50^th ANNIVERSARY

FROM THE EDITORS’ DESKS

OPTOMETRIC MANAGEMENT’S EDITORS CREATED THE LEADING PRACTICE MANAGEMENT PUBLICATION

WITHOUT THE leadership of highly successful O.D.s in the trenches, Optometric Management would not be the leading practice management publication for optometrists.

We are proud to share with you contributions from five of our former editors. Irving, Bennett, O.D., describes how Optometric Management began. The section follows with three of our past editors, Drs. Art Epstein, Neil Gailmard and Walt West discussing their time leading OM. We conclude with a special “Lessons Learned” page, which includes the timeless wit and wisdom of Jack Runninger, O.D., who served as editor of the publication from 1981 to 1989.

MEETING A NEED

Irving Bennett, O.D.
OM publisher/editor from 1965-1981

IN 1964, I was in my 10th year as editor of the Journal of the American Optometric Association (JAOA). Those were the days when words like “profit,” “sales,” “product” and any reference to “business” were forbidden from the optometric vocabulary. It was conventional wisdom then that doing business was something professionals did not do!

I had personally gone through difficult years establishing a private optometric practice. I strongly felt that new optometrists were not being educated fully, earning a degree to practice optometry yet not having a clue how to do it successfully. One of my last editorials in the JAOA suggested that optometric college curricula change to include courses in practice and business management and that the AOA provide some guidance along these lines.

SUBJECTS LIKELY TO BE TAUGHT IN AN INTRODUCTORY BUSINESS CLASS

The advice went over like a lead balloon, or so I thought. To my absolute surprise, the editor of the dentistry magazine, Dental Management (DM), Mel Goldberg, had read my musing and, lo and behold, gave birth in 1965 to Optometric Management (OM). It was the size of Readers Digest and different from existing magazines, as it contained articles written in a very readable, understandable style dealing with subjects likely to be taught in an introductory business class. OM attracted a readership of optometrists starved for business management information. Regrettably, much of the material in OM was recycled from DM, with the word “optometric” often substituted for the word “dental.” In a phrase, the early issues of OM lacked the whiff of optometry.

As fate would have it, in 1969, DM was sold to a major book publisher, who promptly decided to try to sell the rights to OM or cease its publication. Enter a team of two optometrists, a journalist and a graphic designer. There was no physical equipment; there were no financial records; the sale consisted of the magazine’s name and mailing list! We may have been short on magazine-publishing know-how, but we had zeal. And in five years, the magazine became popular and successful.

INSIDER STORIES

Now, 50 years later, it’s time to reveal some inside stories of the early years. For example, there was a dearth of optometric authors, particularly those skilled in business ideas. One regular contributor to OM in the early years was Nicholas Trumbull. He was the figment of the imagination of Managing Editor Mel Goldberg. Mel also wrote, or got professional writers to write, under O.D. pseudonyms. My attitude as OM publisher was that it was not the author of the article who counted; instead it was the subject matter of the article that was the criterion for publication.

In the beginning days, OM was sent at no charge to all the optometrists in the country under a controlled circulation postal permit. This permit allowed the publisher to send bills to recipients as long as the publisher continued to send the magazine to all in the profession, whether they paid or not. More that 50% of the O.D.s getting the magazine paid the subscription bill.

Besides Mr. Goldberg and myself, there were two other principals involved in OM. They were Jay Gubitz, who was not only the graphic designer for the publication but the one who ran the operation from the inside. The fourth member of the team was Bob Phillips, O.D., who was the business manager in charge of getting advertisers to support the publication. Dr. Phillips was ably helped by Larry Henry, who had been business manager for the JAOA. The task for acquiring advertising was not simple since it meant either convincing advertising directors to expand their budgets or to change the publications in which they printed their ads. Most optical companies increased their ad budgets. The increase in advertising is a testimony to both OM’s sales ability and its good venue to place a company’s ads.

Bob Phillips, O.D., was one of the principals involved in OM in the early years of the publication. As business manager, he gathered advertising for the publication.

