Local News

Economic boom? County commits $50,000 to Saddlebrook golf

August 21, 2013 By B.C. Manion

Pasco County and Saddlebrook Resort Tampa are joining forces to host the 2014 Golfweek Senior Amateur Championship and the Golfweek Junior Tour Championship early next year.

The Pasco County Commission voted unanimously to approve a $50,000 sponsorship in a joint venture with Saddlebrook and Golfweek Magazine.

Pasco County’s tourism council is using golf courses like the one at Saddlebrook Resort to help highlight the sporting opportunities available to tourists. (File photo)

“I think this is a phenomenal opportunity,” Commissioner Jack Mariano said.

If the county can get people to look at Pasco, especially at the right time of year, it could open new possibilities, not only for Saddlebrook, but for other quality area golf courses, Mariano said.

“The promotional value to Pasco County, highlighting some strong assets that we have, is tremendous,” he said.

“Maybe this will be the beginning of a lot of opportunities,” said Commission Chairman Ted Schrader, noting the county’s success with the national lacrosse tournament that takes place annually in Wesley Chapel.

This partnership is the tourism office’s first foray into promoting Pasco’s golf amenities, said Eric Keaton of the Office of Tourism Development. Revenues from bed taxes pale in comparison to the promotional value of the venture.

Besides Saddlebrook, the county has 20-plus courses, Keaton said.

“Golfweek and Saddlebrook are going to work together to not only promote their destination, but also a number of other golf destinations in the county,” Keaton said.

Keaton told commissioners the tourism office has the money to cover the expense because its revenues exceeded expectations, and costs were kept below budget. The value of the partnership “exceeds the purchase price two-fold,” agenda documents supporting the proposal noted, adding that Golfweek is the “Cadillac of golfing advertising platforms.”

The senior tournament is scheduled for Jan. 15-17 and is expected to involve 80 players on one golf course. The event should generate 400-plus room nights, as golfers arrive the day before the three-day tournament, and depart the day after the event ends.

Spouses are expected to accompany the senior golfers, potentially bringing in more revenue to the county.

The junior tournament, which will be in January or February, is expected to draw 40 to 60 golfers on a single course and will involve two days of golf, the agenda materials read.

The event is projected to create 240-plus room nights with golfers accompanied by their families.

Traditional party-turned-fundraiser hauls in $3,600 for cancer

August 21, 2013 By Steve Mistretta

By Marcia Stone

After six years of having a summer party, long-time Land O’ Lakes resident Gary “Cuz” Mincin learned he had prostate cancer and decided to try to raise funds for the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center.

The first fundraiser brought in $460. The next year, the Krewe of Blackbeard’s Revenge joined in and matched Mincin’s $900, for a total of $1,800.

Cuz, Krewe members Jean ‘Eliza Dagger’ White, charity director, and Captain Darrell Haun raffle prizes onstage at Cuz Fest 9. (Photo by Marcia Stone)

Mincin and the Krewe worked tirelessly to put together this year’s event, and $3,600 was raised.

Guests brought a favorite dish to add to the endless and fabulous feast. Entertainment by local groups included Allen-Griffin, Dead Man’s Rodeo and Smoke N Run. Local establishments including Wolf’s Den, Village Inn, Westshore Pizza, Tire Kingdom, Uptown Pizza, Pizza Villa, Benedetto’s, Texas Roadhouse and several others donated raffle prizes.

The grand prizes included four guitars, including several autographed by Kid Rock, Tom Petty, Jimmy Page and the band Seven Dust. Land O’ Lakes resident Steve Wallace won the Kid Rock guitar.

A heated swimming pool and a fireworks show added to the event.

Krewe members Jean “Eliza Dagger” White and Cheryl Stewart worked the audience raising the donations even higher.

Mincin said he is overwhelmed at how large his private event has become, and added that many cancer survivors attend. Numerous people give their time and labor, and Mincin said he wishes to thank all of them.

