Episode 564 Sean Loosen Free VA Eye Care Most Vets Don’t Know About Transcript

This transcript is from episode 564 with guest Sean Loosen.

[00:00:00] Scott DeLuzio: You know that feeling when your eyes are strained, the headaches start creeping in and you keep putting off getting new glasses because the price is just brutal. Plenty of vets carry that same frustration, especially when life already feels like a pile up of appointments, bills, family needs, work demands, and other things like that.

[00:00:19] There is a path to getting a new set of glasses, one that gets you solid eyecare, real prescription, uh, that works with your eyes and glasses that fit your face, all without taking a swing at your budget. This episode today walks through how VA eyecare actually works. Why so many veterans like myself never have heard about it and how fast a turnaround time can be once you’re in their system.

[00:00:47] Our guest today, Sean Loosen, uh, leads the team at PDS Optical, the largest provider of prescription eyeglasses to VA patients, and he lays out what PDS PRI pride, dignity, and service look [00:01:00] like when the mission that they are serving is taking care of veterans by the thousands every single day. So, stick with this episode.

[00:01:08] Take the benefit that you’ve already earned, and then pass it on to a buddy who still thinks that the VA can’t help with something as basic as seeing clearly. But before we get into this episode, I wanna take a moment to raise awareness for something that’s deeply important to our community. The Global War On Terrorism Memorial Foundation.

[00:01:24] This organization is working to build a permanent national memorial in Washington DC to honor the service members, families, and civilians who are impacted by the global war on terrorism. This memorial will serve as both a tribute to those who served and a way to ensure that their sacrifices are recognized and remembered for generations to come.

[00:01:44] If you’d like to learn more or find out how you can support their mission, visit GWOT memorial foundation.org. Now, let’s get into today’s episode.

[00:01:52]

[00:02:05] Scott DeLuzio: Hey, Sean, welcome to the show. Really glad to have you here.

[00:02:08] Sean Loosen: Thanks so much for having me, Scott. It’s I’m looking forward to it today.

[00:02:11] Scott DeLuzio: Yeah, absolutely. For the listeners who maybe aren’t familiar with you and, and your background, could you maybe just start, start things off by introducing yourself and share a bit about your, your journey through, you know, the military, into your, your current role, what you’re doing now?

[00:02:26] Sean Loosen: Sure I’m happy to my Sean Loosen. I’m the, currently, I’m the CEO of PDS Optical and PDS Optical is the largest provider of prescription eyeglasses to our nation’s veterans. And we’re in 40 states providing over 1.6 million prescription eyeglasses to our nation’s veterans each and every year.

[00:02:47] And our, our the P, the D and the S actually stand for pride, dignity, and service. Those are three of our core values. As a company and honored to be the CEO. It’s, it’s a, a family company that my uncle Rich [00:03:00] Murray started up 25 years ago. Then my father joined in and it kind of grew slowly from one contract with the VA to to many.

[00:03:08] We’ve got, you know, over 80% of the contracts out there right now. And we’re we’re proud to be as a veteran myself. We’re proud to be serving our veterans. And that’s a little bit about PDS and, and my Just quick, maybe quick or not, I dunno what we’ll see here. Background is I, as I mentioned, I’m a veteran myself.

[00:03:25] I’m, I’m an army person like yourself infantry guy. And so I, yeah, it is awesome. And I grew up in a military family. Actually. My father was served in Vietnam. I actually unfortunately lost his leg in Vietnam, but it never really set him back. He was alert with the hundred first in Vietnam.

[00:03:43] Then my grandfather served in Korea, so I kind of grew up, you know, in that military, you know, meant mentality as a kid playing army and all that stuff. And then I’m originally from New Jersey and I remember going up to West Point one year for a football game, [00:04:00] either like eighth grade or freshman year.

[00:04:01] And I, I remember looking around the place and I’m like, what is this? Like, it kind of opened my eyes. I dunno if, have you ever been to West Point before Scott?

[00:04:08] Scott DeLuzio: I, I’ve been once. Yeah. And it was, it was while I was in the army doing, doing a, a training exercise there and in, in the middle of the winter. So just, you could probably imagine how, how fun that

[00:04:21] Sean Loosen: winter’s a tough time. It’s, everything’s very gray there and white, so it’s cold, windy. So, this was during the fall when it’s beautiful. And so I remember looking around, I’m like, what is this place? You know, how did I get in here? And I remember talking to my freshman year guidance counselor. I’m like, Hey, I wanna go to West Point.

[00:04:39] And unfortunately I was not off to a hot start academically, and he is like, no. Think, think of somewhere else. And so I kind of used it as a challenge and turned things around academically and went into West Point and then graduated in 2002. And, you know, served as a, an infantry officer for five years.

