Tarrence Lackran

When Tarrence Lackran has an idea, he gets to work—quickly.

Take the Opening Your Eyes Scholarship (OYES), for example, which provides financial assistance to young adults interested in the optical industry.

“[OYES] started as a great idea with Tarrence, not even a year ago,” shared The Vision Council CEO Ashley Mills at this year’s Vision Expo West. “Not even a year from conception to reality, these kids are on track to be working in opticianry in two short years.”

As vice president of community relations—diversity & inclusion at Luxury Optical Holdings and a member of The Vision Council’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force, his go-getter attitude—and infectious smile—brightens and undeniably bonds the eyecare industry.

Even though Lackran, known on Instagram as @TheOpticalPoet, has many accomplishments under his belt, it’s safe to say that he’s just getting started. —Kerri Ann Raimo

What is your main focus + passion today in your profession?

Amplifying the voices of underrepresented groups within our industry. Launching the Opening Your Eyes Scholarship (OYES) this year allows us to expose high school students of color to the opportunities available within our industry. It also opens the eyes of our industry to racially diverse and youthful talent who will one day be the future of eye care.

Best advice for success in the vision care industry today?

Always bring your undiluted authentic self to work. We must allow ourselves to be seen…truly seen! If we start playing the game of code-switching, we will never be able to form real connections, which will stifle us professionally, but even more, emotionally.

With lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic in mind, what are you looking to focus on in the year ahead to adapt to the current climate in the industry?

I always prided myself as being a unifier in this industry. My focus this next year is to continue doing this in a virtual environment as well as a modified way in person. As industry events are coming back, I plan on creating smaller events within larger events to connect like-minded professionals.

“As an #EBGameChanger Awardee for 2021, I feel…

 

 

Antoine Amiel

Antoine Amiel is unpacking an innovative vision for optical retail focused squarely on today’s technology—and optometry.

The president + CEO of New Look Vision Group, Amiel is laying out the course for the behemoth 400-store Canadian retailer (up from 70 stores in 2012), which recently expanded into the U.S. with the acquisition of 12-store luxury optical retailer Edward Beiner in March 2020. New Look also announced a partnership with the visionary Black Optical in August.

The group also took its public offering private once again in March 2021 under new ownership, with a purchase valued at $800 million. Its focus for the future? A continued highlight on the value of the optometrist/optician relationship and a laser focus on omnichannel tech.

“In the past two years we’ve been able to add in strategic technology,” Amiel shared in the May 2021 issue of EB. “The bulk of our tech investment went into Topology. This is the cradle of our omnichannel growth. It’s about replicating the store experience online…all parts can be taken online or in-store except the eye exam, which remains in the clinic.” —Erinn Morgan

What is your main focus + passion today in your profession?

Our people. We have welcomed many in our company these past years, wonderful retail networks and individual stores with amazing individual cultures. We endeavor to keep everybody together, comfortable, safe, and happy.

Best advice for success in the vision care industry today?

I am not one to give advice, so I would say, at the end of every day, think back to the patients and the customers you have cared for, bask in the satisfaction of the good done, feel the fortune, and spread that feeling around your team. This is the magic of optical that the daily mission becomes one’s calling.

With lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic in mind, what are you looking to focus on in the year ahead to adapt to the current climate in the industry?

Continue to deploy retail innovation to replicate the store online in a seamless, interchangeable journey, and, most importantly, with the same quality of product as in location.

“As an #EBGameChanger Awardee for 2021, I feel…

 

 

Gary Black

Gary Black has the art of doing business with style nailed.

His eponymous cadre of optical shops, Black Optical, stock a highly curated mix of the ultimate in eyewear design, from Jaques Marie Mage to Lapima and Masahiromaruyama. A well-trained staff expertly guides customers and patients through the eyewear selection process in any of Black Optical’s three locations, in Dallas, Oklahoma City, and Tulsa. At press time, Black Optical purchased both Eye Bar locations in St. Louis.

A virtual offering is also front and center in this innovative optical retailer’s agenda—virtual styling appointments are available as well as online Rx eyewear sales.

This year, Black Optical also caught the eye of Canadian powerhouse New Look Eyewear (with 400 optical retail stores in Canada that recently acquired Edward Beiner stores in the U.S.). A partnership between Black Optical and New Look was cemented in August 2021, and Gary Black remains at the helm to impart his visionary style with an eye to future growth. —E.M.

What is your main focus + passion today in your profession?

My focus/passions are simple—creating an experience that won’t soon be forgotten, while caring for each person I engage with (colleagues, team members, vendors) as a friend.

