TORONTO — Allen Nightingale has been appointed to the role of president of Centennial Optical Ltd., an independent distributor of ophthalmic frames and lenses, sunglasses, contact lenses and lens coatings.
Nightingale takes on the responsibilities in the wake of the sudden death on Nov. 18 of Steve de Pinto, who was Centennial’s president.
Nightingale is a 39-year veteran of the optical industry who joined Centennial as a sales representative in 1979 upon graduation from Toronto’s York University. Over the years, his responsibilities have spanned marketing, product, licensing, key accounts and sales strategy. His previous positions at the company included frames sales manager, director of frame sales and, most recently, vice president.
Nightingale said, “In the last 12 years as vice president at Centennial, I had the privilege and joy, with our desks literally beside each other, of working side-by-side with Steve de Pinto.” He added, “Steve and I always anticipated a transition one day; unhappily, that day has come under the saddest conditions. We have a plan in place to continue the great legacy that Roger de Pinto, our founder, had started in 1967 and that Steve has left us in 2018.”
Roger de Pinto, chairman of Centennial, said, “We have every confidence that Allen will continue building and growing Centennial with a continued focus on our people, our vendor partners and, of course, our loyal customers.”
Centennial sells optical goods and services to optometrists, opticians, ophthalmologists, optical laboratories and optical retailers and is licensed by Health Canada to sell Class I and Class II medical devices. With corporate headquarters and central distribution located in Toronto, Centennial also has local distribution centres and customer service in Montreal and Vancouver.