[00:04:59] [00:05:00] Did you know. All sorts of infantry stuff. You know, ranger School, airborne School, Aero Assault School did a tour in Iraq, Mosul, Iraq and Beck in oh 5, 0 6 during the when the Iraqis were voting on their constitution. So it was platoon leader, executive officer, really had a great time in the military.

[00:05:18] And it was kind of at a decision point in my military career where. I had actually went to special forces selection and got selected. So I did the hard part and I was at a crossroad, like, do I continue on? And I, you know, I did the whole pros cons list. That’s another five years, you know, the stability.

[00:05:35] And, and so I ultimately decided to get out and started working in, um. Insurance actually in, in New York City financial services for a great company called Unum and was there for 15 years. And then and then you know, this opportunity was presented to me as my father and, and Rich Murray who had mentioned we’re.

[00:05:54] Sort of looking to succession planning for PDS and they got me involved as a consultant [00:06:00] to kind of learn a little bit about the company. And the more I learned about it, I just was really impressed with the operations and everything and the people, and then ultimately continued down that path and stepped in as an owner and A-A-C-E-O back in March of 2022.

[00:06:17] I think it’s been so, it’s, you know, time is flying here, so

[00:06:19] Scott DeLuzio: Yeah. Yeah. Time. Yeah, it seems like it. And you know, the reason why I wanted to have you on is because when I first heard about your company and what you guys do and the contracts that you have with the va, I said, hold up. You can get glasses from the va. And someone obviously who wears, wears

[00:06:39] Sean Loosen: Yeah. I.

[00:06:40] Scott DeLuzio: was news to me. And, and that was, that was something that I, when I, I heard about that I was like, well, you know, you know, why, where, where has this been? Why, why am I only just now hearing about this? I, I’ve, I’ve been, you know, out of the army for almost 15 years now, and I, I feel like, [00:07:00] you know, why, why didn’t I know this?

[00:07:01] And, and I gotta imagine there are plenty of veterans out there who. Just, just don’t know that the VA has a, an eyewear kind of program, optical, you know, any of that kind of stuff. So, so that was news to me. And so I, I wanted to, you know, hear a little bit, obviously about you and your company, but you know, kinda more importantly, you know, what’s the whole process look like on, on the VA side to kind of get those veterans into the program and get them you know, to.

[00:07:29] Get the, the prescriptions, get the glasses, get, get all the things from the VA side you know, as opposed to, you know, going to you know, their local LensCrafters or, you know, something other than, than, you know, going through the va. I gotta imagine there, there are some possibly even some hoops to jump through, but I just wanted to talk a little bit about that.

[00:07:46] You know, down, you know, is down the line. We can, we can kind of get into that a little bit, but but I wanna, you know, first off, ask about your. Kind of transition from, you know, army into the, this corporate role. You know, obviously you went insurance first and then you [00:08:00] got into what you’re doing now.

[00:08:01] But what was in, in your mind, what was like the kind of the, the biggest change from the, from the military side to the civilian side of things for you? What, you know, were there any kind of big, big surprises for you?

[00:08:14] Sean Loosen: Definitely. Yeah. It’s, you know, coming from the military, it’s a different sort of culture, a different, you know, brotherhood. You know, these are, those are terms, but they’re actually, you know, like when you’re in a, you know, you know, esprit de corps like you, you’re, you’re fighting with your, your soldiers like day in and day out.

[00:08:35] And so like, you share a certain bond. And so when you, it was different, like, I remember like. Stepping into the new role at where I was back in 2007. I’m like, you know, it was just looking around. It was, it was different kind of people and, and you know, good people, but it was just different, right? So it was a change, and that’s normal, like for any type of change and getting used to that.

[00:08:54] And I remember looking back, I’m like, did I make the right decision here of the military? [00:09:00] But it’s just, I think it’s just normal, like, you know, changing from like. It’s totally different like the, the military, the army organization, you know, there’s, there’s good and bad everywhere, but like, you know, I, I had a good, good units, thankfully.

[00:09:12] And so I just remember stepping out of the, into the corporate civilian world and it, and it being a different shock. And so it took some time for me to get used to that. But thankfully, you know, like there were great people there that helped me and, eventually I, you know, settled into you know, from sales roles into leadership roles there where I can kind of influence things and kind of influence and impart some of the leadership principles and stuff that I learned.

[00:09:36] And, and you know, you kind of get your feet under you, but I definitely, that’s a great question. Like, I remember looking back on that, like, I’m like, wow, like. Did I make the right decision in getting out? Like I could be, you know, getting my butt kicked in, in probably, you know, the Q course and special forces, all that.

[00:09:55] But like, anyway, so here I am today and you know, I don’t, I don’t look back with any [00:10:00] regrets though.

