Davis Vision

Steve Holden

Steve Holden has stepped down as president of Davis Vision, a position he has held since August 2008, according to parent company HVHC Inc. The company also announced other staffing changes that will affect its three business units. Bob Cox, formerly the vice president of human resources with Visionworks of America, will assume new responsibilities as senior vice president for HVHC human resources shared services. Cheryl Grobelny, a 14-year veteran with Viva International Group, will be the new vice president of HVHC talent management, a newly-created position.

Transitions Optical Pat Huot Transitions Optical has appointed Pat Huot director, managed vision care (MVC) and online retail. In this position, Huot will expand his current responsibilities—developing partnerships and programs to influence the managed vision care channel—to include developing strategies that support the industry and create growth with Transitions lenses in emerging online retail distribution channels. Huot will also continue to serve as part of the North American leadership team for Transitions Optical.  Costa Sunglasses Renato Cappuccitti Costa Sunglasses announced the addition of Renato Cappuccitti as director of sales for its Rx sun lens division. He was previously the director of professional and business development for For Eyes Optical, one of the nation’s largest optical chains. He is a licensed optician and has served as a board member of the National Association of Opticians for four years. Cappuccitti has also held management positions within Hoya Vision Systems (now a Carl Zeiss laboratory), Rodenstock North America and Rodenstock Canada.  Marcolin USA Greg Pollock Marcolin USA has announced the appointment of Greg Pollock as the eastern vice president for the optical channel. Pollock will work with Ben Wolf, western vice president of the optical channel in leading the growth for that segment and report directly to Fabrizio Gamberini, CEO and general manager for Marcolin USA.  EyeCarePro Michael Porat EyeCarePro has announced the appointment of Michael Porat to the new position of chief operating officer. He is a 20-year medical industry veteran who previously worked as a hospital administrator for HCA, and grew his career by employing a business development approach for rapidly developing a company. He was part of the team that took HealthStream from a small private company to a publicly traded entity and has helped to grow numerous medical companies since.  First Insight Chad Steward Software developer First Insight Corp. has named Chad Steward vice president of sales. He will be responsible for building business relationships with eyecare professionals for First Insight, the developer of MaximEyes practice management and ONC-ATCB-certified EHR software. Prior to joining First Insight, Steward was vice president of sales for Merge Healthcare (formerly Ophthalmic Imaging Systems), where he developed and managed marketing and sales tactics for specialty EMR/EHR solutions. QSpex Kevin Bligh Kevin Bligh has joined the senior management team of QSpex Technologies, Inc. as vice president of sales and marketing. Bligh brings over 25 years of industry experience to QSpex, including senior management positions at Optical Connection, Inc. and UltraVision Corp. He was also general manager for the optical channel of Revo, Inc. and national sales manager for Essilor’s Logo Paris, Inc. division.  Rudy Project Kevin Young Kevin Young is the newest member to join the Rudy Project sales team, and will be covering Florida’s central and west coast. In 2006, Young joined Luxottica Group, which launched his career in the optical industry. After almost 2 years, he accepted a management position with L’Oreal USA. In 2010 he got back in the optical industry.  Eye Q Eyewear Steve Gintis Steve Gintis has joined Eye Q Eyewear in the new role of senior vice president. He has long-term experience in the eyewear business in sales, operations and licensing including executive roles with such companies as LBI Eyewear, SFG Inc and Diplomat-Ambassador.  Alain Mikli International Donna Hoffman Alain Mikli International Group has announced the hiring of a new sales director for the U.S., Donna Hoffman. She will oversee the U.S. sales for the company, focusing on the management of the sales team, training and increase of sales in the country. Hoffman joins the company with more than 20 years of sales experience in the optical industry. She has previously worked for key industry companies such as Viva International, Lantis Eyewear and Marcolin. Lafont USA (L) Kristin Calimlim (R) Michelle Davidson Lafont USA has announced the addition of two new executives to their management team. Michelle Davidson has been hired as sales manager and Kristin Calimlim has been brought on as brand manager. Both will join Raymond Khalil, president of Lafont USA, in ushering in Lafont's newest chapter of growth, according to a statement from the company. Will be missed …Irvin Borish, OD Irvin Max Borish Irvin Max Borish, OD, who was widely acknowledged as the father of modern optometry, passed away last month, in Boca Raton after a brief illness. He turned 99 years old in January. Dr. Borish made numerous contributions to optometry, including contact lens developments, leadership in the development of the profession, and authorship of the leading optometry book for decades, “Clinical Refraction,” according to the Indiana University School of Optometry.  Dr. Borish authored over 85 articles and nine textbooks during his career as an optometric educator. He lectured in over 45 countries and served as a visiting faculty member at almost every U.S. and Canadian school of optometry. He was also an inventor, holding five patents in the contact lens field. Clifford Scott