Title: Licensed Dispensing Optician
Company: Sam’s Club Optical
Location: Germantown, Tennessee, United States
Gary Craig Owens, Licensed Dispensing Optician at Sam’s Club Optical, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Healthcare Professionals for dedication, achievements, and leadership in Eye Care.
Mr. Owens, a licensed dispensing optician, is affiliated with Sam’s Club Optical in Tennessee. As part of the Sam’s Club team for over three decades, he has worked closely with patients relating to eye care, from teaching the basics of contact lenses and fitting them for spectacles. He also has extensive expertise in bifocals, progressive lenses, trifocals, polymer lenses, coatings and more. Selling is a significant aspect of Mr. Owens’s role, so ensuring that every customer receives exactly what they are looking to achieve is imperative.
A division of Walmart Inc., Sam’s Club is a membership warehouse club headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas. Sam’s Club Optical can be found inside Sam’s Clubs as part of the organization’s many services, which also include pharmacy, dental, hearing and more.
Having maintained a lifelong passion for the field, Mr. Owens began wearing glasses at age five before transitioning to contact lenses at 17. He always found satisfaction in visiting the local dispensary and meeting with the optician, and he quickly developed a passion for helping others gain the gift of sight.
In preparation for his career in this sector, Mr. Owens spent three years studying before passing the national boards for spectacles and contact lenses, the jurisprudence exam and the state boards in Nashville. After becoming licensed by the board in 1998, he began practicing in the field of opticianry. Mr. Owens has also held a Bachelor of Arts from Blue Mountain College since 1983.
Apart from his formal education, Mr. Owens is recognized as a fellow of the National Academy of Opticinary and as a member of the Tennessee Dispensing Opticians Association. These memberships have been instrumental in shaping his career progression, enabling him to remain at the forefront of the industry and collaborate with like-minded individuals. Mr. Owens is also a longstanding member of the Outstanding Young Men of America.
Recognizing his hard work, dedication and tenure, Mr. Owens was named as the Manager of the Year in 2009. He was selected as one of just 10 managers from across 1,200 stores in the U.S. and Canada to receive the title, and the recognition included a trip to Philadelphia and New Jersey, where he had the opportunity to tour historical sites and attend commendation events. Mr. Owens also received numerous regional and district awards and was named one of the Top Five Opticians of the Year at Sam’s Club in 2024. Mr. Owens’s success is largely due to his family and their ongoing support.
In preparation for the future, Mr. Owens aims to reach the pinnacle of his career by enrolling in a three-year program to secure a master’s degree and become a master optician. An aspiration of his for some time now, he is now ready to move forward with these plans. After speaking with a master optician and colleague who encouraged him to pursue this goal, he explained to Mr. Owens the significance of the program and offered to serve as his mentor. By becoming a master optician, Mr. Owens will be recognized by the public and his peers for a superior level of expertise in ophthalmic dispensing.
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