Zanesville's DMV does business worldwide

Maybe you have never seen or even heard of contact lens handling products.

However, these useful items have been manufactured right here in the community and sold locally, nationally and worldwide for more than five decades.

DMV Corp., at 1024 Military Road, began manufacturing products for inserting and removing contact lenses in 1968. Throughout its history, the company has kept its manufacturing operations local with American-made products. This is a business model that president Robert England, a doctor of optometry, proudly endorses.

"Everything is homemade right here. There is nothing foreign about it," England said. "We use local talent and American materials. Everything is supplied by an Ohio company and manufactured right here in River City."

DMV Corp.'s staff of eight employees work shifts in the lower level of England's optometry practice to press and mold the products and process orders that are bound for 16 time zones around the world. The manufacturing equipment was made in Westerville, the rubber for the products originates from Akron, local people maintain the products and even the boxes that the products are packaged in are supplied by a local print shop, England said.

"Everything is local and American-made. In fact, our European distributors insist that our packaging says "Made in the U.S.A" because of America's reputation for quality medical items," he said. "Our name is synonymous worldwide with quality contact lens handling products."

DMV contact lens removers, inserters and accessories come in handy for individuals who, for a variety of reasons, prefer not to touch their contact lenses or eyeballs. The items provide a safe way to remove and insert lenses. The devices are distributed online and through doctors' offices and distributors of contact lens supplies, England said.

"I've received feedback from people who said they have been looking for this these types of products for years. They give them confidence and assurance," he said.

Not only does this unique company have the pride of the "Made in the U.S.A." stamp and a manufacturing base in Zanesville, but its rich history and long run of success go back many years in the community.

England explained that when his father, Dennis England, also an optometrist, was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis he began to lose the use of his hands. His assistant Velma Cohagan Higginbotham suggested he take his business on a different path. With the help of his other assistant Mary Jo Persinger and brother Paul England, a local moldmaker, the dream of having a business he could continue to operate became a reality. With the first molds made by Paul England, DMV Corp. was in business.

Since then, the company, whose name was given in honor of those individuals who were instrumental in its creation, has expanded and grown over the decades. From an advertisement placed by Dennis England, a contact lens fitter in Switzerland partnered with DMV to distribute the products in Europe. The company gained recognition for quality assurance through Food and Drug Administration approval and certification for sales in Europe and worldwide, including South America and China.

In 1978, Robert England took over the company operations when his father died. Since then, new products, including those for soft contact lenses, have been developed and several patents have been issued. None of this would be possible without the talented, dedicated staff members, many of whom have been with the DMV for decades, England said.

"We are not flamboyant. We are just here. We have been very blessed and very fortunate to have great staff," he said. "We are a family tradition kind of business. We are like family here."

The contact lens handling products that DMV manufactures are like no others. Comprised of quality materials, they are made to last, England said. Their uses include the removal and insertion of soft and hard contact lenses, hybrid and specialty lens and even artificial eyes. England estimates that half of his business is in countries around the world and half in the United States.

"It's a unique company, and it's nice to know that we are local but also worldwide," England said. "We are happy to be able to provide a safety and convenient product that was developed right here in Zanesville by my father."