Drs. Susan and Neil Gailmard
WEST CHESTER, Ohio—Total Eye Care Partners (Total ECP) has acquired Gailmard Eye Center (GEC) of Munster, Ind. from husband and wife co-owners, Neil Gailmard, OD, and Susan Gailmard, OD. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Founded by Neil Gailmard in 1976 and joined by Susan in 1980, Gailmard Eye Center is one of the largest and most successful independent optometric practices in the U.S. Bob Barton, president and CEO of Total ECP told VMAIL, “We are extremely grateful to have a legacy brand such as Gailmard Eye Center join the Total ECP family. Both Susan and Neil have dedicated their lives to promoting healthy eyes and helping tens of thousands of patients obtain their best vision. This type of culture is a perfect fit for Total ECP.”

Dr. Gailmard is a well-known expert in practice management with a long career as an author, lecturer, professor, consultant and entrepreneur. Gailmard frequently wrote about GEC and other management topics in his popular e-newsletter, Optometric Management Tip of the Week, published and distributed by PentaVision. He wrote over 800 articles in the Tip series over a period of 15 years and now serves as editor of the publication. He is the author of a textbook published in 2017, titled Practice Management in Optometry. Neil was recently honored with the 2018 Meritorious Service Award from the Indiana Optometric Association.

Dr. Susan Gailmard is a graduate of Illinois College of Optometry. She retired from clinical practice after treating patients in Northwest Indiana for 30 years. Susan currently provides vision screening services to the underserved and homeless population at Monument Crisis Center in Concord, Calif. She also serves as a speaker about optometry as a career for the STEM program in public schools.



Susan Gailmard said, “We are very excited to partner with Total ECP because they will bring financial strength, management resources and economies of scale to Gailmard Eye Center. Total ECP will help GEC remain competitive as we face future challenges in optometric practice.” Dr. Gailmard stated, “We selected Total ECP as our partner because we know some of the executive team members on a personal basis and we respect and trust them. After researching the various companies in the private equity space, I feel that Total ECP is the best fit for our practice. I believe in their medical eyecare model and their desire to continue the organizational culture we worked hard to build at GEC.” He added, “The Total ECP management team will work very closely with current doctors and senior management to oversee the day to day operations of the practice.”

Dr. Ben Gaddie, Total ECP’s chief medical officer, added, “We are very excited to partner with one of the best known optometrists in the country in regards to practice management. It is an honor for Total ECP to be selected to continue the heritage of Dr. Gailmard’s exceptional practice and is another example of our commitment to working with the best-in-class doctors in this industry.”

Jay Binkowitz, EVP business strategy for Total ECP, pointed out, "We are excited and honored to add the DNA of Gailmard Eye Center to the Total ECP family. Dr. Gailmard’s contributions to all of us throughout his career is unmatched. The vision of providing the best in class opportunities for independents while preserving their individual legacy is the winning strategy for everyone.”

In connection with the transaction, Anne Kavanagh of Kavanagh Consulting represented and provided financial advice to Gailmard Eye Center.

Total ECP launched as a platform in September 2017 to seek partnerships with optometrists and to assist in managing medically-focused optometry practices in the U.S. It is backed by Imperial Capital Group, a Toronto-based private equity fund manager. Its first business partnership was with Gaddie Eye Centers. More recently, in March, as VMAIL reported, Total ECP teamed up with Alan Glazier’s Shady Grove Eye & Vision Care.