SARASOTA, Fla.— Eyeglass.com, one of the first online eyewear retail websites, founded in 1995, announced that public relations and marketing authority Richard Laermer will become its new CEO. Eyeglass.com’s founding CEO, Jim Morrison, will become chairman of the company and remain active in the site’s day to day business, a spokesperson told VMail.

In addition, Morrison will become CEO of ThankBank, a new social-purpose, “gratitude-based” website startup, which was begun by both Laermer and Morrison, and is being further developed by the pair now.

Morrison started Eyeglass.com with his father, Robert J. Morrison, OD, a well-known pioneer in the field of soft contact lenses and a prominent practitioner. Laermer is also a 50 percent owner of the site with Morrison, the spokesperson added.

"Innovation runs deep at Eyeglass.com. We were the first—so we have an obligation to be a leader," Morrison said. "Richard will help build that nonstop relationship with today's social consumer who are tech savvy, connected and intimately research driven."

Laermer is an author, blogger and founder of the dot-com marketing firm RLMpr, which has helped raise the profile of a range of e-commerce and digital media companies.

A statement said that Laermer “will relaunch Eyeglass.com as a fashion-forward business, using new tech and a streamlined approach for those with eye needs to latch onto the firm’s 18 years of knowledge.” Among those initiatives will be an eyecare membership club to reward customers with free and hard-to-locate products and point-based incentives,” the company added.