LAS VEGAS—Two new speakers will join a panel of optical lab owners at the upcoming Modern Lab event during Vision Expo to discuss how investments in technology and the workforce are helping labs remain competitive. The new panelists are Paul Faibish and Javan Diaz. Faibish is the president and owner of Canada’s largest independent optical lab, Plastic Plus Limited in Toronto, Canada. In 2017, he expanded the company by opening a new facility that has allowed it to double lens manufacturing capacity and expand frame inventory and distribution.

Diaz worked at his family’s lab, Empire Optical, and later opened VSPOne Los Angeles. In 2017, along with business partners Noel Diaz and Keith Grossman, he purchased the majority interest the lab, which rebranded as Simplify Optics.

The other two panelists will be Bill Heffner and Mike Tamerius. Heffner has been involved in the optical industry for 48 years. He founded FEA Industries, based in Morton, Pa. in 1984—starting the lab in the basement of his family home—and led its growth into a 70-person, multi-location optical laboratory with a national customer base.

Tamerius has over 26 years of experience in the optical industry. He co-founded P.O.G. Labs based in Creston, Iowa, in 1992. In 2015, he became the sole owner of the company, which now operates three locations.

The panel will be moderated by Andrew Karp, Vision Monday’s lenses and technology editor and Brian Dunleavy, editor of Labtalk magazine.

“Today’s labs need to satisfy discerning eyecare professionals and patients who want stylish, high performance eyewear on-demand,” said Karp. “Meeting these demands requires agile labs that can respond rapidly, effectively and repeatedly. It also requires lab to continually invest in systems, equipment and personnel that can deliver the best results to customers. Our panelists will explain how they make investment decisions that are critical to a lab’s success.”

This special, one-time only event complements Vision Monday’s Modern Lab Report. The Report, co-written by Karp and Dunleavy, will be published on September 15.

Modern Lab event attendees will get an in-depth look at new data from an exclusive lab survey recently conducted by Vision Monday, LabTalk and the Vision Council. The findings reveal how modern labs are remaining competitive by making strategic investments in capital equipment, digital production systems and the workforce.

“The survey data provides a framework for understanding what are the primary areas of investment for labs today, what’s driving major purchase decisions for lab owners and managers and when lab owners should consider automation,” said Dunleavy.

The Modern Lab event will take place at the Sands Convention Center on Thursday, September 19 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., followed by a cocktail reception from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Registration for the Modern Lab is free. To register, click here.

The Modern Lab event is hosted by Vision Monday and LabTalk. The Ultra Sponsors are Satisloh and Schneider. Coburn Technologies, Digital Vision Inc. and Ultra Optics are the Premium Sponsors.