The Laker/Lutz News

Serving Pasco since 1981/Serving Lutz since 1964

Connecticut

TouchPoint brings jobs, good wages to Pasco

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TouchPoint Medical Inc., a global supplier of technology-based health care delivery systems, will bring 116 new high-paying jobs to Pasco County.

Company officials plan to relocate their headquarters to prime vacant land in Land O’ Lakes. They will build an approximately 125,000-square-foot facility, including a parking lot, on the northwest corner of Suncoast Parkway and State Road 54. The site is part of the South Branch Ranch property.

This rendering shows the future campus for TouchPoint Medical Inc., which will be located at Suncoast Parkway and State Road 54.
(Courtesy of the Pasco Economic Development Council)

Construction is expected to begin by the end of 2018, with an opening date in late 2019. The company’s capital investment is about $23 million.

The average annual wage paid by TouchPoint Medical will be about $57,000. In addition to new hires, the company expects to retain about 160 existing jobs, largely from positions currently held at several locations, including the Atlanta area and Connecticut.

In addition to serving as global headquarters, TouchPoint Medical also will be the site for its American operations.

“When you mention the words ‘global headquarters,’ it fires us all up,” said Pasco County Commissioner Jack Mariano.

The impetus to relocate began with the company’s acquisition of Promedica Inc., located in Oldsmar, in 2016. Promedica designs and manufactures custom medical carts and assemblies.

However, the facilities in Oldsmar didn’t meet TouchPoint Medical’s expanding needs, said Brian McNeill, president of the parent company, TouchPoint Inc.

“It’s not an ideal location,” O’ Neill said. “It wasn’t designed for what it currently is used for.”

TouchPoint searched for suitable new locations and settled on Pasco County.

“We are really making a statement here,” said O’ Neill. “The medical business is a huge platform for us.”

TouchPoint, the parent company, is privately owned and focuses on long-term investments, and acquisition of high-growth businesses in manufacturing and technology.

TouchPoint Medical offers hardware and software solutions for health care providers in 100 countries around the world. Products include medical workstations, mobile carrier systems and wall mount systems.

The company also is a major supplier of automated medication dispensing equipment.

The Pasco County Commission on June 19 approved about $1.7 million in incentives for TouchPoint Medical.

Over time, county officials project the direct or indirect creation of nearly 300 jobs, with total salaries of about $252 million. An estimated $125 million will be contributed to the Gross County Product.

Included in the incentive package:

  • About $464,000 to be paid over eight years in return for providing new jobs
  • Up to $150,000 in payments or credits for permitting fees
  • An estimated $980,000 in property tax rebates over 10 years
  • $100,000 in reimbursable employee training costs

Some of the funds come from the Penny for Pasco program.

TouchPoint Medical will partner with AmSkills as part of training and recruitment.

AmSkills is a Tampa Bay initiative that helps high school students, adults and veterans learn manufacturing job skills.

“It’s feeding the (job) pipeline,” said Pasco County Commissioner Kathryn Starkey.

Pasco’s workforce played a role in luring TouchPoint Medical to the area, said Bill Cronin, chief executive officer of the PEDC.

The first question company executives usually ask is does the area have a skilled, diverse workforce, Cronin added.

“They see this workforce is getting trained,” he said. “It seems we’re doing something right when the workforce is so attractive.”

June 27, 2018

7-Eleven selling Lutz location, 74 others

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Competition from a new RaceTrac location just next door may have sealed the fate of a long-time service station in Pasco Lutz. (Photo by Michael Hinman)
Competition from a new RaceTrac location just next door may have sealed the fate of a long-time service station in Pasco Lutz. (Photo by Michael Hinman)

The 7-Eleven store at 23434 State Road 54 in Lutz, is one of 75 stations across the country 7-Eleven Inc. is putting up for sale.

Robbie Radant, a vice president with the company, said 7-Eleven is cutting loose stores like the Lutz one not because it’s underperforming, but because it no longer fits with its overall goals.