[00:10:00] Scott DeLuzio: Oh, that, that, that’s awesome because, you know, I, I asked a question because a lot of times veterans will get out really not having a plan of what’s next for me or, and they, you know, they, they do the shotgun approach of applying to every job that’s imaginable, and they get end up getting a job that.

[00:10:18] They absolutely hate. And then they’re, they’re looking back kinda like, what, what you were just talking about. They, they look back and say, man, did I actually make the right decision? I, I kind of wish I was back there. Yeah, sure. Back then there, there were the things that sucked. I really hated about being in the military, but there was also the stuff that I really loved.

[00:10:34] I, you know, the, the comradery, maybe the, the mission that you had, maybe the, the sense of purpose and pride in, in everything that, that you, you had in your, your unit or you know, whatever. So there, there’s a lot of times there’s, there’s those kind of regrets that people have going going into that, that civilian role.

[00:10:51] So, it’s just, I always like to ask those types of questions just to see how that transition was for the, the guests that I’m talking to. Because every now and [00:11:00] again, it, it’s just like, I had a great experience in this transition, or the opposite. I had a, you know, it was absolutely terrible. I, you know, and, and I like to hear it all because it, it gives some perspective to some folks of, you know, like if he had a great experience, okay, well what did this guy do to have that great experience?

[00:11:17] And maybe I can kind of match that up too. And so, just interesting to hear that you.

[00:11:22] Sean Loosen: It’s, I, I, you know, I, I got lucky. Like I, so I started in New York City working there, and then I ended up moving up to Rochester, New York where I’m now, and you know, the Rochester, New York was a smaller kind of feel, do it there. And so maybe that move helped. And I got lucky too. Like I was, you know, the company I worked for was incredible.

[00:11:40] Was there for 15 years. Great mission. You know, we’re, we’re providing insurance and, and protection for benefits. For and sos fun, you know, great people around you. So sometimes you just get lucky too. But I met, I definitely do remember like early on in New York City and traveling in, you know, ’cause I was still commuting into J from Jersey there.

[00:11:59] And it [00:12:00] was, it was a, it was an adjustment, but yeah.

[00:12:03] Scott DeLuzio: Yeah. Yeah, that certainly can be an adjustment being I know just some travel that I’ve done to New York City and, you know, coming from the, the areas that I grew up in and, you know, where I live now, it’s, it’s just a totally different world. It’s so, so busy, so vibrant. Everything is constantly moving and, and it’s just a d different way of life.

[00:12:22] So, so let’s talk about. PDS, you know, you said pride, dignity in, in service is, is what the, the name of the company stands for. And I’d like to know a, about the company itself and kind of like how you guys kind of incorporate those, those values into day-to-day life in, in, in the business, on, you know, whether it’s on the shop floor, if that’s the right term for, for what you guys do and, you know, dealing with the customers and, and all that kind of stuff.

[00:12:49] Sean Loosen: Yeah, excellent question. So I, you know, I’m a big, always, you know, I’m a mission first. People always cut sort of mentality there as a leader. And so like, I’m always trying to drive across our [00:13:00] mission to our employees and our, and our team. So I’ll just. Like, I’m like a robot sometimes I like just kind of get it in there, you know, providing high quality, affordable eyewear for our nation’s veterans.

[00:13:09] Just, just reminding our team of what we’re doing, so And so you just constantly try to rem remind our folks of like, what, what we’re doing each and every day. You know, we’re making a lot of prescription eyeglasses. We’re making over 7,000 plus eyeglasses every single day in our labs. And so. And so just to step back to, we have chop floor opt.

[00:13:27] It’s a optical lab, is what we kind of, you know, call it there. And so we have two labs, one in Louisville, Kentucky, and then one in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. So, we’ve got 680 people working for us. We’ve got, so people making the eyeglasses, and then we also have opticians that are, I, I like to call them our boots on the ground.

[00:13:45] They’re the ones that are. Talking to the veterans each and every day in the local VA hospitals, as I mentioned, we’re in 40 different states, and so they’re in the cities there where veterans come in thanking them for their service. We’re like our veteran. Our [00:14:00] our employees are great. Like they, they are, you know, a lot of them are you know, family members are, we’re veterans and so they really are, you know.

[00:14:08] Serving those that, that are very close to them there too. So, you know, we’re trying to always remind our folks of like what the mission is. And you know, taking care of our, our veterans each and every day when we’re, when we’re either making them glasses or serving the veterans coming into the the eyeglass locations there all throughout the country.

[00:14:27] Scott DeLuzio: So you actually have the, the opticians in the actual VA facilities around the country? Is that that what you’re saying?

[00:14:34] Sean Loosen: Yeah, yeah.

[00:14:35] Scott DeLuzio: So it’s not like a, a VA employee who’s working directly with the veteran or, or is that, how does that work?

