Category: Business

GEICO’s Wesley Chapel Office Offers Great Service From Local Agents

GEICO Insurance is known not only for its humorous TV commercials, but also for its online service, thanks to a mobile app that makes it easy to have control over all of your accounts.

Need to add a driver? Need to change a car? Need to change your plan? Well, there’s an app for that when it comes to having your insurance with GEICO.

However, not everyone is proficient with their cell phones, nor do they prefer doing business online.

To that end, customers in the Wesley Chapel area can now meet with GEICO agents face-to-face, thanks to the new office opened by Jaime Bryant in the North Woods Shopping Center (anchored by the Super Target just north of County Line Rd.).

Although GEICO has had offices for years, including one in Tampa for 40 years, as well as others in Clearwater and New Port Richey, Bryant’s new location, which features an aquarium with — you guessed it — a real gecko lizard, is the first even close to Wesley Chapel.

That is a surprise to many, due to GEICO’s strong TV and online presence.

“A lot of people don’t expect a local office because most people think of GEICO as a digital company,” Bryant says. “So, they are surprised to find us in this shopping center. But, we’ve been in the Neighborhood News, and people find us online as well, so they are noticing.”

That may not sound like a big deal in today’s tech-crazy society, and a good many people still prefer the convenience of using a web browser, mobile app or even a 1-800 number, to do their insurance business. There are, however, benefits to going into an office.

Jaime Bryant and his wife Shannon pose with the costumed GEICO gecko at the office’s grand opening, while a real gecko (below left) says hi from his aquarium, where he greet visitors to the new location.

Bryant, who has six agents working at his location, says many customers like talking to the same person every time. Others just prefer dealing with a human being.

Although known mostly for its auto insurance (insuring more than 30 million vehicles), GEICO also offers motorcycle, RV, boat, condo and renter’s insurance, as well as life and umbrella policies, which provide extended liability for those with a lot of assets.

Coming to the office won’t get your rates any cheaper than those of someone using the online platforms, but Bryant says it provides a comfort level for many — especially customers who have multiple things insured by GEICO.

“We can handle almost all of the products they have (online),” Bryant says, “where if they call the 1-800 number, they might talk to three different people for three different products. We can sell auto, renter’s, RV, we can do all of that. And, you can have the convenience of one person handling everything.”

On Google, Bryant and his staff have yet to receive a negative review. They have been praised for explaining the different types of auto coverages, making the process easy and, of course, finding the cheapest rates possible.

However, the online game remains one that GEICO is winning, thanks to the 24/7 access to your account and the easy-to-use, multiple-award-winning mobile app.

“You can do it online or do it with an agent,” Bryant says. “It’s really every way you can possibly do business, you can do it with GEICO.”

A Little History…

GEICO was founded in 1936 by Leo Goodwin and his wife Lillian to provide auto insurance directly to federal government employees and their families. Bryant says very few people know that GEICO is actually an acronym for Government Employees Insurance Company.

Bryant says GEICO was the first insurance company that he can recall that began selling insurance directly to customers, as opposed to working only through agents. That has helped GEICO, headquartered in Maryland, become the second-largest auto insurer in the U.S., behind State Farm, as well as the largest auto insurer here in the state of Florida.

Bryant says that’s because GEICO offers two very important things for those looking for insurance: its competitive rates and discounts, and its customer service.

“It’s like you are paying a discounted rate for a high-quality product,” he says.

GEICO also has done a masterful job of marketing itself in a competitive field where NFL quarterbacks and fictional characters like Flo become familiar standards in today’s pop culture.

GEICO currently is still repped by its beloved “spokes-lizard,” a gold dust day gecko with a cockney accent that is familiar to almost everyone. Along with the charming lizard, GEICO has used the Cavemen, Maxwell the piggy, and a humorous campaign comparing how easy it is to use GEICO to things that are not easy, as well as others. Almost every campaign has left a lasting impression.

