Courtesy of Richard K. Riley
Physician welcomed
The Greater Zephyrhills Chamber of Commerce and the Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce welcomed physician, Radu Mercea, at a ribbon cutting on Oct. 14. Mercea is the newest member of the Florida Hospital Zephyrhills Physician Group. His office is at 38240 Daughtery Road, in Zephyrhills.
Mercea has more than 30 years experience in general family medicine. He formerly served as chief resident in family medicine at McKeesport Hospital in the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area. He volunteers in medical mission trips, and was a major for 12 years in the U.S. Air Force. He also is a youth soccer coach.
For information, contact Community Care at (813) 788-3582.
Dos tacos
Capital Tacos is serving its made-from-scratch menu at a new location in Wesley Chapel in the Cypress View Square Plaza, at 27209 State Road 56. Operating hours for now are limited to weekends, Friday to Sunday, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. The restaurant’s first location in Land O’ Lakes, at 6765 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., remains open. Restaurant reviews on Yelp Tampa Bay recently ranked Capital Tacos as the second best restaurant in the region. And, Business Insider reported the restaurant placed third among the top 50 restaurants reviewed by users of FourSquare.
For information, call (813) 973-3777 or visit www.facebook.com/capitaltacos2.
Chamber honors
The Greater Dade City Chamber of Commerce held its Annual Banquet and Community Awards Dinner on Oct. 15 at the Tampa Bay Golf and Country Club. The executive board for 2016 will be Randy Stovall, president; Randy Surber of Florida Hospital Zephyrhills, president-elect; Shauna McKinnon of Bayfront Health Dade City, vice president; Steve Hickman of First National Bank of Pasco, treasurer; Kelly Sinn of Sunrise of Pasco, secretary; Bobby Van Allen of Farm Bureau Insurance, immediate past president. Dr. Lisa Richardson of Pasco-Hernando State College and Jason Sasser of JSC Real Estate Group are new board members.
Winners of the 2015 Community Awards were Margaret Angell, owner of Angel Tea Room and president of the Dade City Merchants Association, Business Leader of the Year; Bob Larkin Construction and owner Bob Larkin, Small Business of the Year; Kiwanis Club of Dade City, Civic Association of the Year; Frank Notarianni, Chamber Ambassador of the Year; Bob Hatfield, Chamber Member of the Year; Ed Blommel, the Richard Tombrink Lifetime Achievement Award; Randy Surber, president of Florida Hospital Zephyrhills, President’s Award.
Business seminars
Rasmussen College will offer two small business seminars from Pasco-Hernando SCORE on Oct. 29 at 6014 U.S. 19, Suite 302, in New Port Richey. “How to Apply for a 501c3” will meet from 10 a.m. to noon, and “Understanding a Franchise Business” will meet from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.
Registration is required. The fee is $15 paid through PayPal.
For information, visit Score439.org, or call (727) 842-4638.
Networking women
WOW, Women of Wesley Chapel will meet Nov. 6 from 7:45 a.m. to 9 a.m., in the second floor conference room at the Health and Wellness Center, Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel. The guest speaker will be Michele Norris, founder of Navigen Leadership.
For information, call the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce at (813) 994-8534, or visit WesleyChapelChamber.com.
Women-n-Charge luncheon
Join the ladies of Women-n-Charge on Nov. 6 from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m., at Pebble Creek Country Club, at 10550 Regents Park Drive in Tampa. The meeting includes lunch and time to network. The guest speaker will be Erin Bess of Simply the Best Photography, who will discuss how to “Showcase Your Business through Photography.”
The cost is $15 for members (Tuesday before the meeting) and $18 for all guests (and members paying Wednesday and after).
To register, visit Women-n-Charge.com. For information, call (813) 600-9848, or email .
Job training
CareerSource Pasco Hernando received an $80,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Labor, according to a news release from Career Source. The funds are from a statewide Sector Partnership National Emergency Grant of nearly $7 million that is targeted at long-term unemployed individuals in health care and manufacturing. The funds will help transition 25 individuals who have been unemployed for longer than 20 weeks. Classroom instruction in manufacturing skills will be offered that will lead to an industry certification. Participants will then be eligible for short-term on-the-job training with a local manufacturer. First enrollments will be in February/March 2016.
For information, visit CareerSourcePascoHernando.com.
Business workshops
Copperstone Executive Suites is collaborating with Lane Business Consulting to offer a yearlong intensive program called “The Business Mastery Academy.” Each month, the program includes two on-site workshops, one telephone conference call, and a one-on-one coaching session for each participant. Two business consultants and 10 to 15 business owners will offer their expertise.
Copperstone Executive Suites is offering 10 to 15 grants of $600 each to business owners who complete an online application and are accepted into the program. The remaining monthly cost for the business owner is $47 per month.
For more information, and to apply for a grant, visit Copperstone.info, or call Copperstone Executive Suites at (813) 298-7363, or Lane Business Consulting at (813) 486-2837.
Contest giveaway
CenterState Bank is sponsoring the “Community Act of Kindness Contest” through Oct. 30. One winner will be chosen at random to receive a $5,000 Publix gift card. CenterState Bank also will donate $5,000 in cash or a Publix gift card to a nonprofit food bank or charity for use in the county where the individual winner lives. Participating branches also will collect food for their local food banks.
Contest entries can be made in person at any CenterState Bank branch or wherever contest forms are available. A valid Florida identification and contact information are required for registration.
Complete contest rules are available at CenterStateBank.com.
SBA award nominations open
The U.S. Small Business Administration is accepting awards for its 2016 awards competition.
The SBA honors successes of small businesses and small business owners during “National Small Business Week.”
All nominations must be submitted no later than 3 p.m., Jan. 11, 2016.
For information about the awards, please visit the website at SBA.gov/districtoffices.
