Charlottesville’s French connection

by Heather Hayes
For Virginia Business
August 2005

Employees at National Optronics probably won’t be cooking boeuf á bourguignonne or drinking cabernet sauvignon on the job, but their offices in Charlottesville now have a decidedly French feel. In late spring, the 26-year-old optical lens finishing company was bought by Essilor International, a $3.2 billion lens maker based in Charenton-le-Pont, France.

National Optronics, which had revenue of $16 million last year, attracted Essilor with its patented dry-edging technology. The company uses this technology in the design and manufacture of innovative lens processing equipment for U.S. prescription laboratories. Essilor, which has 18,000 employees worldwide, purchased National Optronics as a way to consolidate its position as a world leader in ophthalmic optics.

David Beach, who founded National Optronics, will remain the company’s chairman. Essilor has no plans to lay off any of the 120 employees at the Charlottesville plant.