Polly Fisher
Founder, Co-Owner
Optician, LDO
A&A Optical
Fort Oglethorpe, Ga.

CHOSEN BECAUSE...“Polly has trained many people who have gone on to receive their optician license. She has a great reputation for being able to adjust glasses and fit them well.”

In her 63 years in the optical industry, Fisher has accumulated a wealth of experience working in wholesale laboratories, a major retail chain and in her own retail shop. She got her first optical job at age 18 with Southeastern Optical, a Bausch & Lomb lab in Chattanooga, Tenn. Despite the shortage of male workers as a result of World War II, women still weren’t welcome at the all-male lab. Yet Fisher persevered, learning how to cut glass lenses and other basic skills. She later worked at another lab, Valley Optical for 12 years, followed by 12 years at Pearle Vision, where she was a manager and trainer. Since opening A&A Optical 19 years ago in Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., Fisher, a licensed optician, has established herself as one of the region’s top dispensers. She often donates her services to local charities who distribute eyewear to those in need.

SHE SAYS... “When I started my own company, we had lots of customers come with us. Many of them have become long-time customers. It shows that people follow people and not company names.”

Barbara Folgo
Vice President
Strand Optical Company
Cranston. R.I.

CHOSEN BECAUSE... “She is a pioneer in her field, taking charge and thriving when there were few women in this business.  New customers often come to Strand Optical because of Folgo’s reputation for fitting and style. She has truly dedicated herself to the satisfaction of the customer.”

Folgo, a registered optician, has been licensed in Rhode Island since 1974 when she passed the opticians exam on her first try.  It was only the second time women were actually permitted to take the exam in Rhode Island. Folgo has been in charge of sales, eyewear design, buying and customer service for more than 30 years. She served for 14 years as secretary of the Rhode Island Association of Registered dispensing Opticians (RIARDO), and has donated 12 years of service to the Rhode Island Advisory Board of Opticianry, where she was instrumental in making changes in the bylaws to upgrade the education and apprenticeship program.  She started out as an apprentice working with her husband and father in the Providence location. The 75-year old business is down to one location in Cranston where Folgo still works side by side with her husband Gene who she refers to as a “master optician.”  She said, “People have needs and we fill them, that’s our satisfaction.” When asked about the possibility of retirement she said, “There’s no end in sight--what else would we do?”

SHE SAYS... “My biggest challenge is people’s lack of product knowledge. The optical business has taught me to be sympathetic to the customers’ needs. That’s the best satisfaction, giving them the right product and teaching them how to care for their eyes.”

Laura Frezza-Chiarello, ABOC
Owner
West & Stannish Opticians
Garden City, N.Y.

CHOSEN BECAUSE... “She has single-handedly kept licensing a part of the New York State education department and has been active keeping opticianry at its highest standards since 1979.

Laura Frezza-Chiarello is a fighter for the profession.” While managing an optical practice, Frezza-Chiarello decided to become an optician so she could run the practice and work with patients. After attending the opticianry program at New York City Technical College, she became partners in a practice that fit and manufactured hard contact lenses and artificial eyes. Early in her career, Frezza-Chiarello became involved with the New York State Society of Opticians. A board member for the past 26 years, she has held a variety of positions including president, education committee chairperson and regional director. Inspired by Sharon Breivogel-Leonard and Lillie Augenstein of the Opticians Association of America, she advocates expanding the role of opticians and increasing their level of professionalism. In addition to owning and operating West & Stannish Opticians, Frezza-Chiarello sits on the advisory board of Vision Care Technology (formerly the New York City Technical College).

SHE SAYS... “In the not too distant future, the evolution of opticians will become more aligned with technical duties such as visual assessment which are currently being performed by non-licensed technicians through the auto-refractor.”

Madeleine Kruhsberg
Optician
Apex Optical
Washington, D.C.

CHOSEN BECAUSE... “She has a positive and bright personality... She is a giver and never asks for anything in return...She is a ‘good’ competitor in the optical market, never talking down another optical shop.”

While working in a pet hotel in 1977, Kruhsberg answered an ad for a receptionist at Voorthuis Opticians. Soon she was selling eyewear and attending an opticianry program. With encouragement and assistance from Albert Voorthuis, she opened her own shop, Selden Optique in 1989 in Norfolk, Va. Kruhsberg operated the upscale shop successfully for 15 years, offering a unique selection of eyewear to a diverse customer base ranging from children to seniors. Kruhsberg says one of her most rewarding experiences was volunteering at Virginia Beach health clinic catering to local residents who couldnot afford eyewear. She also served on the board of the National Academy of Opticians, and arranged classes and dinners for members. Since selling her business two years ago, she has worked as an optician at Apex Optical in Washington, D.C.

SHE SAYS... “It is so important to me to give back to the community what I receive from it. It is great to share when we can and it is so easy with a little imagination.”

Sylvie Putman, ABOC
Owner/Optician
Pro-Style Optical
Lubbock, Texas

CHOSEN BECAUSE... “She goes beyond the call of duty to make sure every patient has just the perfect frame and lenses. She does adjustments, selects frame styles, and is the queen of three-piece drill mounts, facets, designs and lens shapes...Patients will wait hours just to see her. She has made her business boom by “WOM” (word of mouth).”

A self-trained, board-certified optician, Putman acquired her skills while working for a group of “old school” opticians. Since opening her own shop, Pro-Style Optical, three years ago, she has developed a loyal following, including some customers who come from as far away as Houston. The high-end boutique has an in-office lab that processes an average of 50 jobs a week, many for local ophthalmologists. Pro-Style specializes in children’s eyewear, and has a separate room devoted to its extensive selection. When she’s not working at the shop, Putman volunteers at a local nursing home three weeks each month, where she adjusts the patients’ glasses.

SHE SAYS... “The average person doesn’t know anything about eyewear, and I like to educate them about their choices. I take pleasure in putting people into glasses with features they weren’t aware were available.”