Marge Axelrad, Sr. VP/Editorial Director
Marge oversees the overall editorial direction of
Vision Monday and its print publication,
VMail, e-newsletters,
VisionMonday.com and special events including
VM Global Leadership Summit.
She is also in charge of general corporate and company news, industry developments and business trends,
financial news. Marge specializes in frame sunwear companies, practice management programs,
spectacle lens and contact lens companies, managed care, wholesale laboratories, research.
She is also the editor of
CLICK, a twice-a-month e-newsletter. Contact Marge at
maxelrad@jobson.com.
By Marge Axelrad
Monday, March 11, 2019 12:30 AM
For many people who work within the optical business, customization has always been part of the history of eyewear, as experienced opticians, knowledgeable doctors, and skilled craftsmen, in factories and laboratories, have long done their part to recommend, suggest and fabricate optical frames and spectacle lenses which are best suited to an individual patients’ vision correction needs and their lifestyle.
By Marge Axelrad
Monday, February 11, 2019 12:30 AM
Few companies have influenced and wowed consumers with intriguing breakthrough concepts for products, a completely new kind of store environment and the introduction of new notions of customer service as have Apple and Tesla. I mention these companies, so closely associated now with “being different,” because these are two of the companies at which George Blankenship, a long-time retail and real estate strategy veteran helped two dynamic and one-of-a-kind leaders like Steve Jobs and Elon Musk hone their visions into such compelling brand realities.
By Marge Axelrad
Monday, January 21, 2019 12:32 AM
Those of you who read this column are vision experts. I’m feeling fairly confident that most of you know how to define “focus” and “acuity” and both near- and distance vision. Well, let’s get out the dictionary or thesaurus because when it comes to anticipating the year ahead, we’re going to need every vision metaphor and definition in the books.
By Marge Axelrad
Monday, December 17, 2018 12:30 AM
It was the traditional end-of-year holiday season that used to bring to the forefront the very legitimate impulse to help those less fortunate, to remember the needy. Indeed, charities and causes have always been true to the heart and close to the passions of most people involved in the eyecare and eyewear arenas. Whether it’s making products and services available to those without means or access or by rallying around sight-threatening issues, giving back has always been an important part of the vision care community.
By Marge Axelrad
Monday, November 12, 2018 12:30 AM
How many times a day do you reach for your phone to “show” someone something? To illustrate an idea? To illustrate a look, a technique, a store, a game-day play, a powerful image?
By Marge Axelrad
Monday, October 22, 2018 12:00 AM
There is much that we all know, those of us who live and breathe vision care, about the fragmented and sometimes fractious state of affairs in the complex field of vision care.
By Marge Axelrad
Monday, September 17, 2018 12:45 AM
Rx optical laboratories play such a critical role in the ophthalmic business. Ask any ECP or optical retailer and they’ll affirm how strongly they value and rely upon labs to fulfill and deliver on the service expectation of their patients and customers. It’s one of the most critical elements of how their businesses fare.
By Marge Axelrad
Monday, August 13, 2018 12:00 AM
An interesting comment I saw recently on Twitter asked if there was a “battle for the future and soul of the healthcare industry” going on as, the writer put it, “It’s not clear whether business savvy or classic medical principles will be the dominant force in shaping change.”
By Marge Axelrad
Monday, July 9, 2018 12:00 AM
Certainly men and women, both (!) are helping to shape the vision care and optical business every single day. The power of this annual report, though, is to particularly reinforce the stories of women as their professional roles, contributions and perspectives in virtually all sectors of the eyecare realm and eyewear business have been evolving and becoming more visible over time.
By Marge Axelrad
Monday, June 11, 2018 12:00 AM
It’s always inspiring and energizing to talk to college students—particularly ones who are active, enthusiastic, spirited and high achievers, which is how we’d characterize those who are highlighted among the Best in Class 2018 report this year.
By Marge Axelrad
Monday, May 14, 2018 1:30 AM
You can review the many headlines among VMAIL throughout the past several years and see the cumulative impact of practice acquisitions and the formations of new financial backed retail groups and companies in the U.S. optical market. You can also review those in the context of the many headlines in the general business media during that same period, about the current transformation of the general, traditional retail business.
By Marge Axelrad
Monday, April 16, 2018 10:24 AM
When it comes to ‘Working Smart,’ speed really matters, as does being willing and open to embrace new ideas and tactics about the workplace and how your company can adapt.
By Marge Axelrad
Monday, February 12, 2018 12:00 AM
Digitalization. Disruptive tech. Consolidation. Security. New forms of retail and e-tail competition. Health care system and cost pressures. An aging population. A changing consumer mindset. The power of media. Rapid-fire change.
By Marge Axelrad
Monday, January 22, 2018 12:28 AM
Happy New Year to all. Perhaps many of you have already noticed that starting this month we launched a fresh, new and integrated approach to VMAIL.
By Marge Axelrad
Monday, December 18, 2017 12:10 AM
This is the time of year when we all take stock. Hopefully, we also prepare for a little down time with family and friends. And then we brace ourselves for a New Year ahead.