Speaking of convenience, Walmart is expanding a partnership to provide convenient healthcare options inside their stores, and the Wesley Chapel is next on the list. Last month, the Walmart at 28500 S.R. 54 took out permits and then quickly installed the new sign for “Conviva Senior Primary Care,” located in the clinical office space formerly occupied by Walmart Health.
The clinics are part of Humana’s Primary Care Organization (PCO), which includes Conviva and CenterWell Senior Primary Care.
Last year, in a press release from Humana, Walmart’s executive vice president of health & wellness Brian Setzer said, “We are looking forward to welcoming CenterWell [and Conviva] into these purpose-built health care spaces to offer quality care to communities in four states.”
He added, “Leasing these spaces to a well-known and successful healthcare delivery organization is a win for [our] customers and patients, as we continue to focus on our core health & wellness business of Pharmacy and Optical.”
Conviva’s website states that the company has locations in Texas and Florida, and we found that there are already more than a dozen existing care centers dotted around the greater Tampa area, a couple of which are located inside Walmarts, like the ones at 1575 Land O’Lakes Blvd. in Lutz and at 7631 Gall Blvd. in Zephyrhills.
According to ConvivaCareCenters.com, “At Conviva Senior Primary Care, you’ll get 50% more one-on-one time with our primary care physicians who respect your schedule. Take the time to ask all of your questions and feel confident about your care.”
Conviva will have its own exterior entrance, located east of the doors for Wesley Chapel Walmart’s ‘Home & Pharmacy’ section. There will be dedicated and marked parking spaces for patients, as well as another interior entrance to the clinic next to the vision center.
Meghan Kile, an insurance broker/agent with a desk set up just inside the front of the Walmart in the mornings (under a bright blue banner with the Walmart logo and the names of multiple insurance providers), stated that she thinks Conviva is hoping to be open by April or May, but she had heard no exact date as of yet. Meghan believes this Conviva location is still in the process of hiring its staff.
The sign out front of Conviva’s exterior entrance says “Accepting New Patients” and the phone number listed — (813) 815-8391 — goes straight to a voicemail for an “Immacula Nezier, APRN.” Unfortunately, we were not able to get in touch with Nezier for more exact details.
(L.-r.) Matt, Mary & Nick Catchur of Marimark Mortgage, located in the Tampa Palms Professional Center, can help you find the best mortgage to suit your needs. (Photos by Charmaine George)
When John Grime started thinking about buying an investment property in 2021, he needed a plan.
He called his “go-to” mortgage broker, Mary Catchur of Marimark Mortgage in the Tampa Palms Professional Center, just off the Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. exit of I-75. John says he’s built years of trust with Mary, as she’s helped him and his wife obtain financing to purchase a home, then refinance it when rates dropped. He knew if he ever bought an investment property, he would count on Marimark Mortgage to provide the financing to make that transaction happen.
“Mary broke everything down and laid out a good roadmap for me of what the lender would ask for and what I would need,” he says. “Now, here I am, closing on a place.”
He says that type of honest, straightforward advice is the reason he always counts on Marimark Mortgage and highly recommends Mary.
“She’s detailed and she’s immediate with information,” John says. “Whether it’s a phone call, a text or an email, Mary constantly communicates.”
Mary says that’s a hallmark of her business, which she opened in 2006. When she first dipped her toes in the mortgage side of the business, while working for another company, she quickly realized the typical way of selling mortgages wasn’t going to work for her.
“A lot of people who sell mortgages are sales people,” she says. “They want to sell the rate or sell the payment, but I take a different approach. I’m an educator and a financial person, so I first listen to understand, then figure out what make sense for that person, and then, I explain why.”
Her financial background comes from both the education and work experiences she had before moving into the mortgage industry.
Mary received both a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degree in Accounting and a Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) degree in French from the University of South Florida (USF) in Tampa. She holds Florida licenses as a mortgage broker, as a CPA (Certified Public Accountant) and as a real estate Broker.
She worked as an auditor for “Big Four” public accounting firm KPMG for 13 years, then served as the chief financial officer (CFO) for a real estate company.
Marimark has recently expanded, as Mary’s sons, Matt and Nick Catchur, have both joined the firm.
Matt graduated from USF in 2024 with a B.S. degree in Finance. Mary says Matt’s education benefits their clients.
“Similar to my CPA background,” she says, “the more you know about finance, the better you can understand the products you offer. We can better evaluate our customers and find the best product for them.”
She explains that a salesperson who doesn’t have the background that Marimark Mortgage has will leave it up to the underwriter to determine if a buyer is qualified for a loan. Mary says this can cause frustration for a buyer who has been pre-qualified by someone who doesn’t fully understand the buyer’s financial situation or the nuances of the mortgage product they are selling.
