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It's a new year and OWA Talks is kicking 2024 off with a bang by featuring a very special guest, newly inducted OWA President Dr. Lorie Lippiatt! In this episode, Dr. Lippiatt shares her unique journey within the OWA, her inspiring vision for the OWA's future during her term as President, and her thoughtful musings on different career "stages."
Lorie Lippiatt OD is a 1988 graduate of The Ohio State University, College of Optometry. She founded The Salem Eyecare Center, Inc. in 1989, and remained owner and President for 33 years before partnering with MyEyeDr. in 2021. Dr. Lippiatt was instrumental in the development of electronic medical records for optometrists and technology integration, lecturing nationally on these topics while consulting for numerous companies in the industry. Dr. Lippiatt joined the Optical Women's Association in 2004, and has been a board member since 2013, prior to her presidency in 2023. Dr. Lippiatt currently resides in Ohio and Florida, and enjoys optometry, greenhouse gardening, pickleball, and spending time with her dog, Betty Boop.
With a mother who worked as a nurse, Dr. Sukaromya knew from a young age she wanted to help people. In this episode of OWA Talks, she talks about her incredible passion to help people, patients, and the industry at large. She also shares her insights on owning her own practice, staffing shortages, navigating times of change, and participating in optometric missions to Granada, El Salvador, and Mexico.
Dr. Sarvitree Sukaromya has been practicing optometry in Kansas City, MO since 2006. After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Rockhurst University, she completed her Doctorate of Optometry degree from the University of Missouri St. Louis College of Optometry. She has experience in owning her own practice and has participated in optometric missions to Granada, El Salvador, and Mexico. For the past 14 years, she has been an Associate Optometrist for America's Best Contacts & Eyeglasses in Lee's Summit, Missouri. Three of those years she was an Area Doctor of the Kansas City Market with assigned Doctors to her. During that time, she maintained clinical care standards, provided supplemental training support when new equipment and electronic health records were implemented, and fostered effective communication amongst the Doctors and the staff for efficiency. Her areas of interest are primary eye care and contact lenses.
When not seeing patients, Dr. Sukaromya serves as the Communications Coordinator on the Missouri Optometric Association staff in Jefferson City, Missouri. She has been in this role since August 2023 encouraging Doctors of Optometry in private and corporate practice to advocate for the profession. She keeps association member Doctors informed of the latest on scope of practice discussions, upcoming continuing education events and highlighting member Doctors in their practices.
She was a recent graduate of the American Optometric Association Leadership Institute 2.0, November 2023. She was also a Featured Leader in Women of Optometry in an article Moving the Profession Forward, November 2023.
Dr. Sukaromya and her husband, Clifton, have two sons, Julian and Braxton, and the loving memory of their daughter, Olive. In her spare time, she likes getting her hands dirty in the garden and corralling her growing number of pets.
She is a member of the Optometric Society of Greater Kansas City, Missouri Optometric Association, American Optometric Association and as of this year 2024, the Optical Women's Association!
ClearVision Optical is a second-generation family-owned independent leader in the eyewear industry. Join us in this episode where we chat with not one, but three members of the Clear Vision family, and discuss the values that have allowed the company to endure for 75 years.
ClearVision Optical has been named one of the Best Companies to Work for in New York State for eight years, most recently in 2023. ClearVision was recognized by The Long Island Herald with a Family Business award in 2022, Long Island Business News as Corporate Citizen of the Year in 2019, and New York SmartCEO as a 2016 Family Business Awards honoree. ClearVision was also recognized at the 2016 Stevie Awards for Sales and Customer Service, where the company received two gold and two silver awards. Based in Hauppauge, New York, ClearVision designs and distributes eyewear and sunwear for 12 distinctive designer brands.
David Friedfeld is President of ClearVision Optical, one of the largest family-owned eyewear distributors in North America. David provides vision and leadership to all areas within the ClearVision organization. Under his guidance, ClearVision has received countless honors and accolades from both the eyewear industry and the business community. David has appeared on several internet radio shows including The Growth Strategist, The CEO Show, and Power Hour and is a featured speaker at many industry-related events and functions. David has been a tremendous advocate for the implementation of 3D printing into the product development cycle at ClearVision. An avid new media follower, David strongly embraces new and innovative technology while remaining committed to meeting the needs of customers in today's ever-changing technological landscape. David loves reading and running and spending time with his wife Vicki and children Luke, Faith, Jake and Sam.