Next year’s goal is $5,000, and Mincin is now contemplating a fall event to help support All Children’s Hospital.

Plantation Palms Golf Club reopens, but questions remain

August 21, 2013 By Michael Hinman

Ownership team denies management changes

After a dramatic and highly publicized shutdown Aug. 10, Plantation Palms Golf Club is back in business, reopening its links to golfers Aug. 16. Yet what caused the golf course to shut down in the first place continues to linger in some minds.

“It was just a culmination of a lot of things that led up to the closing, but mostly the economy,” said Jason Ray, who co-owns the golf club with Mitch Osceola and Steve McDonald through MJS Golf Group LLC. “It’s been too hot, and it’s been raining, and the culmination of all that, just resulted in not a lot of people playing golf. “Summertime is always tough for all the golf courses.”

The perfectly manicured greens of Plantation Palms Golf Club await arrivals of its first golfers after reopening last week from a brief hiatus. Despite rumors to the contrary, all three owners are still in charge of the golf course, according to its management team. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

Ray and the other owners purchased the golf club in May 2011, using a $2.18 million mortgage through Native American Bank of Denver. The 5-acre course features 18 holes, a driving range, a clubhouse and a lounge.

The course is the nucleus of the Plantation Palms community that surrounds it just off Collier Parkway near Parkway Boulevard, said Steve Pitts, who owns the golf pro shop at the course.

“For the homeowners there, their best shot is to have these guys who are owners work this thing out,” said Pitts, a Land O’ Lakes resident who owns Steve’s World of Golf in Hudson. “It needs to be a positive, positive business in the center of that great community. And yeah, it’s going through some tough times between the owners right now, but I can tell you from being on the inside, those problems are just about done.”

Pitts had pulled his pro shop out of Plantation Palms earlier this year, despite it being his top sales location out of his 18 shops around the southeast.

“The bills weren’t getting paid, and we had to pull out,” Pitts said.

Since Friday, however, Steve’s World of Golf is slowly moving back in because he’s encouraged by what he said was a management shakeup that would reduce the ownership team from three to either two, or possibly even one.

David Brooks, an avid golfer and Plantation Palms resident, said he heard the same reports of management changes during the golf club’s down time.

“I did talk with one of the owners, and there’s been a kind of shakeup in management there,” said Brooks, who played 18 holes on the course after it reopened on Friday. That followed up on a promise he made while the golf course’s future was uncertain that he would return to Plantation Palms, but he might not necessarily pay for membership well in advance.

“I think everybody would like to enjoy the golf course, and you need an ownership team that makes viable business decisions and have the right cash flow to keep the place open,” Brooks said.

Ray, however, denies there’s been any management shakeup, and that all three owners are still active with the golf course.

“There are no ownership changes,” Ray said. “A lot of rumors went around about what was going on, but no one knew the full story except us.”

Ray said he’s working to make up for the downtime, and understands how frustrated many of the members were.

“It’s understandable,” he said. “They put up money to make sure they could play on a golf course, and you can’t play on a golf course that’s not open.

“To them, it was almost a disaster. But we were basically closed for seven days. That’s usually what we’re closed for when we overseed the greens.”

Golfers are slowly coming back to Plantation Palms as word of mouth spreads the golf club has reopened. Many should find out by the end of the week when the Oasis grill there serves prime rib and tilapia as part of its regular Friday night dinner, Ray said.

“I’m one of the members here, and I live in the community,” Brooks said. “I want all the businesses in the area to be successful, because it’s good for our community. And I certainly want our golf course to be successful, because we need it here for our community.”

Casino night will make one charity a lucky winner

August 21, 2013 By Michael Hinman

Forget reality television. The Pasco Hernando Hispanic Chamber of Commerce has developed a competition that gives four solid charities a chance to raise a lot of money, but only one can win.

