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NEW YORK—Additional dates and venues have been set for “Demystifying Private Equity and Its Role in Optometry,” a series of seminars for OD practice owners. The groundbreaking seminar series will be held in Atlanta on Oct. 12, and in Houston on Oct. 19. Additional events are slated for Orlando on Nov. 9, Boston on Nov. 16, and Southern California on Dec. 7. The seminar series, developed by Review of Optometric Business (ROB), kicked off in July in Dallas, and that event was followed by a second event in Chicago in August. Each event was attended by more than 50 OD-owners and was sponsored by five companies backed by private equity (PE) funds and a practice broker.

“The opportunity for optometry practices to benefit from the Private Equity partnering has never been better,” said Richard Edlow, OD, who spoke at the event.

Participants will hear presentations on opportunities and objectives of private equity funds in the current health care environment, how to compute and maximize practice valuation, and in how acquisition deals are structured and negotiated.

In addition, there is a workshop in how to determine practice valuation, followed by an application of multiples to determine potential sale price. Participants then can elect to meet in one-on-one meetings with reps from the PE groups that sponsor the series.

“Transitioning from owner of a practice to an employee of one takes some getting used to,” advised speaker Ken Krivacic, OD, of Irving, Texas. “And you should expect that the company acquiring you wants you to remain and for your practice to continue to grow.”

“We’re here to guide you through a process that, frankly, a buyer goes through every day and a seller once or maybe twice in a lifetime,” said Jason Praeter, managing partner, Dallas, for Kavanagh Consulting , LLC, which specializes in brokering practice sales. “Having an advocate on the seller’s side can ensure that you get a better deal.”

“The Demystifying Private Equity program is designed to equip you with a transition strategy, if not a pathway, that will help you to secure your future,” added moderator Roger Mummert, ROB content director.

The series grew out of an earlier series of seminars, “Private Equity Takes Root,” held at Vision Expo East and West that were developed by Vision Monday and Review of Optometric Business.

“We saw an overwhelming interest in the PE investment opportunity at our first two events,” says Al Greco, ROB publisher. “This led us to develop a more intensive, workshop-based program that equips OD-owners to explore transition opportunities in a highly informed manner—and to meet one-on-one with representatives of the leading PE companies.”

There is no charge to attend the event, for ODs and key office staff. To register, visit
www.reviewob.com/pe

Sponsoring "Demystifying Private Equity and Its Role in Optometry," are Acuity Eyecare Group; Eyecare Partners, LLC; Kavanagh Consulting, LLC; Keplr Vision; myeyedr. and VSP Ventures.