Transitions Optical

Brett Craig

Brett Craig has resigned as president of Transitions Optical. The company's chief executive officer, Richard C. Elias, is now serving as Transitions' president. Craig joined Transitions in July 1999 as general manager/managing director for Transition's Asia/Pacific operations. After serving in a similar position in Europe, the Middle East and Africa, he became the company's chief operating officer in mid-2006, taking over day-to-day leadership for Transitions' global business at that time. Craig was named president of Transitions in January 2008.

Pro Fit Optix Rudolf Suter Pro Fit Optix International has named veteran optical entrepreneur and executive Rudolf Suter chairman of the board of directors and CEO. Suter most recently served as CEO of Optixx AG, a Swiss company he founded that developed and marketed free-form lens designs. The company terminated operations at the beginning of May. Suter has served the industry as a founder and member of the board of directors at the European Sunglass Association until 2007, a member of EUROM (European Optical Manufacturer Association) until 2001 and The Vision Council. PixelOptics Larry Rodriquez PixelOptics has appointed Larry Rodriguez as senior vice president of global sales and marketing. Rodriguez is responsible for leading the worldwide sales and marketing organization of PixelOptics. Rodriguez has held a number of management positions at major optical companies. As the vice president of sales for Southern Optical Group, Rodriguez led a team that established the company as one of the largest wholesale labs in the U.S. He later served as director of U.S. sales and European business, for Johnson & Johnson Vision Care’s ophthalmic lens group. Maui Jim David Stotz Richard Walker Maui Jim, Inc. has announced the appointments of two new executives. David Stotz has been named associate vice president of merchandising and Richard Walker has been named Maui Jim’s new director of product development.  Prior to joining Maui Jim, Stotz was the associate vice president of creative brand development/visual merchandising for Luxottica Retail for three years, where he was responsible for the overall “creative expression” of the Sunglass Hut brand in the U.S. market. Walker began his career selling his sunglass designs at Fred Segal in California, and went on to develop his own sunglass line, Blinde, now distributed by Optical Shop International (OSI). American Board of Clinical Optometry Art Epstein, OD The American Optometric Society (AOS) said that founding member and vice president of communications, Art Epstein, OD, has tendered his resignation from the AOS board of directors, effective May 21. Epstein cited the growth of the American Board of Clinical Optometry (ABCO), of which he is president and executive director, and the need to devote more time to that organization. He also cited a growing concern about potential conflicts of interest in light of his growing responsibilities with ABCO. Kowa Optimed Craig C. Ross Shinji Toyoda Kowa Optimed, Inc. has announced the promotion of Craig C. Ross to president and chief operating officer of the company, and named Shinji Toyoda as its new Vice- Chairman. In his new role as President/COO, Ross will report to Kowa Optimed’s Vice-Chairman, Shinji Toyoda, and will be responsible for the company’s day-to-day operations. His primary focus will be executing the company’s growth business plan with a continuing role in strategic acquisition activity. Mr. Toyoda’s role will be to support Kowa Optimed’s strategic planning and continued growth. WellPoint WellPoint has promoted John Thorp to senior product management director for its vision business. In this role, Thorp will be responsible for expanding WellPoint's Vision business in the East, Central and UniCare markets. In addition, he will develop products that target the individual and senior markets and will lead an initiative that focuses on international expansion opportunities. Prior to joining WellPoint, Thorp held various positions at EyeMed Vision Care. Thorp is based at WellPoint's Mason, Ohio location.