Bryant has lived in the Tampa Bay area for roughly 20 years, and is a University of South Florida graduate, with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree.

He worked for GEICO in Lakeland for 16 years, the last few while driving a long commute from his family home in Live Oak Preserve in New Tampa, which he shares with his wife of six years, Shannon.

When GEICO decided to open an office in Wesley Chapel, Bryant says he jumped at the chance.

“You want to be your own boss and have that freedom.” Bryant says. “But, we love it here, too. We plan on retiring here, and we plan on having this office in Wesley Chapel for many, many years.”

The GEICO-Wesley Chapel local office is located at 1227 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. It is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-7 p.m., and 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday. For more information, visit Geico.com/wesley-chapel-bryant, call (813) 953-4200 or see the ad on page 29.

gecko GEICO

Corbett Prep-IDS Offers Unique Indoor/Outdoor Learning & Camps

On a recent spring day at Corbett Preparatory School of IDS (Independent Day School; also known as Corbett Prep), a team of seventh grade students set out in a canoe with the day’s science lesson — to find the depth and investigate the water quality of the lake on which they were paddling.

Since the campus is on the edge of Lake Lipsey, it affords students unique opportunities for all kinds of outdoor learning, and the school’s teachers and administrators take advantage of them.

In fact, Corbett Prep’s campus became a huge benefit as the school faced numerous challenges because of the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, the school’s extensive outdoor space, where children already were regularly learning and playing, became even more popular as a classroom.

“We’re fortunate to be on a stunning campus surrounded by nature,” explains Head of School Nick Rodriguez. “Our classrooms are like separate, beautiful little houses.”

Nick says that this helps keep students separated into their own groups, as well as socially distant.

The campus, located south of W. Fletcher Ave. in Carrollwood, is home to more than 500 students in all grades from 3-year-olds in pre-kindergarten through the eighth grade. The middle school campus, where each of the three grades has about 60 students, is across Orange Grove Dr. from the younger grades.

“Our middle school students get a sense of their own campus, but also the leadership opportunities of coming over to the elementary school,” Nick says.

Last fall, the year started with more than 100 students choosing remote learning, with teachers providing instruction simultaneously to classes both in person and online.

“As we’ve proved we can keep our campus safe and our protocols are working, we continue to get students back,” Nick explains. “Now about 20 are (still) remote, but the rest are on campus.”

He says he understands parents’ concerns, because their highest priority is their children, both their education and their safety.

He says Corbett Prep has always maintained a clean, beautiful campus, but steps were taken this year to be even safer during the pandemic. For example, additional sinks and sanitation stations were installed, plexiglass barriers have been added in classrooms, and the administration team focused on scheduling and transition time to minimize interactions between groups.

“At the end of this year we will be stronger than we’ve ever been,” explains Nick. “We’ve added an entirely new skill set to our platform.”

He says this includes online communication, such as software that kids use at home to check homework, and teachers increasing their skills and technology usage.

He also says that this year has given them even more opportunities to think creatively, which is a strong suit at Corbett Prep.

“Learning happens everywhere and it’s all tied together,” he explains. As an example, in order to get kids outside more this year, the eighth graders were given the opportunity to design a mural. “It turned into a full course where they had to plan, measure, design letters and spacing, use geometry, and choose paint colors.”

Nick explains that Corbett Prep is an International Baccalaureate (IB) school with creativity at its heart.

“It really makes you proud to see kids who are creative and engaged,” he says. “We want to create ‘wow’ lessons for our students as often as possible to keep them active in their learning.”

He says he is proud that Corbett Prep students get out of the car smiling in the morning, excited to go to school, and he wants parents to understand that can be their kids, too, “when your children are with the right teachers in the right curriculum, at a school like ours.” He adds that having multiple teachers in classrooms ensures that students find those “right teachers” for them.

