Visionworks’ Jim Eisen (l) and HVHC’s
David Holmberg (r) flank Visionworks-sponsored golfer Rory Sabbatini and Highmark’s Dr. William Winkenwerder.

PHOENIX— Visionworks, which has been in the midst of a market-wide rebranding in the U.S., has announced its official sponsorship with the PGA TOUR, beginning with the company’s participation in the Waste Management Phoenix Open, Jan. 28 through Feb. 3, 2013.

The sponsorship, which designates Visionworks as the Official Eyewear Retailer of the PGA TOUR and Champions Tour, comes on the heels of the San Antonio, Texas-based retailer’s recent rebranding of its stores across the U.S., including 17 Visionworks stores (formerly EyeMasters) in the Greater Phoenix area. Brighter in layout and appearance, the redesigned stores offer a larger selection of contemporary eyewear styles , which a company statement describes as, “The most frames, the best people and the right prices—the culmination of Visionworks’ ‘A Better You’ brand promise.”

“At Visionworks, we are very passionate about supporting the communities where we do business,” Jim Eisen, president of Visionworks, said. “In addition to offering the best quality in vision care and eyewear selection, we provide hundreds of jobs to the places we serve, and strive to be involved in causes that are important to those communities. The PGA TOUR provides a way for us to support several deserving charities and we are grateful for the partnership with this well-respected organization.”

Visionworks representatives will be on-site at the Waste Management Phoenix Open Expo Center during the tournament, providing free vision screenings as well as eyecare information and a “family of eyewear” giveaway. Visionworks also will provide hundreds of vouchers for a free eye exam and a pair of glasses to children who are participating in the R.S. Hoyt Jr. Family Foundation Dream Day, a program that gives school children a chance to experience the PGA TOUR firsthand.

Visionworks plans to participate in additional PGA TOUR events throughout the year, in addition to the company’s existing sponsorship agreements with individual PGA TOUR athletes.

Visionworks (formerly Eye Care Centers of America, Inc.) is the largest wholly owned U.S.-based optical retailer, and a leading provider of eyecare services with more than 580 optical retail stores in 39 states and the District of Columbia. It has been expanding and unifying its existing diverse retail brand names under the Visionworks name, as reported by VMail.

Visionworks is a wholly owned subsidiary of HVHC, Inc., which is a division of Highmark, Inc.