Havana Casino Night is slated for Aug. 29 beginning at 6 p.m. at Quail Hollow, 6225 Old Pasco Road in Wesley Chapel. Presented by Rivera Chiropractic, the evening will include hand-rolled cigars, a cash bar, casino games, and music from Jorge Laureano & His Fiesta Orchestra.

The biggest event of the night, however, is who will walk away with half the casino night jackpot: Will it be Big Brothers Big Sisters? Helping Hands Food Pantry of Wesley Chapel? The Wesley Chapel Lions Club? Or, the Oasis Pregnancy Care Centers?

“We didn’t want to be the ones that said let’s choose, so we decided to leave that up to the public,” said John Jay, president of PHHCC, and owner of Finest DeeJays in Wesley Chapel. “Staying with our casino theme, everyone will place their bets on who will win half the proceeds.”

The decision will be made by who ends up with the most poker chips by the end of the night. Those poker chips will come from each person attending the casino night, encouraging all four organizations to bring as many potential supporters as possible.

The other half of the proceeds will go toward PHHCC’s scholarship fund, which will help three students this year seek out a college education.

Even if they don’t take home a bucket of quarters, each charity will have a chance to share what they do — and what they need — with the community, Jay said.

For instance, Big Brothers Big Sisters always has a need for Latino and Latina mentors. Helping Hands feeds hundreds of people throughout Wesley Chapel every week. And the Lions Club is raising money to build a park especially for handicapped children.

Oasis supplies food and other needs for pregnant women who have nowhere else to turn to.

“These four organizations all give back to the community,” Jay said. “Our main goal is to give back to the community as well, and to give these organizations a helping hand. And this way, we can bring a light to each and every one of them.”

For more information on tickets, visit www.PHHChamber.com, or call John Jay at (813) 298-3232.

Business Digest

August 21, 2013 By B.C. Manion

Local tourism on the rise
Tampa Bay tourism is showing improvement, according to new data for Hillsborough County.
Occupancy rate, room rate and revenue per available room rate grew between October 2012 and June 2013, according to Smith Travel Research.
Occupancy rate was 66.2 percent, up 1.5 percent over the same period last year. The room rate was $91.85, up 0.4 percent, while the revenue per available room was $61.34, up 1.9 percent.
Tourist development tax paid by visitors to Hillsborough County is also up by 6 percent over the previous nine months, bringing in revenue of $16.8 million.

Britten appointed to Board of Dentistry
Gov. Rick Scott has appointed Leonard L. Britten to the state Board of Dentistry. Britten is a general dentist with Britten Dental Associates. He succeeds Carl Melzer and is appointed for a term that began in July and ends on Oct. 31, 2015.

Jewelry store opens in Dade City
Sparking Stacy’s Jewelry & Accessories will host a grand opening from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Aug. 31, with a ribbon cutting at noon.
The shop is at 14123 Seventh St. in Dade City.

Do-it-yourselfers get thank you
Home Depot will show its appreciation to professional builders and do-it-yourself customers with a two-day event at stores across the region.
It will feature special deals on top products, free delivery on products purchased during the event, the launch of a new loyalty program, discounts with new credit card accounts, free food and giveaways.
The event is on Aug. 27 and Aug. 28 from 7 a.m. until 11 a.m.
For more information, visit www.homedepot.com/pro.

Daniel Jeanneret named to life insurance council
Daniel Jeanneret has been selected to serve on the 2013 Executive Council of New York Life Insurance Company.
Jeanneret, of New York Life’s general office in Tampa, has been with the company since 2009. He lives in the Oakstead community in Land O’ Lakes.

Music school grand opening in Lutz
Claudia’s School of Music will host its grand opening on Aug. 24 at 11 a.m. in Lutz.
The school is at the Ballantrae Professional School at 17915 Hunting Bow Circle. It offers private music lessons in piano, violin, guitar, drums, and voice for all ages and of all ability levels.
The school also offers music history and music theory group classes for home-schooled students and music camps and recitals. Claudia’s School of Music is an authorized dealer of Casio keyboards and digital pianos.