Connected To New Tampa

Kids from all over the Tampa Bay area attend Corbett Prep, and bus service is available from New Tampa and Wesley Chapel.

Martha and Carlton Fleming live in Grand Hampton. Their daughters, Layla and Naomi, both started at the school as three year olds. Layla is now in high school and Naomi is finishing her eighth grade year.

Back when their girls were little, Martha says they first fell in love with the outdoor environment, then the curriculum and the way Corbett Prep engages the students in hands-on learning. Even today, she says Layla and Naomi still sometimes talk about their favorite learning experiences, such as “Senses Day,” where students immerse their senses outdoors (by jumping in a tub of oatmeal, for example) or “Living Thanksgiving,” where they engage in activities the Pilgrims would have, such as making their own candles.

“At Corbett, they are building confident students,” explains Martha. “They set up many little successes that build confident kids.”

She says one of the main reasons her family moved to Grand Hampton was the area’s A-rated public schools, but their girls had such a phenomenal preschool experience at Corbett Prep that they didn’t want to move them.

“Corbett has helped our girls become very well rounded, in every sense,” says Carlton. “The girls are doing well academically, but there’s something else that our girls have gotten out of that experience. I think Corbett has this trifecta of very strong education, but they also value athletics and the arts.”

He also praises the compassion his girls developed during their time at the school.

Martha adds, “They build the social emotional awareness in terms of being connected with their own internal feelings and how that is projecting outward and affecting others.”

She says as she speaks with friends and observes students in other schools, “we realize the uniqueness of what our daughters have had, and we have learned to appreciate that so much more now that they’re teenagers,” explains Martha. “It’s a process you invest in, but I feel like we’ve seen the fruits of it.”

Summer Camps

Learning takes place on the campus year-round, and the summer offers a unique opportunity for students to enjoy all that Corbett Prep has to offer, whether or not they attend school there.

“Most summers we have about 1,000 different students on campus for summer camps,” explains Nick, “but last year, with Covid, we still had about 700.”

He says they offer morning, afternoon and full-day camps, featuring everything from academics, to nature, to the arts.

“It’s a big undertaking for our school,” he explains, saying that all Camp IDS camps are led by highly qualified, trained educators.

More information about summer camps is available on the school’s website at CorbettPrep.com, then click on the “Camp IDS” tab at the top of the page.

History

Nick Rodriguez was named Head of School in July 2020, taking over from Dr. Joyce Swarzman, who led the school for more than two decades and has transitioned into a training and initiatives role.

Nick first came to Corbett Prep more than a decade ago for a fellowship program, then went on to lead other Bay-area schools. He says his immense respect for Dr. Swarzman was among the reasons he joined the school. “It was not in the plan for me to come back,” he says, “but I couldn’t say ‘yes’ quick enough.”

Corbett Prep’s administrative team works together at one of the school’s many beautiful outdoor areas. (L.-r.) Associate Head of School Michael Johnson; Head of School Nicholas B. Rodriguez; President of Initiatives & Training Dr. Joyce Burick Swarzman, and Middle School Division Leader Jennifer Jagdmann.

“Dr. Swarzman’s background in education and where she’s taken our school is unmatched,” Nick says, “and I’m so fortunate to be following her and teaming and partnering with her through this crazy year.”

Not only is Nick the school’s head, but he’s also a parent. His daughter, Sloane, is an elementary school student at Corbett Prep.

The Independent Day School was started in 1968 by Marilyn Gatlin and Betty Anderson, who wanted to create a school where every child’s gifts and talents could be identified and encouraged. Nearly a decade ago, the school was renamed Corbett Prep at IDS.

“The Corbett family is incredibly generous to the entire Tampa Bay area and has supported our initiatives for 40 years,” says Nick.

He adds that he’s very proud of the school’s more than 50 years of history, and excited to continue its legacy in the community.

Now Is The Time To Enroll

While traditional open houses and big campus tours are not currently available, families are still welcome to visit the Corbett Prep campus.

