PSI to Cease Operations at Year’s End

By Staff
Friday, September 22, 2023 12:15 AM ODESSA, Fla.—Practical Systems, Inc. (PSI) will be closing its doors at the end of 2023 after serving the optical industry for 52 years. “PSI has been blessed to have so many wonderful relationships in the industry,” said Patrick Hernandez, president.

Peak Artisan Labs Welcomes 10 New Private Practices to Its Expanding Ownership Group

By Staff
Friday, September 15, 2023 12:30 AM AURORA, Colo.—Peak Artisan Labs (PAL) has announced the addition of 10 private practice eyecare providers to its growing ownership group, as part of the company's commitment to independent eyecare. Established in July 2023, Peak Artisan Labs serves the Rocky Mountain and north central regions. Based here, and a key member of the Artisan Lab Network (ALN) founded in 2023, PAL’s latest expansion further solidifies its position in the optical industry, according to an announcement from the company.

Alex Gorsky Joins Neurotech’s Board as Lead Director

By Staff
Friday, September 15, 2023 12:15 AM CUMBERLAND, Rhode Island—Neurotech Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a private clinical stage biotech company, has announced that Alex Gorsky has been elected to Neurotech’s board as lead director. Gorsky is the former chairman and CEO of Johnson & Johnson. Under Gorsky’s leadership, Johnson & Johnson grew to become one of the world’s largest diversified health care companies and one of the foremost innovators in research and development for emerging health technologies.

Three Rivers Optical Doubles Capacity and Introduces New Products to Meet Growing Demand

By Staff
Tuesday, September 5, 2023 12:21 AM PITTSBURGH—Three Rivers Optical, a nationwide independent lab with one of the largest private brand portfolios, and a leader in advanced optical solutions, is significantly expanding its operations.

Satisloh's Andy Huthoefer Talks With VM’s Andrew Karp About the Company’s Latest Advances in Lens Processing

By Staff
Friday, August 18, 2023 12:15 AM NEW YORK—Optical laboratory owners and managers who attended Satisloh’s 10TH SLUGFest, a meeting of the Satisloh Users Group held this spring at the company’s headquarters in Wetzlar, Germany, got a close-up look at 29 of the company’s latest innovations in ophthalmic lens processing, including a preview of soon-to-be-released equipment and some advanced technology that is still in development. Andy Huthoefer, the vice president of product management and marketing at Satisloh who helped produce SLUGFest, shared his insights and observations about the company’s new systems and products with Andrew Karp, lens and tech editor for Vision Monday and 20/20 Magazine.

Turning 50, Luzerne Optical Remains Family-Owned and Proudly Independent

By Sarah McGoldrick / Contributing Editor
Sunday, July 23, 2023 2:00 AM WILKES-BARRE, Penn.—Mergers and acquisitions over the past 25 years have reshaped the wholesale optical lab business in the U.S., yet some family-owned, independent labs remain vital, despite competition from corporate-owned labs. Luzerne Optical Laboratories is a notable example.

Eye-Kraft Expands Coating Facility to Accommodate a Growing Customer Base

By Sarah McGoldrick / Contributing Editor
Sunday, July 23, 2023 1:59 AM ST. CLOUD, Minn.—Eye-Kraft has built a reputation around service and independence. As a result, the St. Cloud, Minnesota-based optical lab has seen a steady growth in business since it first opened 65 years ago. The lab has undergone several expansions over the past decade, installing their first AR coating facility in 2015. Nearly 10 years later, the lab has seen such an increase in demand that they have once again had to expand their coating facility to accommodate a growing customer base.

Satisloh Previews Its Latest Lens Processing Innovations at 10th SLUGFest

By Staff
Thursday, June 22, 2023 12:21 AM WETZLAR, Germany—Satisloh welcomed more than 100 customers from around the globe to their 10th SLUGFest Meeting, “The Art of Making Lenses—Reimagined,” at the company’s Wetzlar, Germany facility from June 13-16.

Tioga Diabetic Optical Laboratories Is Re-Established to Manufacturing for Underserved Communities

By Staff
Friday, May 19, 2023 12:24 AM PHILADELPHIA—Optometrist and Philadelphia native, Chelise Firmin’s OD, will re-establish Tioga Diabetic Optical Laboratories to begin manufacturing for underserved communities.

Tokai Optical Taps Pacific Artisan Labs as Exclusive U.S. Distributor of 1.76-Index and Other Premium Lens Products

By Staff
Wednesday, April 5, 2023 12:21 AM PORTLAND, Ore.—Pacific Artisan Labs and Tokai Optical, a global leader in the innovation of the most premium materials, designs, and treatments, announced an exclusive partnership for distribution into the U.S. market beginning June 1, 2023.

Ben Collier, Founder of Independent Optical Lab, Launches New Lab

By Staff
Friday, February 24, 2023 12:27 AM HIGH POINT, N.C.—Ben Collier, founder of Independent Optical Lab in Greensboro, N.C. has exited the company and is launching a new independent lab, Collier Optical Lab.

Pacific Artisan Labs Partners With Independent Optical Lab Continuing Lab Network Expansion Strategy

By Staff
Tuesday, February 21, 2023 12:24 AM PORTLAND, Ore.—Pacific Artisan Labs (PAL), the largest independent, doctor-owned laboratory network in the U.S., has announced a partnership with North Carolina-based Independent Optical Lab (IOL). PAL, founded in 2018, has continually been at the forefront of innovative strategies to counter the constant push for consolidation of the optical industry. Vision Monday first reported PALs consolidation and partnership objectives in February 2022.

Colleagues Remember Contributions of HPC Puckett Advisory's Thomas Puckett, 70, Who Passed Away on Jan. 27

By Staff
Thursday, February 2, 2023 12:15 AM RANCHO SANTA FE, Calif.—Colleagues, business partners and family are recognizing the contributions of the late Thomas F. Puckett, founder of the HPC Puckett Advisory Company, who passed away at age 70 on Jan. 27.

Growing at the Speed of Automation

By Julie Bos / Contributing Editor
Sunday, January 29, 2023 12:30 AM OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss.—Every company’s growth journey is unique, but for Superior Optical Lab in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, it’s an impressive story marked by Service-Disabled Veterans support, 400 percent revenue growth in the past five years, and a recent expansion effort that has quadrupled capacity through state-of-the-art automation. Today, Superior Optical Lab is on the forefront of the industry—fueled by focused leadership, a strong presence within the Veterans Administration (VA) and ECP communities, and the powerful, behind-the-scenes Schneider Modulo One technology.

At ‘Field of Dreams’ Lab, Owners Hit One Out of the Park

By Sarah McGoldrick / Contributing Editor
Sunday, January 29, 2023 12:29 AM WITCHITA, Kan.—When Mark Nordyke and Richard Huynth combined their experience and expertise to build a new wholesale optical lab in Wichita, Kansas, they believed they would hit a home run. Today, less than two years after opening their lab, Optical Resources Group services about 200 accounts nationally and is fast becoming one of the leading wholesalers in the Midwest. In the wholesale lab business, that’s certainly a homer.