[00:14:43] Sean Loosen: question. So it’s kind. So for the most part we have the opticians that work for us, some locations. Actually, you know, the VA that I go to here locally is, it’s a VA optician that works for us. So it’s, you know, the, the one thing is like, you know, each VA is kind of different and how they operate.

[00:14:59] There is [00:15:00] potential, some changes that are coming out about, you know, uniformity and all that, but some, some locations are VA employees and so some are, are opticians working there? We have about 300 opticians working for us currently.

[00:15:12] Scott DeLuzio: Oh, okay. Awesome. Awesome. And so I wanna talk a about the, the process that a veteran goes through to go from walking into the va. You know, may, maybe they’re already seeing a provider there for, you know, their primary care and, and you know, maybe they have other. Health related issues or mental health or, or things like that.

[00:15:33] So they’re already set up in the VA system. Not to necessarily go into how to get set up in the VA system, that that’s a whole nother conversation probably. But you know, someone who, who goes in and wants to get started with getting their, their iCare through the va what does that process look like and, and what, what’s kind of the, the first steps that they need to go through?

[00:15:53] Sean Loosen: Great question. So you, you kind of teased that earlier with your question there too of like the misperception really of like, [00:16:00] Hey, like I, I can get free eyeglasses. Like, you know, and so like the, the, the big thing is like as, as long as a veteran has some type of service connection, disability. Which unfortunately a lot, you know, I just, I know a lot of my, my veterans that I’m friends with have that because of just, you know, various you know, war or whatever, like things that we’ve been exposed to.

[00:16:23] You know, even the PACT act there too, like with the burn pit exposures there, like that opens up. I, I recently wrote, wrote an article for Stars and Stripes about how. The PACT Act, I think opened up about a million more veterans receiving some type of service, connection to disability. And then so, you know, taking it further.

[00:16:41] About the, the, this is like based on like the Vision Council, about 60% of the population wears eyeglasses, some type of eyeglasses. So, you know, you would think about another 600,000 veterans would be eligible for, for free eye care through the, the va. So, the first trigger is if you have some type of service [00:17:00] connection, disability, you can go into the, the va.

[00:17:03] Hopefully you’re already, you’re receiving care through the va, you know, whether it’s for your primary or other benefits. And then you go in to the, to the, you schedule, schedule an appointment. You’ll go down and meet with an optometrist and they’ll, those are the ones that examine your eyes and then they’ll, you know, give you the prescription.

[00:17:21] They’ll push you down to the, the, the eye shop there where our opticians are. And they’ll help you fit you with some glasses that are, are good for you based on your shape of your face and all those types of things there too. So, again, it’s, it’s something that like a lot of veterans don’t know that they, they qualify for this benefit and it’s a earned benefit based on the sacrifices our, our veterans have made for our country there too.

[00:17:47] Scott DeLuzio: So is it pretty much like any service connection

[00:17:50] Sean Loosen: Yeah.

[00:17:51] Scott DeLuzio: Is there a certain percentage level that you’re, you’re talking

[00:17:53] Sean Loosen: From what I understand, it’s like any percentage qualifies for yeah. So if you have any type of service, connection, [00:18:00] disability, again, which unfortunately like a lot of our veterans do, like, you know, that’s not a great thing, but it’s just the reality of the things that we’ve faced, been exposed to, et cetera, over our, you know, time and and service there too.

[00:18:13] So,

[00:18:14] Scott DeLuzio: Yeah, it, it’s so interesting because there, there’s a lot of benefits that you, you get at certain.

[00:18:20] Sean Loosen: Yeah.

[00:18:21] Scott DeLuzio: of, of disability where where, you know, after 30% you get, you get something else and after, you know, different percentages, you get other types of things. It’s kinda like a, like leveling up in, in, in a, you know, video game almost.

[00:18:34] It’s, it’s like you get, get something else after you get to a certain percentage. Not I, I’m, I’m making light of it, but it’s, it, you know, not that it’s not a serious situation for, for a lot of us you know, dealing with whatever disabilities that you’re, you’re having, but, that’s just one of those things that was never even mentioned to me, or, or if it was totally, I totally missed it.

[00:18:53] And so I can’t imagine that I’m the only one who, who missed it. So that, that was why, like I said at the beginning, why I [00:19:00] wanted to have you on, because this is such a huge benefit. I know for my. Myself just going to, you know, the, the local place to get my, my eyes. Not, not just the, the appointment to get my eyes checked, but then the glasses itself and the prescription and all that stuff, it’s super expensive.

[00:19:16] And and that’s a benefit that’s available to, to us. And you know, if you can, if you. Get that at a, at a much more affordable rate or, or even potentially free that, that could be a huge impact on, on a lot of folks who who might even be in a financial position where they, they just forego getting glasses because they can’t afford it.