A TRADITION OF INNOVATION

Looking back over the past half century of its existence, those involved with OM can rightfully be proud of its many innovations. Here are some:

• The monthly “Dear Judi” feature, aimed at paraoptometric personnel, was the first to recognize openly the value of staff by providing them a major educational message.

• The “Double Life” feature series showed how O.D.s were making accomplishments in other vocations and avocations while conducting their own practices. The feature included stories on O.D.s who were also dentists, race car drivers, etc.

• A monthly opinion piece was comprised of quotes from “ordinary” practicing optometrists. We made arrangements with a photography organization whose members visited optometrists to ask them their opinions on issues facing the profession. It was often amazing to see how practicing O.D.s thought differently from the profession’s leadership.

• OM was the first optometric publication to print its four-color ads in the magazine, allowing it to use four color in the editorial pages.

• With four-color printing at his disposal, our graphic artist designed a new cover for each month’s issue with a theme highlighting one of the major articles in the magazine itself.

• We became the source for patient-oriented booklets and flyers that we sold to practitioners for distribution to patients. We published books on management and other data to make OM the source for business and management information.

• We created seminars on management and had speakers travel around the nation to present new and novel ideas. The long-running annual Las Vegas seminar became the model for OptiFair. OptiFair, the predecessor to Vision Expo, was started by OM’s Advisory Enterprises.

• OM arranged for foreign educational and pleasurable trips to France, Italy, Israel and other places. These excursions featured special seminars given by outstanding foreign speakers, as well as sightseeing adventures.

• OM developed Visionary, a popular monthly newsletter primarily for optical industry leaders, including principals of optometric associations, presidents and deans of the optometric schools and colleges, as well as leaders in optical manufacturing and laboratory companies. The widely read bulletin contained the results of special survey- and industry-related news.

• OM developed integrated computerized lists of optometrists, ophthalmologists, opticians and vision aides into numerous categories. At one time, it had the most complete list of vision aides in the U.S.

All in all, OM had its fingers on the pulse of the profession. And it still does. OM

AN INVALUABLE EXPERIENCE

Arthur B. Epstein, O.D., F.A.A.O.
Chief Optometric Editor 1998-2001

“IT SEEMS like only yesterday that I first ran into Sean McKinney and the other OM editors at Vision Expo East (1995). Sean, who’d recently taken over as OM’s editor in chief, was in front of the Cardinal Business Media booth, literally bouncing up and down with enthusiasm.

That enthusiasm was contagious. Soon after that, I was working with Sean and his talented crew. I quickly earned the title of contributing editor and with a lot of hard work, I rose to clinical editor, directing editor and finally to chief optometric editor.

Magazines are much like people. We’re works in progress. In a sense, OM and I have grown together through the past few years. We’ve experienced losses that have changed our courses, and we’ve found success in a job well done. Today, both OM and I are different than we were, and hopefully we’re better for our combined journey.”

A CHANGED MAN

I wrote those words in January 2001 as part of my last editorial as chief optometric editor of the magazine. Leaving was bittersweet. My association with OM had changed the course of my professional career and, indeed, my entire life.

While at OM I learned to become a decent writer. Sean McKinney came from the newspaper world and was an editor’s editor. He was also a wonderful mentor. Young Dan O’Connor was a visionary editor who I was fortunate to work with later on. Dan helped me launch Optometric Physician.

Then OM publisher, Doug Parry, and I became great friends. We worked closely together to create some groundbreaking projects and did some amazing things. Doug introduced me to the entire industry — relationships that remain important today.

EXPANDING HORIZONS

In truth, serving as chief optometric editor was not easy for me. I was a clinical guy squeezed into a management role. As a result, I had to work harder and longer and was forced to expand my horizons. For that, I am forever grateful.

My connection to OM is unbreakable, and I am honored to be a part of its storied history. I am indebted to current Chief Optometric Editor Scot Morris and Editorial Director Jim Thomas for transforming what was once my baby into the amazing resource for the profession it is today. Happy 50th, OM! I look forward to the next 50!