Free women’s financial seminar
Women of Pasco County are invited to attend a free women’s financial seminar hosted by Gulfside Regional Hospice.
The workshop, led by Christine Cooper of Cooper Financial Services, will provide information and practical tools and techniques for organizing and taking control of a family’s personal and financial paperwork.
The workshop will be on Aug. 26 at 11 a.m. at Gulfside’s Lutz Thrift Shoppe, 1930 Land O’ Lakes Blvd in Lutz.
Seats are limited. RSVP to Jen Chianella at (727) 992-8984.

Dr. Santosh Potdar joins Oak Hill’s hospital staff
Dr. Santosh Potdar, a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons), has joined the staff of Oak Hill Hospital. He is board certified in surgery and his general surgery practice is located at 8367 S. Suncoast Blvd. in Homosassa.

CABA award winners
The Carrollwood Area Business Association announced its 2012-13 award winners. They are:
Rookie of the Year: Diane Stoddart, Significant Insurance Solutions
Member of the Year: Larry Manning, Innovative Mortgage Solutions
Business of the Year: Ocean Blue Sushi Bar
Jay Mauk Memorial President’s Award: Anthony Brooks, Capital Finance Advisors
The group’s new board of directors:
President: Wendell Hock, Primerica
President-elect: Kristin Votta, Fitness-Tek
Immediate past president: Lea Orchard, Great Clips
Treasurer: Tim Castle, Bay Cities Insurance
Secretary: Erin Hesbeens, PNC Bank
The group’s directors are:
Diane Stoddart, Significant Insurance Solutions
Jean Fuller, Premier Bookkeeping Services
Nick Spurlock, do You IT
Dr. Tommy Lane, Lane Family Chiropractic
Lynda Damiata, Kabay Graphics
Jeff Ryder, Carrollwood Copy Center & Printing

PHCC offers career services
Pasco-Hernando Community College recently partnered with the College Central Network® to provide students and alumni access to an online career and job search resource. The new services can be accessed at www.collegecentral.com/pascohernando. Registration is required, however there is no cost to students, alumni or employers.
“The job search feature houses jobs, internships and employers approved by the Career and Testing Services department at PHCC. Students and alumni can be confident the local job opportunities listed are legitimate and relevant,” Rick Casey, Director of Career and Testing Services, said in a release.
Job seekers may create resumes and career portfolios to apply to open jobs or post to a database searchable by employers. Job seekers also gain access to career announcements, podcasts, videos, and articles to assist with job searching. In addition to the College Central Network, PHCC offers other career development resources including interest and personality assessments, resume reviews, interviewing and job search strategies, along with career advising.
For more information, call (727) 816-3381, or visit tinyurl.com/n32gs5r or www.collegecentral.com/pascohernando.

Keeping the Balance moves to Lutz
Cindy MacRitchie of Keeping the Balance LLC has moved her office to a new location to live closer to work. Her new home is 1519 N. Dale Mabry Highway, Suite 202.
MacRitchie is a certified QuickBooks Pro Adviser. She specializes in teaching small businesses how to use QuickBooks to track their finances. She also offers bookkeeping services such as accounts receivable, accounts payable, data entry and payroll.
She shares space with two other businesses. They are licensed clinical social worker Crystal MacRitchie as well as Liane Caruso of Limelight Marketing Consultants.

Private school lays the groundwork for its future

August 14, 2013 By Michael Hinman

Academy at the Lakes, central Pasco County’s private school that hugs both sides of Collier Parkway off SR 54, is getting a lot larger, growing by more than 46 acres.

The school has purchased a large chunk of land near its existing campus that has belonged to the pioneer MacManus family for decades, with an eye toward a major campus expansion in the coming years.

Dr. Lou MacManus, right, shares stories about growing up on the land she recently sold to Academy at the Lakes, with former Academy board chair Cynthia Martin and current headmaster Mark Heller. MacManus’ childhood home looms in the background. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

The land grab is four times larger than the school’s existing campus, and allows Academy at the Lakes to extend its reach to 20 Mile Level Road with a total of nearly 60 acres of land.