[00:19:37] Because it’s just that expensive. And you know, obviously you don’t want people. You know, injuring their, their vision or anything like that because they’re, they’re straining their eyes or now they’re getting headaches and they’re having all sorts of other conditions because they’re not getting the care that they, they need.

[00:19:53] But this is available to ’em. And, and like you said, an extra 600,000 some odd veterans [00:20:00] probably are eligible just from the PACT Act alone. And, and there’s, I, I mean, out of the, whatever it is, 19 million veterans that are out there like.

[00:20:08] Sean Loosen: Yeah.

[00:20:08] Scott DeLuzio: It’s not an insignificant number of people who are, are eligible for, for you know, glasses.

[00:20:13] So,

[00:20:14] Sean Loosen: Absolutely. Yeah. I remember like stepping into this role, like, and I’m like, you know, I, I don’t think a lot of, like, again, like my friends that are veterans, they didn’t know about this. So like it’s, you know, it’s about education and awareness there too. So like, again, it’s, it’s an earned benefit. Like you’ve, Scott, you’ve earned that like through your, you know, sacrifices and, and things you’ve done for our country and so.

[00:20:35] I encourage you. Unfortunately, we don’t have Arizona. That’s not our, our contract there, but,

[00:20:39] Scott DeLuzio: Oh, okay.

[00:20:40] Sean Loosen: you can go in there. They’ll, they’ll take care of you there too, so,

[00:20:42] Scott DeLuzio: Sure. So, I mean, if, if you think about just the, the numbers that you said, I, I think you said like 7,000 glasses a day that you, you guys make, is that

[00:20:51] Sean Loosen: Plus more, sometimes more like, sometimes like 8,000 plus. You know, it all depends on the volume of like veterans coming in all throughout the country there too, so, yeah.[00:21:00]

[00:21:00] Scott DeLuzio: Right. So that, that’s probably just quick math. That’s probably like two and a half million glasses that you’re making a year.

[00:21:05] Sean Loosen: Not that much. No. It’s like 1.7 or so I think

[00:21:08] Scott DeLuzio: Oh, okay.

[00:21:09] Sean Loosen: Yeah,

[00:21:10] Scott DeLuzio: Yeah, I’m probably going off a, a full

[00:21:11] Sean Loosen: You did. Yeah. Usually two 50 days is like the working day calendar. Yeah. Yeah.

[00:21:16] Scott DeLuzio: Okay. Yeah, sure. So, so that, yeah. So maybe I overestimated a lot a little bit there, but but still

[00:21:21] Sean Loosen: maybe. Yeah.

[00:21:22] Scott DeLuzio: Millions. That, that’s, that’s over a million glasses a a year that you guys are, are, you know, creating out there. And I, I gotta imagine there’s, there’s even more people who just don’t even know that this is a thing and the demand is there. I’m sure it’s just not being utilized because people just aren’t aware of it.

[00:21:41] And that’s honestly part of the reason why I started this podcast. You know, for, for two main reasons. One is to share stories of other veterans who maybe. I’ve kind of been through hell and got through and could serve as a source of inspiration or hope for somebody, but also to let people know about the resources that are available to, to veterans, [00:22:00] whether it’s, you know, nonprofits or other organizations or, or things like this, like through the va you know, getting prescription eyewear.

[00:22:07] That is a huge benefit that a lot of people just don’t know about. And it’s it’s crazy to me that it just doesn’t get advertised. Not, I don’t wanna say advertised, like they need television commercials or anything like that. But, you know, you would, you would think that, you know, as a veteran with a service connection and you go into your, your primary care provider at the va and you go in, you’re wearing glasses.

[00:22:30] It would be a thing that they should probably just mention, Hey, did you know that you can get your glasses through the va? You

[00:22:35] Sean Loosen: That’s a great point. Yeah. Like, so hopefully like you’re, you’re, you know, like your audience here. Like if, if anything like we’re saying here, like, you know, this is just a conversation between two infantry guys here, so, but like if they take that away, like that’s a success, right? I

[00:22:49] Scott DeLuzio: I mean, I two infantry guys, I mean, we’re not gonna come up with, you know, the, the, the most elegant solution to a problem. But we’re gonna, we can figure something out. Right. And we’ll get the ball rolling at [00:23:00] least. So,

[00:23:00] Sean Loosen: Use your, use your voice and your platform here to like help fellow veterans here. So thank you for bringing that up. Yeah.

[00:23:07] Scott DeLuzio: Exactly. Yeah. So, so the, the va, you know, they, they, they talk about how the, the eyeglass prescriptions generally need to come from the, the VA care, VA authorized comm community care. ’cause they, they have that option too. Are there any mistakes that you see veterans making when they, they try to go get the glasses and, and what they should do to ask the VA to.

