Burrows Vision Clinics sell

Monday, February 2, 2015
Dr. Greg Burrows, left, and Dr. Tim Burrows, right, have announced the sale of Burrows Vision Clinic to Dr. Thomas Moser, center, and his wife, Delight. (Gene O. Morris/McCook Gazette)

McCOOK, Nebraska -- After deciding that a large city was not where they wanted to raise their children, Dr. Thomas Moser and his wife, Delight, began looking into vision clinic opportunities in small towns in the western half of the United States.

The search took the better part of a year, with the Mosers checking on vision clinics available for sale in a number of widespread locations, including optometry offices in New Mexico, Colorado, Nebraska and Washington state

Finally, in the last part of 2014, the Mosers found the opportunity they were looking for in the communities of McCook and Benkelman, Nebraska. Negotiations began soon thereafter and effective January 1, 2015, the Mosers became the owners of the vision centers previously known as Burrows Vision Clinic.

"Everything worked out like we had hoped," said Dr. Moser. "McCook and Benkelman are good towns with strong family values and Drs. Greg and Tim Burrows have built the kind of optometric practices that we admire. They treat each patient individually, with kindness and respect."

Making the transition even more attractive for Dr. Moser is the fact that both Dr. Greg and Dr. Tim have agreed to continue to see patients in conjunction with Dr. Moser at the McCook and Benkelman clinics. The employees at the vision clinics -- including five staff members in McCook and two in Benkelman -- will also remain.

A few changes will be coming. One will be the re-naming of the clinics, with the new title, "My Family Vision Clinic," to be introduced in the near future.

"My wife, Delight, and I talked a lot about the name and chose 'My Family' because it reflects our desire to be of service to all ages and all families," he said. Thomas and Delight, who met in 2003 while students at Chandler-Gilbert Community College in Arizona, fell in love and later married. They are the parents of five children: Tate, 7; Beckett, 5, twins Easton and Everett, 3; and Emmeline, 1.

Dr. Moser developed his admiration for small town living during his childhood, which was spent in the town of Kingston in Tennessee. "Kingston is close to the size of McCook and I loved it there, playing baseball and spending time outdoors in the Appalachians."

It was Thomas's baseball skills which took him to Chandler-Gilbert, where he played shortstop for the community college. Following his time there, Moser spent two years doing mission work in Brazil.

Upon his return, Moser continued his education at Brigham Young University, earning a B.A. degree in biology in 2006. Next, Moser began advanced studies at Ohio State University, where he gained his degree in optometry in 2010.

Between then and now, Dr. Moser has been employed as an optometrist in Phoenix, Arizona.

With the purchase of the Burrows vision clinics, Dr. Moser will extend an eye care tradition which has been ongoing since 1951 when Dr. Ernest Schreiner opened an optometry office in Benkelman. Dr. Greg Burrows joined Dr. Schreiner in the practice in 1976 and, following Dr. Schreiner's retirement, the eye care center became known as Burrows Vision Clinic. When Dr. Tim Burrows joined the optometric practice, Burrows Vision Clinic expanded to McCook, opening the clinic here in 1985. Six years later, in 1991, the vision clinic at 212 West Ninth Street was completed and opened for business.

Dr. Moser has arrived in McCook and is making arrangements for his family's move to Southwest Nebraska. "We have made an offer on a house and are looking forward to moving here in the near future," he said. Family and church activities are priorities for the Moser family, who will be attending a local congregation. In their leisure time, the family enjoys hiking excursions and the outdoors. As a graduate of Ohio State, Dr. Moser is enjoying Ohio State's national football championship this year, but is looking forward to rooting for the Cornhuskers next year.

Drs. Greg and Tim Burrows said they are very appreciative of the people from the Tri-State Region who have come to them for their eye care needs.

The Burrows brothers, who have a combined total of 68 years at the Benkelman and McCook clinics, will continue to see patients at the eye clinics in the foreseeable future. They said they have high regard for Dr. Moser and feel fortunate he is bringing his optometric skill and patient-centered approach to this area.

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