Building a practice from

MONTGOMERY, OD ’14, was running out of room. The private optometry practice he opened cold in Paducah, Kentucky, just months after graduating from SCO, had quickly outgrown its 2,400-square-foot space.

“We hired an associate optometrist, but our current space was really only designed for one doctor,” says Dr. Montgomery, who began renting a separate office to offer vision therapy services. “Our growth exceeded our expectations.”

Instead of buying a larger building to house West End Eye Care, Dr. Montgomery decided to build his dream optometry practice from the ground up. The goal was to construct a state-of-the-art office that would combine primary care and the practice specialties, such as vision therapy, plus have room to spare for future growth.

Dr. Montgomery bought a piece of land about a half-mile from his original practice location and hired Optometric Architects, an Iowa-based eye care office design firm, to sketch out the 7,100-square-foot building. Barbara Wright Design, an interior designer specializing in optical office design, was brought on to give the inside of the building a luxury feel.

Dr. Montgomery also found support from other medical professionals, such as a local orthodontist and another optometrist, who had built new offices. Still, Montgomery says he “made a ton of mistakes” during the process. “Every single thing is new and unfamiliar to you,” he says. “It’s not for the faint of heart.”