Enrollment for the 2021-22 school year is under way, and Nick says that, within the next few weeks, some grade levels already will have waiting lists.

Nick says he encourages families to take a tour, because parents know a school is right for their child, “when you see their faces light up as they step onto the campus.”

Corbett Preparatory School of IDS is located at 12015 Orange Grove Dr. in Tampa. For more information, visit CorbettPrep.com or call (813) 961-3087.

corbett prep

Covid Changes Plans For the Better at Pediatric Dentistry

*Although she specializes in children ages 1-18, Dr. Marta has been known to help out an adult patient here and there, too.*

Pediatric Dentistry of New Tampa has been in its Tampa Palms Professional Center location since 2008. Over the years, pediatric dentist Marta Rivera, D.M.D., has seen thousands of patients. But, like all of us, she says she has never seen a time like the one we are currently experiencing.

When the world went into quarantine due to Covid-19 last March, Dr. Marta (as her young patients call her) and her staff needed to adjust. Because they were deemed an essential business, the practice could stay open but only for emergency and urgent services. They were only open a few hours per day to service the patients most in need.

That’s how it was from March until May, when restrictions on medical offices in Florida were lifted. Prior to May, Dr. Marta says the pandemic allowed the staff to prepare the office for a post-Covid world. The whole place was sanitized. Fans and ionizers were installed to purify the air.

The layout also was changed, so that there was only one entrance door and one exit door. Arrows on the floor made sure patients weren’t running into each other. Exam rooms are cleaned thoroughly after each procedure. And, of course, all of the staff members and patients have been required to wear masks.

“People feel safer,’’ Dr. Marta says. “There were a lot of changes but we got through it. Everybody has been safe, thank goodness. Now we are waiting for everyone (staff and some patients and their parents) to get the (Covid) vaccines. We are going to continue to wear masks and probably will for a couple of years. We deal with children and children can’t get vaccinated. We have to continue with the mask mandate. We are a medical facility.’’

Dr. Marta has been practicing dentistry since 1988. She is a native of Brooklyn, NY, but moved to Puerto Rico with her family when she was 10 years old. She graduated from the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology and then earned her D.M.D. degree from the university’s School of Dental Medicine.

Dr. Marta had her own dentistry practice for seven years in Puerto Rico. She moved to Florida in 1997 and, after passing the Florida Dental Board, worked in dental offices in Lakeland and Plant City before opening her own practice in Hunter’s Green in 2003. Five years later, she moved to her current location.

“It’s a developing area, it’s the suburbs, lots of families and their children are here and I love the area,’’ she says.

While Dr. Marta almost exclusively works on children ages 1-18, she says that she does have a few patients in their early 20s. However, the practice is very much catered to children. Dr. Marta calls them the “stars of the show.’’

Getting Down To Basics

One of the cool amenities at Pediatric Dentistry of New Tampa is that there are televisions in the ceilings of the exam/treatment rooms so kids can watch TV while they are in the dental chairs, which cuts down significantly on their nervous fidgeting.

Dr. Marta recommends a cleaning and first dental exam when children turn age one. She offers digital, low-dose X-rays, offers both sedation dentistry and conscious sedation with nitrous oxide, mercury-free restorations and custom made mouth guards and treats periodontal disease. Her cosmetic services include bleaching of teeth for teenagers.

Dr. Marta says she was the first provider in Florida to offer Myobrace, a type of “myofunctional” (meaning it deals with the muscle function of the mouth) orthodontics. Myobrace is often an ideal treatment to eliminate habits such as thumb sucking or tongue thrust that cause teeth to become misaligned. With Myobrace, a child can correct those habits before beginning traditional orthodontics, or sometimes eliminate the need for traditional orthodontics altogether.

Although Dr. Marta is not an orthodontist, because she was trained in her residency to do orthodontics, it is another service available at her office — although she says she only provides it to patients she knows she can help and refers more complicated cases to orthodontic specialists.

