Diana Beaufils
Senior Vice President of Stores
Eye Care Centers of America
San Antonio

CHOSEN BECAUSE... “Her hands-on and driving style continues to inspire others to be the best that they can be...has the respect and loyalty of her staff.”

Diana Beaufils joined Eye Care Centers of America (ECCA) in 1998, bringing a strong retail background with merchandising giants Circuit City and Montgomery Ward--where she knew ECCA’s current chairman and chief executive officer, Dave McComas--as well as Sears. In her current position, Beaufils is responsible for the financial and bottom-line performance for about 120 of the chain’s 384 stores, including marketing, store operations, staffing and training. As a member of ECCA’s executive staff, she also participates in company planning and decision-making. Beaufils considers McComas her mentor, and says she has learned from his “tremendous retailing instincts, and his ability to identify business issues and opportunities.”

SHE SAYS... “Optical retailing is quite different from other retail environments. In optical, we’re selling fewer products, but the complexity of the business is higher than in other retail segments. We’re not only selling but making the products, and dealing with insurance and quasi-medical issues. But other retailing principles apply, including marketing and the need to have the right people in our stores.”

Rebecca C. Jackson
Co-Owner
Omega Optical
Philadelphia

CHOSEN BECAUSE... “She has this aura that comes with her that leads people to strive for excellence. Since day one she has been devoted to not only selling fashionable eyewear but building lasting relationships with clients and members of the community at large.”

Six years ago, Jackson and business partner Steve Davis opened Omega Optical in a suburban neighborhood on Philadelphia’s north side. The store, which offers fashionable eyewear and eye exams, attracts a diverse customer base ranging from families to celebrities such as R&B artist Jill Scott, local CBS news anchor Ukee Washington and former Philadelphia Eagle Bobby Taylor. Under Jackson’s leadership the business has mentored young students in the area and partnered with African American businesses to enrich the cultural and social aspect of African American lives. Her community-centered approach led her to create the Omega Optical foundation, which provides financial assistance for graduating high school students.

SHE SAYS... “The vision of Omega Optical is to provide quality eyecare services to our community. The fact that we are able to use our business to help others makes the vision so much more clear.”

Julie King
Vice President/Divisional Merchandise Manager, Optical Merchandising
Wal-Mart/Sam’s Club
Bentonville, Ark.

CHOSEN BECAUSE...“With her help, Wal-Mart continues to grow, and is the number-two optical chain in the country.”

As vice president/divisional merchandise manager, optical merchandising, for Wal-Mart Stores’ 16-year-old optical division, Julie King oversees merchandising for the 2,600-plus company-owned Wal-Mart Vision Centers and Sam’s Club Opticals in the U.S. Before joining Wal-Mart’s optical division in August 2003, she worked in merchandising in jewelry, sunglasses and watches for the retailing giant; King celebrates her 11th anniversary with the chain this month. With Wal-Mart reportedly committed to adding 250 to 300 new company-owned optical departments annually for the next few years, King’s responsibilities should continue to grow.
She sees the key opportunity for the Wal-Mart and Sam’s optical departments as “education for our consumers--helping them become aware of the need for good eye health and what they can do to maintain their vision for life.”

SHE SAYS... “What I enjoy most in my job is the education angle--for example, educating adult patients what to expect as their eyes age, and leading them to the high-value solutions we have at Wal-Mart and Sam’s Clubs. Also for youth, as they get more involved in sports, helping them understand how contacts can be a solution that won’t interfere with their active lifestyle.”

Paulette Krstevski
Vice President
VisionPoint
Portage, Ind.

CHOSEN BECAUSE... “She has the unique ability to systemize all areas of operation in the retail optical business...is a fair, direct and open-minded business owner careful to select the best people.”

Paulette Krstevski’s current position as vice president of eight-store VisionPoint--with re­sponsibilities including buying, store design and operations--marks her second time around in optical retailing. In 1979, Krstevski and her optician husband, Atse, launched the Eyeglass Emporium chain, which grew to nine locations before they sold it to Sight Resource in 1998. After that, the two spent some time outside the optical business--including a return to college to obtain a second degree, in interior design, for Paulette. In 2003, the Krstevskis got back into optical retailing by launching a new operation they called VisionPoint; two years later, with Sight Resource flailing financially, they bought their original Eyeglass Emporium stores back and changed their name to VisionPoint. Today, the chain has eight locations, all in Indiana; their daughters now work with the couple in the business.

SHE SAYS... “I think optical retailing, especially with multiple locations, is great for women because they generally have good organizational skills and are successful at multi-tasking.”

Vanessa Wise
Director, Lens Management
Luxottica Retail
Mason, Ohio

CHOSEN BECAUSE... “She directs lens purchasing and product development for the largest retail optical company in the world...She oversaw the integration of the lens product mix subsequent to the Cole Vision acquisition.”

As director, lens management, for Luxottica Group’s Luxottica Retail division, Vanessa Wise is responsible for lens purchasing for all of the company’s optical retail brands, representing about 3,000 locations in the U.S. and Canada. Her other responsibilities include sales forecasting, lens product development and lens product management. Before joining Luxottica Retail about eight years ago as senior product manager for the lens buying team, she had worked in traditional retailing, holding buying positions in categories such as fashion and accessories. Wise considers her greatest challenge at Luxottica Retail to be the Cole Vision integration, because she is now buying for a number of different retail brands with varying market positions.

SHE SAYS... “I learned the lens business from Lynn Millay at Luxottica Retail, who taught me to be very passionate about what we do. This business is very exciting, because I have new challenges to face every day.”