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News bits from the industry

PEOPLE

Shamir Insight, Inc., has added Pam Benson-Gibson, Roger Awe, and Shemarr Thompson to its sales force. Benson-Gibson joins Shamir as the central regional manager, while Awe and Thompson are the company's newest account executives. REM Eyewear has named Karyn Alevy as sunwear director for REM Eyewear, and REM's luxury division, Base Curve Eyewear, and Jordan Goodman as brand manager for Converse Eyewear. Alevy will lead the growth of REM's retail sunglass and ready reader business within the luxury and mid-tier department store channels. Goodman will spearhead the development and marketing of the Converse Eyewear brand Dan Floyd recently joined the sales team of Robertson Optical Laboratories of Atlanta and is serving various territories in Georgia. He is a Georgia-licensed optician with 33 years of eyecare industry experience. His most recent position was territorial sales manager for HOYA Vision America. VISTAKON has named Arthur Shedden, MD, medical safety officer, professional development, responsible for pre- and post-marketing product assessment from a medical safety perspective. Shedden joined Johnson & Johnson Vision Care in 2008 as director, medical affairs, Vistakon Pharmaceuticals, overseeing Phase 4 clinical development for many of the company's pharmaceutical products. Leybold Optics has appointed Antonio Requena to the position of general manager, Optics Division. Requena has 20 years' experience in the optics and vacuum thin film industry and is currently president of Leybold Optics USA. Based in Alzenau, Germany, he will remain president of Leybold Optics USA, while George Kim will be appointed vice president of Leybold Optics USA. First Insight has welcomed merchandising expert Gwen Manto as chief customer officer. Manto brings over 35 years of industry experience to the role, which includes responsibility for all customer-facing aspects of First Insight.

Awe of Shamir Insight, Inc. Benson-Gibson of Shamir Insight, Inc. Alevy of REM Eyewear Floyd of Robertson Optical Labs

AWARDS

Gaye Wilson of Louisiana and Curt Duff of Kentucky received the Opticians Association of America's Presidential Service Awards during the group's 2010 state leadership conference.

Okia's Zicai eyeglass style was recognized in the iF Material Awards

Three of Okia's products were recognized in the iF Material Awards 2010. They were: Radiant Lens in the Product category and eyeglass styles Zicai and Legend of the Mask for the Process category.

GOOD DEEDS

Transitions Optical and VSP Global have signed a five-year partnership agreement to give free eyecare services and educational outreach to the underserved. In March, 60 children went to Transitions Optical in Pinellas Park, Fla., and received eyecare in the Mobile Eyecare Clinic co-sponsored by the two companies.

Augen Optics participates in Ver Bien Para Aprender Mejor (See Better to Learn Better), a non-profit serving Mexican children

Augen Optics has manufactured plastic children's frames and nearly 600,000 pairs of hard resin lenses to date at its Ensenada facility as part of its participation in the non-profit program Ver Bien Para Aprender Mejor (See Better to Learn Better), which distributes around 200,000 pairs of free eyeglasses annually to children in Mexico.

BUSINESS UPDATES

Essilor of America has completed the technology transfer of its patented Crizal process with POL Optical Labs based in Arden, N.C. POL can now fully manufacture Crizal lenses at its Arden lab.

Lighthouse International has acquired the National Association for Visually Handicapped (NAVH), boards for both organizations announced.