Felix Ramirez has four children, ranging in age from four- to 14-years-old. After dissatisfaction with other dentists, it was suggested that he check out Dr. Marta. That was more than seven years ago.

His oldest child already has gone through a braces program. He expects his next two oldest children to get braces as well. Additionally, Ramirez uses Invisalign on his own teeth, also thanks to Dr. Marta.

“It’s really been a blessing,’’ Ramirez says. “To be able to trust a dentist fully like we trust Dr. Marta really gives you peace of mind. And, she is an amazing professional. Put it this way, my kids aren’t afraid to go to the dentist. They actually like to go. That’s saying something.’’

As an added bonus, Dr. Marta also is fluent in Spanish.

Adapting To The Pandemic

Due to the changes brought on by Covid-19, Dr. Marta also has added tele-dentistry to her menu of options. While she obviously isn’t able to physically work on a tele-dentistry patient’s teeth, she can answer parents’ questions and look at abscesses, for example, and suggest options if those patients require further treatment.

“It was helpful in giving peace of mind to the parents,’’ Dr. Marta says.

Once medical facilities were allowed to see more patients, she says she wasn’t sure if they would return, since Covid-19 is still a threat. She said she was surprised when the office was full again by May.

Part of the reason may be due to what she calls “Quarantine Cavities.’’

Dr. Marta focuses a lot of her attention on preventive care, especially when it comes to cavities. Many of those problems can come as a result of bad diets or bad habits. In this case, being stuck inside the house for a year now has contributed to both.

“There has been an uptick in cavities,’’ Dr. Marta says. “(People) are quarantined and there is eating and drinking when you are home. The snacking went up. Unfortunately, part of why we are so busy now is because of that.”

Pediatric Dentistry of New Tampa is located at 5326 Primrose Lake Cir. and is open Monday-Thursday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m. The office accepts many insurance policies, primarily PPOs. For additional information, call (813) 374-0388 or visit TampaHappySmiles.com.

Pediatric Dentistry of New Tampa

New Tampa’s Your CBD Store Adapting With New Products

*Your CBD Store New Tampa owners Deborah and David Curler promise their store is different from other CBD sellers.* ***(Photos: John C. Cotey)***

A lot has changed in the time since Deborah and David Curler opened their Your CBD Store in the Pebble Creek Collection just 15 months ago, back on November 29, 2019.

But, the biggest change was that Covid-19 happened. As fledgling business owners coming off a couple of good months, the Curlers were hit hard by the pandemic, forced to reduce their hours and having to fight for their survival.

Keeping them going were their customers, who needed their help during the pandemic more than ever. While there were fewer of them, regular customers were still coming in or ordering for curbside pickup for Your CBD Store’s stress-, anxiety- and pain-reducing CBD products, which many consider miracle solutions.

A case in point is Mary Maloy, who has rheumatoid arthritis, and was wary of taking prescription drugs, which her daughter, who works in the medical profession, said were very strong.

So, after some research, she drove from her Temple Terrace home to the Your CBD Store in New Tampa, and says she has been mostly pain-free ever since.

“David explained everything to me, he was so friendly and nice and what I really liked is they didn’t try to force anything on me,” said Mary, who now takes a non-THC oil twice a day. She says David helped her adjust her dosage until it was just right, at 33 milligrams.

As the pandemic raged, David delivered to Mary’s home so she wouldn’t have to venture out. “They really are like family,” Mary says — and she wasn’t the only one in need during the height of the pandemic.

Deborah says a nurse from nearby AdventHealth walked through the doors one day. “I’ll never forget it,” Deborah says. “She came in and was in tears. She said to me, ‘What do you have for stress and anxiety? I can’t take this anymore.”