“There are many nice sites in this package that simple do not fit 7-Eleven’s current business model,” Radant said in a release. “All of these stores have solid merchandise sales, and should provide good opportunities for the right buyers.”

However, it’s likely that last year’s opening of a competing RaceTrac just next door may have played a role in why the 7-Eleven is hitting the market, after decades of minimal competition on its stretch of State Road 54.

7-Eleven is looking to part ways with 31 stores in Florida, along with 14 in Virginia, six in Massachusetts and Illinois, three in Texas and two in New York, Delaware, New Jersey and Utah. The company is selling single stores in Arizona, Connecticut, Indiana, Maryland, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Vermont.

The Lutz site will not include the 7-Eleven branding, but could include a fuel contract with SEI Fuels Inc., a subsidiary of 7-Eleven, the company said.

7-Eleven has brought in NRC Realty & Capital Advisors of Chicago to conduct the sale, which will accept sealed bids from groups looking to buy single or multiple locations. The bid deadline is July 29.

The Lutz 7-Eleven opened in 1987 with a 3,100-square-foot store along State Road 54 when it was still a two-lane road. It includes a 10-year fuel contract.

For information on the sale, visit NRC.com/1408, or call (800) 747-3342, ext. 1408.

Hollywood comes to Land O’ Lakes

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HairPowerDee Sandillo, owner of Hair Power, brings Hollywood hair styles from the past, present and future to the Land O’ Lakes / Tampa area. Dee and her stylists are able to create any look from classic to modern and trendy.

Dee is a master stylist with 37 years of experience. Before moving to Florida four years ago, she owned eight salons in Connecticut. She managed a salon in Tampa until she opened Hair Power on November 15, 2013.

“I worked for someone else when I first came to Florida, but quick- ly realized that I have one more salon in me,” says Dee. “I love styling hair. It’s in my blood.” Dee is gifted in the art of classic Hollywood hair styling.

Dee focuses on senior citizens, specializing in roller sets. “Not many salons are willing to do roller sets these days,” says Dee. “We do it all. We intend to be one of the best salons in the Land O’ Lakes area.”

Hair Power is a spacious, full-service salon with three styling stations and a shampoo area. Dee employs two master stylists, Cheryl Cardinale and Matty Murphy.

Cheryl is a top colorist and an exceptional stylist with 25 years of experience in the Tampa area. She specializes in modified color, highlights, lowlights and roots. For coloring she uses the Alfaparf Milano product line. It’s a top-of-the-line product from Italy.

Matty was a stylist in New York City for four years before moving to Florida and joining Hair Power. Matty specializes in contour trendy cuts. “He’s an amazing stylist,” says Dee, “a true artist.”

“We have received so many compliments in the short time we’ve been open,” says Dee. “Our customers really appreciate our warm and inviting atmosphere.”

The salon is painted in warm colors and decorated with a Hollywood theme. Photographs, paintings and murals of Hollywood legends adorn the walls. Comfortable seating and soft pillows add to the friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Dee’s fiance, Louis, did all of the paint- ing and decorating in the salon.

Hair Power uses and sells the very best hair care products from Alfaparf Milano, Abba and JKS Professional. They also provide basic waxing of eyebrows, lips and chin.

“We have been experiencing excellent growth,” says Dee. “I want to thank the public who have come already. We are thrilled over the number of personal recommendations we’ve received. It feels great serving the people of Land O’ Lakes.”

Hair Power is located at 2410 Raden Drive in Land O’ Lakes, just off U.S. 41 near all the Pasco resorts. They can be reached at (813) 455-6100, or on Facebook at Facebook.com/hair-power.

– Mike Matthew

This story is a feature of the advertising department.

Affordable, available housing helps Wesley Chapel earn national spotlight

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There’s never a shortage of “best” lists circulating the Internet, ranking cities, beaches, hotels, schools … whatever might be good for marketing people. Typically, however, these lists are as scientific as the ones David Letterman might use in his “Top 10” comedy bit on “Late Show.”

