(L to R) David Jochims, CEO GS-Rx; Mike Korthals, OD, owner,
Dr. Korthals & Associates, Mason City, Iowa; and Scott Bauserman,
territory manager, GS-Rx.
SCOTTSDALE, Ariz.—Independent labs are facing challenges from all fronts, and so are independent eyecare professionals. To David Jochims, it makes good business sense to transform those challenges into a strategy called Global Source Rx (GS-Rx).

“Our lab was built on the premise of leveraging high-quality product to level the playing field for ECPs,” said Jochims, who is CEO of the Scottsdale, Ariz. facility that opened in January 2014. “We globally source product from Asia, as well as North America, to deliver the highest quality at the most competitive price point.”

GS-Rx aggressively prices high-quality frame and lens combinations to provide ECPs with the eyewear required to maintain patients and drive profits. From the lab’s point of view, the strategy is already working. GS-Rx is completing 80 to 100 jobs per day, with additional sales of finished single vision product. GS-Rx jobs consist of frame and lens combinations, uncut lenses, edged-to-customer-frame jobs and VSP orders.

Jochims said the GS-Rx team understands that in today’s ever-changing environment, they have to play with the big boys: “We are a VSP laboratory, Unity Allied lab and Zeiss distributor.”

Jochims was a shareholder in a Midwestern lab network, and moved on to become vice president of operations and vice president of sales for Carl Zeiss Vision’s lab network. “In these roles I gained a broader understanding of the global supply chain and costs. I really wanted to bring costs down to a point similar to larger integrated retail operators,” Jochims said.

GS-Rx’s plan was more than four years in the making. Jochims originally wanted to do it within the company for which he was working. When that didn’t happen, he moved forward with a key group of investors and talented optical professionals.

“It has not been easy, but the reception has been strong in the industry. From my viewpoint, there is a critical need for our products and services to complement what ECPs are currently doing. We help them capture more patients that may have been leaving to chain retail or online sales, and we also lower the ECP’s cost of goods considerably,” Jochims said.

Mike Korthals, OD, the owner of Dr. Korthals & Associates, Mason City, Iowa, said GS-Rx’s business strategy is working well for his practice.

“GS-Rx has helped to capture more patients, and it allows us to market what is best for my patients and my practice,” said Dr. Korthals. “GS-Rx has lowered my cost of goods significantly, and the quality of their products is as good or better than what I receive from other vendors. Due to GS-Rx’s value, I can choose some patients to upgrade free of charge. This sends a positive message to the patient and to the community.”

At this point, Jochims is most proud of the GS-Rx team. He expects this team to be able to help the ECP in a way that is “unique, disruptive and impactful.” In five years, as the optical industry continues to consolidate, Jochims sees GS-Rx occupying a pivotal niche.

“Our plan is to partner with independent ECPs throughout the U.S. We do not want to just sell product…we want to provide marketing and product solutions that will have a positive impact on patient volume and profits at the ECP level,” Jochims noted. “We will continue to evolve, have fun and hopefully reach our goal of a 1,000 jobs-per-day facility.”