My Vision ExpressMy Vision Express
MandatoryCenter which is utilizing the Infotek System, which was the previously approved POS System, you may be permitted to continue to use that system until the My Vision Express System is installed; in that
From the filings
HQ-led decisions
Sterling Optical
Health servicesSoftware purchasing at Sterling Optical is controlled at the headquarters level, with Alexis Morales, Director of Information Systems, as a key point of contact. The franchise mandates the My Vision Express (MVE) Point of Sale and Practice Management system across its 115 locations, creating a clear integration target. With 95 franchised units and a parent company, EMVI Holdings LLC, the addressable market is concentrated but presents a single-stack replacement or augmentation opportunity.
For software vendors selling into US franchise brands.
Live signals
Total units
115
95 franchised
Unit growth YoY
-1.042%
vs prior filing
AUV
—
Item 19, 2022
Royalty
8%
of gross sales
Ad fund
6%
national + local
Initial fee
$10K
per unit
Investment range
$186K–$2.34M
all-in, Item 7
Procurement
Approved supplier
from the filing
Non-compete
2 years
from the filing
Item 19
No claims
from the filing
Ongoing fee load
What the operator pays every month
The recurring percentage of gross sales named in this filing, before rent, labour or any technology fee.
14%of gross sales (FY2022)
15% reference
Mandated & recommended tech
The systems vendors compete with
1 of these are mandated in the franchise agreement. Each is named in Item 11 of the filing, the incumbents a challenger must displace or integrate with.
Franchisor behaviours
What the franchisor requires
20 requirements the franchisor states in this filing, each in its own words; 2 explicit no's; 12 questions the text does not settle, which is not a no.
Accounting
Must the franchisee use an accounting or bookkeeping system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
(1) FRANCHISEE shall establish and maintain, at FRANCHISEE's own expense, a complete and accurate bookkeeping, accounting, ordering and record keeping system conforming to generally-accepted accounting principles and the requirements and formats prescribed by the COMPANY from time to time.
Does the franchisor have direct or independent electronic access to the franchisee's financial, sales or customer records?
YesItem 11
The MVE System also permits, and EVI requires that you, on a daily basis, transmit to EVI designated electronic reports of every transaction processed at your Center that day including all sales, cash receipts, patient and customer invoices, quotes and records of deposits and other patient information, receivables…
Must the franchisee submit periodic financial statements (monthly, quarterly or annual) to the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
on or before the tenth (10th) day of each month, a written statement of the Gross Revenues of the CENTER and related information for the immediately preceding calendar month, certified to be true and correct by the FRANCHISEE, or its appropriate officer or partner;
How the franchisor buys
Does the franchisor reserve the right to change designated suppliers or systems at any time?
YesItem 8
EVI reserves the right to require that you purchase such systems, or modify your existing system, to comply with its then required specifications.
Does the franchisor or an affiliate receive rebates, commissions or other revenue from designated or approved suppliers?
YesItem 8
EVI also may receive payments from vendors as a result of the volume of products that EVI and/or its subsidiaries purchase for its Company-operated Centers and also as a result of purchases made by Franchisees.
Can a franchisee propose a new supplier for the franchisor's approval?
YesItem 8
If you desire to sell any product to be purchased from a vendor which has not then been approved by EVI or listed on FRAMESDATA.COM, EVI reserves the right to approve such vendor.
Communications
Does the franchisor own or control the business telephone numbers, or take them over when the agreement ends?
YesFranchise agreement
as a condition to the execution of the Franchise Agreement, Assignee has required that Assignor assign to it all of its right, title and interest in and to any and all telephone number(s) and telephone listing(s) obtained by the Assignor, from time to time, in connection with its operation of the Center.
Franchise management
Must the franchisee participate in a customer-satisfaction or net-promoter survey program?
YesFranchise agreement
participate and/or request its customers to participate in any surveys performed by or on behalf of the COMPANY.
Does the franchisor conduct periodic inspections, audits or evaluations of the franchised business?
YesItem 11
EVI will conduct, as it deems advisable, inspections of your operation of the Center (Franchise Agreement, Section 14);
Can the franchisor change the operations manual and brand standards unilaterally?
