New Building, New Owner, Same Service – Patty Vision Center of Roxboro
Patty Vision Center in Roxboro, NC By Peter Berry
On July 14 of this year, Patty Vision Center of Roxboro celebrated the ribbon cutting of a new building in a new location. Patty Vision Center first came to Roxboro in February of 2003 when Dr. Reid Patty, owner of Patty Vision Center in Yanceyville, purchased the business located at 415 Semora Road from Dr. Donald Covert. Dr. Covert had taken over the practice of Dr. Frank MacFadyen, whose office I remember visiting on Depot Street in my youth.
The new Patty Vision building at 2858 Durham Road offers much more space and visibility for the business, now under the ownership of Dr. Trey Benfield. The practice had simply outgrown the old Semora Road space. As for visibility, Anna Welch, who has been with the company most of its time in Roxboro, has to tell people “No, we are not a new business and have been in Roxboro for at least 20 years; just not in this location.”
Dr. Reid Patty
After receiving his Doctor of Optometry degree at the Southern College of Optometry in Memphis, Tenn., Reid Patty returned to his hometown of Burlington in 1982 and began working with Dr. Virgil Mewborn in his Burlington office. In February 1983, they opened a branch office in Yanceyville. Dr. Patty wanted to see that people in rural areas could have the best eye care possible. In 1984, he purchased Dr. Mewborn’s interest in Yanceyville and later that year began a second practice of his own in Burlington. In 1996, he built the building which the practice still occupies in Yanceyville.
Recently, he had a patient who he remembered seeing as a high school student. The young man had gone on to college, moved from Yanceyville, and, after retiring from his career and returning to Yanceyville, asked Dr. Patty what he had been doing. Dr. Patty’s reply was, “pretty much what I was the last time you saw me.” The warmth and the laughter in his voice told me this story verified that he was just where he wanted to be.
He does have one big regret though. After opening the practice, he and his wife were looking for a place in the area to live. They found a really nice A-frame overlooking Hyco Lake but were a bit daunted by the $50,000 price. Not buying it “was the dumbest thing [he] ever did!”
Dr. Trey Benfield
Dr. Benfield received his Doctor of Optometry degree from the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Optometry in 2004. From there he completed a residency in ocular disease and pathology at the Tuscaloosa Veterans Medical Center. The experiences he had while there reaffirmed that he wanted to work in a rural area. He went to work for Dr. Patty in the Yanceyville and Burlington offices in 2005. When Dr. Patty began thinking of selling his practice, he knew just where to look. The two men had been working together for almost 20 years and had reached an equity agreement in the business relationship based on the kindness and loyalty of each.
Dr. Patty knew that his life’s work would be safe in the hands of Dr. Benfield. Not only does he love the practice in more rural areas but he believes in operating a business from a sense of values. He realizes that his first responsibility is to serve his patients, unlike many small eye centers that are bought by private equity groups whose main focus is profits. He wants each of the locations he owns not to be cookie cutter offices but stand on the three-legged stool of service, fitting into the community, and creating a work environment like family. Long time employees like Anna in the Roxboro office and Tina Slayton in the Yanceyville office are great examples of this, providing a sense of continuity and familiarity not often found in healthcare today.
From the Same Piece of Cloth
After talking with Dr. Patty and Dr. Benfield, I think they are cut from the same piece of cloth. They both share the view that bringing services to people in more rural areas is important, and even more important is the focus on the people instead of the profit. For many years, Dr. Patty worked providing services in two – then three – locations, and after giving up ownership, he continues to see patients three days a week. Dr. Benfield oversees the operations of the three Patty Vision Centers and his Mebane office while seeing patients five days a week. Both are good men driven by service. The new location in Roxboro has been built to accommodate two full-time doctors, but it seems there is more of a demand for services than a supply of service providers. Obviously, we need more Dr. Pattys and Dr. Benfields in our communities today.
2858 Durham Rd
Roxboro, NC 27573
(336) 599-0246
PattyVisionCenters.com
