About Optical Products Online
Owner and self-proclaimed “Nose Pad Kingpin”, Steve DesBien started Optical Products Online out of his house in Kansas City, Missouri in 1994. Steve’s education and experience cover a wide range of sales positions and management opportunities, but his focus for nearly three decades has been optical products and solutions.
Today, he has a 10,000-square foot facility just south of Kansas City and 12 employees supporting more than 35,000 independent optical stores spread across six regions throughout the United States!
It really did start with nose pads.
Prior to opening his own company, DesBien was working for an eyewear company that had a terrible frame line. He was trying to find a way to bring that company out of bankruptcy. That was when he noticed Hilco, one of the bigger players in the industry, was taking advantage and charging significantly higher prices on parts and supplies.
Steve discovered a way to get the nose pads Hilco was selling for $2 to $3 for less than a dollar. He was able to bring the price of nose pads down more than 100% to an unbelievable79 cents!
He took that knowledge and went after a handful of products to start his own business. For almost 30 years he still goes after the highest quality parts, chemicals, tools, equipment and sells them at much more reasonable prices creating a nice margin for everyone involved. Ultimately, this trickles down to a better product and better pricing for the end user!
DesBien travels the world to make sure his company has the best of the best. If he finds something better than what he is currently using he will change products. The entire time, keeping cost in mind to give you peace of mind knowing you are getting the best products available.