[00:23:29] Get the help or get avoid delays anyways. In, in the whole process. Are are there any, any things that, that people are doing other than just not going to the VA at all and going, going someplace else like I’ve been doing?

[00:23:40] Sean Loosen: That’s it. No, I think, you know, from, from my perspective as the CEO of PDS and we’re making a lot of prescription, I like, so like, and just stepping back too, like, you know, everybody’s vision is unique to themselves. So like, you know, we’re making seven, like, it’s not like a widget we’re making either too.

[00:23:54] So like, you know, that’s. Those are unique. Every, some people have different left eye, right eye [00:24:00] vision, all sorts of different so, you know, in terms of mistakes, I, and I don’t think so. Like, I think once you’re in there you, you know, you’re, you’re, you’re, you’re meeting with your, the optometrist, you’re meeting with the optician.

[00:24:12] It’s a pretty smooth process. Like we’re getting those eyeglasses out to the veterans. Within a week or so, like, you know, or sometimes less usually. Yeah. Yeah. Like I’ll do the, like, I’ll go to the, my local VA and get the eyeglasses and it’s sort of like the undercover boss, you know? Like, I’m like the going in and it, our, our Florida lab will make my eyeglasses and I’ll, like last year I went in, I went on Monday and I think I got my glasses within like, by that, by the following Monday there too.

[00:24:42] So like, you know. Five business days that is right there. Really not if you count, you know, like, I don’t even know when I went in on Monday. So, it’s a pretty smooth dialed in process there. And you mentioned community care just to like, so we’re separate, like we do some eyeglasses for community care, but that’s sort of different.

[00:24:59] It’s [00:25:00] sort of like a private and community care is a great. Service there too. Because, you know, that’s more for veterans that are not local to a va. Like if you gotta travel a long way to go, like in some rural places like a Montana or somewhere where there’s not a lot of VA locations, like it’s a great spot to go and get you know, your iCare done at a local.

[00:25:22] Community Care appro approved place there too. So it’s a little bit separate from us, but we do do some community care prescription eyeglasses and some different areas there too, so, yeah.

[00:25:31] Scott DeLuzio: Yeah, it, it, I mean, that, that’s just a, a great option, like you said, for, for folks who are in those remote areas and, and there’s just not a VA facility that they don’t have to drive for hours to, to get to. And you know, or, or even if just, you know, the wait time that a VA is just

[00:25:46] Sean Loosen: It could be like that. Yeah. I like for me, like I’m working on a, a dental implant here and so I luckily call qualify for dental coverage through the va. And that go, you know, that goes to your tiers of like, you know, whatever, you gotta have a [00:26:00] certain level of disability for dental coverage. And I was working through the VA and I missed an appointment just ’cause of a works conflict.

[00:26:08] And then it just kind of got pushed out several months just because of wait times. And I was like, Hey, this is, you know, kind of inconvenient. Can I try to get in sooner maybe through community care and and then I’m kind of still on the process there. I dunno if you’ve had a dental implant before.

[00:26:23] It takes a long time, but we’ve been missing tooth for a long

[00:26:26] Scott DeLuzio: had that.

[00:26:26] Sean Loosen: here.

[00:26:27] Scott DeLuzio: But I, I’ve dealt with the community care the whole system and it, and it’s, it’s great because there, there were some, some things that, it was like through the va, they were like, oh, yeah, we, we have an appointment for you. And it was, you know, we’re talking to ’em in January, but they’re like, yeah the appointment won’t be until.

[00:26:42] June or something, and it’s like, well, that’s ridiculous. So, so then they, they get you in to, to somebody else and it’s within, you know, a week or two or something like that. And so it’s, it’s pretty quick. So, you know, and, and not every, not every single situation’s gonna be, you know, exactly like that, that, that was just [00:27:00] my.

[00:27:00] My experience. So, you know, I, I’m just, I’m a big fan of the Community Care Network because of you know, a lot of the wait times that you might end up having sometimes at, at VAs or just the long distances that some folks need to go. So, that, that’s why I like to, to kind of bring that up too.

[00:27:17] Again, some people aren’t even aware that community care is a thing. Even it’s, it’s kind of a newer thing. It’s not something that’s been around for. That long. You know, or, or it may have been, it’s just not as wasn’t as popular back then. But you know, it’s a, it’s a thing that’s, that’s more in use now and it’s being pushed to really make sure that everyone’s getting the care that they need and not just.

[00:27:40] Sweeping things under the rug. So, so it’s great. You know, and I know so PDS has also done some other stuff to kind of promote veterans and, and to kind of help veterans out you know, partnering with the honor flight network too, right? Is that something that you guys have done? So, so it’s more than just glasses.

[00:27:56] It’s more than just, you know, taking care of the eye care. It’s, it’s really looking after [00:28:00] veterans, right?

