Small Towns: The Best Places to Do Business
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Dr. Bradley Grant, O.D., prefers working in small towns. And, he’s picked Clinton as one of those towns for his Mid-State Eye practice.
“I live in Decatur. We have an office in Shelbyville and now here, so Decatur is a good central ground,” Dr. Grant said. “Dr. Dunn, the other doctor who is here, comes down from Bloomington.”
Dr. Jason Dunn is in the Clinton Mid-State Eye office a couple of times a week.
Grant splits his time between his Clinton and Shelbyville practices. He said they currently were searching for a third person to help cover the two locations.
“We wanted to put an office in Clinton because of how well it has gone in Shelbyville,” Grant said.
He bought the Clinton practice from Dr. D.R. Gordon, who recently retired. Robin Lecouris, who ran the office for many years for Dr. Gordon, continues in that capacity for Dr. Grant. Three new additional staff members join Lecouris, Grant and Dunn.
Grant has invested in equipment and technology so local patients can get the same service and products they could receive out-of-town.
The Clinton practice has been doing great, Grant said. He said it has been encouraging to see the loyalty of patients who were treated by Dr. Gordon, and by Dr. Gordon’s, father, Wayne.
It has been a 50/50 mix of patients, with about half being new. Grant said people are coming in, “because they heard we were here.”
“There really isn’t anybody within 20 miles that offers the same services,” he said.
He reminds residents the beginning of the new school year is a good time to have their students’ eyes examined.
Illinois requires eye exams for students entering kindergarten. The law requires exams to be completed by October 15.
Grant’s wife, Shaylon, is a nurse practitioner, and they have three children, Gatsby, Iggy and Benson. The Mt. Carmel, Ill. native graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University, Bloomington, and Southern College of Optometry, Memphis, Tenn.
But, Grant said he prefers practicing in a small-town environment.
“I think it’s much harder to do business in bigger communities than in small towns,” he said. “And, I think people are just more friendly.”
Mid-State Eye accepts patients of all ages and those on public aid. Grant feels that, in a small town, it is important to be able to serve everyone.
“I really enjoy the small-town environment; it’s a better place to do business,” Grant said.