DRAPER, Utah—Online retailer 1-800 Contacts has announced that chief executive officer Brian Bethers has retired from his position as of the beginning of 2018, and that John Graham, who was president, has succeeded him as the company’s new chief executive officer. Bethers will continue to serve on the 1-800 Contacts’ board of directors, according to a spokeswoman. Graham had been president since early 2016, and previously served as the company’s chief operating officer and senior vice president of business development. He also was president of glasses.com earlier in his career. Before joining 1-800 Contacts in 2009, Graham worked with The Boston Consulting Group. He has a BS degree in Materials Science & Engineering from the University of Utah and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from The University of Chicago Booth School.

Bethers served as chief executive officer of 1-800 Contacts for the past four years, according to the spokeswoman. Previously, he served as president for 10 years and as chief financial officer for one year. Before joining 1-800 Contacts in 2003, Bethers served as chief financial officer of TAC Worldwide and he held the same title with SupplierMarket.com and Host Marriott Services.

Glasses.com, which Luxottica acquired in early 2014 from WellPoint, was a sister company of 1-800 Contacts at that time. However, WellPoint divested both optical business units in 2014 when 1-800 Contacts was acquired by the private equity firm Thomas H. Lee Partners, as VMAIL reported. At the end of 2015, Thomas H. Lee Partners sold a majority of its ownership of 1-800 Contacts to AEA Investors, which now holds a majority interest in the Utah-based company.