Special to The Laker/Lutz News

By B.C. Manion

 

You might say that Andy Walton saw a sign, when he and his wife were finalizing their plans for their new shop in Land O’ Lakes.

It offered a clear message: Ice Cream & Coffee.

He found the sign in Orlando, and it sealed the decision to offer both ice cream and coffee at Walton’s Ice Cream & Coffee, at 6757 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., in Land O’ Lakes.

“I’m a coffee fan, and I wanted to incorporate coffee. Holly (his wife) was not so much on the coffee,” he said.

But then he found the sign, and the couple decided to let it guide their way. Last month, they opened a shop aimed at satisfying the cravings of those in search of sweets or caffeine.

“I’ve been in marketing for years and years. We moved to Land O’ Lakes close to five years ago. If we wanted to do a quick low-dollar fun thing, there was nothing. It’s a very underserved market.”

Originally, the couple looked at a location at Wilderness Lakes, but after crunching the numbers, they knew that wouldn’t work.

So, they found another spot – in Wisteria Plaza – that better suited their budget and sits in the middle of the area they want to serve.

“The idea is to provide a nice ice cream/coffee shop experience for Land O’ Lakes, Florida. There’s really nothing else up here,” he said, adding it’s at least 15 minutes away to get to a shop with similar offerings.

He realizes that ice cream is an impulse buy and typically requires a lot of foot traffic to be successful, but he believes that he’s close enough to residential communities to attract the trade he needs.

He’s also hoping that the shop will become a good spot for people who want to enjoy a good cup of coffee and use the Wi-Fi.

The shop has a clean, contemporary look with an obvious decorator’s touch. Holly, an interior decorator and real estate agent, designed the shop.

Her aim was to make it “a comfortable place to hang out,” she said.

The shop serves Buddy Brew Coffee and Hershey’s Ice Cream.

Buddy Brew is a Tampa coffee roaster, which roasts coffee the day it is ordered and delivers it the next day.

Items on the menu include shakes, malts, floats, sundaes, cones, tea, coffee, cocoa and cold drinks. There are also specialty items known as Tropi-Kool Smoothies and Blenjavas.

Walton is using his background in sales and marketing to get the word out about his shop. He’s using social media and personal networking to help build his clientele.

Engaging the customer is key, said Walton, who already has begun making connections with local charities, schools and sporting organizations on fundraising efforts.

“People come here. They support the business. The business is here for the people, so they don’t have to drive to a chain that’s 20 minutes away to get a nice cup of coffee or a milkshake. They can do it right here.

“But also, through supporting us, they’re supporting local organizations like sports and charities,” Walton said.

In addition to coffee and ice cream, the shop also sells cookies, brownies and biscotti. It also is looking to expand its menu to include simple breakfast and lunch items.

Although the shop just opened in November, Walton is confident about its chances and is already thinking ahead.

“My business plan says in five years, I’ve got three locations,” he said. He expects the additional locations to be in areas similar to the one he’s in, which have high growth, but no ice cream and coffee shop.

The couple wants to build a successful business for their children, Andrew, 6 and Cortney Spagnuolo, 18, said Holly Walton.

They like the idea of using their talents and energy to directly benefit their family.

“We just wanted to have our own thing and not have to worry about working for anyone else anymore,” Holly Walton said.

“If I can take all of this stuff that I’ve learned in the last 10 years of my life and use it just for marketing an ice cream shop, it has to succeed,” Andy Walton said.

For more information about store hours and menu items, go to www.getyourfreezeon.com or call (813) 996-3436.

 

 

 

By B.C. Manion

 

Maybe you’ve resolved to clear out the clutter, or you’ve inherited a cache of stuff you want to unload.

If you’re looking to sell old coins, silver, platinum, broken or used jewelry, watches, sports memorabilia, Tiffany glass, advertising memorabilia, war items, fine art, dolls, trains, old comic books and other collectibles, you may want to check out THR & Associates, a company that travels around the country seeking to buy such items.

The company recently set up temporary shop at the Residence Inn Tampa Suncoast at 2010 Northpointe Parkway in Lutz, ready to buy items that people unearth or no longer want from their homes or businesses.

