Editor's Note: Local officials joined management and staff from Regional Eye Associates to hold an official ribbon cutting this afternoon at White Oaks as shown in the picture above. The picture at the very bottom is of the lobby and reception area. The building is situated just below TGI Friday's and fronts the I-79 southbound off  ramp onto Jerry Dove Drive. Below is the original story on the busines that ran Nov. 17, 2017 on Connect-Bridgeport. The business is open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. To learn more or make an appointment, call 304-842-4070.

 

Business just keeps on growing at the White Oaks development off of Interstate 79 in Bridgeport. And their latest project will come in with a price tag easily exceeding seven figures.

 

According to Ron Stanley, the manager of High Tech Corridor Development, the group responsible for the development of White Oaks, they will be leasing a new building and start construction in the near future. Stanley said the company in question that will occupy the building is Regional Eye Associates (REA).

 

“We have yet to construct the building, but we anticipate beginning site work as early as this coming week,” said Stanley.

 

Cove Run Contracting will do the site work. The Thrasher Group, which is based in White Oaks, will handle the architectural and engineering work on the building. Once everything is complete, the total project cost will be in excess of $2 million.

 

If Regional Eye Associates sounds familiar, there’s a good reason for it. The business is already in operation in Bridgeport with offices situated on Thompson Drive.

 

In fact, Regional Eye Associates have six offices with four in West Virginia and two in Maryland, along with a surgery center in Morgantown. According to their Web site, the practice offers a wide variety of eye care solutions including multiple surgical options.

 

“With our ongoing mission to help patients restore vision and empower lives, the Regional Eye Associates is excited to break ground on our new facility in the White Oaks Business Park. Within our new 8400 sq. ft. building, REA will help to serve the community with multi-specialty eyecare including comprehensive ophthalmology, oculoplastics, and vitreoretinal surgery," said Dr. Edgar Gamponia, managing partner for REA. "Services will include the medical and surgical treatment of cataracts, glaucoma, refractive disorders (LASIK), age-related macular degeneration, diabetes, and eyelid disorders.  Our dedicated professionals are eager and excited to offer and extend care in this growing area.”

 

So why the move?

 

“They needed additional space,” said Stanley. “Eventually, that led them to White Oaks and they will have a new building on a site that will have high visibility, which was important to them.”

 

Location was import beyond high visibility, according to Mark Kelly, Regional Eye Associates Chief Executive Officer.

 

“Not only do we have our Bridgeport location (on Thompson Drive), we also have an office in Fairmont at the hospital,” said Kelly. “We opted to combine those two offices and were looking for a geographic area closer to the middle of the two locations and White Oaks was a great fit. It does cheat a little closer to Bridgeport, but it meets the needs of what we’re looking for.”

 

Kelly said REA was actually looking at another site to relocate to in Bridgeport roughly the same area. However, he said at the “11^th hour” that changed.

 

“We got a late call from Black Diamond Reality (representing the White Oaks development) to see if we would be interested at looking at property they had. I told them they better have a good offer for us,” said Kelly. “Lo and behold it worked out and worked out well. The only thing negative is it delayed our start by three or four months.

 

“In the long run, it was more important for us to get the right location,” Kelly continued. “We have that with the visibility and with the square footage.”

 

The new structure will be constructed on a parcel covering roughly 1.4 acres. It will be situated below TGI Friday with plenty of highway frontage.

 

“Our hope is that the building will be ready for them by the end of July to the first of August,” said Stanley.

 

The one-story building will be a cover roughly 8,000 square feet. They will have the option to add 4,000 square feet to the building based on the design and layout, which is the 8,400 square feet mentioned above.

 

Kelly said that was another game-changing component offered at White Oaks.

 

“We’re able to able to expand at this location, which was not possible at the other location we were looking at … Here, we can build what we want without worrying about elevators and columns,” said Kelly. “The other thing is that the building and roofing will be designed to allow us to expand on each side of the building by 2,000 square feet. This isn’t just a five or a 10-year investment for us. This is a 25-year investment.”

 

Kelly emphasized that the new location will also allow for additional doctors to be hired. Whether it’s a doctor looking for an exit strategy with a fresh start or a young doctor looking for a new opportunity, he said he’s willing to listen. Kelly said anyone interested can contact him at mkelly@readocs.com.

 

As for what’s next at White Oaks, Stanley said to stay tuned. For now, this is the next project on the way.

 

“This is another addition we feel will boost the profile of White Oaks by continuing to diversify the tenant base and provide additional professional services,” said Stanley. “We want to continue to bring in business that can provide amenities and needed services within White Oaks and the surrounding area that are necessary on a daily basis.”