YesItem 14
EVI may revise the contents of the Operations Manual, and you must comply with each mandated new or changed standard.
Must the franchisor approve the franchisee's site or location before opening?
YesItem 11
EVI will, based on all of these factors, either approve or disapprove of the proposed site.
Marketing
Is a minimum grand opening advertising spend required?
YesFranchise agreement
Simultaneously upon the execution of this Agreement, and in addition to the payments described in Paragraph A of this Section 6, FRANCHISEE shall pay to the Advertising Fund described in Paragraph C of this Section 6, the sum of $___________________ (the "Grand Opening Contribution"), which amount will be applied to…
Operations
Must the franchisee buy products from a designated distributor?
YesFranchise agreement
FRANCHISEE agrees that FRANCHISEE shall purchase or lease all equipment, fixtures, furnishings, products or other items required hereunder for use in connection with the operation of the CENTER solely from suppliers approved by the COMPANY.
Must equipment be purchased from designated or approved suppliers?
YesFranchise agreement
FRANCHISEE agrees that FRANCHISEE shall purchase or lease all equipment, fixtures, furnishings, products or other items required hereunder for use in connection with the operation of the CENTER solely from suppliers approved by the COMPANY.
Payments
Are royalties and other fees collected by automatic bank debit (ACH or electronic funds transfer) from the franchisee's account?
YesItem 6
EVI requires that any or all of the fees described in this Item, including the Royalty Fees, the Advertising Fund contributions and monthly rents, be paid by electronic funds transfer, and EVI will automatically debit your bank account, on the due date, for the amounts owed.
People
Does the franchisor require minimum staffing levels or specific roles?
YesFranchise agreement
FRANCHISEE shall, at all times, maintain a staff of trained employees, affiliated professionals and other independent contractors sufficient to operate the CENTER in compliance with applicable statutes and regulations, the Operating Manual and the COMPANY's standards of quality, dress, appearance and performance for…
Point of sale
Must the franchisee use a specific point-of-sale system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesItem 8
EVI will require that you, at your cost and expense, purchase or lease, install, maintain and use a designated point of sale computer system meeting certain minimum -34- specifications, from time to time, designated by EVI, together with the related software, from time to time, developed by and/or on behalf of EVI…
Does the franchisor have independent access to the data in the franchisee's POS or computer system?
YesFranchise agreement
daily sales reports, which the COMPANY may obtain directly through the FRANCHISEE’S point of sale system
Sales and CRM
Must the franchisee use a CRM system designated or approved by the franchisor?
YesFranchise agreement
FRANCHISEE, at FRANCHISEE's cost and expense, shall install, use and maintain any point of sale computer system or other technology, which the COMPANY may, from time to time, designate be utilized in its franchised Centers
Training
Can the franchisor charge the franchisee for additional, refresher or remedial training?
YesItem 11
EVI may also, in its discretion, require you to complete additional training, if it is not satisfied that the training is sufficient.
The filing answers no to 2 questions
- Is the franchisor or an affiliate itself a supplier of required products, services or systems?Item 8
- Must the franchisee participate in a regional advertising cooperative when one exists?Item 11
The vendor opportunity at Sterling Optical
Sterling Optical operates 115 locations across the United States, with 95 of those units franchised and 20 company-owned. The brand sits within the health services vertical under parent company EMVI Holdings LLC. For software vendors, the total addressable market is precisely these 115 units. The operator base is highly fragmented: the FDD maps only 9 operators, none of whom control more than a single unit, and 7 of those are located in New York. This fragmentation means no multi-unit operator holds enough sway to drive a bottom-up technology adoption; all software decisions flow from the top.
Year-over-year unit growth was -1.042%, indicating a contracting footprint. This makes net-new seat sales unlikely, positioning any software pitch as a replacement or consolidation play against the incumbent mandated stack. The royalty rate is 8.0% on gross revenue, and the initial franchise term is 10 years. Average unit volume (AUV) is not disclosed in the most recent FDD.