Meanwhile, Mary’s son Nick is a fellow real estate Broker who also works at Marimark in loan origination. As a team, this trio can offer multiple services that are helpful to buyers, and bring a greater understanding to the home-buying process.
Know What You Don’t Know?
Mary says that beyond their commitment to excellent communication and education, another important skill is to know what they don’t know.
“There’s so much to know and to keep up on,” Mary says. “The rules and guidelines are constantly changing, and there are so many different products out there. There are a lot of moving parts and everyone’s scenario and source of income is so different, so every person you work with is completely new.”
For example, she says, income earned by a truck driver is completely different from that earned by a nurse, which is completely different from that of a business executive.
“Our business background helps us understand how all these people get paid,” she says. “We have to constantly think outside the box, be creative and understand the scenario to put them with the right product.”
While many buyers are looking for a fixed-rate mortgage, Mary says there are many different options.
For example, Federal Housing Administration (FHA) loans offer low down payments and Veterans Administration (VA) loans allow U.S. military veterans to buy a home with no money down.
Mary also says that those who are self-employed may want to consider a bank-statement loan, where account deposits determine income, rather than pay stubs.
For investment properties, a debt-service coverage ratio loan doesn’t require a borrower to have a specific income, but instead considers how much money is going to come in from the investment property and whether or not it will cover the principal, interest, taxes, insurance and Homeowners Association fees.
Marimark also offers reverse mortgages, which allow borrowers over the age of 62 whose home is worth more than what is owed on it to eliminate mortgage payments altogether.
Mary says Marimark often helps homeowners who want to refinance and get cash out for debt consolidation, renovations or other purposes. Right now, though, many who refinanced their homes when rates were low don’t want to give up that low mortgage rate. In that case, homeowners can add a second loan or home equity line of credit, which Mary says is popular among those who want to use the equity in their homes without having to refinance.
She also says it’s a misconception that working with her will cost a buyer more than not working with a mortgage broker.
“Sometimes your bank will have a good product for you, but sometimes they’re not your best option because they only have their own products,” Mary explains. “Your situation might be a little different and you might need a different product. I have several lenders I can go to and search for a product that meets your needs. But, if your bank’s products don’t fit you, they can’t help you.”
She says she talks with people every day who have special circumstances and that the more she learns about them, the more helpful it is to be able to work with a variety of different lenders.
“We definitely have more options than a bank can offer,” she says. “There aren’t any extra fees, and you have the advantage of the many more products that we can offer you.”
Marimark Mortgage’s office is located at 5327 Primrose Lake Cir. in the Tampa Palms Professional Center. For more information, visit MarimarkMortgage.com or call (813) 910- 8020.
The updated site plan submitted to Pasco County for a five-building commercial plaza in the Meadow Pointe area of Wesley Chapel that is expected to include a Whole Foods market. (Source: Pasco County)
Whole Foods Moving Forward?
In mid-February, updated plans were submitted to Pasco County for a high-end retail center on the long-vacant land north of Aronwood Blvd. and east of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in Wesley Chapel that previously was announced as having both a Whole Foods grocery store and a Life Time Fitness center. Those original plans, filed in March of 2024, were withdrawn two days later.
The new plans — submitted by privately held commercial developer SJC Ventures — do not mention any of the proposed tenants, but they look similar enough to the former site plan that did include Whole Foods and Life Time for some local news media to assume that those major tenants are likely still part of the new five-building (totalling 160,468 sq. ft.) plans (see site plan, above).
The new plan calls for “Major Tenant A,” believed to be Whole Foods, occupying a 35,518-sq.-ft. building, with “Major Tenant B,” believed to be Life Time Fitness, in the site’s easternmost 84,500-sq.-ft. building. Other buildings included in the new site plan are a 10,416-sq. ft. “Shops” building adjacent to Major Tenant A, and two additional “Shops” buildings of 16,017 and 14,017 sq. ft. at the southwest corner of the site.
If ultimately approved by Pasco, which is expected, the new plaza likely won’t be ready to open until 2027.
Tampa Palms Joann Fabrics Closing?
Also in mid-February, a judge approved the second declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy by Joann Fabrics & Crafts that will allow the retailer to close 500 of its 800 U.S. stores.
Among the locations already holding a “Going Out of Business” sale is the Joann’s located at 6234 Commerce Palms Blvd., in the Market Square at Tampa Palms plaza (photo left).
“Right-sizing our store footprint is a critical part of our efforts to ensure the best path forward for Joann,” the company said in a prepared news release on Feb. 14. “We anticipate the store closures to occur over the next few months, although some stores may close within a shorter or longer time period.” We had not heard at our press time when the Tampa Palms Joann’s will actually close.
For more information, call (813) 910-8996 or visit Joann.com.