[00:28:00] Sean Loosen: Absolutely. Yeah. So we, you know, we, we were like, you know, we’re, we’re proud of what we do. Our team, our, our people are proud of what we do for veterans. And so we’re like trying to think about like ways we can kind of give back. And so we looked at some other veteran organizations out there, and Honor Flight was one that came like resoundingly at the top.

[00:28:21] From our employees, we actually checked, pulled our employees and surveyed them and said, Hey, what are some organizations we’d like to link up, we should look into linking up with? And we looked into it further and we, we did a, something called a Lone Eagle Honor Flight Sponsorship. And so what we did was we sponsored about 50 veterans from all across the country, like Hawaii and you know, Washington and all over, and had them fly into Washington DC last year.

[00:28:47] And, and I’m, I’m stealing this from the CEO of honor flight. You know, it’s the honor flight allergies like that they call it there. So like, when you’re there, it’s very emotional. Just seeing, you know, the, [00:29:00] the veterans from, you know, we had veterans from, we had two veterans from World War II there actually that actually we grew up a couple blocks from each other in Brooklyn, New York.

[00:29:10] Didn’t know each other, but they were a couple blocks from each other there. And we had Korean War veterans, Vietnam War veterans. So just seeing how these veterans are treated and. With interacting with each other. It’s a very powerful, very emotional experience there too. And we were very proud and honored and, and just happy with, with you know, sponsoring that there too.

[00:29:34] And that’s, we’re gonna continue to do that going forward as an organization and always looking for ways to give back to of. How we can support other veteran organizations out there too. So that’s something that we’re, you know, happy to do.

[00:29:49] Scott DeLuzio: Yeah. And, and I wanted to, to bring that up too because it, it’s not just a glasses company or, you know, I optical or any, it, it’s not just that you guys are, are more than [00:30:00] that because of what those, those kind of extra things that you guys do. You, you actually are out there supporting veterans and.

[00:30:08] Doing it in a way that’s, that’s not you know, financially motivated or anything. It’s like truly you want to give back. You wanna help these, these folks. You want to show your appreciation and support and all that kind of stuff. And so I, I, I wanted to highlight that because for the listeners you know, hearing about a company, a lot of times people are like, oh yeah, well they’re, they’re just, you know, they’re in it for, you know, themselves and all that kind of stuff.

[00:30:30] But it’s, that’s not this company. This is,

[00:30:32] Sean Loosen: No, it, it was a cool like, experience for me too. Like I, you know, I got up and said some words to everybody. We had like a dinner before the night before. And you’re, you’re just hanging out, like talking to the, these veterans and it’s, it was great. Like, I’m talking to these, a Korean War veteran from Minnesota and we’re, I’m a Minnesota Vikings fan.

[00:30:50] Like that’s a whole nother story. Tortured, but like, you know, we’re talking about that and. He’s telling me about his fishing stories and he’s wearing eyeglasses, and I’m like, where’d you, so he, we [00:31:00] made those eyeglasses for him

[00:31:01] Scott DeLuzio: Oh.

[00:31:02] Sean Loosen: So it just, it was just, yes, like you said, it’s, it’s more than just, you know, trying to make a profit and whatever.

[00:31:09] And again, like as a veteran myself, we’re, we’re proud of our, our company, we’re proud of our mission. And, you know, when you can see the things we’re doing for our, our veterans out there, it just makes it even more impactful. And we had a lot of our employees actually participate too as sponsors and, and guests there for, for veterans that didn’t have veterans that were there.

[00:31:30] And so it was, it was just a great event. And as I mentioned, we’re gonna continue to do that and then look for other ways too, like that we can kind of give back. We do things locally too. Like, you know, ruck events and running events and stuff like that in the Louisville area or the Fort Lauderdale area.

[00:31:45] And so it’s, yeah, again, if we’re, we’re always open to ideas on how we can support other veteran initiatives out there.

[00:31:52] Scott DeLuzio: That’s excellent. Yeah. And like, like I said, it, it’s, it’s more than just an eyewear company. It, it’s a, it’s a company [00:32:00] that’s really truly focused and dedicated to helping and supporting veterans. And and that’s, that’s what. In addition to raising awareness for the fact that you can get glasses through the va that’s why I wanted to have you guys on, you know, to, to really talk about the company and, and kind of, you know, kind of boost you guys up a little bit because I, I really do appreciate the mission that you guys have.

[00:32:20] You know, the, you guys really do live the, the. The values from the name of your company, you know, that, that those things are not just a slogan, you know, pride, dignity, and service. Those things are, are really a part of who you guys are. So, I, I wanted to highlight that and support that as, as much as I can.

