Joey Colarulo Reflects on 15 Years of Laser Locators

Eight years ago, I made a significant life change and left a large public company to join my friend Sean O’Donnell’s small business, Laser Locators. At the time, joining Laser Locators as a Sales Professional was an exciting but jarring change. The transition from the environment of a large office with over 200 coworkers to a small business like Laser Locators, where I was one of only four people in the office, was a significant change for me. Now eight years later, we have 16 employees, and I hold the title of Vice President and Managing Partner. A lot has changed in both the industry and with Laser Locators since 2011. Since I first joined the company, I have been proud to see Laser Locators grow to be a leading provider of new and refurbished ophthalmic lasers.

Although several strategic decisions have contributed to our success, I believe that it’s our relentless focus on caring for our customers that has led us to be the industry leader. We understand that our clients are mostly ophthalmologists who own and operate small businesses like ours. Our clients count on us to provide the latest knowledge about the equipment we offer as well as the latest equipment offered by the manufacturer. By approaching our customers with a partnership mentality, we can offer a genuinely consultative sales practice. As we approach each sale by understanding the needs of our customer, we can build trust and form a lasting relationship.

One decision I believe has contributed to our success was the decision to expand the products and services that we offer. At the time I joined the company, refurbished refractive lasers were in very high demand, there were not as many new options as there are now, and there were not many available in the used market. Although this had been the primary focus of Laser Locators since our inception and continues to be an essential part of our business, we realized that our customers would have additional needs such as smaller lasers and diagnostic equipment. By adding other equipment, as well as providing parts and service, we not only were able to increase the volume and frequency of sales, but we were able to improve the way we served our customers.

Our firm also made a conscious decision to partner only with companies that shared our values. From marketing to service to manufacturing, we only work with partners who share our work ethic and customer-first approach to business. By being values-driven, we ensure that our customers receive the best quality of service across all aspects of our business.

Since our clients are located all over the world in over 100 countries, we knew support would be a concern. Knowing this, we have cultivated a variety of distributors, service centers, and strategic partners all around the globe that exclusively works with Laser Locators. These partners have been carefully selected using our years of industry knowledge and expertise to ensure our customers are treated properly.

Over time, we determined that our U.S. based customers would benefit if we brought some strategic services in-house. One notable example is freight delivery. In 2018 we made a significant investment by building our logistics department, the Laser Locators White Glove Logistics Department.

The Laser Locators White Glove Logistics Department now consists of two Sprinter cargo vans, two pickup trucks and one 28-foot Freightliner commercial truck with a custom lift explicitly designed for lasers. All of our vehicles are equipped with a variety of tools and spare parts to solve unexpected problems that may arise during the transportation and installation process. We offer white glove service exclusively operated by our well-trained staff who are fully insured.

Although the industry has changed a lot in the past 15 years, by continuing to stand by our values and focus on serving our customers, I am confident Laser Locators will continue to flourish. Although we look back at our companies past with pride, I know that the future will be even brighter.