We had the good fortune of connecting with Scott Poupore and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Scott, how does your business help the community?
I started in the optical industry when I was 19, having spent my entire working life in this business I have developed a real gratitude for being able to provide people with good vision. Those of us born with good vision really have no idea how precious good vision is. Half the population of the world require some sort of prosthetic to see well. Glasses, contacts, Lasik etc… Many people world wide never get corrected vision, they go through life never seeing individual leaves on a tree or clearly seeing their child’s eye color. Good vision is a gift and at the core of our business, we provide good vision.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Eye Pieces is a full service optical shop. Eye exams, prescription lenses, custom on-site laboratory, licensed opticians, professional stylists. We only operate (7 locations) in close proximity to chairlifts! Our team loves what we do and where we do it. Operating in a resort is challenging in so many ways but also it is so rewarding. We have the best customers from all over the world, we are able to work with the best companies and the best product available on the market.

Dan opened our flagship store in Vail in 1984, I joined him in 1990. Being a solo entrepreneur Dan provided the energy to grow the business until 2013 when Harry got involved. Since then, we continue to grow the business. We expanded to Snowmass in 2019 and are opening our 8th store in Basalt this fall.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
Living and working in a resort town, it’s not too hard to show people a good time. For me and most of my friends and family the best times involve outdoor activities. Whatever the season, just spending most of the day outside doing some sort of adrenaline pumping sport. Follow that up with a rewarding dinner at one of the many great restaurants around the area. I generally like to bring people to an out of the way, long-time local spot where I know the owner and staff. Doesn’t have to be five star to have a great experience.

If we’re tired and looking for less adrenaline, I love to take a drive, either car or motorcycle. Depending on time, there are so many cool drives in the mountains. Getting up high, whether on dirt or pavement always satisfies. Stop for lunch on a patio and continue until we find a great spot to watch the sunset.

I think most people who visit the mountains want to be close to nature. I never get tired of it and love showing people cool spots in nature.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Dan Barry; Founder of Eye Pieces. Dan gave me the most opportunity in this industry; he trusted me to run his business at a young age.

Mike Parnell; former CEO at Oakley Inc.
Mike mentored me for the 3 years I worked at Oakley. He guided me in creating a business plan for the future Oakley Optical business. He had me present it to the first board meeting as a public company. That exercise gave me so much self confidence, still to this day.

Harry Frampton; Founding partner, East West Partners.
Harry purchased controlling interest in Eye Pieces 10 years ago. He has shown confidence in our team and our business. Harry has provided us with tremendous energy and the financial discipline. We have grown substantially under his mentorship/leadership.

All my current and former teammates at Eye Pieces.
My leadership style is like a coach, I am only successful when the team wins. We have an awesome team right now and I would say we are winning.

Website: Myeyepieces.com

Instagram: Eyepieces1984

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