Even before the housing industry fully recovered, Wesley Chapel and its surrounding areas were already breaking ground on new houses and new neighborhoods, all in an effort to keep up with demand of people wanting to live in the area. (File photo)
Even before the housing industry fully recovered, Wesley Chapel and its surrounding areas were already breaking ground on new houses and new neighborhoods, all in an effort to keep up with demand of people wanting to live in the area. (File photo)

A new list released last week, however, compared some real numbers important to people looking for a place to settle down: availability of good homes that are affordable in an area with solid growth. And one of the areas that have excelled in all these categories is very close to home: Wesley Chapel.

The designation comes from NerdWallet, a San Francisco-based online financial services advice company that is run by, for a lack of a better term, nerds. Wesley Chapel was compared against nearly 180 other areas towns, cities and areas in Florida, and ranked the fourth best area for homeownership in Florida.

“The beauty of Wesley Chapel is that everything you need is right here,” said Hope Allen, the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce’s executive director. “Here you have a world class hospital, a fabulous shopping and dining experience, and it’s a great place to buy a home.”

Amenities are important, of course. But NerdWallet was paying close attention to slightly different questions: Are homes available? Can people afford to live there? And is the area growing?

The answer to all three questions was a resounding yes for Wesley Chapel. The median monthly income for residents in the area is $6,153, but housing costs are just under $1,700. That means people in Wesley Chapel are spending just 27 percent of their income on housing, a number that would make any statistician smile.

“Homeowner costs and the percentage of household income is a really important measure,” said Maggie Clark, an analyst with NerdWallet who worked the numbers for the Florida study. “Generally, anything under 30 percent is considered affordable.”

The area also had population growth of nearly 11 percent in a two-year period between 2010 and 2012, second only to Jacksonville’s Oakleaf Plantation, which also finished at the top of the overall survey.

And affordability is key to attracting new residents, not just from the Tampa Bay area, but beyond.

Sam Turgeon, a broker and owner of Sunlight Realty in Lutz, said his home state of Connecticut is feeling the pinch of higher taxes and homes that are being priced out of many people’s range.

“Many of them are hitting retirement age and realize very quickly they can’t afford to live there on the pension and savings they have,” Turgeon said. “People started doing the math, and realized that they were going to outlast their money. So they’re selling their houses up there, and coming down here. And I think that is good.”

The only area in the Tampa Bay region that finished higher than Wesley Chapel was the Keystone area, located just outside of Odessa in Hillsborough County, at No. 2. Housing there is a bit more expensive — nearly $2,400 a month — but income is a little higher too at nearly $8,900 monthly.

What really pushed Keystone over the top, however, was the fact that 94 percent of its residents own their home, compared to just 75 percent in Wesley Chapel. In fact, the only other area that even came close to the high ownership rate was Jacksonville’s Fruit Cove area, which chalks up a 90 percent rate.

Yet a good mixture of owned homes and rental options means a solid, diverse community. It also means that someone looking to call Wesley Chapel home can do it whether they want to own a home, or just rent one. And when renters are ready to invest in a new home, they’ll likely stick with the area they’ve already been spending time in.

“Pasco County is just an attractive place to live,” Turgeon said. “The taxes are far less because you’re not in the middle of a city, you still have access to anything you might need, and you don’t have that same overhead cost as you would in Hillsborough.”

And Wesley Chapel will only continue to grow. More than 12,000 homes are ready to be added to the mix, the chamber’s Allen said, and statewide polls like the NerdWallet one can help make those homes fill up even faster.

“It’s another great highlight of the area,” Allen said. “You can tout something like this to people who are looking to grow and expand business in Wesley Chapel because their work force can have affordable housing with all the amenities.

“This is just another notch in our belt in getting more business here.”

To read the complete study from NerdWallet, click here.

Published Feb. 26, 2014.