Best advice for success in the vision care industry today?

Trust the process, as well as always looking forward—but, most importantly, never miss what is right in front of you.

With lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic in mind, what are you looking to focus on in the year ahead to adapt to the current climate in the industry?

My aim in the year ahead is very similar to the pre-Covid era: Continue to evolve and redefine what it means to be a brick-and-mortar eyewear retailer in our current era.

“As an #EBGameChanger Awardee for 2021, I feel…

 

 

Damaris Raymondi, O.D.

Eyes Up.

That’s the name of Dr. Raymondi’s monthly podcast. There, she interviews inspiring health care professionals to help recharge listeners before they begin their workweek.

Besides her podcast, she’s active on social media (@newyorkeyedoc) and is an optometrist at NYC Health + Hospitals/Metropolitan and owner of Sur Eye Care in Queens, NY, with a practice focus on pediatrics and general ocular disease.

After she graduated summa cum laude from St. John’s University, Dr. Raymondi went on to receive her optometry degree from the SUNY College of Optometry in 2015.

Outside the office, she volunteers as an adviser to the nonprofit organization Sights on Health, which provides annual cataract surgical and medical missions to those in need in the U.S. and abroad.

And, though she speaks fluent Spanish, thanks to her Peruvian parents, the language that’s most important to her is that of joy. It is, she says, what energizes all of us. —Stephanie K. De Long

What is your main focus + passion today in your profession?

My patients. All the new technologies, medications, and beautiful eyewear are only exciting when I tie it back to this: “How will this latest development improve my patients’ lives?” That’s what gives me the daily drive to further my clinical knowledge and be the first to try new things.

Best advice for success in the vision care industry today?

Educate your patients. Folks still don’t know that they need an annual eye exam, what cataracts are, or even what presbyopia is. It’s up to us to educate them about these changes, to continually try new things, and to spread the word about eye health.

With lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic in mind, what are you looking to focus on in the year ahead to adapt to the current climate in the industry?

I’m looking to focus on joy. How can I better show others how excited I am about eye care? Time is precious, and we were all faced with that realization this past year. So, why not focus on creating beautiful and fun things? With that in focus, we can face anything that comes our way.

“As an #EBGameChanger Awardee for 2021, I feel…

 

 

Phernell Walker, MBA, ABOM

Phernell Walker is a born teacher.

Listen to this master optician speak, and it’s clear that he is a natural educator. The recipient of too many optics and opticianry awards to list, Walker is both a renowned national speaker on ophthalmic optics and business strategy and the director of optometric relations for VSP Ventures.

A master in ophthalmic optics, he earned an MBA from Marylhurst University and graduated from Hillsborough Community College with an associate of science degree in ophthalmic optics. From his home base in Camas, WA, Walker also serves on the board of directors of the American Board of Opticianry and the National Academy of Opticianry and is a member of the Vision Expo OptiCon Education Advisory Board and The Vision Council’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Task Force.

In his role with VSP Ventures, he leads optometric practice development with a focus on operational standards, protocols, and education and helps identify practices looking to transition. —S.K.D.

What is your main focus + passion today in your profession?

What an exciting time to be in our profession! I’m fortunate that my areas of focus and passions intersect. At VSP Ventures, I’m helping bring care-focused, practice transition options to optometrists. And I continue to provide education to optometrists and opticians across the country on business strategy and ophthalmic optics.

Best advice for success in the vision care industry today?

Create the future versus responding to it. From diabetic eye care to glaucoma, myopia control, MGD treatment, and so much more, there are incredible opportunities for optometric practices to differentiate themselves and show that eye care truly is health care.

With lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic in mind, what are you looking to focus on in the year ahead to adapt to the current climate in the industry?

The pandemic forced us to reevaluate everything in our personal and professional lives. For me, that reevaluation led to a renewed focus on what I love: helping optometric practices grow and reach their full potential through education and practice staff training. While the pandemic accelerated many trends and disruptions, it’s important to evaluate and even embrace what’s now possible because of those changes.

“As an #EBGameChanger Awardee for 2021, I feel…

 

 

Erick Henderson, O.D.

Although he graduated from the Southern College of Optometry less than five years ago, Erick Henderson, O.D., of McCauley Celin Eyecare Associates in Pittsburgh, PA, is already a force in the industry.

He’s the recipient of the American Optometric Association’s 2021 Young Optometrist of the Year Award, president of the Western Pennsylvania Optometric Association, trustee of the Pennsylvania Optometric Association, member of numerous service organizations, and an education consultant for Alcon Laboratories and Valley Contax.

