INVISION, “The Magazine for the American Eyecare Professional” has revealed their choices for the 2016 America’s Finest Optical Retailers. In its third annual contest, Blount County Eye Center (BCEC) in Maryville, TN was selected as the Honorable Mention for this year’s award!
The America’s Finest Optical Retailers Contest highlights the best examples of independent eyecare practices and retailers in North America. They are judged by a panel of optical industry retail experts on six categories: story, exterior appearance, interior appearance, advertising & marketing, store website and overall individuality. “Every year we feel privileged to bring our readers the best of the best in our industry,” said Ralf Kircher, INSTORE’s executive director. “Winning stores often have amazing product lineups and are impressive to look at. But a store wouldn’t really fit our ‘cool’ criteria if it weren’t for such aspects as innovative marketing, creative retail environment and unique work culture.”
Designed by Studio 4 Design in Knoxville and constructed by Leon Williams Contractors in Maryville, the building is truly unique to this east Tennessee region. It features 28 ft. ceilings with exposed trusses, polished concrete floors, barnwood walls & accents, and many tables and fixtures made from reclaimed wood. It also features a full-service optical lab complete with drive-thru window for patient convenience. BCEC has also expanded over the last 12 months from two full-time Optometric Physicians to 5 full-time Optometric Physicians as well as adding both in-house and on-call Ophthalmology services. They have also opened Blount County’s first and only full-service Vision Therapy Clinic as well as opening BCEC 4 Kids (a clinic specifically for kids ages 6 months – 15 years). BCEC is proud to operate their Eye Love wear & share program which donates a brand new eyeglasses frame each time someone purchases a frame from their optical. These donated frames are given to their partner clinics in Guatemala and Haiti.
Honorable Mention retailers are featured as monthly America’s Finest profiles in issues of INVISION Magazine from September 2016 through June 2017 
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About Blount County Eye Center:
Blount County Eye Center (BCEC) is located in Maryville, TN at 702 S. Foothills Plaza Drive. Originally founded over 60 years ago in downtown Maryville, BCEC has been serving the eye care needs of Blount County for generations. In 2014, Dr. Will Tantum took over operations of BCEC as its Practice Director, and in August 2015 the practice moved into their new location near the new Kroger Marketplace in Maryville. The new stand-alone facility is over 9,000 sq. ft. of patient care and optical retail space.
The mission at BCEC remains on service: service to patients, service to our staff and service to the community they serve. They’ve taken traditional eye care and placed emphasis back on the importance of the experience that patients have, creating a culture of positivity & encouragement that you can feel throughout your visit.
Visit their website at www.BlountEye.com to learn more.