Persistence of Vision

Ridgeview Eye Care, Olathe, KS

OWNERS: Trent Henderson, OD, and Jacob Letourneau, OD; URL: ridgevieweyecare.com; FACEBOOK: facebook.com/ridgevieweyecare; INSTAGRAM: instagram.com/ridgevieweye; FOUNDED: 2008; YEAR OPENED FEATURED LOCATION: 2019; TOP BRANDS: Varilux progressive lenses, Eyezen single vision lenses, Ørgreen, Nike, Tura; EMPLOYEES: 13 full-time, 1 part-time; AREA: 4,850 sq. ft.; BUILD OUT COST: $650,000; ARCHITECT AND DESIGN FIRMS: Optometric Architects, Eye Designs, Roya, and OMG

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RIDGEVIEW EYE CARE’S origins can be traced to a chemistry lab at the University of Kansas where, some two decades ago, undergrads Jacob Letourneau and Trent Henderson first met. The future eye doctors continued to cross paths and eventually, recalls Dr. Letourneau, “We took our state board examinations together and began the conversation of possibly opening a practice together.” That conversation bore fruit when Ridgeview Eye Care opened cold in a 1,500 sq. ft strip mall space in Olathe, a suburb of Kansas City, in 2008 … just in time for the Great Recession. The practice survived that early challenge and over the next decade Letourneau and Henderson steered their team through an important period of learning and growth until, in 2019, they moved into a stunning new office not far away. Over the course of that first decade, Letourneau and Henderson thought a lot about exactly how they wanted to achieve their goals. Says Letourneau, “After 11 years of growth, researching ways to expand on the vision and visualizing the future of our profession culminated in our new office.”

The new location is a cool, contemporary and welcoming space designed to encourage browsing and additional sales. According to Sharon Baer at Eye Designs, which was brought in to help the doctors realize their vision, the aim was to maximize the open floorplan and the vast exposed ceiling in the optical area, utilizing fixtures and design elements such as commercially rated LED lighting, hatch-pattern inset carpeting (to contrast with the stark white displays and walls), a feature bump-out wall with illuminated built-in cubbies and a unique sound baffling ceiling system.

It’s a design that, according to Letourneau, “is centered around the patient experience, their perceptions, senses, convenience, and unspoken wants. The design has influences from the Apple Store and boutique hotels. The core allows extreme efficiency, limiting the steps a patient takes, maximizing their time with our team, the doctors, and their optical experience.” Moving through the hands-free glass doors, which are controlled by the concierge, patients encounter a unique concierge desk and an environment modeled on the hospitality world. The optical is completely wireless, with all eyewear stylists using tablets only. The practice continues to serve Olathe, a neighborhood that Chief Operating Officer Robert Hileman describes as a “middle to upper income suburban mecca,” adding, “the surrounding cities offer a paradise of opportunity for professionals … while providing the safety and resources to raise a family.”

Ridgeview’s attractive digital presence accurately mirrors the physical experience, with a sleek, easy to navigate website and fun, lively social media presence which eschews stock photography and puts staff front and center in posts and TikTok videos. Says Hileman, “Our social media coordinator, Sydney, continues to expand what we do, how we engage our followers, and step towards more trendy content to expand our visibility.”

The website’s online frame store has received a particularly strong response. Patients are asked to pick out three to five frames a couple of days prior to their appointment and staff get a notification when that has been completed. The morning of the appointment the team pulls the frames and has them ready in a velvet tray with the patient’s name on it for when they arrive. Says Letourneau, “This allows us to streamline the frame selection process, showing our patients we are thinking about them even before they arrive at our office.”

Letourneau, Henderson and their team of ODs — Drs. Keri Dennis, Carrie Hartigan and Erin Mills — each contribute to the Specialty Pillars that form the basis of Ridgeview’s extensive optometric services (see Fine Story). Their “ideas and contributions to the culture, patient experience, and growth of the practice are valued no differently than us as owners,” says Letourneau, adding that this focus on collaboration extends to the entire staff. “We have a stellar team,” he says. “We are very family oriented. Our operations officer focuses on coaching our team leaders and ensuring everything we do is with our vision of the unmatched experience in mind. They really focus on helping each other, which translates to the patient.”

Not surprisingly, this spirit translates into a strong community presence, with the team actively supporting causes such as Grace Blankets, which provides much needed supplies and scholarships to neonatal ICU nurses.

Five Cool Things About Ridgeview Eye Care

1. BUSY WORK. Virtual assistants are used to support office teams with a variety of admin tasks —everything from doctor scribing to sales scribing and preparing routers and insurance.

2. EYE-CONIC. Exam rooms are not numbered but named after local attractions. (The Arrowhead room is named for the Kansas City Chiefs’ home stadium, for example.)

3. FREE FLOW. There are no front desks. The concierge’s admin tasks are hidden and moved off-stage so as not to interrupt the patient experience.

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4. JUST GLASSES. The optical is similarly minimal. Says Hileman: “We took elements from various retail models to design a simple and clean environment … No computers, brochures, etc.”

5. TO YOUR DOOR. Patients have the option of having their new glasses shipped directly to their homes, “meeting patients where they are in Amazon world.”

PHOTO GALLERY (20 IMAGES)