As Deborah assisted her, the nurse told her she had “zipped up three people today.” Deborah was stunned. She recommended a full spectrum water soluble — which takes effect in 7-10 minutes — and the nurse went on her way, only to return again a few weeks later.

“To know that we helped is very gratifying,” says Deborah, who adds that many of the regulars at her store are now doctors and nurses at AdventHealth. Many of the nurses continue to share heart-wrenching stories, she says.

“God bless them for what they are doing,” Deborah says.

Customer Service & Education

Debroah says that outstanding customer service is why Your CBD Store has a 4.9 (out of 5)-star rating on Google, where the Curlers and their employees are applauded for their knowledge, passion and sterling customer service.

Helping people is why Deborah says she opened her own Your CBD Store. She and David have studied and become experts on CBD products which, in many cases, provide relief for those suffering from all kinds of maladies — from insomnia to cancer to chronic pain and anxiety.

The Curlers take great pleasure in educating new customers, and a flat-screen television and two chairs are positioned at the front of their store for those who want to learn more, although more and more people have become familiar with the products since CBD has become more normalized. You can even get a free sample if you want to try CBD.

“I would say 75 percent of the people who walk in already know about CBD,” David says. “But, 25 percent don’t, and they are curious. They have questions.”

The biggest usually centers around the relationship of CBD to marijuana and “getting high.”

CBD, or cannabidiol, is one of more than 100 cannabinoids that grow on cannabis, of which both hemp and marijuana are varieties. Like “weed,” CBD originates from hemp, which contains less than 0.3. of THC (tetrahydrocannabinol), which causes the “high,” while marijuana has much higher levels of THC.

So no, CBD products will not get you high. But, they will, in most cases, provide relief from pain, anxiety and stress.

Your CBD Store, a chain with more than 500 stores nationwide, carries a wide variety of products containing CBD, which are made by SunMed. SunMed has its own farms in Denver, CO, where the company grows the hemp that is then processed in Florida.

Each product comes with a QR code on the bottle, which can be scanned to produce that product’s lab report. David says that’s a big deal, and few other CBD producers are willing to show their work to verify the purity of their products.

Cannabinoids, whether CBD, CBG (cannabigerol) and CBN (cannabinol), which are relatively new to the CBD product world, come in both full and broad spectrum. Full-spectrum CBD products contain 0.3% of THC, which is the legal limit, while broad-spectrum products contain zero THC.

Deborah says that full spectrum is considered stronger, and is the bigger seller. Full- and broad-spectrum products both come in a variety of forms to suit your preference, like pills, water solubles, tinctures, gummies and vapes, and range in dosages from 5 milligrams to 2,000 mg.

Your CBD Store New Tampa also offers SunMed’s award-winning topical creams, which are effective in relieving joint pain. There also are CBD dog treats (above), which can keep your pet more relaxed and less anxious during stress-inducing events like fireworks and thunderstorms.

Newer cannabinoids now being sold at Your CBD Store include CBG, which provides a pick-me-up effect, and CBN, which is THC-free and is designed to promote nighttime relaxation and slumber. Both products are hot sellers at the New Tampa store, Deborah says.

And now, you can even purchase hemp in its raw form, as a flower, and use it in a number of ways.

“You can brew it in tea, sprinkle it on your salad and even smoke it,” David says. “But, you’re not going to get high off it.”

Your CBD Store New Tampa also sells CBD/hemp cookbooks, for the adventurous sort.

The New CBD Delta

However, creating the most buzz, pardon the pun, at Your CBD Store New Tampa is Delta-8, which is a close cousin to Delta-9, or THC.

The difference between the two is just one particular chemical bond appearing on the eighth carbon molecule instead of the ninth. The different chemical configuration makes Delta-8 less potent, and has been reported to provide users with a smoother “high” without the anxiety and paranoia associated with Delta-9/THC.

Dubbed “Weed Light” by some, it has nearly the same positive effects of Delta-9, but fewer of the negative effects.

