Company News

Valley Contax turns 30!

Local contact lens manufacturing company Valley Contax celebrates their thirtieth year in business beginning June 1, 2011.

Valley Contax is a leader in the gas permeable specialty contact lens industry, producing approximately 500 contact lenses daily and employing approximately 25 people. Lenses produced at Valley Contax are fitted by optometrists, ophthalmologists and certified contact lens practitioners throughout America and European nations.

The company, founded by Stephen G. Young in 1981, has received numerous awards for excellence. President and CEO Janice Adams has also served as President of the national Contact Lens Manufacturers Association. The company is located at the confluence of the Willamette River and the old mill race in the S. G. Young Building, formerly the Willamalane Park District headquarters building.

More ways to boost your community involvement and your profits

• Some practices are overwhelmed with patients and can't find enough hours in the day to see all the patients that want to be seen. Others are in a highly competitive environment and are looking for ways to attract new patients. Here is a list of 10 ways to attract new patients to your practice:
• Be nice to everyone. Patients and their families, staff, hospital, vendors, salespeople, janitors, everyone. What do people say when they recommend someone? "You'll like him, he's nice."
• Make arrangements to do a live radio interview or a talk show taking callers' questions about eye care topics.
• Volunteer at the local free clinic. The volunteers will refer patients to you.
• Send out information or a press release to the local newspaper every time you attend a meeting, perform a speaking engagement, write, or do anything notable.
• Why not tap into social media and have a great website, blog, online registration and online scheduling. Why not? Make use of free exposure and add some local personality?
• Place a sign outside your practice saying "Now Accepting New Patients."
• Make it incredibly easy for staff from other practices to refer patients to you. Many referral decisions are made based on ease of entry to the practice.
• Place small ads in the local professional, amateur or high school theater playbill.
• Join the Lions, Kiwanis, Chamber of Commerce or Rotary Club. Attend meetings.
• Have an open house and offer information on presbyopia, contact lens myth-busting and the latest hot frame wear styles.
• Visit your waiting area when you have a free moment. Introduce yourself to patients before their appointed time.
• Interact cheerfully with your staff, business neighbors and patients. Roll up your sleeves help your staff when they are working hard.
• Visit nursing homes and meet administrators and staff, leave brochures.
• Shop locally, Your community will support you because you support them.
• Have a Saturday morning clinic and advertise it. The best advertising is free. It's you!
• Visit high school guidance counselors in the spring and leave information about the importance of eye care.
• Ride with a cop. They will appreciate it.
• Place brochures with the Welcome Wagon or Newcomers Club.
• Speak about any medical topic, anytime, anywhere.
• Take a community class in a foreign language or something completely out of your element. Show your vulnerable side and let people know you're not always the expert.
• Ask satisfied patients to log on to a physician review site and leave a review of your services.

Valley Contax Earns the Prestigious Seal of Excellence

Valley Contax continues to be honored for manufacturing superiority by the Contact Lens Manufacturers Association with another coveted CLMA Seal of Excellence award for 2010 through 2012. Each year since the Seal of Excellence award debuted, Valley Contax has been selected as one of the outstanding gas permeable contact lens manufacturing companies in America.

Breaking away from the crowded field of contact lens makers long ago, Valley Contax found success by focusing on traditionally sought after principles: excellent product quality and reproducibility, dedication to retooling, the search for cutting-edge science and their never wavering goal of putting customer service above all else.

Valley Vice President Josh Adams is spot one when he lays out the Valley Contax goal. ?Everything we do in the lab has a consequence in an eye care practice. It is essential that we get it right for each patient and each contact lens practitioner. It?s not enough to get a fit that works. We?re on a mission to change people?s lives for the better ? one cornea at a time.?

That level of commitment is reflected throughout the company, top-to-bottom. Every decision that is made at Valley Contax is founded in what works for customers. That is why Valley Contax places so much emphasis on customer relations and the relationship they value with each team member.

The CLMA Seal of Excellence is not the goal of Valley Contax. Industry recognition is an affirmation that our intentions are clear and our daily mission is being accomplished.

