WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-Saving sight, saving lives

Essex Junction, Vermont - March 5, 2010

Vermont National Guard soldiers are beginning their mission in Afghanistan. It will put them at times on dangerous ground, but they'll be equipped with some safety gear Made in Vermont.

Inside Revision Eyewear in Essex Junction, BobbieSue Fay's hands are full and her thoughts are a world away. The shipping department worker's husband is beginning his mission in Afghanistan as a sergeant with the Vermont National Guard.

"They just want to get over there and do what they have to do so they can get back home," she said.

This mother of two with one on the way has some extra peace of mind about his service, though her employer is a leading producer of plastic protective eyewear.

"Regardless of your views on policies, whether we should be deploying troops or not, they are our neighbors, our sons, our daughters, and we're protecting them," said Eric Hounchell, Vice President of Operations for Revision Eyewear.

The company started in Canada, focusing on the sports market. Revision set up shop in Williston in 2004 to break into the United States military market. While the company's CEO is Canadian, the brand says 90% of its operations and employees are based in the United States.

In that time, Revision moved to Essex Junction and has expanded almost every year. The company now occupies a football field's worth of space and will turn out more than a million sets of high-tech resin eyewear this year, keeping 150 full-time workers busy.

Being made in Vermont to me means we have good people who care and are committed. They're the ones building our product," said Hounchell.

Law enforcement buys the glasses, so do government-approved foreign armies, but the manufacturer's top customer is the United States military. Eye protection is mandatory-issue.

Ed Roberts handles ballistics testing.

"The challenge is to make the eyewear good enough to let them do all of their jobs, and let them keep it in place. It's not going to do its job if they're not wearing it," he said.

Its job is to protect sight, and in some cases, lives. This machine replicates a shrapnel blast,  like from a roadside bomb.

Hunks of metal explode toward the lenses at faster than 650 feet per second. This slowed-down video shows Revision's coated lenses absorbing the impact, spreading it out without shattering the plastic. It leaves only a bump.

Senator Patrick Leahy helped the team secure more than $10 million in military contracts in the past few years. Revision has to compete against other eyewear makers, but is constantly looking at new designs and technologies.

"The battlefield's changing. There are more and more lasers. So that's something we're invested in, is looking at how do we protect against those threats," said Hounchell.

In a perfect world, companies like Revision Eyewear wouldn't be needed. But for our imperfect and dangerous times, this Made in Vermont gear provides some comfort for families like BobbieSue Fay's.

"You just feel good at the end of the day, knowing you're taking care of something for other people," she said.

Revision Eyewear's products can accommodate prescription lenses. They're often asked if they'll branch out into the sports fashion market, but say for now, they'll focus on military and law enforcement.

Click here to visit the company's website.

Jack Thurston - WCAX News - Made in Vermont