“About six years ago, my sister and I, and our brother, started talking about what we wanted to do with this land,” said Dr. Lou MacManus. A retired surgeon who lived for decades in Ohio and Tennessee, MacManus grew up in a modest house built a year before she was born on the property now owned by Academy at the Lakes. She shares many memories of her childhood on the land with her sister, University of South Florida professor Susan MacManus, as well as her late brother, Dr. H. Cameron MacManus, who was killed in a plane crash last spring.

“There’s been a lot of changes here since we were kids, and many of them good changes,” MacManus said. “But we didn’t want to see a bunch of homes on this land.”

MAKING IT WORK
Academy at the Lakes had plans to expand for the last two years, but the deal to purchase this piece of MacManus land came together only recently, thanks to the work of the MacManus family, as well as the Academy’s head of school Mark Heller and then board of trustees chair Cynthia Miller.

“The MacManuses have been very interested in seeing the future of their parents’ and grandparents’ land used for something productive and positive for the community,” Heller said. “They could’ve easily sold this land to a developer for a lot more money. But instead, decided that they should take a philanthropic route, and dedicate this land to the same thing they have always dedicated their lives to: education.”

Academy at the Lakes is paying slightly more than $2 million for the land, equating to a little less than $44,000 per acre. MacManus set up a charitable remainder annuity trust, which holds the 16-year mortgage for the property. Excluding any interest or other fees, that will cost the growing school approximately $10,500 per month on average.

While it might seem high, Heller sees it as an investment in the future for a school that is key to the economic growth in central Pasco County.

“The north side of the county is growing so fast, certainly now that construction and homebuilding is picking back up again,” Heller said. “The north side is going to be burgeoning again, just like it did 10 years ago, and we’re going to be able to grow with that community, and provide resources to that growing community.”

There are no immediate plans to build on the land, but it is something the school expects to do at some point to accommodate student needs, Heller said. In the meantime, some of the older students will tend to the land and learn how to grow oranges and take part in other agricultural activities. Food raised will be donated to local charities.

Heller talked about expansion in August 2011 when he said Academy at the Lakes should explore ways that would set it up for the next 100 years.

“This is something that could absolutely transform the footprint and the presence of the school,” Heller said at the time.

What happens is up to the school’s board of trustees, but there are many possibilities. One could include integrating the entire campus into one site, instead of having the younger and older students divided physically by Collier Parkway. The land could also become a sports complex center, among other things.

“There’s just so much that we can do that we haven’t really even talked about yet,” Heller said.

NEVER FORGET HISTORY
The matriarch of the MacManus family had always pushed education on her children, explaining why Lou MacManus and her siblings all reached doctorate levels in their schooling. Knowing that the farm she worked so hard to build would now be used for educating hundreds of young people — not just three — would make her mother proud, MacManus said.

“Education was so big for us growing up, and we were always out learning everything,” MacManus said. “We spent a lot of times outdoors, and didn’t watch much TV. We were doing sports, riding bicycles, and I even had a horse.”

The 2,200-square-foot house that served as the MacManus home for more than half a century still stands on the property. There are trees in front where the young MacManus children would hang their wet clothes after swimming in the nearby lake.

“We were together and outside from dawn until dusk,” MacManus said. “We spent our days swimming in the lake and roaming around the orange groves.”

And while the lake may no longer be a place where young people can just jump in, the land will be there to help educate many generations to come.

Much-needed supplies head to schools before Aug. 19 opening

August 14, 2013 By Michael Hinman

Pasco County Schools is set to approve a budget valued at more than $1 billion. Yet, the hundreds of teachers who lead classrooms in the district regularly find themselves without much-needed supplies as simple as notebooks and pencils.

And that’s where United Way of Pasco County steps in.

