PEOPLE People By Staff Monday, January 19, 2015 12:00 AM Kikuo Urayama Harry Aida Charmant USA Names Urayama President and CEO, Aida and Ferraro to Retire MORRIS PLAINS, N.J.—Charmant USA has announced that Kikuo Urayama will be the new president and CEO of the company as of Feb. 1, 2015, upon the retirement of current president and CEO, Harry Aida. Additionally, Charmant USA has announced the retirement of vice president of finance, Bill Ferraro. Urayama joined Charmant Group as managing director of Charmant U.K. in 1994. After working in the U.K. for two years, he held the position of vice president of the U.S. office from 1996-2000. In 2000, he transferred to Charmant Italia as vice president, and in 2007, moved back to Japan to become the general manager of the international business division and chief auditor of the internal audit department. He most recently held the position of chief operating officer of the western business division. Bill Ferraro, vice president of finance for Charmant USA will also retire at the end of January. He joined Charmant in 1994 as senior accounting manager, in 1996 he was promoted to director of finance, and in 2004, was promoted to vice president of finance and administration. Joseph Tallier Tallier Appointed New CEO of Ogi Eyewear MINNEAPOLIS— Ogi Eyewear has appointed Joseph Tallier as their new chief executive officer, effective Jan. 1, 2015. Tallier has been part of the Ogi Eyewear team for six years. He started his career at Ogi in 2008 as vice president of global sales. During that time, his visionary leadership was instrumental in growing sales at Ogi Eyewear by 300 percent, communicating the company’s value through marketing, leading the direction of the design vision, and promoting worldwide expansion, the company said. He became an equity partner in 2012 prior to being named CEO. Tallier said, “This is a very exciting time to be appointed CEO as we continue to grow the market segment of affordable luxury that we have been so successful in pioneering.” Maureen Cavanagh Cavanagh Appointed President of Vision Impact Institute DALLAS—Maureen Cavanagh has been named president of the Vision Impact Institute, which is supported by Essilor. The mission of the Vision Impact Institute is to raise awareness of the importance of healthy vision, including the socio-economic impact of Uncorrected Refractive Errors (URE) and quality of life benefits of visual correction. The Vision Impact Institute provides a unique database featuring scientific research and peer reviewed studies directed to government policy-makers, industry leaders and influential advocates. At an annual cost of $16.1 billion, URE is the most costly eye condition in the U.S., and the Vision Impact Institute is using evidence of this kind to reinforce the need for healthy vision, eye examinations and eye screenings with a provision for optical correction, a statement said. Cavanagh joined Essilor in October of 2005, as the director of Definity lenses, launching Definity throughout the Essilor network following the acquisition of The Spectacle Lens Group. Soon after she was named vice president of integrated retail, carving out a separate division and launching a new platform to specifically meet the needs of surfacing retail customers for Essilor. In December 2009, Cavanagh was promoted to president of Nassau Vision Group and OOGP, overseeing several stock lens and contact lens distribution centers, along with a local digital lens laboratory, Nova and the Shore lens division. In May 2012, Cavanagh was elected as the U.S. representative for Essilor employee shareholders on the Valoptec board of directors. She was also nominated to represent Valoptec on the Essilor International board of directors. Prior to Essilor, Cavanagh held various executive positions within the optical industry including time with Cohen’s Fashion Optical, Marine Optical and Johnson & Johnson Vision Care. A 23-year veteran in the optical industry, Cavanagh is a certified optician and graduated from Bridgewater State University. Jeff Grumbling Grumbling Named Chief Operating Officer Ophthalmic Division North America for OptoTech U.S. Germantown Wis.—OptoTech, a leading manufacturer of ophthalmic equipment and precision optics has named Jeff Grumbling, COO, Ophthalmic Division North America. In his new role, he will be responsible for building OptoTech’s ophthalmic business in the U.S. He also will be responsible for all ophthalmic sales, service, support and training in the U.S., Canada & Mexico. Grumbling will be located at OptoTech’s new facility in Germantown Wis. Grumbling brings a strong knowledge of the industry to the position, with more than 25 years in the optical industry. His career began with Pearle Vision, then more than 13 years with Wal-Mart in both retail optical and leading the lab division as director of operations. He also served as senior director of operations for Carl Zeiss Vision based on the West Coast and had responsibility for half the U.S. lab division for more than seven years. Roland Mandler, president of the worldwide OptoTech organization said, “We plan to make a major investment into the North American market to support our current and future customers and are fortunate to have acquired the talents of Jeff Grumbling, as well as our latest member of the board Matt Schmidt, a former president of LOH Optical Machinery to support us in our endeavors.” Robert Greco Santinelli Names Greco Southeast Region Sales Rep HAUPPAUGE, N.Y.—Robert Greco has recently joined the Santinelli International sales team, representing the Southeast region, comprised of Florida, Southern Georgia and Southern Alabama. Greco is a highly-seasoned professional with over 25 years of optical experience, including lens finishing equipment sales. “With his extensive experience, Rob is sure to be a huge asset to our company and a great resource for ECPs in the Southeast,” said Santinelli executive vice president of sales and service, Rick Clemente. “Rob’s comprehensive understanding of the industry makes him a perfect addition to our knowledgeable and professional sales team.” Pat Gantt Kenmark Promotes Gantt to Southwest Regional Manager LOUISVILLE, Ky.—Kenmark has promoted Pat Gantt to the position of Southwest regional manager. In her new position she will oversee the Southwest Region, which includes Arizona, California, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. “I am excited about the new chapter I am beginning with Kenmark. I look forward to continued growth and innovative designs and product lines,” said Gantt. She has been with Kenmark for over 16 years and has been integral in the company’s sales growth. Chief executive officer Mike Cundiff said, “We are pleased to add Pat Gantt to our team of regional managers, she brings a depth and breadth of knowledge of the optical industry to her region that will definitely enhance our company.”