New Tampa Winn-Dixie Will Become An Aldi!
We reported a couple of issues ago that the Winn-Dixie supermarket located at 6425 County Line Rd. had closed and was being converted to an Aldi market, since Aldi had purchased all of the remaining links in the Winn-Dixie chain.
However, Aldi sold 170 of its Winn-Dixie stores to a private consortium of investors in Feb. However, we now have it on good authority from another tenant in the same plaza that Aldi has, in fact, signed a long-term lease for the former New Tampa Winn-Dixie.
We did not know at our press time, however, when the conversion will be completed or when the third Aldi in the New Tampa/Wesley Chapel area is expected to open.
Nothing Bundt Cakes Is Open!
If your sweet tooth has been acting up, local residents can now get their fix of Nothing Bundt Cakes, which opened in mid-February in the City Plaza at Tampa Palms shopping center at 16047 Tampa Palms Blvd. W (right photo).
The new store — the second in our distribution areas (the other is in the Shops at Wiregrass mall) — features the same delicious bundt cakes in a variety of sizes and flavors (with that delectable icing) as the chain’s 600+ other stores in the U.S. and Canada.
Founded in Las Vegas in 1997 by Dena Tripp and Debbie Shwetz, Nothing Bundt Cakes has been named the #1 Favorite Brand in America, according to Nation’s Restaurant News.
I got to sample the new Reese’s Chocolate Peanut Butter flavor on my first visit to the new bakery. I’ll definitely be visiting again soon!
The new Hooters, which is expected to begin building next to the Wesley Chapel Harley-Davidson dealership at 25245 Wesley Chapel Blvd. later this summer, has had a sign (above) visible for several months now, since shortly after HMC Hospitality Group signed its lease with the Harley dealership for property adjacent to the retail motorcycle shop.
HMC, whose LinkedIn.compage says it is owned by, “the founders of the world famous Original Hooters, a renowned name in the hospitality industry, with our presence in Tampa Bay, Chicago and Las Vegas.” It is not the same company that reportedly is getting ready to declare bankruptcy and shutter some Hooters locations. That company, Hooters of America, LLC, is not involved in the Wesley Chapel Hooters plans.
And, although OriginalHooters.comsays the Lutz/Wesley Chapel location is “Coming Summer 2025,” that is actually the expected start date for the restaurant to begin building, at least according to a spokesperson who asked to not be identified at the Harley dealership.
In other words, the new Hooters probably can’t open much before the end of 2025. — GN
Benjamin Burkhalter, the franchise owner of Everbowl Craft Superfood in the Publix-anchored New Tampa Center plaza at 19036 Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. (at New Tampa Blvd.), may look a little young to be an entrepreneur, but he says he recognized a good product when he saw one.
“I’ve been into eating healthy and working out since my teens,” Benjamin says. “But, when I visited my brother, who was stationed in San Diego (where Everbowl started), I met (founder and CEO) Jeff Fenster and sampled a lot of his healthy menu, so I decided to open a franchise here in Florida.”
The only other Florida Everbowl of the chain’s 100+ open and coming-soon locations is near the University of Central Florida campus in Orlando and Benjamin says a lot of the existing locations are near or on college campuses — and he is looking to open others in his Tampa Bay-area territory.
“I liked the look of the stores and the fact that everything is super-fresh and that we have so many different bases for our bowls and smoothies,” Benjamin says. “I just feel like if people try us, they’re going to love it!”
Photographer Charmaine George (who took the photos on this page) and I sampled a few menu items on our first visit and we enjoyed everything.
Charmaine absolutely loved her PB Everbowl, which included an açai base, with granola, fresh bananas, strawberries and blueberries with a peanut butter drizzle. We each also tasted a spoonful of other bases, including “Coco Love,” Blue and Mango Majic, Cacao Wow and vanilla. They reminded us of fresh fruit sorbets and frozen yogurts.
I was in the mood for a post-workout smoothie, so I ordered the PB Cacao Dream, which uses the chocolatey Cacao Wow base, blended with bananas, cacao nibs, peanut butter and almond milk, and Benjamin added a scoop of protein powder. I finished the entire large-size smoothie while I interviewed him.
Assistant manager Abby Roneker (at right in photo, right) also made us my surprise favorite menu item, the Bruschetta Avocado Toast, which is a thick slice of tasty toasted rustic artisan bread topped with house-made (and truly fresh) avocado spread, marinated tomatoes, basil and a zesty balsamic drizzle. I’m not as big an avocado fan as Charmaine is, but we both loved it!
Everbowl also offers a variety of lemonades and fruit teas with unique flavors like dragon fruit, strawberry basil and more. For more info or to order online, visit Everbowl.com and please tell Benjamin and Abby I sent you! — GN
