CHUBBUCK — After years of planning and waiting, Premier Eye Care of Eastern Idaho has broken ground on its new clinic and surgery center, enabling the business to provide increased services to its patients, marking a major expansion for the growing practice.

The eyecare business held a groundbreaking ceremony on Harvest Springs Blvd in Chubbuck on Friday. The community can expect the project to reach completion in 2026.

Jeremy Johnson, Premier Eye Care CEO, said everyone at the practice is excited the clinic is finally going to have a new clinic.

“This is a monumental time for Premier Eye Care,” Johnson said. “We’ve been talking about this for a long time.”

Johnson said he hopes Premier Eye Care will continue to be the most trusted name in the eye care industry. The business prioritizes showing compassion and quality care to their patients.

“Our mission at Premier Eye Care is to enhance the vision of our patients by providing the highest quality surgical and medical care,” Johnson said.

After Johnson finished his remarks during the groundbreaking ceremony, Dr. Samuel Beckstead, one of the surgeons at Premier Eye Care, addressed the crowd. He expressed gratitude to everyone for coming and to the staff at Premier Eye Care for their support.

“It just means a lot as physicians and surgeons, we just really appreciate our staff, and we appreciate those people who help us to do the things that we love to do and take care of people that we love to take care of,” Beckstead said.

Beckstead also expressed gratitude for all the other doctors he has worked with over the years and for all the care they have given to the people of Pocatello.

“We started out in our office on East Clark Street, and I’ve just enjoyed my time with (everyone) who started off the clinic,” Beckstead said. “They’ve worked tirelessly to get us to this point.”

Beckstead said he had been telling people for years that this new clinic was coming, but obstacles would consistently come up to delay the construction on it. He is glad that they were finally able to break ground.

“I said we’re going to have to do a groundbreaking in order for everyone to believe us,” Beckstead said.

Courtney Rigby, office manager for the Pocatello clinic, said in her remarks at the event that it is exciting the clinic is finally becoming a reality and that it is a huge milestone for Premier Eye Care.

“Our main goal has always been to make the patients feel as comfortable as possible while they’re visiting our office,” Rigby said. “I believe that this new, updated clinic will definitely allow us to accommodate them a little better.”

In addition to the staff at Premier Eye Care, Pocatello Mayor Brian Blad also spoke at the groundbreaking. He said he looks forward to the construction of this clinic and that it will be a great addition to the community.

“It makes my heart feel so great to be able to see this kind of activity,” Blad said. “When you have dirt moving, when you have buildings being built, that means progress is happening.”

More information about Premier Eye Care of Eastern Idaho can be found on their website at premieridaho.com.