Cindy Greyard, right, a teacher at Fox Hollow Elementary School, helps unload boxes of school supplies at Pine View Middle School last week as part of the annual Stuff the Bus for Teachers event organized by Pasco County Schools and the United Way of Pasco County. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

The charity and service group collected more than 10,000 school supply items recently as part of its annual Stuff the Bus for Teachers campaign. The effort is designed to bring the community together, stocking classrooms and giving a helping hand to the men and women responsible for ensuring the education of our young future leaders.

“Teachers spend between $400 and $1,000 out of their own pocket to supply their classrooms,” said Stefanie Pontlitz, director of development for the local United Way office. “After hearing that, we really wanted to try and assess their needs, because it not only helps the teachers, it helps the students, and it helps learning. And that helps keep the focus on the classroom.”

This year, United Way and Pasco County Schools will reach out to 770 teachers in 80 of its schools to help supply their classrooms with essential items. They’ll use supplies collected from 14 buses parked at Publix and Walmart locations throughout the county during Florida’s annual tax-free holiday.

With school ready to start on Aug. 19, the district is looking for everything they can to help. That includes $1,000 thanks to a small church congregation in Trinity that took a bit of a unique approach.

“If you see someone in need, and it’s within your power to help them, let’s do so,” said Pastor Clayton Bell, who leads Trinity New Life Church at Trinity Elementary School on Duck Slough Boulevard.

For the second year in a row, Bell interrupted his regular Sunday morning sermon at the young church to convince his flock to get in their cars and head straight to the nearby Walmart. There, the church shopped together, leaving with several carts full of supplies.

“Pasco is a very heavy-education county, and we have a lot of teachers and home-school moms in our church,” Bell said. “Teachers have to do so much out of their own pocket, and we wanted to do something that would help them.”

The effort also got support from local Rotary clubs, as well as teachers themselves, volunteering at drop-off points around the county. Moving company Two Men and a Truck will deliver supplies to west Pasco schools, while the United Way will take care of the eastern side of the county.

Among the volunteers was Pasco Schools superintendent Kurt Browning, who not only donated his own box of supplies, but also worked tirelessly to help organize everything as they were brought into the Pine View Middle School gymnasium.

“It’s a great partnership, and the United Way has been a catalyst to really lead the effort,” Browning said. “But my thanks goes out to all the people that contributed their hard-earned dollars to make sure our kids have what they need to start school here.”

This year slightly less than $40,000 in donations came in, topping last year’s total of around $35,000, and the increase was needed since 80 more names were added to the teacher list.

“This is our county’s future,” Pontlitz said. “We want to support the future, and we want to support our teachers.”

First days as tax collector will be listen and learn for Fasano

August 14, 2013 By B.C. Manion

Mike Fasano spent his first day as Pasco County’s tax collector visiting the four offices that are now under his supervision.

“I was so impressed by the abilities of the staff and their work ethic,” said Fasano, who said he plans to listen and learn as much as he can while transitioning into his new role.

Mike Fasano

Fasano was selected by Gov. Rick Scott to assume the post left empty by the death of Mike Olson, the tax collector since 1981, who died suddenly in June.

Scott appointed Fasano at an Aug. 7 ceremony at New Port Richey City Hall.

Fasano, a Republican from New Port Richey, said he was honored that the governor made the appointment in person, with colleagues from the Legislature there to share the event.

Olson, who held the office longer than any other tax collector in Florida, had a reputation for efficiency and customer service.

Fasano said he plans to build on that foundation.

Shortly before his death, Olson was seeking new locations in the central and eastern parts of the county to improve services for customers. At the time, Olson said the tax collector’s office at 4111 Land O’ Lakes Blvd. was too small and that its parking lot was unsafe for people who were there to take tests for their driver’s license.

Olson advocated finding a new location, which would include a driving course where applicants for driver’s licenses could take their tests.

Olson predicted that driver’s license offices equipped with driver courses would become the prototype of the future.

