ZEAL Optics announced today the appointment of its new president, John Sanchez. John joined Maui Jim, parent company of Zeal Optics, with a long history in the sport/eyewear business. He brings credibility within the industry that will help to elevate the ZEAL brand to new levels. “I am very excited for this opportunity. I love adventure and ZEAL is all about living, working and being adventurous,” said John Sanchez.
Focusing on the creation and execution of new and unique product offerings, John intends to create new ways of reaching consumers and making marketing a part of the daily dialogue in the office, at the retail level and throughout the current infrastructure. As John likes to put it, “We don’t read books on business, we prefer to rewrite them all together.”
Originally from San Antonio, TX, John began working in the optical industry for Bausch & Lomb, soon after he developed an eye disorder called Keratoconus that accelerated from years of boxing. John has had a corneal transplant and the luxury of gaining a full understanding of high-end optics and their benefit to eyesight. Since then John has come a long way from his humble beginnings on the Ray Ban manufacturing floor.
From there he rose to supervisor and then to industrial engineering where he worked on a streamlining a global delivery program for the skyrocketing Ray Ban business, being a part of a team that re-engineered a supply chain to fulfill the demands and build in new products throughout three major assembly centers around the world.
As the optical/eyewear market expanded, John’s talents for the long view in business and execution of global priorities sparked the interest of the ownership at Serengeti eyewear. From there he continued to push the business, working his way up to VP level at Serengeti’s parent company, Bushnell.
But, passion is something that is ever evolving and in 2010, John says he accepted his ‘transformation job’ at Maui Jim, where as VP of Product Development, he continued to help them advance within the optical industry. Maui Jim’s culture and work atmosphere provided a perfect match. Shortly thereafter he began working on the ZEAL acquisition. John quickly worked to build a team at ZEAL by looking at team members in and out of theindustry who were looking for a challenge and ready to create a unique thumbprint in the industry. He is a true testament to the theory if you work hard and do what you love, you will succeed.
“I am so excited about the opportunity to lead ZEAL into this new era. This truly after two decades in the industry is my dream job,” said Sanchez. “There is so much potential within both the optical and outdoor markets and ZEAL has a great new platform from which to launch. From the athletes, product, customer base, suppliers, and the ZEALteam members, the family we have is amazing. We work with a sense of understanding that our passion for building great products is truly a side effect of our lifestyle.”
John’s passion for the brand and the active lifestyle it represents is apparent. He has focused on using a sustainable energy package as a core DNA element of the brand, philanthropic contributions, and 360 service fulfillment models that factor in how they can help customers, who in many cases are small business owners, succeed.