HAUPPAUGE, N.Y.—ClearVision Optical recently received a Regional Economic Development Council Award from the New York State Department of Labor. This award will support the company’s training and process development efforts. ClearVision is one of 121 Long Island projects to receive funding, and approximately $98.3 million in funding was awarded to Long Island projects.

In partnership with Stony Brook University (SBU), ClearVision applied for the grant to further extend employee skills in areas that would help contribute to its profitability and success.

“The grant allows us to continue to further the development of talent not only in our company, but on Long Island,” said Jennifer Trakhtenberg, ClearVision’s senior talent leader. “It provides us with another way to reinforce our continued efforts to innovate not only in product design, but in areas of customer service and satisfaction. At a time when more and more jobs are becoming automated or streamlined, we are investing in our people to help them develop marketable skills for meaningful careers.”

As part of the application process, ClearVision presented its needs for continued enrichment in the areas of advanced product development, technology, leadership and change management.

Their initiatives included:
• Extensive training for product developers in rapid prototyping and designing a medical device (eyewear) that has become one of today’s key fashion accessories.
• Extensive Business Writing and Leadership coursework, with an emphasis on Change Management, to help communicate effectively with customers, vendors and employees via impactful messages.
• Advanced Excel and process improvement coursework to leverage opportunities for efficiency and productivity.

The Regional Economic Development Councils (REDCs) and Consolidated Funding Application (CFA) were launched in 2011 by Governor Cuomo to provide regions with the tools to create and implement their own roadmap for economic prosperity and job creation. These awards were given in 10 regional councils across New York State.