Delta-8 is available at Your CBD Store New Tampa in tincture, gummy and spray form.

“Since Christmas time, the phone has been blowing up for Delta-8,” she says. “I can’t believe how big a seller it is. It is flying off the shelves.”

The Curlers hope the pandemic is on its way out the door, and business returns to its previous levels. Prices have been reduced by 20-30 percent per bottle by SunMed, as it combats consumer trepidation during these difficult times, but new products continue to flow into the store in hopes of a rebound. You also can receive $10 off your first purchase by joining the stores Loyalty Club, which can lead to other discounts and freebies.

“We’re surviving at this point,” Deborah says. “We’re praying for the best, so we can keep doing what we love, which is helping people. We feel close to our customers. They come to rely on you. And we want to be here.”

Your CBD Store New Tampa is located at 19651 Bruce B. Downs Blvd., Suite B-1. It is open every day except Sunday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. For more information, call (813) 994-0599 or visit CBDRX4U.com/find-us/florida/new-tampa.

CBD Delta-8 Your CBD Store

Taylor Gardner Gutters & Exteriors Is A Tribute To A Great Dad

*Brothers Brandon (left) & Taylor Gardner have re-branded Gardner Gutters (run for 20 years by their late father Ed, right) as Taylor Gardner Gutters.*

Taylor Gardner never expected to take over the family business, essentially following in his father’s footsteps.

He says he never planned on it, never thought about it — pretty much figured it wasn’t in the cards for him.

“I thought I’d be a career military man,” the former U.S. Marine says. “Now, I can’t see myself anywhere else.”

Taylor Gardner Gutters & Exteriors is the re-branded version of a family business that has been around for 20 years.

Back in 2000, Taylor’s father Ed started Gardner Gutters, a small business in the heart of Lutz, but also servicing communities and residences in the outlying areas such as Land O’ Lakes, New Tampa and at-the-time-fledgling-but-on-the-rise Wesley Chapel.

Ed ran his gutter installation and repair company with poise and charm, honesty and dignity and even a down-to-earth goodness that was evident to every one of his customers, as the small business quickly became a multi-million-dollar operation.

“I don’t know how he did it,” Taylor adds. “He did it all and everyone loved him and always came back to him when they needed new gutters or more work done. It still impresses me to this day.”

Taylor describes his dad as a hard-as-nails tough guy, who was always in great shape. Ed was a hard worker and an even nicer fellow, one that just about everyone would approach to chat with at the local grocery store, as his other son (and Taylor’s business partner) Brandon explains.

“He had a great reputation and just a real knack for people liking him,” Brandon says. “I just remember as a kid, going anywhere, and people would always come up to him and just talk to him. There were so many people at his funeral that wanted to say something about how he was such a great guy.”

Tragedy Strikes

As with many self-made-businessman stories, this one also has its tragic side. Not because Gardner Gutters failed financially but because, 12 years ago, Ed Gardner was diagnosed with prostate cancer.

And, as with just about every cancer diagnosis, Ed’s world, and his family’s, was turned upside down. He started the treatments and lifestyle changes immediately. Taylor returned from his service with the Marines for a time.

“I really thought it was no big deal,” Taylor says, “because prostate cancer runs in our family and both my grandfathers had it and didn’t die from it. Granted, I’ve been tested as much as I can and so have my brothers, but I really thought it was no big deal because I knew my dad and figured he would beat it.”

Well, Ed did, to an extent. For about three years, Ed did all of the usual treatments and was moving along pretty well until 2011, when Taylor had just returned from being deployed in Iraq, and was told Ed had only three to nine months to live.

*No home is too big or too small for the professionals at Taylor Gardner Gutters. When you need exterior services, from gutter cleaning and installation to pressure washing & more, give them a call!*
*(Photo from TaylorGardnerGutters.com)*

At that time, Ed was told he was beyond Stage 4 cancer — “a dead man walking” is what Taylor said the doctors told his dad — and it was time to say his goodbyes to his family members.

