Page 9 - HC B2B Spring 2020
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BUSINESS PERSON OF THE YEAR
DR. BILL SIMONS
   MONTANA EYECARE & SUMMIT OPTICAL
What sets your business/you apart from your competitors in the industry?
We have dedicated ourselves to providing the best in quality and service to each
of the eyecare patients we serve. Every business decision we make begins with the patient, the greeting at the front desk, the care that they receive during the
exam, the eyewear they select, the contact lenses they order, the insurance billing
we provide all focused on the concept that “the patient comes first”. It is really about relationships with every patient we provide eyecare. As an extension of our practice, our spectacle eyewear lab, Summit Optical mirrors that dedication, providing the best quality eyewear in a timely manner to
help the small, independent optometrists compete in a very competitive marketplace through teamwork, vertical integration and group purchasing power.
What motivates you to succeed (or to have your business to succeed) at such a high level?
There is no better feeling than being approached on the street by a patient whom we have helped and being thanked for the beautiful glasses they are wearing, or the crisp vision they get from a properly fitted contact lens, or regaining their eyesight after cataract surgery or
the spectacular care they received from one of our staff. Improving someone’s life through service and care is very rewarding and drives each of us to continue delivering the best in quality and service at Montana Eyecare and Summit Optical.
Why choose to do business in Helena?
Helena was the community that Judy and I hoped to return to after she completed nursing school and I completed optometry school. We both grew up on the “Hi-line” and met at Carroll College with many
Business Person of the Year award winner Dr. Bill Simons.
 fond memories created during our Carroll/ Helena experience. As luck would have it, Dr. Mike Coffee, Dr. Jim Wilkins
and Dr. Tom Rasmussen invited me to join them at Helena Optometric Group (now Montana Eyecare) in 1986. They had already set in motion the mission of excellent eyecare and provided a positive learning environment to mentor a young, enthusiastic optometrist with unbridled energy who was eager to learn. When Dr. Wilkins retired, he directed me to leave the practice better than I received it. To that end, we have done everything in my power to continue that legacy with 50 years of continuous growth and a beautiful new building to help us deliver the best
in eyecare.
What is the most important thing to you in running your business?
Improving
someone’s life through service and care is very rewarding.
Well, first and foremost providing the best eyecare to the patients we serve. When
we were first out of optometry school, Judy and I moved to Cut Bank and purchased an optometric practice. Soon after, I sat down with my dad and voiced my concerns
Business Person of the Year: Bill Simons continued on page 11
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