Arkansas Optometric Association

What Arkansas Optometric Association does

The Arkansas Optometric Association (AROA), founded in 1906 and headquartered in Little Rock, is a nonprofit professional membership association representing optometrists practicing in the state of Arkansas. Its mission is to preserve, promote, and advance optometry, delivered through three member segments: Doctors of Optometry (the primary segment), paraoptometric staff, and future doctors / optometry students. AROA operates as the state-level affiliate of the American Optometric Association (AOA), providing dual membership benefits that include federal advocacy, AOA-PAC participation, COPE-accredited continuing education, the Third Party Center for health-plan credentialing and reimbursement support, and practice management resources.

The association's core deliverables are non-software services: legislative and regulatory advocacy, continuing education programming anchored by a Spring Convention and a Fall Convention (the Fall Convention scheduled at Oaklawn Racing Casino Resort with OD registration tiers from $440 early-bird to $765 on-site), an annual awards program recognizing Optometrist of the Year, Young OD, Distinguished Service, Lifetime of Excellence, Paraoptometric of the Year, and the Myron Shofner Award of Excellence, plus a student pipeline comprising three $1,500 scholarships, 10 student travel grants, and engagement with the Southern College of Optometry. Distribution is direct-to-member through the arkansas.aoa.org portal, AOA SSO-integrated accounts, social channels (Facebook, Instagram, X), and email newsletters syndicated from AOA national.

Revenue is generated from four streams: recurring annual membership dues (subscription), convention registration fees (one-time), exhibit-hall booth rentals (~$625 per booth), and a four-tier Industry Partnership Program (Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze) featuring industry sponsors such as Neurolens (Platinum), Essilor, McFarland Eye Care, Central Arkansas LASIK (Gold), Alcon and UAMS/PCSI (Silver), and Bausch + Lomb, CooperVision, J&J Vision, Zeiss, and HOYA (Bronze). No revenue figure is publicly disclosed. The organization has no parent company, no subsidiaries, no funding rounds, no M&A activity, and no disclosed leadership changes.

Name

Arkansas Optometric Association

Legal name

Arkansas Optometric Association

Website

https://arkansas.aoa.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1906

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Arkansas Optometric Association is a 1906-founded nonprofit professional membership association serving Doctors of Optometry, paraoptometric staff, and optometry students in Arkansas through advocacy, COPE-accredited continuing education, annual conventions, scholarships, and a tiered industry partnership program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Little Rock

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues from optometrists and paraoptometrics in Arkansas who join the AROA/AOA
2. Convention Registration Fees: Revenue from convention registration including OD, paraoptometric, and student attendees
3. Exhibit Hall Fees: Revenue from industry exhibitors renting booth space at conventions
4. Industry Partnerships/Sponsorships: Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Bronze partnership tiers with industry sponsors

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Arkansas Optometric Association (AROA) is a nonprofit professional membership organization founded in 1906 that serves optometrists, paraoptometrics, and optometry students in Arkansas. It delivers legislative advocacy at the state and federal level, COPE-accredited continuing education, annual conventions (Spring and Fall), practice management and Third Party Center support, industry partnership sponsorship opportunities, and recognition programs including scholarships and awards.

Product overview

The Arkansas Optometric Association (AROA) is a professional membership association for optometrists in Arkansas, founded in 1906. The organization provides member services including advocacy, continuing education, networking events, scholarships, and awards recognition. The association does not offer a software product or technology platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• AROA/AOA Membership
• COPE-Accredited Continuing Education

Named customers3 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

16 partnerships are on record, tiered core, platinum, gold, silver and bronze.