Important details on new enhanced GP Specialty

For thirty years, Valley Contax has strived to provide you with the finest products using cutting edge technology in an effort to meet all of your contact lens needs.  In the past decade, we have been on a steady climb, investing in incredible machines, the highest performance plastics, and hiring a staff that, combined, can consistently provide top-notch service and products.  We are proud of what we have accomplished. Most importantly, we could not have been so successful without you, our valued customer.

This year, our goal has been to simplify our policies, which in turn will increase efficiency and minimize any confusion while keeping our  user friendly goal. The Fail Safe No Return policy for our spherical lenses has not changed. However, we have updated the specialty lens warranty policy. Beginning June 1st you will no longer have to return any specialty lenses that are manufactured at Valley Contax, Inc. With this recent policy update, the only lenses that need to be shipped back for credit are: (1) the specialty lenses that Valley Contax, Inc. distributes and therefore does not manufacture. (2) Defective lenses (3) a cancellation on any lens within an active policy (90 days from the date that the first order ships).

It's that simple! When you want to reorder a parameter change within an active policy for a specialty lens, you will be charged a very low remake fee for your new lens. This same very low charge can be used to order unlimited spares within the policy. In conclusion, our most recent policy changes will provide you with the information that you need to adequately quote material fees to your patient.  Of course, there will be some fluctuation per patient, depending on the number of enhancement lenses ordered.

These most recent updates have been strategically created with you in mind.  We have listened to your feedback and we look forward to hearing how this new policy has made a positive difference in your practice.

Please call our staff for further details.

Making Your Wishes Come True

by Janice Adams, President

We know that when you choose to order lenses from Valley Contax, our job is to meet your expectation and deliver what you need so that you can, in-turn, meet the needs of your patients.

It's up to us to make sure that your wishes come true. We know the most important thing that we can do is provide your with a well informed and educated staff to greet you on the phone and be well prepared, whether you are calling to place an order, need a question answered, or are calling to speak with a contact lens consultant.

So that we can serve you even better, we are very proud to announce that four more employees have recently joined our veteran NCLC staff which makes a total of eight staff members at Valley Contax who are National Contacts Lens Certified. What does it take for a member of our staff to wear this prestigious, certified hat? It requires dedication and a desire to excel along with countless hours of study and months of classes in preparation for the big day of the exam. Our extensive study sessions are structured to make sure that we have the knowledge to first, pass the exam and second, have the confidence to help you the moment your hear our voice smiling at the other end of the phone.

Our study sessions cover ocular topics such as anatomy and physiology, instrumentation, optical conditions and their relevancy to contact lens design, characteristics and chemical properties of manufactured contact lens materials, advantages and disadvantages of contact lens materials with respect to vision, ocular health and physiology, lifestyle and environment influences, lens care systems and solutions, factors that are relevant to successful contact lens wear, determination of lens parameters and contact lens modification. This should give you an idea of how extensive our studies are and how important it is to us to have a general understanding of what takes place in your practice.

As staff members and as a contact lens manufacturing company, it is our desire to prove that we take our jobs very seriously and have a great sense of pride in our service and our products. We love hearing that we have made a difference for you and your staff. It makes our day when we know that we were able to surpass your expectations and in some way contribute to the quality of life and vision for your patients.

May 2010 be prosperous, find you in good health with plenty of joy and laughter!

Valley Contax Customer Service Representatives Awarded NCLE Certification

Valley Contax staff members Joe Larson and Kelsey Moi are the most recent from Valley Contax to be awarded the NCLEC (National Contact Lens Examiners Certification) distinction.

The certification is awarded by the NCLE (National Contact Lens Examiners) for certification in contact lens dispensing. It addresses the entire scope of contact lens considerations from basic optical and eye problems to materials, designs and understanding corneal irregularities.

Valley Contax is proud of the six most recent employees to achieve this milestone in their contact lens careers. We feel it is important for our customers to trust in our ability to provide excellent service and products. Having a knowledgeable staff is key to this goal.