Category: Featured

It’s been another busy few weeks for the North Tampa Bay Chamber (NTBC)’s giant scissors, as there were four NTBC ribbon-cutting events just between Apr. 21 and Apr. 29, including the Face Foundrié, Hale Law Accident Attorneys and Drybar Wesley Chapel. 

On Apr. 21, the Face Foundrié not only cut a Chamber ribbon but also opened its doors for the first time at 28249 Paseo Dr., Unit 190, in The Shops at Wiregrass. Its Grand Opening will be held on Saturday, May 30, 1 p.m.-4 p.m. 

Local franchise owners Brenda and her daughter Elle Vansteenburg (right) welcomed Chamber members to tour the beautiful new facial spa, one of nearly 90 Face Foundrié locations in 25 U.S. states (10 in Florida). The company was founded in Edina, MN, in 2019 by CEO Michele Henry, and the Wesley Chapel Face Foundrié offers a variety of facials, lashes, brows & skin care products, with memberships available. For more info about the Face Foundrié, call (656) 246- 5141 or visit FaceFoundrie.com. 

Next, on Apr. 23, Hale Law Accident Attorneys cut an NTBC ribbon at the firm’s office location at 6408 E. Fowler Ave. in Temple Terrace. Founded by Patrick Hale (at right in photo, left) in Sarasota in 2018, Hale and co-managing partner Patrick Iyampillai (with microphone in same photo), fellow partner Rose Kasweck and attorneys Patrick Barnes, Maxwell Shrem, James Tanton and Kristi Paschall, are all dedicated to representing everyday Floridians who have been wrongfully injured by someone else’s negligence. 

As the official accident law firm for USF, Hale Law does not take on corporate clients or insurance company defense work — “just people who need someone to fight for them,” Hale said. The partners in the highly-rated firm (the Temple Terrace office has a 5.0-star rating on nearly 30 reviews on Google) told everyone who attended the ribbon-cutting event that they should “Go to Hale (Law)” if they’re ever injured. 

For more info, call (813) 547-4980 (24 hours/day) or visit HaleLaw.com. 

Later that same day, Drybar Wesley Chapel hosted another well-attended NTBC ribbon-cutting event. Already open for several weeks, the location at 28163 Paseo Dr., Suite 135, is an elegant-looking salon that specializes in styling and blow-drying all different types of hair, with catchy cocktail-copying names (putting the “bar” in “Drybar”) for the styles, like “The Cosmo” and “The Old Fashioned.” 

Franchise owners LeShundra Haughton (in Drybar yellow in photo, right) and her son Xavier (with sunglasses) and LeShundra’s husband August Haughton (left) and her sister LaTonya DeShazier (far right) welcomed Chamber members to check out all that Drybar has to offer, including not only the blowout services, but also braids, clip-in hair extensions, hair care products, memberships and gift cards. 

Drybar, which today has nearly 200 locations (15 in Florida), debuted in Brentwood, CA, in 2010. As LeShundra said, “We want to help everyone have their best hair day.” 

For more info, call (813) 702-1066 or visit DrybarShops.com. — GN; all photos by Charmaine George 

PTSD Foundation Also Cuts A Chamber Ribbon

The following week, on Aug. 28, the PTSD Foundation of America Florida Chapter also hosted a Chamber ribbon-cutting event at its office in the Mango Coworking Space at 2831 Allegra Way (off Wesley Chapel Blvd.) in Lutz. 

Florida PTSD Foundation Chapter general manager Luis Pancha (at right in photo with NTBC president and CEO Hope Kennedy), a Marine Corps veteran, told attendees that the Foundation isn’t made up of therapists, but it does provide much-needed services for veterans and their families, including in-person peer mentoring and putting those who are at risk of becoming another one of the 44 U.S. military veterans each day who commit suicide in touch with licensed therapists. Foundation volunteers also help vets with writing grants and even with finding jobs. 

“This office is a place where veterans and their families can come for support, connection and hope,” Pancha said. 

Pancha clearly is the right person for the job. He told the attendees, “I’m not here to ask for donations. I ask for word of mouth because that’s how our Foundation can grow. So, I hope five people here will talk to five people to spread the word.” 

He also said that the local chapter actually started back in 2023 because, “As a veteran, I know that the need is great. It’s very difficult for people to understand what PTSD really is, but I suffer from PTSD a lot myself and my wife Samantha helped pull me out of the darkness. Now, I get to reach into people’s darkness and help pull them out as well.” 

The need is clearly great, as two veterans I met during the event told me that they had attempted suicide more than once. 

The event included huge donations of food from multiple sources, and Craving Donuts co-owner Vanzelle Nibbs parked his donut truck at the event and gave each attendee at least one free donut. I had enjoyed these gourmet donuts at previous events, but until you’ve had them hot and crisp outside and soft inside, you haven’t really tasted them! For more info about the PTSD Foundation, call (813) 940-0015 or visit PTSDUSA.org. For Craving Donuts, call (813) 466-9365 or visit CravingDonuts.com. — GN