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RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif.—VSP Ventures, a care-focused practice transition partner and a business unit of VSP Global, announced Thursday the acquisition of Brookside Optometric Group in Stockton, Calif. Founded in 1998 by the late Craig Hisaka, OD, Brookside Optometric Group was established after the five largest optometric practices in Stockton merged together, according to the announcement. The terms of the deal were not disclosed. VSP Ventures was launched in March 2019 as part of VSP Global’s expanded retail strategy, as VMAIL reported. 

Brookside Optometric Group will continue to operate under its existing name and all doctors and practice staff will remain in their roles.

Under Dr. Hisaka’s leadership, the practice grew steadily for more than two decades and today employs 13 optometrists and more than 40 staff members. Dr. Hisaka passed away in June 2019, but left an "incredible legacy of patient care, which the practice continues to carry forward in his memory," according to the announcement.

“Dr. Hisaka set an amazing example of delivering personalized eyecare to all who entered our practice,” Rosemary Melrose, OD, and a partner at Brookside Optometric Group, said in the announcement. “We’re proud to carry his vision forward, including his wish to partner with VSP Ventures and extend the practice’s work into the future.”

“We’re honored that Dr. Hisaka and his partners chose to partner with our team, as we are aligned perfectly with their care-focused philosophy,” VSP Ventures president Steve Baker said in the announcement. “Doctors throughout the country continue to show great interest in our offerings which provide unique transition options that preserve the business they’ve built, instead of a model of purchasing and reselling.”

The Brookside practice specializes in an array of eyecare services and offerings, including specialty contact lenses and LASIK. Many of the practice’s doctors have served as faculty at the University of California, Berkeley, School of Optometry, and remain active in giving back to the local community as well as international charitable organizations, according to the announcement.

In October, VSP Ventures announced two separate California transactions: the acquisition of Redhawk Vision Center in Temecula, Calif., and the acquisition of University Optometry, a boutique optometry practice based in Palo Alto, Calif., as VMAIL reported.