Dr. Henderson serves on the board of directors for the Lamu Center of Preventative Health in Lamu, Kenya, and remains invested—locally and internationally—to providing eyecare services to those in need.

Clearly, he’s used to successfully taking on many roles, and just recently added a new title (that of “Girl Dad”) to his repertoire, with his daughter, Maeve, born just two days before his virtual #EBGameChangers photo shoot. —K.A.R.

What is your main focus + passion today in your profession?

I have always been fixated on leaving the world better than I found it. In the optometric profession, I have been inspired by the many leaders before me and want to continue their legacy of enhancing optometry for future generations.

Best advice for success in the vision care industry today?

Always be honest. That starts with personal honesty to find clarity on what you truly desire from your career and personal life. Secondly, you must be honest with your patients, staff, and colleagues. Being honest doesn’t mean that you need to tell the people around you everything you feel at the moment, but rather be clear with your intentions and act in a way that honors your personal desires and allows those around you to clearly understand your decision-making.

With lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic in mind, what are you looking to focus on in the year ahead to adapt to the current climate in the industry?

Personally, I find it more critical now than ever to enhance the value of the in-person eye exam. While telemedicine is now here to stay, relying too heavily on it will continue to degrade the necessary human component to health care. As an industry, we have to work harder than ever to humanize health care.

“As an #EBGameChanger Awardee for 2021, I feel…

 

 

Mikki Collins + Chelsea Langton

A sales rep and an optician meet on Instagram: Mikki Collins, a consultant for Catch London by Tom Davies, Karen Walker, & Le Specs in the Pacific Northwest region, and Chelsea Langton, creator and founder of Optician Company and a licensed optician.

The upshot of their meeting? ROWT magazine.

An acronym for “Reps & Opticians Working Together,” ROWT was launched by the duo as a platform for authentic conversations.

“I struggled with the way I was seen as a sales rep,” says Collins. “My job title had a stigma surrounding it because of typical pushy salespeople in the past, but I decided I was not going to be that. I needed to find a way to communicate with opticians to gain knowledge from their point of view so I could better connect with my own clients.

“ROWT began as a video chat on IGTV in a relaxed environment talking about how we could work together, and it slowly transformed into the community and magazine we have built today.” —K.A.R.

What is your main focus + passion today in your profession?

Our main focus is bringing people together in a way that builds trust and understanding.

Our passion is the people behind the eyewear. Our industry is full of incredibly talented individuals that deserve to be heard. Through ROWT, we have found a way to provide a platform to tell stories, connect on a personal level, and discuss topics that have been silenced by the stigma that has surrounded “sales” for years. We are bringing those issues to light and educating one another to build an understanding of what our careers really look like on a day-to-day basis. —M.C.

Best advice for success in the vision care industry today?

Absorb all the amazing knowledge from others in our industry, take online classes on product you sell, and create long-lasting relationships. Word-of-mouth is always the best marketing tool for yourself. —C.L.

With lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic in mind, what are you looking to focus on in the year ahead to adapt to the current climate in the industry?

Focusing on social media and how much your market can expand. ROWT would also love to create an event once a year for reps and opticians to get together and network with each other. —C.L.

“As an #EBGameChanger Awardee for 2021, I feel…

 

 

 

 

Matt Barber, O.D.

It was time for a change.

After practicing for almost 20 years under a more corporate name, Dr. Barber says he knew it was time. “In order to practice the highest standard of care and offer patients the best eyewear and eyecare experience, I needed to truly be independent,” he recalls.

So, he took a leap of faith...and CHROMA modern Eyewear Eyecare was born. To house it, he built a new state-of-the-art facility in Fort Worth, TX, which was named an honoree in Fast Company’s 2021 Innovation by Design Awards. Inside, explains Dr. Barber, he built a culture with the primary focus on “compassion, kindness, and care.”

Raised in Oklahoma, Dr. Barber says he married “THE girl” from Texas. An NCAA athlete, he attended Oklahoma State University as an undergraduate and then Northeastern State University School of Optometry, where he graduated with honors.

A member of the American Optometric Association and the Texas Optometric Association, he also supports a variety of local organizations and events. —S.K.D.

What is your main focus + passion today in your profession?

I am passionate about optometry and our ability to bring quality care to our patients. For me, it’s about building relationships with patients and understanding that every eye-care experience is unique to that individual. Besides the amazing fact that I get to help people see the world clearer and brighter every day, those same people enrich my life with advice, support, and life lessons.

Best advice for success in the vision care industry today?

