ROANOKE, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- PixelOptics (“Pixel”), the world’s first electronic focusing eyeglass company, today announced the appointment of Brett H. Craig as President and Chief Executive Officer. Effective immediately, Mr. Craig will be responsible for leading the enterprise in its entirety. Dr. Ronald Blum will become Chief Visionary Officer and will be accountable for leading the design and development of Pixel’s future generational products. Dr. Blum will also remain Chairman of the Board.
Brett H. Craig, President and Chief Executive Officer of PixelOptics (Photo: Business Wire)
Mr. Craig brings nearly 14 years of experience in the optical industry to Pixel and is a distinguished leader in the field. Mr. Craig served first as COO, and then most recently as President of Transitions Optical, the world’s largest photochromic lens company. During Mr. Craig’s tenure, Transitions Optical experienced rapid international growth through product improvements, global expansion and strategic alliances.
Dr. Blum stated, “Pixel has invented, developed and launched the most significant innovation in prescription eyewear technology in the last 50 years with its patent-protected, transformational spectacle eyewear product, emPower!. emPower! and our future portfolio of products truly positions the company well for an exciting future and Brett is the ideal person to lead this charge.”
“The addition of Brett to our senior leadership team marks a milestone in the evolution of Pixel and the emPower! brand.,” said Gary J. Kurtzman, MD, a member of Pixel’s board of directors and Managing Director in the Life Sciences Group at Safeguard Scientifics (NYSE: SFE - News). “Ron’s vision and leadership were critical elements to bring emPower! from concept to market. Moving forward, Brett’s expertise will be invaluable for the success of the company. We look forward to his guidance as he brings Pixel and emPower! to its fullest market potential.”
“It is truly a privilege to join the Pixel team,” said Mr. Craig. “Having spent almost half of my professional career in the optical industry, I can truly say that I have never seen a product that generates a more positive reaction from consumers and eye care practitioners than emPower!. I look forward to working with the entire Pixel team as we expand across the domestic and international markets.”
About emPower!
emPower! represents a significant technological advancement in prescription eyewear. The world’s first electronic corrective eyeglasses, emPower! features the most advanced consumer electronics innovations available today, including composite lenses with a thin transparent LCD-like liquid crystal layer, microchips, micro-machine accelerometers and miniature rechargeable batteries. emPower! eyeglasses look like regular, high-fashion glasses. The microchip, micro-accelerometers, and miniature batteries are hidden inside the temples of the eyeglass frames. The transparent liquid crystal layer in each lens is able to electronically change and activate the near focus lens only when needed with no moving parts and without making a sound. emPower! allows for seeing clearly at all distances; far, near and in between. Wearers can operate the glasses in three different modes: manual on, automatic and manual off. For additional information on emPower! electronic focusing eyeglasses please visit www.emPowerEyeWear.com.
About PixelOptics
Headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, PixelOptics is committed to “transformational innovation” in the spectacle lens industry. The company’s focus is on improving and elevating the current standard of vision correction by inventing, developing and marketing a wide range of innovative new products based on dynamic focusing lenses, innovative lens design technologies, and composite optics. PixelOptics is dedicated to helping consumers see better and more comfortably, while at the same time helping the vision care industry to grow. For additional information on Pixel please visit www.pixeloptics.com, Follow Us on Twitter (www.twitter.com/PixelOptics), Like Us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/PixelOptics) or Subscribe to our YouTube Channel (www.youtube.com/pixeloptics).
Major Investors
PixelOptics’ major investors include: The Carlyle Group, Delphi Ventures, Longitude Capital, Panasonic Ventures, Safeguard Scientifics, and Stark Investments.
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