“Usually, we’re at a city for five or six days,” said Ronald Lee, a field manager for THR & Associates.

The company travels all over North America and to foreign countries as well, in search of collectible items.

It’s sort of like the Antiques Roadshow, only the company doesn’t have appraisers. It has buyers who consult with a team of experts to determine whether or not the item you’re offering is one they want to buy.

“We have a research department. If we don’t know much about a particular item, we take pictures of it and send it to our research department. We have around 12 different researchers. They’re experts in different fields,” he said.

Some things that wouldn’t seem to have value, do, Lee said. Other things obviously have some value, but the seller doesn’t have a clue about how much they are worth.

The buyers will tell would-be sellers if their item has a market and what they’re willing to pay, Lee said.

“We’re looking for your mismatched earrings, your broken herringbone necklaces, old class rings, old pocket watches, war memorabilia, guitars, violins – just about anything of value,” he said.

Perhaps you have some vintage jewelry, some costume jewelry, a Tiffany lamp or some sports memorabilia. Those are all items you may be able to convert into cash, Lee said.

The company has unearthed some cool stuff that was sitting in a closet or an attic, in an old trunk or a dresser drawer.

“A few weeks ago we bought a 16^th century Guido Reni painting,” said Steven Garner, a buyer for THR & Associates. They paid the seller $85,000.

That particular seller actually seeks out THR & Associates after he’s found something of value at estate sales or storage unit sales, Gardner said.

Some items that THR & Associates has purchased include Johnny Cash’s bed, which garnered $30,000; an Abraham Lincoln document that commanded $29,000; and a letter from George Washington that was purchased for $30,000.

The company also bought a 1960 Les Paul guitar, Gardner said, recounting the story of its purchase.

“It was made as a prototype and was never supposed to leave the factory,” Gardner said.

But around 1975, it turned up at a pawnshop where a customer bought it for $300.

About 30 years later, the owner sold it to THR & Associates for $100,000.

If you have some items that you think are of some value, but you’re not sure what they are worth, it’s probably a good idea to do a little research on the Internet to get a general idea, Gardner said.

In some cases, the serial numbers on items can provide a clue to their value and condition is always an important consideration, he said.

In some cases, a seller may want to invest in improving the condition of an item – but it’s wise to tread carefully because sometimes an effort to improve the condition can actually reduce an item’s value.

THR & Associates will purchase an item in any condition because it has the resources to prepare it for resale, he said.

If someone just wants an idea of an item’s potential value, they can drop by when THR & Associates is hosting a show.

“There’s absolutely no pressure. The dollar figure that we’re going to tell you is the dollar figure we are willing to pay you right now. I’m not twisting anyone’s arm. It’s completely up to you,” Gardner said.

Lee said the company has a positive effect on a community’s local economy.

“We kind of consider ourselves a stimulus package for local areas. We come in and we spend money in local businesses. We come in to hotels. We can write $250,000 worth of checks in any given town,” Lee said.

They come across highly sought after items on occasion, but not often.

“What we see the most of is someone cleaning out their jewelry box, things that they don’t use any more, things that have been sitting there for years. Or, an old coin set,” Lee said.

The company is in the market for dimes, quarters, half-dollars and dollars that are 1964 and older because their silver content is 90 percent. It also purchases Kennedy half-dollars, between the years of 1965 and 1969, which have 40 percent silver content.

The value of coins varies, based on the condition and rarity of the coin.

“We’ve got a network of people that are looking for certain coins. It really is going to be item specific,” Lee said.

While old jewelry, coins and silverware are the most common items that are brought to the sales, it never hurts to find out if there’s a market for an item, Gardner said.

“In all honesty, if you think it may have value, it’s best to bring it in and let us take a look at it.”

To find out about upcoming shows, visit thrassociates.com.

 

 

Maria Zoller’s opera dreams

By Kyle LoJacono

When Maria Zoller sings opera today she does so with strength, passion and confidence beyond her 13 years of age.