Mimi Friedfeld began her career with ClearVision Optical in 1968. Over the years, she managed the accounting and personnel departments and contributed to design of the company's fashionable eyewear products. She helped her beloved husband Fred Friedfeld, the company founder, grow the family-run business from a small regional wholesaler to one of today's most respected leading optical distribution companies. She is an icon in the industry and recognized for her leadership and mentorship with the OWA Pleiades Award in 2005. She's been an active member of the OWA since its inception. Mimi loves reading, art, theater, and spending time with all her children and grandchildren.
Liz Friedfeld leads ClearVision's business development department and responsible for growing strategic partnerships and optimizing lead generation. As a subject matter expert and CVO ambassador, Liz travels as a speaker on market trends, customer service excellence, and building a winning culture. Liz sits on the Board of the Optical Women Association co-chairing the Membership Committee. Under her stewardship, the OWA has seen a surge in membership with a record-breaking year in '23. Liz was recognized as One of the Most Influential Women in Optical and awarded an OWA Leadership Scholarship Award. Liz recently completed her 200-hour Yoga Teacher training certification in January 2024 and loves traveling with her husband Eric and children Sophie, Daniel and Izzy.
Dr. Brianna Rhue, co-founder and CEO of Dr. Contact Lens, talks with our co-hosts about the journey from being an optometrist / owner to also becoming a woman in tech. She describes the hurdles involved in purchasing a practice and then building a company that was ranked #41 on the Inc 5000 list of fastest growing companies in the country.
In this episode, OWA Talks is joined by Barbara De Rigo of De Rigo Vision SPA. Listen as we discuss YALEA, an exciting De Rigo house brand, created and launched in collaboration with our guest, that promotes contemporary women and seeks to help enhance their personal growth and empowerment.
Barbara De Rigo was born in Cortina d'Ampezzo and, after graduating as a Parliamentary Interpreter in Bologna, she moved to Milan where she studied Foreign Languages and Literature. Her professional career in the family business began in 1993 in Germany at the Group's first branch, and, as of 1994, continued at the Foreign Trade Department at the company headquarters in Longarone.
After eight years of commercial experience, her love for the various house brands saw her enter the Marketing sphere, where she worked, more specifically, with Police, Sting and Lozza — brands that thereafter became her passion and personal mission, dedicating herself exclusively to their strategy and development.
Over the years, Barbara personally followed numerous collaborations with celebrities and artists (George Clooney, Antonio Banderas, David Beckham, Michael Schumacher, Mika, Gabriel Batistuta, Neymar and Lewis Hamilton, and many Italian artists including Marco Mengoni, Fedez, Francesco Renga, Tommaso Paradiso and Leo Gassman, to name but a few), in addition to co-branding activities with fashion houses and prestigious brands (Disney, Maserati, Yamamay, Pininfarina, Cirque du Soleil, FILA and Philosophy).
She is also at the helm of the following corporate social and environmental responsibility projects, which she has followed with passion every step of the way: "Lookbeyond" to mark Police's 30th anniversary in support of Doctors Without Borders; the book and comic "IntereSTING" on occasion of Sting's 30th anniversary in collaboration with charity S.O.S. Children's Villages; the collaboration between Sting and Save the Planet, the non-profit association that develops and promotes projects to safeguard the environment.
In 2018, on occasion of the company's 40th anniversary, the Fondazione De Rigo H.E.ART Onlus was founded, aimed at supporting young people so that they can enjoy inalienable rights to health and education, also stimulating the development of their individual personalities through artistic and cultural activities. Barbara is the President and passionately dedicates a great deal of time to this special project.
In 2020, Barbara became Chief Marketing Officer at De Rigo, assuming responsibility for the Group's entire Marketing and Communication structure.
In 2021 she contributes to the creation and launch of Yalea, the fourth and new company house brand. An important project intended to enrich the Group's portfolio with a brand which aims to promote contemporary women by supporting their freedom of choice, encouraging their talent and rewarding their personal beauty. A brand which combines the cause of women globally and in a tangible way with virtuous projects dedicated to their empowerment.