Olson was also pushing for a regional office to serve the Zephyrhills and Wesley Chapel areas. He said that office should have a driving course, too.

Fasano said there’s no doubt that the tax collector needs an office in the Wesley Chapel area.

“There’s a customer service need, especially when it comes to driver’s licenses and registrations,” he said.

He thinks it is likely that a future office in the area will be located somewhere around SR 56 or old SR 54.

Fasano also thinks he needs to take a look at the Land O’ Lakes facilities.

He said he wants to be sure that he understands the office needs. While Olson was interested on pushing ahead on those offices, Fasano said he is not pursuing those new facilities immediately.

Rather, the county should use the money to help avoid major tax cuts and to limit the need for a tax increase, Fasano said. He is interested in pursuing the possibility of shared facilities with the county and the school district.

“We’re all from Pasco, and we all have to work together,” said Fasano, who was a state lawmaker for 19 years, serving in both the state house and state senate.

His appointment drew praise from legislative colleagues.

“Rep. Fasano has worked tirelessly over the past 19 years in office fighting for the consumer and the little guy and gal,” State Sen. John Legg, R-Lutz, said in a news release. “He brings not only the expertise and know-how to run the office of tax collector, but he possesses the passion for excellent service that will benefit Pasco residents for years to come.”

Pasco County Democratic Executive Committee Chair Lynn Lindeman also applauded Fasano’s appointment.

“That’s what he wanted, and for his service, he deserves it,” Lindeman said, noting that residents have lost a Republican legislator from Pasco who put residents’ well being ahead of ideology and dictates.

Fasano, 55, will hold the office through Nov. 11, 2014, when an election will be held to fill the post until 2016. The post pays more than $136,000 a year.

Even before his appointment, Fasano said he had been considering a run for the tax collector’s post, but said he didn’t plan to do that until Olson retired.

While Fasano adjusts to his new role, a primary election has been set to fill the District 36 he vacated in the state house.

Gov. Scott has scheduled a special primary election for that seat on Sept. 17, and a special general election on Oct. 14. The seat encompasses about 94,000 Pasco County voters within 35 precincts.

Watch out Band-Aid: Wesley Chapel woman develops liquid bandage

August 14, 2013 By B.C. Manion

Kerriann Greenhalgh was studying at the University of South Florida when an idea struck her for a product that could plug a gap in the market.

That idea has since gone from concept to creation with the launch of Greenhalgh’s own company, KeriCure Inc.

The company uses a water-based polymer technology that was developed by University of South Florida scientists in 2003.

Kerriann Greenhalgh shows how easy it is to carry around her liquid bandage, which might give Band-Aids a run for their money.

Greenhalgh’s product provides a sting-free, preservative-free, waterproof liquid bandage that blocks bacteria and fungi from invading minor cuts, scrapes and burns.

The woman-owned company has developed KeriCure Skin Protectant, KeriCure Natural Seal Skin Protectant and is in the process of developing KeriCure Advanced – Rx for Medical Use.

The skin protectant is a spray designed for people who are on the go. It is being sold at more than 200 Kroger grocery stores and is scheduled in September to hit the shelves at 616 Publix stores in Florida, and 239 more in Georgia, Tennessee, South Carolina and Alabama.

“Seeing it in Publix is going to be so fun,” said Greenhalgh, who grew up in New Tampa and graduated from Wharton High School before obtaining her bachelor’s degree and doctorate from USF.

Long before her wound care spray hit the shelves, Greenhalgh, who is chair and chief executive officer of her company, was busy raising funds, networking and learning what she needed to manufacture her product and get it to market.

It took research to find six companies that could manufacture the packaging and the product.

“I personally financed the whole operation for a year and a half,” said Greenhalgh, who taught chemistry at USF.

She came up with the idea for her product when she was a student.

“I was working with this technology and I noticed that the polymer that we were working with formed a film,” Greenhalgh said. “It’s really elastic and it stretched and moved and would go back to the normal shape. I looked at this, and I said, ‘You know, this would make a really cool second skin, like a liquid bandage.’”