The Lutz resident and eighth-grader at Imagine School at Land O’ Lakes said performing is like no other feeling in the world. Her dream is to captivate the world with her voice.

Singing with such self-assurance is something that seemed impossible to her parents a few short years ago.

Susan and Wald Zoller adopted Maria when she was 3 from an orphanage in Transylvania, Romania. Maria was given up by her very young mother at just three months of age.

“The orphanage that she came from was actually featured on a documentary,” Susan said. “It’s one of the poorest and neglected facilities in the world.”

When Maria first came to America she could barely walk or talk because of the traumatic experiences she suffered while in the orphanage.

“Everything in America was so strange and frightening to her,” Susan said. “She never knew what a book, or animals or love was until she came to her new home in America. Maria would lie on the floor and stare into space for long periods of time just trying to process her new world. … Would our little girl ever be happy and learn how to smile?”

Susan said it troubled her and Wald as they were still getting over the loss of their son Ryan, who died at age 17 in a car accident caused by a drunk teenage driver just a few years before they adopted Maria.

Things began to change for Maria as her parents started to introduce her to music. She became more outgoing and engaged with other people.

When Maria was 5 she heard Celine Dion sing “My Heart Will Go On,” which became the first song she learned.

“She asked me to repeat it, but she did not understand that I could not nor did she know this was my personal song about my son Ryan,” Susan said. “This was the first song that she ever learned to sing, and she won many solo vocal competitions performing this song. It was amazing to me, and I felt that it was a sign from my beloved son Ryan because nobody knew this was my special song after he passed.”

Maria never really learned how to sing any American children’s songs. She went from singing mostly classical music to opera at the age of 7.

The first opera she saw was “Phantom of the Opera,” which sparked her passion for the art form. Maria began taking lessons at Mary Jo’s Performing Arts Academy in Northdale and sang in school and church choirs.

“It’s truly hard to describe the many heartwarming emotions that we experience when we see and hear Maria sing in a professional stage performance,” Susan said. “It’s that of pure joy, pride and love, but I have to admit I still get a little stage fright praying that she will hit all of those high notes. But she always does, and it’s a beautiful sound and a wonderful feeling.”

Maria started working with the Matinee Opera Players, formerly Tampa Opera, where she practices and performs side-by-side with singers usually more than three times her age.

Maria and the group rehearse for about three hours every Saturday at various churches in the area. At one of the practices a few months ago the prodigy was discovered by 91-year-old opera maestro Mario Laurenti.

The thought of being watched by the renowned maestro did not intimidate Maria.

“I was so excited about this opportunity, and I truly believed that it was my destiny to audition for the world-renowned maestro,” Maria said. “After the audition, I was so delighted to hear that he liked what he heard and that he believed that I had great potential.”

Laurenti offered to give Maria private lessons, making her the youngest student he has ever accepted. He told his new student being an opera singer “takes a lot of practice, patience, passion and commitment,” but added she has the ability to succeed.

Maria now spends most of her free time getting lessons from Laurenti and practicing with the Matinee Opera Players.

“I really have to work hard with tremendous dedication and determination to make my dreams of becoming an opera star come true,” Maria said. “I know that my maestro believes in me and with my parents’ continued support that it’s really up to me to make it happen.”

Hear Maria sing

Anyone interested in hearing Maria sing with the players can reserve a seat for a free concert on Sunday, Jan. 29 at 2 p.m. at the Pinellas Park Performing Arts Center, 4951 78th Ave. N. in Pinellas Park. E-mail to register.

By Kyle LoJacono

Lutz residents Carol and Frank Morsani continued their routine of making contributions to make the Tampa Bay area a better place with a $20 million gift to the University of South Florida (USF).

The huge donation is the largest in the university’s history and will go toward building a new medical school that will bear the couple’s name.

“I don’t think our community as a whole recognizes the impact that this institution has on our region, state and nation,” Frank said.

Frank, 80, said he and his wife earned their money through car dealerships and have spent the last two decades using that success to better the region.

“We just love the whole Tampa Bay area and want to make it a better place for everyone,” Carol said.