• American Optometric Association (AOA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAROA is an affiliated state association of the American Optometric Association. Members receive dual membership in both organizations with access to AOA resources, advocacy at the federal level, national CE programs, and AOA-PAC participation.
• American Optometric Student Association (AOSA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAOSA represents optometry students nationally. AROA supports student engagement through scholarships, travel grants to conventions, and student liaison programs.
• NeurolensplatinumGTM or Marketing PartnerPlatinum Partner - Leading sponsor of AROA events and conventions
• EssilorgoldGTM or Marketing PartnerGold Partner - Industry sponsor with multiple partnership tiers including lens products
• McFarland Eye CaregoldGTM or Marketing PartnerGold Partner - Local Arkansas eye care practice and industry sponsor
• Central Arkansas LASIKgoldGTM or Marketing PartnerGold Partner - Laser eye surgery provider in Arkansas
• AlconsilverGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver Partner - Global eye care company providing surgical and vision care products
• Bausch + LombbronzeGTM or Marketing PartnerBronze Partner - Contact lens and eye health products manufacturer
• CooperVisionbronzeGTM or Marketing PartnerBronze Partner - Contact lens manufacturer
• Johnson & Johnson VisionbronzeGTM or Marketing PartnerBronze Partner - Global eye health and vision care company
• ZeissbronzeGTM or Marketing PartnerBronze Partner - Optics and optoelectronics company
• HOYAbronzeGTM or Marketing PartnerBronze Partner - Lens technology company
• UAMS (University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences)silverGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver Partner through PCSI - Academic medical center partnership
• Southern College of OptometrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMany Arkansas optometrists graduate from SCO. AROA maintains student engagement programs with this institution including State Day Dinner, student liaisons, and scholarship support.
• Arkansas State Board of OptometrycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegulatory board that licenses optometrists in Arkansas. AROA members serve on this board and the association coordinates CE requirements and licensure matters.
• Vision SourcecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Rusty Simmons serves as Vision Source Administrator of Arkansas, connecting independent optometry practices through this network.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Vision Source: A national network of independent optometrists (with an Arkansas administrator named in AROA's data). Competes with AROA for relevance in the independent-OD segment but overlaps in networking and practice support.

Direct peers

• Texas Optometric Association: A large state optometric association under the AOA federation, offering the same mix of legislative advocacy, COPE-accredited CE, conventions, and industry partnership tiers. Directly comparable in structure, services, and revenue model to AROA, just at a much larger scale.
• Louisiana State Association of Optometrists: Adjacent state optometric association with similar scale and structure to AROA, providing a clean benchmark for membership growth, convention scale, and advocacy outcomes in the lower-South region.
• Mississippi Optometric Association: Regional peer state association in a small, rural state similar in size and demographic profile to Arkansas. Comparable member base size, advocacy model, and convention scale.
• Tennessee Association of Optometric Physicians: Another AOA-affiliated state optometric association in a neighboring region, operating the same advocacy + CE + convention model. Highly comparable on revenue streams, GTM, and membership structure.
• Missouri Optometric Association: Neighboring AOA state affiliate with overlapping scope-of-practice battles and similar mix of urban/rural membership. Direct comparable on services, advocacy intensity, and industry sponsorship structure.

Broad incumbents

• American Optometric Association (AOA): The national umbrella professional association for optometrists in the U.S. AROA is an affiliated state association of AOA, so AOA is the direct parent-style body governing AROA's national coordination, advocacy, and dual-membership model.

Others

• Arkansas State Dental Association: Another Arkansas state professional association with similar dues-based model, annual conventions, and industry partnership programs. Comparable on GTM and scale, though dental-specific.
• PECAA: A Silver-tier industry partner of AROA, PECAA is a doctor alliance group serving independent optometrists with vendor-negotiation and practice-management services. Conceptually adjacent to AROA's value prop of helping independent ODs operate more profitably.
• Arkansas Medical Society: State-level professional medical association with analogous advocacy, CME, and convention model. Useful cross-professional benchmark for member economics, advocacy leverage, and sponsorship dynamics, though in a different specialty.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Ark_Opt_Assn
• Facebookfacebook.com/arkansasoptometricassociation
• Instagraminstagram.com/aroptometry

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Arkansas Optometric Association