DRS. BENJAMIN WALDO (right) and Janna Scofield (left) met and earned their degrees at Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, TN. While working on their degrees, they discovered that they shared the same goal to operate their own practice once out of school. In September of 2008, they purchased Salmon Creek Vision Centre. Photo courtesy of Viki Eierdam.
When this husband and wife teamed up to buy an optometry practice, they searched both coasts out of fairness to their respective family roots. And, the Pacific Northwest won.
Drs. Benjamin Waldo and Janna Scofield met and earned their degrees at Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, TN. While working on their degrees, they discovered that they shared the same goal to operate their own practice once out of school.
Living in Waldo’s home state of West Virginia at the time, Waldo and Scofield began searching for a practice in that area as well as Scofield’s home state of Washington.
In September of 2008, they purchased Salmon Creek Vision Centre, established by Dr. Robert Miller in 1981.
Commenting on any challenges owning a business with a spouse can produce, Waldo said, “It actually has gone very, very well. I think any time you’re in business together, it’s when to turn the business off. You’re talking about it over dinner and everything.”
On the flip side, Waldo and Scofield can relate with how their respective day has gone better than some couples and they mirror the same work ethic.
Salmon Creek Vision Centre provides complete, comprehensive eye care including ocular health preventative testing and eye glass and contact less prescriptions and fittings. Additionally, the Vision Centre participates in InfantSEE, a program that screens infants from 6-12 months free of charge.
“We are extremely medically-based from pediatric to geriatric, from six months to 106,” Waldo said.
For specialized needs such as low vision, children’s vision therapy, stroke patients and anything surgically-based, the Vision Centre refers its patients to qualified ophthalmologists in the area.
When it comes to eye health, there are a lot of options available for area residents, but the Vision Centre focuses on the total experience. Making it a point to spend more individual time with patients and steering away from the larger corporate model of a rushed get in, get out appointment are just two of the noticeable differences at the Vision Centre.
Proof of their commitment to quality care is the fact that patients drive from Kalama, Woodland and Battle Ground to be seen by Waldo and Scofield. Even patients who have moved from the Vancouver area into Portland continue to drive across the bridge to Salmon Creek Vision Centre for their eye care needs.
Offering frames that are unique to the Vancouver area is something the Vision Centre continually strives for.
Waldo said, “Our frame lines are second to none. Ninety percent of the stuff we have is cutting edge.”
The opticians working at the Vision Centre have a heavy hand in specific frame selection, but the choice of which brands to offer patients is a collaborative effort with the doctors. This combination ensures that everyone in the decision-making process is always on top of trends and design enhancements that will benefit patients.
Rounding out this family-based practice are two opticians with over 36 years of experience between them, two dedicated receptionists who job-share and a billing specialist.
“I feel like, in general, our staff has been phenomenal in putting the patient first,’’ Scofield said. “I’ve never been in an office where that effort has been put forth. They work well together.”
While the Vision Centre carries about 600 frames routinely, a trunk show was recently held on-site. When a frame vendor contracts with an optical shop, the shop must choose a finite amount of frames based on the space available to display them.
“When vendors come for trunk shows, they bring their whole line so it gives patients the full experience of that company’s product. When they show up and have 400-600 frames, it’s pretty crazy,” said Waldo.
Multiply that selection by several vendors and patients have a lot of choice during trunk shows. The Vision Centre has a goal to host two trunk shows a year moving forward.
From sports goggles to children’s glasses, sun wear to street wear, contact lenses to safety glasses, Salmon Creek Vision Centre covers pretty much the whole gamut of eyewear.
Salmon Creek Vision Centre is located at 13912 NE 20th Avenue Ste 200, Vancouver. They can be reached at (360) 574-6030 or online at salmoncreekvision.com.
