Explanation
BACKGROUND: The Columbus Department of Development is proposing to enter into a Jobs Growth Incentive Agreement with Arlington Contact Lens Service, Inc. dba AC Lens (AC Lens) and National Vision, Inc. (NVI) equal to twenty-five percent (25%) of the amount of personal income tax withheld on new employees for a term up to five (5) years for the purposes of job creation and employment opportunities for the citizens of the Columbus community.
AC Lens is a full-service, direct delivery contact lens supply company. The company ship lenses to all 50 US states as well as Europe, South America and the Far East. Dr. Peter Clarkson, MD, PhD founded AC Lens in 1995 with a vision to provide a high-quality contact lens replacement service focusing on the then-emerging internet. Dr. Clarkson has led AC Lens through 12 straight years of profitable growth, allowing the company to develop from a small operation in the back of an optometric office to one of the largest contact lens retailers in the USA. Dr. Clarkson is also President of Eyestyles, a Columbus Ohio optical retailer which he founded. In June 2011, AC Lens was acquired by National Vision, Inc., which is one of the largest optical retailers in the United States, operating over 800 retail locations in 43 states plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. NVI employs over 7,000 employees and its retail divisions include America's Best Contacts & Eyeglasses, Eyeglass World, Vision Centers inside select Walmart stores, Vista Optical inside Fred Meyer and Optical Centers on select military bases. NVI’s lab network consists of three domestic locations (St. Cloud, Minnesota, Salt Lake City, Utah and Lawrenceville, Georgia) and two international locations in China and Mexico. Arlington Contact Lens Service, Inc. dba AC Lens is now a subsidiary company of National Vision, Inc.
AC Lens is proposing to invest approximately $2.0 million in machinery and equipment to expand its Columbus operations at 4265 Diploma...
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