Member Profile - Warren Stoltman, OD

Where do you currently practice?
ECS of MN/Buffalo Eye Clinic

Where are you from originally?
Brainerd

What school did you graduate from?
The Ohio State School of Optometry in 2003

What are your hobbies?
Outdoor activities, good times with family/friends, and watching Ohio State Football (Go Bucks!!)

Describe your local community involvement.
Have loved being involved in the town where I live(Elk River) and the town where I work(Buffalo). Volunteering with coaching youth sports, local food shelves, and Rotary has brought great joy to myself and hopefully others. My most memorable project was leading a community project in Buffalo that brought outdoor musical instruments to complement the great park we have on one of our lakes. The other is creating and still spearheading an auction that happens prior to the holidays that raises money for our local Toys for Tots and Adopt a Family group.

Tell us about your family and pets.
Met my wife, Amanda, in optometry school so we get to cheer for the same team on fall Saturdays. I have 2 boys in high school who are entering their senior and sophomore years. We have 2 British Labs named Brutus and Lola who are perfect for our family.

Why do you choose to be a member of the Minnesota Optometric Association?
My optometrist, Kerry Beebe, showed by example why the MOA is so important to our profession. Having an organization to help lead our profession into what it will be in the future as well as provide a social gathering to get to know your colleagues is part of what makes the MOA great.

What do you like best about the profession of optometry?
I love that there are so many different ways to be an optometrist. I enjoy the variety of patients I get to see in a day. Others may prefer specializing in a certain group whether it be by age or diagnosis. Some want to work more than full time while others may prefer very part-time. You can be your own boss and you can be employed. The best thing is that your preferences and priorities may change throughout your career and we have the ability to choose a different path if we want.

Describe your favorite memory from your optometric career.
Lots of memorable patient experiences. Favorite memories would be when I would bring my kids to work some days and briefly check in on them in my office between patients. Them building a fort underneath my desk happened a few times and always made me smile.

What fun fact would you like to share about yourselves that your colleagues may not know about you?
I like to fish but everybody may not know that I’m really bad at it.  In fact the picture shown is me heading into the Boundary Waters this month!