Who controls software purchasing
Technology purchasing authority is centralized at the franchisor headquarters. The FDD lists Alexis Morales as the Director of Information Systems, making this role the most direct entry point for a software vendor. The executive team is lean: Glenn Spina serves as President and Chief Executive Officer, and Brian P. Alessi is the Chief Financial Officer and Secretary/Treasurer. Katherine O’Connor, Director of Franchise Support, and Nicholas Shashati, O.D., Director of Professional Services, round out the named leadership. Any enterprise software deal will likely require buy-in from both the technical lead (Morales) and the financial decision-maker (Alessi).
Mandated and current tech stack
The Sterling Optical system runs on a mandated core stack from My Vision Express (MVE). Specifically, the FDD requires franchisees to use the MVE Point of Sale System, the MVE Practice Management module, and the Electronic Health Records module. The MVE Cloud platform and an Infotek System are also named as part of the technology environment. This represents a deeply entrenched, single-vendor backbone for point-of-sale, practice management, and clinical records. A vendor selling adjacent or complementary software—such as advanced analytics, patient engagement, or revenue cycle management—must integrate with or displace these MVE components.
Procurement, renewals, and timing
The FDD does not include an Item 8 extract detailing procurement restrictions, designated suppliers, or approved vendor lists. This absence means the formal procurement model is not publicly defined in the filing. Vendors should approach the HQ directly to understand purchasing and approval processes. The renewal term, outlined in Item 17, is equal to the initial term then being offered to new franchisees. Renewal is conditional on signing the franchisor’s current form of Franchise Agreement, which may contain materially different terms and fees. This creates a potential trigger event: when franchisees renew their 10-year agreements, they may be compelled to adopt updated technology mandates embedded in the new contract.
How to read the Sterling Optical FDD
The 2022 Franchise Disclosure Document is the authoritative source for the data points above. It details the executive team in Item 1, the mandated technology systems in Item 11, and the renewal conditions in Item 17. The embedded viewer below contains the full filing. For software vendors, the critical sections are the IT mandate disclosures and the list of franchised outlet openings and closings, which reveal the real-time unit count trajectory. Use this document to validate the total addressable units and to identify the exact language governing technology requirements before building a pitch. For a ranked target list of franchise systems aligned with your software category, FranCloud can help prioritize your outbound efforts.
Questions vendors ask
Sterling Optical, answered from the filing
The Director of Information Systems, Alexis Morales, is the named technology executive. Given the mandated tech stack, purchasing decisions are centralized at HQ under the leadership of President and CEO Glenn Spina and CFO Brian P. Alessi.
The franchise mandates the My Vision Express (MVE) Point of Sale System, its Practice Management module, and Electronic Health Records module. MVE Cloud and the Infotek System are also specified as recommended or current tech.
The system has 115 total units, comprising 95 franchised locations and 20 company-owned stores. The operator footprint is small, with 9 mapped operators, none of which are multi-unit, heavily concentrated in New York.
The most recent FDD does not disclose a specific Item 8 procurement signal regarding designated or approved suppliers. Vendors should inquire directly about becoming an approved supplier given the mandated nature of the core POS system.
Renewal is possible at the end of the 10-year initial term, contingent on signing the then-current Franchise Agreement, which may have materially different terms. With a recent unit growth decline of -1.042%, system-wide tech refresh cycles may be driven by compliance rather than expansion.
The 2022 FDD was filed with state franchise regulators. You can review the embedded PDF viewer below to analyze the full legal and operational disclosures directly from the source document.
Source
Read the filing itself
Every number on this page traces back to this document. Read it in full, page by page. Buy the original PDF to download, search, and annotate it.
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FDD alert
Tell me when this brand refiles.
We’ll email you the moment Sterling Optical files a new annual FDD, usually the freshest signal of a vendor change.
Operator footprint
Who runs the locations
9 operators run 9 mapped locations. 0 of them are multi-unit. Aggregate counts from the filing; no names.
Operators by units owned
Single-unit9
Top states by locations
| NY | 7 |
|---|
Ownership
The portfolio behind Sterling Optical
unknown of emvi holdings.
Related Health services brands
Primary franchise filings · updated June 2026. Every figure is source-traceable and QA-checked.