Greenhalgh began using the product herself all the way through graduate school. “I always had it at my house for my pets, for myself, for my husband. I just always kept using it,” she said.

Greenhalgh didn’t pursue her idea right away, but she knew there was a need for it and she knew it worked, she said.

“I didn’t realize how well it worked until people started using it,” she said. Since it has been available, people have told her that they’ve used it as an after-care product for tattoos. Some have used it for psoriasis and others for acne, she said.

And since it’s waterproof, it’s good for those who want to be in the water, or who might be working up a sweat, Greenhalgh said.

She’s interested in seeking out other markets in the United States, including Winn-Dixie, CVS and Walgreens, as well as branching out to Central and South America.

Although initial marketing efforts are going well and the company now has four full-time and one part-time employee, Greenhalgh isn’t trying to build a huge company.

“We don’t want to be a powerhouse,” said the scientist, who lives with her husband, Daniel Opp and nine-month-old son, Nolan Opp, near Quail Hollow. “I don’t want to be running a nationwide company and selling product. It’s hard, dealing with the retail side of things. There are nuances to it. There are loopholes and pitfalls.”

Instead, she would like to get a lab facility and do what she does best: research and development.

“We have a lot of medical product ideas that are in the pipeline,” Greenhalgh said.

Being successful with this product is the first step, though, she said.

“We’ve got this up and running. We’ve got to get it going,” she said. “That way we can find people that are interested in licensing the products from us.

Showering others with kindness

August 14, 2013 By B.C. Manion

Every year, like clockwork, members of the Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club throw a luncheon and shower to benefit women and children living in two area domestic violence shelters.

Club members come to the event bearing clothing and other gifts to give to the shelter residents. They tend to be practical items, such as diapers, children’s toys, children’s clothing and personal hygiene supplies.

The woman’s group also has a boutique and a flea market, where club members and the general public can shop to raise money for the shelters.

Rosie Heim, president of the Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club, works with member Jeannie to sort donations. (Photo courtesy of the Lutz-Land O’ Lakes Woman’s Club)

The event also features a $6-a-plate lunch of lasagna, salad, bread, a drink and dessert, which is open to the public.

“Last year, we fed 75 people,” said Joan Collins, chairwoman of the luncheon for the woman’s club.

The items provided through the woman’s club luncheon lifts the spirits of the women and children who live at Sunrise of Pasco Inc.’s domestic violence shelter, said Trish Kley, the center’s development director.

They appreciate that people who don’t even know them are willing to help them, and they marvel at the items that are donated, she said.

Shelter residents get excited as “they are unloading and unloading and unloading” the vehicles that deliver the items that were donated at the shower, Kley said.

“What they do is fantastic. So many of these things, we’d never be able to supply,” Kley added.

The shelter is grateful for any donations and particularly need practical items, such as toilet paper, toiletries and bigger-ticket items such as highchairs, car seats and strollers.

Sunrise is seeing a growing demand, and is addressing that by adding 15 new beds, Kley said.

The woman’s club event offers a chance to do a bit of shopping and to mingle at lunch, Collins said. Before lunch, there’s a boutique and mini-flea market, where club members and the general public can purchase goods.

The money raised is donated to Sunrise and to the Pasco County Salvation Army Domestic Violence Shelter in Pasco County.

Collins said once the boutique is over, the club will also donate those gently used items — if the shelters want them.

The woman’s club gets satisfaction from the annual event because they know that the shelters need the help, Collins said.

“They’re very appreciative of everything we give them,” Collins said.

Abuse shelter benefit luncheon and boutique

Aug. 22: 10 a.m. shopping at the boutique, followed by lunch at 11:30 a.m.
Lunch is $6 a plate for lasagna, salad, bread, dessert and a drink
Where: Lutz Community Center, 98 First Ave. N.W.
Questions? Call Joan Collins at (813) 855-7254.