{LICENSE LINEUP}

Kering Eyewear and the Maison Cartier, owned by Compagnie Financière Richemont, announced a partnership for the development, manufacturing, and worldwide distribution of the Cartier eyewear collection (subject to clearance by antitrust authorities).

{PEOPLE}

High Performance Optics, Inc., a technology company focusing on blue light solutions, announced that Peter Haaland, Ph.D., of InnerProduct Partners has joined as a consultant for chemical science & corporate innovation.

Prevent Blindness has elected five new members to its Board of Directors: Andy Davis of Bouchard Insurance; Charles Garcia of Associated Bank, N.A.; Theodore Gillette, O.D., of I2, LLC; Stephanie Marioneaux, M.D., of Eastern Virginia Medical School; and Patrick McDermott of Transitions Optical.

Safilo appointed Lori Carter to director of professional relations for the U.S., a newly created position. Carter previously served as Safilo’s regional sales director.

Shire has hired Joe Boyd as director of market development for ophthalmics. Boyd’s experience includes serving as the director of commercial planning and operations at Primus Pharmaceuticals.

Silhouette Optical, Ltd., has appointed Larry Enright as director of the company’s U.S. lens program.

Wiley X has hired David S. Gaul as chief operations officer. Gaul previously served as chief financial and administrative officer for Parrot SA, Inc.

{BUSINESS UPDATES}

Etnia Barcelona has opened a new showroom in Miami (in addition to its headquarters in Spain) designed to offer customers in the Americas an immersion into the brand.

Global Optics has announced a new program in which independent optical laboratories in the U.S. can apply to become a Global Optics associate member, which also expands the lens designs and materials that ECPs can offer. Global Optics provides independent labs with consolidated purchasing, logistical solutions, and supply chain distribution.

International Vision Expo East and West have been once again named to the Trade Show News Network’s Top 250 Trade Shows in the United States list for 2016.

Luxottica Group is expanding its distribution facility in Atlanta, creating more than 1,000 new jobs there. The expansion facilitates the company’s new Rx lens service model, in which both frames and lenses are assembled and distributed from a single location.

National Optronics has announced two new distributors of its lens finishing equipment—Satisloh and DAC Vision.

Vuarnet has opened its first boutique in Paris, at the same location where Roger Pouilloux, the optician who co-founded the brand with Jean Vuarnet and invented the Skilynx lens, once had his studio.

{AWARDS}

National Vision, Inc., has announced the recipients of its 2016-2017 grant program. The winner is Stephanie Hubbard of Inter American University of Puerto Rico; Dea Satrio and Jenna Wayne of the University of Houston College of Optometry are runners-up.

The Vision Council’s National Sunglasses Day campaign earned a Bronze Bulldog Media Relations Award for best use of social media in the business/consumer space via Bulldog Reporter. National Sunglasses Day takes place annually on June 27.

For the 15th consecutive year, VSP Vision Care’s call centers received Contact Center World Class Certification from Service Quality Management, highlighting excellent customer service. The honor is shared with VSP Global’s Marchon Eyewear, Inc.

{MISCELLANEOUS}

L’Amy America will donate 5% of the wholesale price for every L’Amy Tweener frame reordered by L’Amy Destination Jr. accounts from May 1-Aug. 31 to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Luxottica and the American Optometric Student Association (AOSA) have partnered to send 25 optometry students to provide vision care at a OneSight clinic in Tanzania this spring. The selected students represent 16 optometry schools across three graduation years.

Brother-and-sister surfer duo Mason Ho and Coco Ho are the newest athletes to join SPY Optic’s team of brand ambassadors.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...

VSP Global announced that Jim McGrann has resigned as president and CEO in order to pursue other career opportunities. Rob Lynch, who served as president and CEO from 2006 to 2015 and remains a member of the VSP Global Board of Directors, assumes the role of interim president and CEO. According to a statement, the VSP board has begun a search for a permanent successor.

For this and other news stories, visit eyecarebusiness.com .

SILMO Turns 50 in 2017

The SILMO Paris optical fair celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, scheduled for Oct. 6-9 at the Paris Nord Villepinte.

SILMO, known as the Mondial de l’optique (World Optical Fair), offers an immense display of the latest in eyewear and eyecare technology, drawing visitors from around the world—nearly 34,000 visitors from 122 countries attended SILMO 2016.

The fair also boasts a variety of training and development tools, including its Trends by SILMO digital magazine, trend forums, Silmo d’Or awards, and its innovative Silmo Academy, focused on promoting dialogue and information on the latest scientific developments in the vision and optics sectors. For eyecare professionals interested in sharing research for display throughout the exhibition, email silmoacademy@silmo.fr by May 28.

The fair is marking its half-century on social media with the hashtag #silmo50.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, VISIT EN.SILMOPARIS.COM .