[00:32:38] So, before we before we wrap up I, I want to. Just go back to kind of a maybe more a, a transition kind of, kind of question here for you. For folks who are transitioning out of the service and they, they want that sense of purpose, obviously a paycheck is, is. I but they also want, you know, a team that they [00:33:00] can trust.

[00:33:00] Obviously you’ve just got them talking about your team and you know, how much support they, they give to veterans and, and things like that. If someone’s looking to, you know, get into some sort of manufacturing or, you know, those types of you know, operations what roles at a place like PDS are a good like, entry point for some veterans who might be transitioning out and how can they kind of translate that military experience into, the hiring managers will, will be able to recognize and respect on on that end.

[00:33:27] Sean Loosen: Excellent question. Yeah, we’re always looking to hire veterans just because, you know, we, that’s part of our company culture. That’s our customer there. And then just me as a veteran, I just know. The things that veterans have seen and done, you know, and, and just the, the, you know, hard work motivation that veterans bring to the table.

[00:33:45] So you, you know, we’ve, I’m looking like we’ve got a, our current maintenance manager in our Kentucky lab is a former army guy too. And so, like, you know, he started. S in the, in the lab there and worked his way up into a maintenance, [00:34:00] maintenance management position there too. Our current director of accounting started in like data entry and then, you know, worked her way all through the different positions within the lab.

[00:34:10] So there’s definitely, you know, there’s not a really like direct path to where you, you know where you’re gonna go. I think you could step into our company, learn a little bit about of, of, of each area. And then, you know, we can, there’s a lot of ways for you to move around and, and help with our mission of providing high quality, affordable eyewear for our nation’s veterans.

[00:34:30] So, again, I, I always looking to hire veterans. So if, like, if. There are veterans in, you know, the, the Louisville, Kentucky area or Fort Lauderdale area that are listening to this. Please reach out to myself. I’m on LinkedIn. I think, Scott, you’re gonna share some of my contact info too and

[00:34:48] Scott DeLuzio: Oh yeah.

[00:34:48] Sean Loosen: we can get you connected in and love to.

[00:34:51] Even just have a conversation with a veteran. Just, you know, transitioning too, like, and you know how I can help you too, like, you heard my story, I was [00:35:00] started off in insurance and now I’m here in, you know, optical manufacturing here too, so

[00:35:06] Scott DeLuzio: Yeah. And, and even yourself, you, you said you, you started off in, in this company as kind of a consultant too, so it wasn’t like you just stepped into the CEO role and, and just started day one, you know, hitting the ground, running it, it was, you kinda worked up to kind of learn the business and all that kind of stuff too.

[00:35:22] Sean Loosen: Oh

[00:35:22] Scott DeLuzio: You know, I, I think. From you know, a realistic perspective for anyone who’s transitioning out, whether, whether it’s working in a company like, like PDS or you know, any other company, you know, just understanding that, you know, there might be a little bit of a learning curve that you, you’re gonna need to kind of learn a little bit about the business, a little about the, the job and all that kinda stuff before you can really kind of move up in advance.

[00:35:44] But knowing that. You can, you know, go into it with a little humility and, and, and not expect that you’re gonna be the top dog at, at, at the very get go. You know that that’s, that’s okay and it’s kind of expected. So, you know, that, [00:36:00] that’s, that’s great. Great advice. And you know, hopefully, hopefully a lot of folks especially you know, in the Kentucky and Florida areas, if they, if they’re looking for that type of job, they, they can, they can reach out and, and you know, see if they, there’s any positions open for, for you guys. But you know, it’s good just general advice as well. But. But like you said, I will have links. I’ll, I’ll have a link to your website you know, the, the PDS optical website as well as your, your link on LinkedIn.

[00:36:28] And I’ll try to grab a link for the, the va you know. The optical program through the va, if they, they have that information on online, I’ll have to dig that up and, and I’ll try to throw that in there too for the listeners. So, they don’t have to go struggle trying to figure that out. But it’s, it’s definitely a great program, great opportunity for a lot of veterans who are in need of eyewear and.

[00:36:48] Just don’t know where to turn. You know, if they’re, they’re financially maybe, maybe a little bit struggling. This is just one of those, like you said, an earned benefit. It, you don’t, you’re not taking it away from somebody else just ’cause you’re going and getting it. [00:37:00] So you, you earned it, you deserve it.

[00:37:01] So, you know, go out there and get it. So, you know, thank you so much for coming on the show and, and sharing, sharing your story, sharing you know, PDS and all the things that you guys are doing. It’s a, a great organization and a great opportunity for a lot of veterans, so thank you so much.

[00:37:14] Sean Loosen: Thank you for having me, Scott. This was fun. I great conversation here. Just amongst two, two army infantry guys here, so this was

[00:37:22] Scott DeLuzio: Absolutely. It always fun. Have another on the.

[00:37:28] Sean Loosen: Thank you.