first person

five Questions for…

Maureen Cavanagh was named president of Nassau Lens Company recently, with wholesale distribution centers throughout the U.S. She joined Essilor in October 2005 as part of the acquisition of The Spectacle Lens Group from Johnson & Johnson Vision Care, Inc. Prior to joining J&J, she held various positions with Marine Optical Group, Cohen's Fashion Optical, and Vistakon.

EB You have a broad history in optical. What do you see as challenges today that were the same challenges years ago, and what can ECPs do to meet them?

MC Today, ECPs need to seek vendors who provide a full offering of products that meet the demands of their everyday business; in other words, partners who help ECPs provide vision for everyone. Versatile labs offer ECPs the opportunity to provide a digitally surfaced lens, a quality affordable product, stock lenses, or anything in between.

EB Optical is a unique blend of fashion and function. How can ECPs focus their practices for the most success?

MC One of the biggest opportunities is to encourage every patient to wear polarized lenses. Currently the overall polarized lens market share is in the single digits. This represents an incredible opportunity to provide patients with the very best in outdoor vision care while increasing profits.

EB What hurdles and opportunities are there with a stock lens business today?

MC As one of the largest stock lens suppliers in the United States, we ship 350 unique stock lens configurations in any given month. Our industry does a great job of launching new, innovative products. However, discontinuing low-volume products has always been a challenge.

EB How has the economic downturn impacted labs? Do you see an economic upswing?

MC Nassau has not seen a dip in sales because we offer both premium and value products and services. We predict value PAL and AR offerings will continue to grow as we position these products more effectively in the marketplace. This strategy is a good one for ECPs to adopt as well.

EB What do you advise ECPs to do today to help ensure a stronger business and practice model tomorrow?

MC Today, more than ever, ECPs need to take a good look at their inventory and make sure that their mix of both premium and value products is well-balanced. These days, consumers are looking for options and ECPs must be willing to provide vision for everyone at all prices. EB