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Amy Spiezio

PEOPLE
Barry Friedman, Charmant	Angie Twombly, Kenmark Group	Dan Fredman, Advantica EyeCare
Barry Friedman recently joined Charmant USA in the position of West Coast regional manager. Previously, Friedman held sales management positions at Maui Jim and Marcolin. In addition, he spent six years at Neostyle. He will be responsible for Charmant's West Coast sales region's team of 14 sales representatives. The Kenmark Group recently hired Angie Twombly as the new quality assurance manager. Twombly will oversee the new quality assurance department at Kenmark and will be responsible for overseeing the quality of products distributed by Kenmark. Her role includes reviewing and performing quality assurance testing on all ophthalmic and sun styles. Twombly will also work with the product development and design teams. Advantica EyeCare, has named Dan Fredman director of network management. Fredman will be responsible for strategic planning, direction, and management of Advantica's provider network of eye doctors. Fredman has 15 years experience in managed care, health plan operations, and network management. Bausch & Lomb has named A. Robert D. Bailey corporate vice president and general counsel. Bailey, 44, was most recently vice president, assistant general counsel, and assistant secretary for the company. Bailey replaces Robert B. Stiles who has announced his intention to retire from Bausch & Lomb in 2008, after a career spanning more than 25 years with the company.

BUSINESS UPDATES

Nexus Vision has moved its headquarters to a 7,500 sq. ft. facility in Grove City, a suburb of Columbus, Ohio. Located in the Optical Village zone, the new laboratory is located near the DHL shipping hub to provide its customers next-day shipping in most cases. The organization, comprised of independent laboratories primarily located in the Southeast, produces proprietary AR lens products. Visit www.nexusvisiongroup.com

The AOA Paraoptometric Section has added "ABCs of Optical Dispensing" to its series of education modules for paraoptometric professionals. The education module is provided through an education grant from Luxottica. The module includes the following topic areas: Managing Frame Selection; Frame Adjustments; Lens Materials and Designs; Presenting Lens Tints and Coatings; and Lens Measurements. For more information on these and other educational materials provided by the AOA, visit the website, www.aoa.org.

Face à Face has moved its headquarters in Paris to La Nouvelle Athènes. The new address is 56, rue Saint Lazare, in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. These new premises bring the Paris teams together at a single address (only shipping and handling/dispatch will remain in their current premises). In Spring 2008, Face à Face will unveil its new showroom at the same location.

MILESTONES

OWP is celebrating its 60th anniversary. The company was started in Passau, Germany, in 1947. Focusing on the design, production, and sales of high quality frames and sunglass collections, the company has a portfolio of brands including the Strenesse, Mexx, and OWP lines sold in over 42 countries worldwide.

Shamir announced that in its first year, the Freeform Certification Program has certified over 800 participants in close to 200 practices. The program educates and familiarizes ECPs with the freeform technology. Individuals who have completed the certification process are listed on Shamir's website, www.shamirlens.com.

GOOD DEEDS

Associates at Empire Vision stores in the Buffalo area helped raise funds and collected warm, new clothing for The Salvation Army Buffalo Area Services' Annual Gift of Warmth drive. Empire Vision customers filled drop-off boxes in 21 Northwestern New York stores.

For the fourth consecutive year, the associates at Santinelli International joined forces for those less fortunate. In December, the company welcomed Marty Lyons, a former player for the New York Jets, to collect their donated gifts for children who are ill in support of the Marty Lyons Foundation (www.martylyonsfoundation.org). Lyons has spent the last 25 years fulfilling the special wishes of children ages 3 to 17 years old who have been diagnosed with terminal or life threatening illnesses by meeting special wish requests.

AWARDS

The Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund honored ClearVision Optical with its 2007 Corporate Supporter Award at a gala event. ClearVision has been a longtime supporter of this fund, and in the spring 2007 the Long Islandbased eyewear manufacturer and distributor collaborated with its licensor, BCBGMAXAZRIA, to create a limited edition pink version of the Ceres sunglass to raise funds for the Carol M. Baldwin Breast Cancer Research Fund. This resulted in a donation of more than $35,000. Visit www.findacure.org

Shown above l to r: Alec and Carol Baldwin, Mimi and Peter Friedfeld

Marty Lyons, second row left, with the Santinelli International team

The Kenmark Group honored its top sales representatives for 2007. Award winners are: for the second year in a row, Mindy Bernstein, sales representative of the year, and Pat Gantt, consistent exceptional performance. Other awards: most improved/extra effort, Robert Sherrill; rookie of the year, Loretta Simeon.

Carl Zeiss Vision and Transitions^® Optical have named Denver Eye Center in Golden, Colo., the grand prize winner in the "Search for Vision Island" promotion. "The Search for Vision Island" rewarded practices for dispensing Teflon^® Clear Coat Lenses and Transitions^® lenses. In addition, a drawing chose one winner of a $3,000 Caribbean vacation or cash.

CLARIFICATION

In the People section of the December issue, page 26, an incorrect photo was used with the announcement that John Hemphill joined Briot. We apologize for the error.