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Tara Rosenzweig

PEOPLE
Nouveau Eyewear recently announced the appointment of Jim Slattery as vice president of UMBRO Eyewear. Formerly a vice president in marketing and sales for Liberty Optical, Slattery is an industry veteran with over 30 years of management experience. His role at Nouveau will include the development of sales, marketing, and product strategies for the domestic and international launch of UMBRO Eyewear.	Nouveau Eyewear's Jim Slattery
Briot USA has named Andrew Bumerts national sales manager responsible for driving the company's sales efforts. Bumerts was Briot's south central territory sales manager for the past 11 years and has been in the optical industry for more than 30 years.	Briot USA's Andrew Bumerts
Bausch & Lomb has added three ophthalmic industry veterans to its senior leadership team. Stuart Heap has joined the company as corporate vice president and global president, Vision Care. He is a former group vice president of CIBA Vision Corporation and president of its Global Contact Lens Division. J. Andy Corley has been named corporate vice president and global president, Surgical Products. Corley co-founded Eyeonics, the developer of the innovative crystalens® accommodating intraocular lens, which Bausch & Lomb acquired earlier this year. He has over 25 years of experience in the ophthalmic industry. Michael Gowen has joined the company as corporate vice president and executive vice president, Global Business Operations and Process Excellence. He is the former vice president of Global Operations and Supply Chain for the Johnson & Johnson Group of Consumer Companies, and vice president of Global Operations and Supply Chain for Johnson & Johnson Vision Care from 2002 to 2004. Ophthalmic Women Leaders (OWL) has elected Abigail Markward to its advisory board. Markward is director of marketing communications, surgical products, Bausch & Lomb Foundation.

BUSINESS UPDATES

Luxottica has launched a new website, www.luxandme.com, that features information and services that are tailored to ECPs' needs. The site includes a retail section, visual merchandising tips, trend and promotion information, a products section with frames and technology, LuxTV videos, Lux News, Lux University (brand education), and a sales rep area. Visitors can use their customer number as their password.

Luxottica's new website for eyecare professionals, www.luxandme.com

Lab Italee in Los Angeles, Calif., has completed installation of the first-ever technology transfer of Essilor of America's patented 360° Digital Surfacing process. Italee can now fully manufacture Varilux lenses on its California campus, including Varilux Physio 360°, in a wide range of materials including the Transitions VI line.

Students considering various optometric specialties can learn about providing low vision rehabilitation care through the American Optometric Association (AOA) LVRS Student Educational Awareness Program. The 2.5-hour program includes a presentation of adaptive technology, donated by Optelec and Low-Vision.com, to the host school.

In an effort to increase the number of minority optometrists and optometry students, the Illinois College of Optometry is implementing a summer program to introduce undergraduate students to the profession. The program, called "Focus on Your Future" will let students learn about optometric careers through interactions with optometrists, ICO faculty, current students, and alumni.

AWARDS

Transitions Optical named the first beneficiaries of its Transitions Healthy Sight for Life Fund. One-time grants were awarded to five community organizations: Butler County Association for the Blind (Pennsylvania), Camden Eye Center (New Jersey), the Center for the Partially Sighted (California), Deicke Center for Visual Rehabilitation (Illinios), and Vision Health International (U.S.-based organization serving Latin America).

Essilor announced the 12 winners of its annual Varilux® Student Grant Award of $1,000 and a national award was given to Casey C. Bartz, a third-year student at Illinois College of Optometry in Chicago.

Dr. Frederick Shinners, Jr., with Low Country Vision in Mount Pleasant, S.C., won an all-expense paid trip to Spain in the HOYA Vision Care "Splendor of Spain" drawing at Vision Expo East. The promotion runs through December.

Rudy Project won the Outside magazine 2008 Gear of the Year award in the sunglass category for its Zyon Sailing ImpactX™ polarized photochromic sunglasses. The Zyon allows wearers to read cell phones and LCD displays and features a lightweight, unbreakable design.

GOOD DEEDS

Nearly 200 optometrists made Optometry Giving Sight their International Charity of Choice at the Vision Source! North American meeting in Orlando, April 1 through 3, raising almost $100,000 for people who are blind or vision impaired due to uncorrected refractive error.

Bausch & Lomb has committed to raise up to $400,000 for Susan G. Komen for the Cure via an online campaign at www.ReNuCares.com and sales of its ReNu MultiPlus® solution. The company will donate $1 for every ReNu coupon redeemed and/or unique code entered on the website.

Prevent Blindness America announced the nationwide launch of its "See America" contest, an effort to educate Americans about the importance of preventive eye exams. The grand prize is four plane tickets to any U.S. destination. Entrants must submit stories about a time that they had to experience a sacrifice due to poor eye health. The deadline for entries is July 31.