IDOC's Dave Brown (l)
and Mark Feder, OD.

NORWALK, Conn.—Dave Brown, formerly president of Vistakon - North America, has joined Independent Doctors of Optometric Care (IDOC), as president, a move which became effective Feb. 17. Mark Feder, OD, founder, of IDOC alliance, will continue in an active role as CEO of the group.

Brown will be based at IDOC’s corporate office here and will report to Feder. In his new role, Brown will be responsible for running the day-to-day operations of the business, overseeing sales, marketing and member services.

Feder told VMail, “As a result of Dave’s joining us, I’ll be able to focus full time on developing the long-term strategy and critical path objectives so IDOC achieves its goal of continued strong membership growth, ensuring our members are represented on state and nationwide insurance plans and providing the best business education on the emerging trends important to the success of independent optometrists. I will also be able to focus on solidifying key industry relationships that will further position IDOC as a leader in the optometric space.”

Brown’s career spans the consumer OTC, pharmaceutical and medical device sectors. Recruited by Johnson & Johnson (NYSE: JNJ) in 1990, Brown is a is a proven professional and consumer marketer, with experience in creating programs, company turnaround, and entrepreneurial start-ups. Brown joined Vistakon division of Johnson & Johnson Vision Care as vice president of the worldwide franchise in 2006. In this role, he led the global launch of the world’s first daily disposable silicone hydrogel lens, 1-DAY ACUVUE TruEye Brand Contact Lenses.

In 2009, Brown was appointed president of Vistakon - North America Region. Brown served as Executive Sponsor for several J&J corporate initiatives including the “Corporate Athlete” program at Vistakon and J&J’s Millennial Employee Resource Group. He served on the board of trustees of United Way of Northeast Florida, and was honored by the SUNY College of Optometry for contributions and support to the optometry community in 2012. Brown has an MBA from Columbia University.

Stated Brown, “I have always had a passion for entrepreneurial environments. When I started talking to Mark, I was aligned with his vision and excited about the opportunity at IDOC. We are positioned for strong growth and I am very pleased to be joining a leader in the industry.”

Noted Feder, “IDOC continues to be on a strong growth trajectory and we continue to add staff to support the needs of our members and vendor partners. As our industry evolves in the new health care environment, it also became evident that key roles within our organization needed to be re-evaluated. We felt a president with significant industry experience and with knowledge of running large organizations as well as start-ups, would be a good fit for IDOC at this time. We are pleased to have someone like Dave join us as he fits that description perfectly. Dave’s proven ability to lead teams to excellence will allow me to focus more of my time on the external drivers of our success.”

Feder said that IDOC expects to add staff “as our growth dictates. Over the last six months,” he said, “we have tripled the infrastructure at IDOC— adding to our member development team, member services team, marketing team and data analytics team.” The Riverside Company invested in IDOC in August 2012. Said Feder, “Riverside has provided resources to support the growth of IDOC, as well as bringing insights and expertise in health care. We are very pleased with the partnership to date.”

IDOC’s membership currently includes 1,700 independent optometrists. It has over 65 vendor partnerships with the leading players in the optometry community. The group offers business education on a national, regional and local level. The group’s upcoming National Business Conference will be held April 3 to 6 in Atlanta, Ga., and registration is open at www.idoc.net.