SAN FRANCISCO—H.I.G. Capital, a leading global private equity investment firm, announced that one of its affiliates has made a strategic investment in Arizona’s Barnet Dulaney Perkins and Southwestern Eye Center, two leading eyecare practices.

Barnet Dulaney Perkins (BDP), which operates 15 locations and two affiliate locations, is headquartered in Phoenix, Ariz., and Southwestern Eye Center based in Mesa, Ariz. has 24 locations. They are the leading eyecare practices in the state, offering a full range of clinical and surgical eyecare, providing care to urban and underserved rural communities throughout the Southwest. They offer a full range of ophthalmic care including treatments for cataracts, glaucoma and retinal disorders as well as vision correction and oculoplastics.

“We are very pleased to be partnering with the doctors, employees, shareholders and management teams of BDP and Southwestern. Both practices have been leaders in their market and have a tremendous reputation for high quality patient care,” said Rob Wolfson, managing director at H.I.G. Capital. “We plan to leverage the companies’ unique scale and best practices to continue to provide excellent clinical care, which is the foundation for sustained growth in Arizona and throughout the Southwest.”

Mark Rosenberg, who has been the CEO of BDP, will lead the companies’ day-to-day operations, the announcement said. Lothaire Bluth, MD, the founder of Southwestern, will become the chairman of the board. Both practices have ophthalmologists and optometrists on staff.

“With the evolving health care landscape, it is important that independent providers work together to share resources and best practices. We are excited to partner with H.I.G. and BDP to continue to deliver great patient care and career opportunities for all of our employees,” said Dr. Bluth.

Stated Rosenberg, “The entire BDP team is looking forward to the partnership with H.I.G. and Southwestern. BDP and Southwestern have been friendly competitors for years and share similar cultural values. We are looking forward to working together to better serve our patients throughout Arizona.”

H.I.G. is a leading global private equity and alternative assets investment firm with $21 billion of equity capital under management. Based in Miami, and with offices in New York, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Atlanta in the U.S., as well as international affiliate offices in London, Hamburg, Madrid, Milan, Paris, Bogotá, Mexico City and Rio de Janeiro, H.I.G. specializes in providing both debt and equity capital to small and mid-sized companies, utilizing a flexible and operationally focused/ value-added approach.