However, Ed being Ed, he wasn’t about to quit. He moved away from traditional treatments and started trying holistic methods, including diets and different supplements and, miraculously, he lived for another 10 years.

“Those things (treatments), they’ll make you look like you’re wacky, but he lived another decade after a death sentence,” Taylor says. “So, it’s hard to argue with (those results).”

Even so, Ed did pass away in August.

The holistic treatments, however, were not cheap. They drained Ed of a lot of what he made building up Gardner Gutters. He did still run it, with help from his family, because he could be gone for weeks at a time getting some “controversial” treatment in Mexico.

The business took a back seat to Ed’s survival. He worked hard to keep it alive, with help from Taylor.

Taylor had been around the business most of his childhood, even helping out as “free labor” as a teenager and such, until joining the Marines, which included that deployment in Iraq. But, he always found himself returning home.

In 2015, Ed’s health deteriorated even more and once his uncle Rusty, who had been helping run it, retired, Taylor began taking over the business.

In 2018 the transition from Ed to Taylor began, but it was 2019 when they re-branded it Taylor Gardner Gutters, for liability reasons, from the original Gardner Gutters, even though Taylor and his crew were doing the same work, for basically the same customers, as Ed.

“Just like dad, we don’t talk to customers like customers here,” Taylor says. “We talk to them like we know them personally because we usually do, so we take pride in that’s how dad did it and that’s how we plan to continue to do it.”

Never Forgotten

In addition to custom gutter installations and repairs, Taylor Gardner Gutters also provides gutter cleaning and leaf protection, pressure washing services, screen enclosure installations, soffit and fascia repairs and window replacements and is proud to be veteran-owned-and-operated.

As partners in the business, Taylor handles sales and the day-to-day operations behind the scenes and off-site. Brandon is the project and sites manager, usually checking on the work about to be done, being done or that has been done, up to a couple of times a day.

“And, I’m just fine with that,” says Taylor, who has a B.S. degree in Business Administration from Liberty University in Lynchburg, VA, which he earned after completing his military service.

“I help clean out gutters in a pinch, but my days of climbing on roofs are over,” Taylor says. “Brandon is the real gutter installation expert, where he can eyeball a house from the road while driving by and tell it was done all wrong (laughs).”

Meanwhile, Brandon says he’s revelling in the fact that the Gardner boys have truly come full circle.

“It’s a great sense of pride now taking on the family business after dad is gone,” Brandon says, “and it’s neat for me because I was helping at the start of it and now I’m back here, getting it back up to what it used to be.”

Ed’s fingerprints will forever be on the business he started when his sons were just boys. He taught them not only how to install gutters, but also how to treat the customers. As Taylor and Brandon move forward in growing the business back to its previous level, they are adding more crews, new equipment and maybe even a new office.

Brandon says the business is primarily focused on installing gutters — which divert rainwater rolling off your roof from accumulating next to your home’s foundation and damaging it — as well as gutter repairs and installing outdoor screen enclosures.

And, Taylor says he takes to heart all that he either directly or indirectly learned watching his father become a local celebrity business owner, one who will always be sorely missed by his family and his extended family members — the customers he treated with respect and kindness until his last day.

“Anyone can learn to install gutters,” Taylor says. “What my dad taught me was how to treat people. That was the biggest thing. I think when I was younger, I would listen to my dad talk to people and when someone would yell at him, my dad would still be nice to them. As a testosterone-filled kid, I would wonder, ‘How can you take that from anyone?’ But now, I get it.”

Taylor Gardner Gutters & Exteriors is located at 19007 North U.S. Hwy. 41 in Lutz. Its business hours are Monday- Friday, 7:30 am.-5:30 p.m. For more information, call (813) 486-2730, or visit TaylorGardnerGutters.com.

Taylor Gardner Gutters