LOUISVILLE, Ken.—Kenmark Eyewear has been celebrating its 50th anniversary this year with a special giveaway, celebratory events and more. For customers, Kenmark celebrated throughout the year with a variety of giveaways on social media, special events, promotions, incentives, donation efforts and more. For its largest celebration, Kenmark will give away two tickets to the 2023 Kentucky Derby, as well as $2,000 for flights and hotel accommodations. Kenmark’s headquarters are located in Louisville, where the Derby takes place. Entry is open here and no purchase necessary.

Kenmark Eyewear CEO Mike Cundiff said, “We are so happy and excited to celebrate our 50th year in business. I want to thank all of our loyal customers and employees through the years that have made all of our success possible. We’ve overcome many challenges and celebrated many successes over the years, with many more I’m sure more to come, but we are so proud of our journey and everyone involved and can’t wait to see where the next 50 lead us.”
 
Mark Kerman founded Kenmark Optical in 1972; the company started with house brands before expanding to licenses in 1973. Kenmark exhibited at Vision Expo East for the first time in 1990, and some of the company’s most notable licenses came in the following years: Vera Wang in 2001, Lilly Pulitzer in 2008, Original Penguin in 2011 and many more.
 
In 2007, Kenmark became 100 percent employee owned, and celebrated its 35th anniversary. Mike Cundiff was named CEO in 2012, and in 2017 Kenmark Optical rebranded to Kenmark Eyewear. In 2019, Kenmark launched Paradigm, its first independent eyewear line.
 
Today, Kenmark Eyewear continues to be home to Paradigm, Vera Wang, Lilly Pulitzer and Original Penguin as well as kensie, Elliott ives, Jhane Barnes, Zac Posen, Timex, Dana Buchman and Wolverine.