Remember your core values and why you got into the vision care industry. Keep the patient’s best interests at heart and be sincere in your care. If you do this, success will have no choice but to show up in your life.

With lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic in mind, what are you looking to focus on in the year ahead to adapt to the current climate in the industry?

In a time when human contact and our ability to continue relationships with patients and family was threatened, it makes you take stock of your life and reevaluate what’s truly important. We must embrace change and not be afraid to see obstacles for what they really are...opportunities to grow and be better than we were before.

“As an #EBGameChanger Awardee for 2021, I feel…

 

 

Kayla Heersink

While scrolling through Instagram, you may have seen some eye-catching frames raffled via @opticali_style.

The smiley, social media-savvy optician behind that Instagram page?

Kayla Heersink.

The show-stopping specs styles—generously donated from top brands like l.a.Eyeworks and Blake Kuwahara—served as part of @opticali_style’s #reframingtheconversation initiative, in which Heersink contributed the funds raised from the frame raffles to various do-good organizations such as the National Black Child Development Institute, the ACLU, Navajo Strong, and more.

Although a whopping $17,000-plus was donated through the initiative, Heersink is humble about her impact on the industry and beyond.

“I don’t have an extensive bio,” she says. “I’m an alum of Rims & Goggles, and Gogosha, and I’m ABO-certified. I’m mostly just a girl trying to share cool glasses with the world.”

—K.A.R.

What is your main focus + passion today in your profession?

Handmade and vintage eyewear. I love to share the stories and artistry behind independent designers and brands. Relaying the why and the how a frame is made allows people to get excited and feel a deeper bond to the object that’s going to be on their face representing who they are to the world. There’s nothing better than that aha! moment when you reveal a look that “didn’t work for them,” in a version that turns out to be just the perfect thing. What a joy! I love creating connection.

Best advice for success in the vision care industry today?

Keep yourself educated, and take the time to share your knowledge with your patients (and colleagues). People want to know about frame trends/styling across all age groups, as well as the newest technology in lens design and coatings. When you’re knowledgeable and excited, that energy is mirrored by the person you’re helping. Be a better resource than the internet. Sharing your expertise builds trust and creates that connection we all crave.

With lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic in mind, what are you looking to focus on in the year ahead to adapt to the current climate in the industry?

The pandemic has reinforced the idea of being a helper. This resonates in both directions—who I can help, and who I can ask for help. In a time of loneliness and isolation, I want to be someone that can be relied on. The pandemic really put on display that, both physically and metaphorically, showing up is a big deal. Be there for someone.

“As an #EBGameChanger Awardee for 2021, I feel…

 

 

Stephanie Woo, O.D., FAAO, FSLS

Contact lenses. Practice management. And more.

Those are some of the subjects Dr. Woo has addressed at more than 100 engagements around the world.

Closer to home, she owns the Contact Lens Institute of Nevada, a Las Vegas clinic dedicated to specialty contacts. She also founded Woo University, a nonprofit organization providing CE for ECPs, and is both a consultant and coach.

That’s a lot for someone who’s been out of school for only 10 years. Dr. Woo graduated from Southern California College of Optometry in 2011 and, as a University of Arizona undergrad, she shadowed a local O.D. to learn more about the field.

A fellow of the American Academy of Optometry and the Scleral Lens Education Society, she is past president of the Scleral Lens Education Society. She is also a Gas Permeable Advisory Board member and a member of the Nevada Optometric Association and the Arizona Optometric Association. She was named “Educator of the Year” by the Nevada Optometric Association this year. —S.K.D.

What is your main focus + passion today in your profession?

Education is a huge passion. I recently founded Woo University, a nonprofit organization. The mission is to provide high-quality education to ECPs, residents, and students. It started as a way to help colleagues earn valuable CE credit for free during the pandemic.

Best advice for success in the vision care industry today?

Know your worth. I opened a specialty contact lens clinic in 2020 because I was tired of being paid very little for an incredibly valuable skill. I decided to stop taking insurance and focus on providing top-notch care and service to patients who needed my help the most.

If you are not fully happy with your career, your pay, etcetera, you have to make a change yourself if you desire a different outcome.

With lessons from the Covid-19 pandemic in mind, what are you looking to focus on in the year ahead to adapt to the current climate in the industry?

Many patients have shifted to a convenience mindset. They want and expect the path of least resistance. Make it easy to find you online, book appointments, and contact you. In a world where we expect everything instantly, adapt that mindset to your practice. It will help you stand out.

“As an #EBGameChanger Awardee for 2021, I feel…