Vision ServicesVision Services
Gord Van Dam, Owner, Van Dam Vision Services (VDVS) is an optical consultant working with Optometrists. He brings with him a wealth of over 36 years of optical consultancy including management experience, wholesale, retail and Lab/Lens manufacturing.
Gords expertise is in consulting one on one with Doctors in growing and developing their staff through sales training, product knowledge, lenses and merchandising.
Having developed systems to measure all aspects of their practices. Some of these are productivity monitoring, scheduling, coaching, training, human resource management and loss prevention as well as include long term relationships with vendors and suppliers.
Gord gives of his time yearly the last 30 years on doing eye care projects with Canadian Vision Services assisting doctor Allan Jones with an optometry school in Malawi, Africa and training in Manila, Philippines.
Van Dam Vision Services (VDVS) is an optical consultant for Optometrists, with more than 26 years of optical management experience, working Wholesale, Retail and Lab/Lens manufacturing sides of the business.
He works with the Doctors to develop their staff through sales training, product knowledge of frames and lenses and merchandising. Gord also develops systems and measures for their practices i.e productivity monitoring, scheduling, coaching, human resource management and loss prevention to name a few.
I’ve been in the Optical business in Canada since 1986, and started with Lenscrafters in 1989 and left them in 2007
to become a District manager and Optical consultant for 11 Calgary Practices and 11 owner Optometrists .
When I was with Lenscrafters I started as a Lab manger and worked at every store in Edmonton for 5 years before becoming a General Manager.
As a General Manager, I was transferred from store to store bringing them back up to profitability.
I was an Orientation trainer for LC as well and worked with the RDO doing presentations in their Region in front of 50 – 100 associates including
licensed Opticians and Doctors.
When Luxottica transferred me to Calgary, I Gm’d one of the top 10 Lenscrafters locations in the company, at one point making 2.1 million in net profit in
one year. In 2000 I was also assigned 2 SunglassHuts to look over, when Luxottica purchased them.
The role of a GM at that time, is that you know everything Lab, Retail.
Since April of 2007, when I Left Lenscrafters(Luxottica Retail) I’ve been a District Manager for My Vision Calgary. Looking after 4 Optometry locations
and a Lab, Also consulting with two other groups of Optometrists for a total 11 locations and two labs in Alberta.
I have 5 years in total as a Lab Manager and a certified final Inspector through Lenscrafters. Worked for 3 years for Imperial Optical, before I started with Lenscrafters.
I work the front lines with the patients when the practices are short in staff, so I have the pulse of what patients
and Doctor wants and needs are. I also do all the HR, maintenance and purchasing of equipment. Most importantly, Coaching and developing their staff.
