(PRESS RELEASE) It is with great sadness that Malbar Vision announces the passing of its founder, Dr. Stanley Malashock. Malashock passed Jan. 29 at the age of 94. He opened Malashock Optical in 1950 in a separate dedicated space of the famed jewelry store bearing the same family name.
After 15 years of competition and observation he determined that a unique practice name independent of the practitioner could add differentiation and value to the practice especially when it came time to change ownership. He created the name Malbar Vision by combining his last name with his wife’s first name: Barbara.
Malbar Vision has long been known for thorough vision and eye care. They promoted their motto: “The difference is clear. The difference is care” to describe their brand. This is the principle applied to everything they did.
Malbar Vision grew to a multi-doctor, five-location practice in the Omaha metro area. His sons, Neal Malashock, O.D., and Larry Malashock, O.D., acquired the practice in 1988. Malashock was an early innovator of franchising for optometry and in 1973 founded Omaha-based International Contact Lens which developed practices in Arizona, Colorado, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota. At the same time he pioneered and promoted doctor cooperatives optimizing buying power and educational opportunities.
A forward-thinking professional, Malashock innovated patient recall type communication long before it became the standard in all modern practices and was the first to use electronic forms to capture and analyze patient data.
Described by his peers as a “charismatic presence,” Malashock understood early on that in order to deliver excellent health care a successful practitioner also needed to keep a close eye on the business principles underlying their practice. Dr. Stanley Malashock: a visionary who, through his actions and advocacy, directly and indirectly inspired hundreds of optometrists who came after him.