People

◄ David Yazbek has been promoted and appointed to director of sales, eastern region, for De Rigo Rem. Yazbek joined the company last November with more than 30 years of experience in the industry. Susy Adzhimanukyan has been promoted and appointed to senior director of sales, western region. Adzhimanukyan has been with the company for the last 24 years, serving in numerous roles and projects.

Safilo has appointed Michele Melotti as group chief financial officer and manager. Melotti has been with the company since 2012, during which he served roles of increasing responsibility within the finance and accounting function.

Business Updates

Over the last seven consecutive years, Carl Zeiss Vision Canada and WestGroupe have raised more than $234,000 for Optometry Giving Sight (OGS) by donating a portion of the proceeds raised from their ValuePak promotion. OGS has used these funds to provide eye care to underserved areas of the world.

CooperVision’s packing and distribution center in West Henrietta, NY, earned the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Silver certification for its environmentally conscious design and operation. The 235,000-square-foot facility excelled in the materials and resources, indoor environmental quality, and water efficiency LEED evaluation categories.

Marcolin has completed its acquisition of its own subsidiary in Mexico, though Marcolin Mexico will continue to support local stakeholders. Through a joint venture, the group has been present in the market for six years. The group acquired the remaining 49% of shares of the joint venture to enhance its presence in key markets.

More than 1,200 optometrists gathered at National Vision’s annual continuing education (CE) symposium, where doctors were able to earn up to 22 hours of Council on Optometric Practitioner Education (COPE)-approved CE and tenure milestones were acknowledged among 184 honorees. Together, the honorees amassed more than 1,600 years practicing in network offices.

VSP Vision has earned a three-year National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Accreditation in Credentialing, marking 20 consecutive years the company has earned the recognition. The standard NCQA Accreditation is a two-year recognition, but this year, the company’s score earned it the enhanced three-year honor.

Awards

CooperVision has awarded its Contact Lens Award scholarships to 23 third-year optometry students, one from each U.S. school and college of optometry. View the full list of recipients at bit.ly/icymicop723.

◄ VSP Vision has announced Evan Sveinson, a 2023 graduate of Midwestern University and an Arizona College of Optometry student, as the 2023 Premier Edge Student Business Challenge winner. The challenge was designed for optometry students who are interested in pursuing private practice ownership. Sveinson earned a $10,000 scholarship and a travel grant to the annual Student Optometric Leadership Network Conference.

Separately, VSP Vision awarded seven optometry students with scholarships at the recent National Optometric Association Convention in Philadelphia. Azalia Roach, NOVA Southeastern University College of Optometry, and Mihret Girum, Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science at the University of California, Berkeley, have received the inaugural Empowering Equity Scholarship, earning $15,000 each toward their education. Recipients of the Dr. Marvin Posten Leadership Award of $4,000 each are Khaliah Knighten and Babirekere Bakama, Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Optometry; Laura Medina, State University of New York College of Optometry; Daniele Ewert, University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry; and Isa Prude, NOVA Southeastern University College of Optometry.