It is the second large gift the Morsanis have made to the university following a $17 million contribution in 2004 to help fund health innovations at USF Health.

Frank said he hopes the latest donation will get the rest of the community into the “giving spirit” and help the school raise the $60 million needed to complete the new facility. The construction is set to begin in late 2012.

USF College of Medicine Dean Stephen Klasko said the goal of the new medical school is to train new doctors with the latest techniques and equipment.

“We’re going to have students learning from patients and patients learning from students,” Klasko said.

Frank said he doesn’t want people to think any more of his family because they have the ability to make such donations.

“We’re just doing what we’re supposed to do on a daily basis,” Frank said. “We don’t feel we’re doing anything special. That’s not the piece of cloth we’re cut from.”

The Morsanis have lived in Lutz for more than 20 years and have, as Frank said, done such things on “a daily basis.” Their first big gift came in 1996 when they contributed $5 million to the Straz Center. Because of the donation, the center renamed its large theater the Carol Morsani Hall.

The couple has also given large amounts of money to Gulfside Regional Hospice in Dade City.

“Those people with the hospice are great and give needed support to families struggling with their health,” Carol said. “They are nonprofits, so they can use all the help they can get.”

Frank encourages others to give whatever they can to any worthy cause they find in their community.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re donating $10 or $10 million,” Frank said. “It’s the act of supporting your community that’s meaningful and priceless.”

By Kyle LoJacono

Less than a month after tentatively approving a plan to take voting out of the selection of its chairman, the Hillsborough County Commission reversed its decision in favor of the old method.

Commissioners will continue to select their leader by popular vote, with the chairman serving for one year. They had agreed to rotate the position through the county’s seven districts as a way to remove outside influences from affecting the vote.

The 4-3 vote in favor of keeping the older system came against the impassioned pleas from Commissioners Kevin Beckner and Les Miller, the only two Democrats on the board.

“I feel compelled to speak out about a sickness that is so pervasive on this board which refuses to correct itself,” said Miller, who proposed the nonvoting option for selecting the chairman. “That sickness is the outside influence exerted by those with political agendas on members of this board.”

Commissioners Mark Sharpe and Sandra Murman said they had changed their minds, but added it had nothing to do with any outside influences altering their thoughts. Sharpe said he didn’t want the board’s “power to choose a chairman taken away” by a new policy.

“I would prefer that we just basically leave it the way it is,” Sharpe said. “And I say that not from any pressure that may have come from outside, from the party or not, because I often take on my own party and I have no problem with that whatsoever.”

Sharpe defended his position by pointing out that the now dead policy change would have made him the new chairman for the 2012-13 cycle. The at-large commissioner was endorsed by outgoing chairman Al Higginbotham to take over the post, but Ken Hagan was voted for by five of the seven board members.

In the end, Miller, Beckner and Victor Crist voted for the nonvoting option, while the other four commissioners opted to maintain the current system. Hagan and Murman changed their votes from a previous meeting where they favored the measure, but gave no reason for the flip.

The outcome angered Miller, who read quotes from various board members from a previous meeting that indicated they favored the change.

Murman had said she was “fully supportive” of the rotating chairmanship, adding the change had “merit.” Miller said he believes the reversal of opinion came from outside Republican influences telling those members to not give up any political influence on the commission.

“I implore you to free yourselves today,” Miller said.

Beckner added, “You know in your hearts this is the right policy. We should rely on a process whose foundation is inclusion and fairness. … I always felt this board that I’m sitting with today is a board that is about good ideas and not hard-line ideology, people and not politics.”

Crist pointed out that it makes little sense for anyone to try and influence commissioners’ votes for their symbolic leader because, “The chairman has no more power than the rest of us.”

The chairman does guide the commission’s meetings and receives an extra $10,000 in pay, but has no more authority to make policy than the other members.

Sophia Sokolowski has been admitted to Wellesley College, a prestigious liberal arts college for women. She will cross-register at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She also is working on a paper she hopes to have published in a scientific journal.

 

By B.C. Manion

Originally published July 6

 

Sophia Sokolowski isn’t quite sure when her love for science was born.