A NATIONAL PLATFORM

Neil Gailmard, O.D., M.B.A., F.A.A.O.
Chief Optometric Editor 2001-2003

I PROUDLY served as chief optometric editor for OM from January 2001 to April 2003, and it was a truly enriching experience for me. I was already doing a lot of writing, lecturing and consulting in practice management, but this position gave me a national platform, as it reaches O.D.s across the country. The position was a big factor in the growth of my career in the field of optometric practice management.

The cover feature of the November 2002 magazine featured an interview with former President Jimmy Carter, conducted by Dr. Gailmard.

My early mentors in writing were Dr. Irving Bennett, founder and original publisher of OM, and Dr. Jack Runninger, a longtime OM editor. They inspired me to write my first article as an optometry student, and I’ve been putting those lessons to use for 40 years. I worked with, and became friends with, many talented people during my years at OM, and many of them are still with the publication.

“TIP OF THE WEEK” NUMBER 700

The project I am most proud of during my tenure as chief optometric editor is the launching of the Optometric Management “Tip of the Week” e-newsletter. In 2001, I proposed the idea of a short, practical weekly article on practice management to be sent via email to then OM co-owner Pat Herron. Email was still a very novel concept at the time! She agreed, and the first tip article was deployed to readers in January 2002.

I have been writing an article every week ever since. I am currently closing in on tip No. 700! The “Tip of the Week” series remains one of the most widely read e-publications in optometry, and I am truly blessed to have such loyal readers.

PRESIDENT CARTER’S INTERVIEW

One other article of note was the cover story for November 2002, when I interviewed President Jimmy Carter. Earlier that year, President Carter was the keynote speaker at the AOA national convention, and that led me to ask if he would let us publish an interview with him. He consented, and we covered his humanitarian foundation, The Carter Center, which, at the time, worked to eradicate river blindness in Third World countries. We also talked about pediatric vision care in the United States. President Carter won the Nobel Peace Prize that year.

INSPIRED BY AN EVER-CHANGING LANDSCAPE

Walter West, O.D.., F.A.A.O.
Chief Optometric Editor 2003-2012

I served as the chief optometric editor of OM for nine years beginning in 2003. During that time, I enjoyed the challenge of presenting meaningful content to readers on a monthly basis.

The way I wrote and the topics I brought to readers were driven by challenges optometry was facing at the time, by victories or advancements the profession had made and by the uncertainty of what optometry would face next.

UNDERSTANDING THE AUDIENCE

I was able to write to colleagues with an understanding of the challenges that optometrists face on a daily basis. From my own experience, I found much to write about the challenges of managing the business side of a practice, having had no business training, the challenges of growing a practice, with no experience in marketing or advertising, and the ever-present concerns over “the next thing” that will be the undoing of optometry — there was always something.

I often wrote in an effort to reassure colleagues and, sometimes, wrote to encourage them not to take themselves too seriously. Occasionally, I wrote to encourage them not to cling too tightly to the past and other times to help them to see that they needed to get out of their own way.

The cover from September 2004

FACING DISRUPTIVE TECHNOLOGY

As I recall my years as editor, perhaps the content I enjoyed sharing the most was of my visit to 1-800-Contacts in Salt Lake City. At the time, it was the most disruptive technology I was aware of. I went at the invitation of founder Jonathan Coon, not knowing what to expect. I came away with a better understanding of how optometry had become complacent in our business and product-delivery model.

I enjoyed the opportunity to tour its facility, meet employees and learn about the training process. The attention to detail and the quality assurance measures put in place to deliver an exceptional customer experience were the areas I felt I learned the most. In my editorial and the accompanying article, I attempted to share with my colleagues how our practices could take a lesson from someone outside our profession, and originally our industry, who stood us on our heads.

I’d be remiss if I didn’t thank OM for the opportunity to serve, I offer special thanks to Jim Thomas for his years of support, and I thank the staff editors and proofreaders who made me look smarter. OM