Visual Eyes – “Investing in the community, our town, and our business is investing in the future of my children and grandchildren, and the lives of our friends.”

Quotes Courtesy of Dr. Ben Winters

It all came down to a few of those defining moments where uncertainty, adversity, and fear is faced head on; those moments where individuals push past their comfort zones, risking their own security, reputation, or comfort. Many of those exact same moments happened when Dr. Ben Winters and his beautiful wife, Kate, committed to Milton-Freewater and creating a new home for their Optometry practice, Visual Eyes!!

Back in 2014, Ben and Kate first ventured into Milton-Freewater for an interview with Dr. Garton, and their second trip was “with a U-Haul, moving into a home that Dr. Garton had found for us.” Today, they have their five children enrolled in four different schools in the district: Gib, Central, Ferndale, and Mac-Hi; Ben and Kate enjoy calling Milton-Freewater home so much that they are “100% committed to being lifetime Milton-Freewater Residents.” In 2023, with their darling children in tow, they had begun the process of starting construction on their family home.

As fate would have it, at the very last minute, Ben saw the former Baker Boyer building on Columbia Street and therein emerged “this vision for something grander. [Visual Eyes has] grown and been profitable, and we could have stayed there. But this new place here gives us the opportunity to have more services to patients and to the community. We’re going to host local art on the walls, and I would love to see new businesses come in. We might even host food trucks or car washes for our service clubs. We wouldn’t mind using our park area for the Farmer’s Market or another type of market. It’s got good visibility and beautiful, mature, shady trees.”

With their own life experiences to guide them, Ben and Kate are addressing emergent community crises by creating an oasis of medical care at the former Baker Boyer Bank. They are adding new features to the building including a play area for children and noise insulated rooms for more patient privacy. It is “super handicap accessible with ADA bathrooms, automatic doors, and 4ft or wider hallways for ultimate patient comfort.” Ben and Kate want to offer additional health care options in the building such as massage therapy, audiology, mental health counseling, and career occupational therapy. Ben and Kate are generously offering long-term tenant contracts at an affordable price, starting at $400/month- including a shared waiting and reception area, in order to attract independent providers to the area. And, with an estimated 12,000+ vehicles per day passing by the new Visual Eyes building, their new sign will accommodate two other businesses.

Ultimately, courageous decisions are transformative: shaping individuals and communities, and inspiring others to follow suit. “Investing in the community, our town, and our business is investing in the future of my children and grandchildren, and the lives of our friends.” What drives their hearts of service is evident in everything they do, and they have deep gratitude for this community. “I’d like to give a few shout outs to our local contractors that have helped us. We’ve used people that live here in Milton-Freewater as much as we can for the work that’s been done here. Jones Excavation, Propeck Painting, Stewart’s Floor Covering, Total Office Concepts, Central Washington Asphalt, Sign Men, and Martin Ramirez Lawn Care. They’ve treated us so well.”

For more information about Visual Eyes, visit their website at https://www.visionsource-visualeyes.com/  or call (541) 938-5888. Come to their Ribbon Cutting on 5/17/2024 from 5-7:30PM for family-friendly tours, fun, and food!