Perhaps it isn’t obvious to her because she grew up in a household of science-minded parents.

Her mom, Holly Sokolowski was involved in research for the cochlear implant in the years before Sophia, now 17, was born.

And her dad, Bernd Sokolowski, is director of otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat) at the University of South Florida.

Sophia remembers going to the labs at USF when she was quite young.

“I loved looking up and seeing these giant microscopes,” she said. “You know, when you’re little, everything is so big compared to your size.

“I thought it was awesome.

“That,” she said, “would be my first introduction to science.”

Fast-forward to eighth-grade when Sophia noticed that when she switched her iPod with her friends, their iPods were always louder than hers.

That spurred an idea for a science project: She compared the hearing of her peers to that of older people.

“I found out that some of the kids who were my age were already experiencing hearing loss,” said Sophia, who will be a senior this fall at Academy at the Lakes, an independent private school in Land O’ Lakes.

Her interest in hearing loss continued and she spent countless hours last year working on a project she called, “Audio Perception: Plotting the Pathway of the BK Channel.”

The project took first place in the biochemistry division of the 2011 Pasco Regional Science and Engineering Fair and second place in the same division at the Florida State Science and Engineering Fair.

It also captured two awards — one from the U.S. Army and the other from the U.S. Air Force — at the 2011 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair, with prizes totaling about $5,000 in U.S. Savings Bonds. The competition, in Los Angeles this year, drew the top 1,500 projects from around the world this year.

Ask Sophia about her project and she’ll lay it out in technical terms. But she’s also able to break it down in simpler terms for those who operate below her level of scientific sophistication.

In part, she identified and cloned proteins important in hearing loss that could have an impact in rehabilitating those who have suffered hearing loss, and in preventing hearing loss in others.

“Hearing loss is a huge phenomenon in today’s society. We have troops coming back from the war and they have hearing loss from IEDs (improvised explosive devices), artillery fire and explosives,” she said.

It may also help others who suffer hearing damage from playing their personal music devices too loud. Sophia said she felt pretty confident that her project would do well at her school’s science fair, but she wasn’t sure how it would do at larger competitions.

“I didn’t know if I was going to be able to go to state because there were some other really great projects there. I was really, really nervous. I had absolutely no idea that I was going to internationals.”

However, she said, going to the international competition was something she’d hoped to accomplish.

She wanted to go so she could mingle with kids from around the world who have brilliant ideas.

“It was amazing. It was one of the best experiences in my life,” she said.

It was great to be around so many outstanding science students, Sophia said.

“They’re so intelligent and they’re so nice. And they’re normal,” she said, noting she hit it off so well with some of the kids that they struck up friendships and they’ve stayed in touch.

She’s aware of the stereotype that many people have of science whiz kids.

“Honestly, even if we’re nerds, there’s nothing wrong with that,” Sophia said.

Sophia spent many long hours in the labs at USF, working on her research.

When she encountered terms that she just didn’t understand, she turned for help to her Academy at the Lakes science teacher, Amy Jordan.

“She always had a way to relay the knowledge to me so that I understood what I was doing,” Sophia said. “She’s absolutely wonderful. She is so sweet and she’s caring and she’s understanding.”

Laura Hill, supervisor of science for kindergarten through 12^th grade in Pasco County Schools, accompanied Sophia to the international conference. This was the first time in 15 years that Pasco County brought home honors from the international competition and Sophia brought home two, Hill said.

“She’s extremely talented,” Hill said. The student’s work ethic was evident in the quality of her project and her presentation skills were impressive.

Sophia said attending another international science competition would be wonderful, but she doesn’t plan to shoot for that next year.

Instead, she’ll turn attention to a new goal: Trying to get published in a scientific journal.

Despite her accomplishments in science, it is just one of Sophia’s interests.

She’s been singing opera since she was 11 and at the moment, she’s thinking about a double major in music and medicine/health, hopefully at Stanford University.

Or, maybe she’ll pursue a degree in journalism; in which case, Northwestern University would be her first choice.

Sophia said she’s just not sure yet about what path she’ll take.

Her future, it seems, is full of possibilities.