, Inc., announced the planned retirement of president and chief operating officer Bruce Steffey, effective this month. Jeff McAllister will succeed Steffey at COO. McAllister is a senior vice president at Walmart and 19-year veteran of that company.

SPY Optic announced the promotion of Dana Leshyk to director of product development. Leshyk has 15 years of product development experience, and she joined the SPY team in 2015 as product development coordinator.

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A memorandum of agreement has been signed to establish the first-ever School of Optometry in Haiti. A collaboration between the State University of Haiti, Brien Holden Vision Institute, Optometry Giving Sight, VOSH International, and CharityVision, with support from the University of Montreal, the school plans to enroll its first class in October 2017.

Envision received a $5,000 grant from the Monsanto Fund’s 2017 site grant initiative. Funds went toward Envision’s Level Up Conference in July, a residential experience held at Wichita State University for high school students with visual impairments.

National Vision, Inc., awarded $7,000 in grants to three members of the National Optometric Student Association (NOSA)as part of its partnership with the National Optometric Association. The grant winners are: Fatimah Hassan of Salus University, Terynn Chan of the Pacific University College of Optometry, and Jonathan Chen of the University of Houston College of Optometry.

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Costa Sunglasses’ Sunrise Silver Mirror lens received the “Best of Show—Eyewear” title at the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades New Product Showcase Awards in July. The Sunrise Silver Mirror lens is ideal for encountering lowlight or changing light conditions, says Costa, as it allows for 30% light transmission (compared with the typical 10-12%) while still maintaining its high polarization efficiency.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) recently received the Envision Oculus Award at the 12th annual Envision Conference in Phoenix, AZ. The award acknowledged UAB’s low vision rehabilitation graduate certificate program in occupational therapy.

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Employees of Carl Zeiss Vision, Inc., recently volunteered at the Perkins K-8 School in San Diego's Barrio Logan neighborhood by painting walls/a mural, lining the asphalt play area, organizing classrooms, and unpacking ZEISS-donated sports equipment.

Costa Sunglasses hosted a “Summer Social” party aboard the M/V OCEARCH at North Cove Marina in New York City, celebrating Costa’s limited-edition OCEARCH collection.

Santinelli International recently hosted its National Sales Meeting in Philadelphia with a three-day strategic session led by Rick Clemente, executive vice president of sales and client services.

Tekā Eyewear has announced its expansion into a new 9,000-square-foot space in Brick, NJ.

Transitions Optical convened a number of eye health and cultural experts to discuss the unique eye health needs of African-American and Hispanic patients during a “Minority Eye Health Matters” panel in conjunction with the 49th annual National Optometric Association’s Convention and CE Program that was held in Portland, OR, in July.

More than 70 sales representatives from across North America recently gathered at the Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, TN, for the WestGroupe National Sales Meeting.