SportRx has hired Monica Rigali as VP of marketing and Curtis Ellis as VP of sales and operations. They will report to Rob Tavakoli, who was promoted to CEO in 2022 after nearly 18 years working for the company.

Rigali and Ellis will join a team of veteran SportRx employees, including Shelby Sommerfield, Rusty Taylor and Tim Darnell, who have been with the company for over eight years.

“SportRx has been incredibly successful as a brand that relatively few of its ideal customers know about,” commented Tavakoli. “Monica has a proven record of helping brands raise their exposure and growing audiences. She will bring some fresh thinking to the prescription eyewear category that the industry hasn’t seen. Monica is also an athlete in her own right, relying on prescription eyewear to perform her best, adding authenticity to our team.”

An outdoor industry veteran, Rigali has led marketing and e-commerce efforts for Nike and JanSport. “SportRx has an incredible legacy and still has a considerable runway for growth in several product categories. The team has a startup mentality–moving fast to add products to our growing portfolio and inviting those who love to get outdoors into our high-performance eyewear ecosystem,” said Rigali. “One of my first initiatives at SportRx is to raise awareness with active outdoor enthusiasts nationwide that SportRx can customize their favorite eyewear to help them see and perform their best while chasing adventure.”

Curtis Ellis brings two decades of experience in the eyewear industry, having worked at Oakley, SPY+ and 100%. “SportRx is the eyewear industry’s best-kept secret, a leading brand that is under the radar of the majority of its potential customers. We have the best customer service in the industry, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a group with a broader selection of products,” said Ellis. “In this role, I’m going to be able to leverage my industry connections and expertise to ensure we’re a great partner for the industry and the millions of people who can better pursue their passions with the right outdoor eyewear.”

SportRx, founded in 1996, reports that it “pioneered prescription lenses for wrap-around sport frames, addressing a gap for active outdoor enthusiasts.” Today, the brand boasts over “2,000 products from more than 40 brands, supported by a team of in-house ABO-certified opticians.”

Images courtesy SportRx, Curtis Ellis/LinkedIn and Monica Rigali/LinkedIn