Category: NEWS CHOICES

Joanne Rivera is a whirlwind of activity. On a tour of the VIP Elite Barbershop on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., in front of Live Oak Preserve (next to Marco’s Pizza), which she owns with her husband and Master Barber Omar, she is grinning widely and excitedly talking about the new place.

Joanne thinks VIP Elite is the best place in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel to get your hair cut, and she’ll tell you why, while handing you a small stack of the shop’s business cards to hand out to your friends. She rattles off the special services and perks, like online booking (just go HERE to make an appointment), and takes you on a tour of the VIP area in the back that even has a Hollywood-style backdrop.

“Take your picture, feel like a star,’’ she says, which is what VIP Elite is all about.

She pulls out her cellphone, proudly showing off the shop’s Instagram and Facebook accounts. Joanne is a social media maven, firing off post after post, many with deals for clients.

Omar, on the other hand, is calm, cool and collected as he watches from the front of the store. He explains everything he does and why he does it in a soothing, matter-of-fact manner.

“I love cutting hair; I love giving people a great experience,” he says as he meticulously tends to the client in his chair, leaning in for a closer look at his handiwork, then giving one more buzz-by with his razor.

“The most important thing in cutting hair is the details,” Omar says. “The lines have to perfect.’’

This is how it works at the VIP Elite Barber Shop. Joanne is the energy behind the scenes, a marketing hurricane taking her storm to social media to attract and keep clients; Omar is the quiet artist, intent on making sure those who sit in his chair leave happy, and return later.

Fire and Ice.

“She is my nitro,’’ Omar says.

“It works,” Joanne says, laughing.

Working Toward A Common Goal

When Omar and Joanne opened VIP Elite Barber Shop in August of this year, they had one goal — to have the classiest, most classic barber shop in town, with exquisite modern touches — a mix of old school and new school.

When you walk into the place, your first impulse is to grab a seat on the comfortable brown leather loveseats in the lobby. There’s even a bar and VIP area in the back — built by Omar himself and nicknamed the “Man Cave” — where you can grab a cup of coffee or tea. Magazines are spread on a table. The TV is on.

The whole place has a warm feel, with subtle, masculine touches. The floor has a brown faux marble finish, the barber chairs are a rich chocolate color, the lights are soft, and the music is just the right amount of funky.

For a split second, you almost forget you are there to get your hair cut.

“When we designed it,’’ Omar says, “we wanted it to feel like home.”

Once in the barber’s chair, there are a myriad of services in which you can indulge.

A regular haircut will run you $20, and it includes a complimentary hair wash if you want it. For kids, it’s just $15. If you follow Joanne on Instagram or Facebook, you might even be able to catch a deal, like the occasional “$10 Tuesday” special.

Edges and shape-ups are $7, and the same goes for beard trims. Mustache and eyebrow trims are $5, or get it all with the VIP Ultimate package for $35.

And, you’ll also get something you won’t find just anywhere — a hot towel, straight-razor shave for $15 that can take 45 minutes and will leave your face feeling fresh and clean.

It starts with a hot warming cream, followed by a hot towel. Omar will then lay down some shaving cream, using a little bit of the foamy stuff and some of the slick stuff. With a straight razor and a steam machine keeping your face moist and warm (and the pores open), Omar delivers a tight shave, then a cold towel, which he says tightens the skin and properly closes the pores. After some moisturizer and a facial massage, if you haven’t fallen asleep in the chair, you may wonder why you ever shaved yourself in the first place.

“That’s just one of the added touches that we think puts us ahead of the other places,’’ Omar says.

“I moved here from New York and was looking for a place, and this is what makes this barbershop unique, you can come here and relax,’’ said Matthew Arriage, one of VIP Elite’s regulars. “It’s nice when you find a barber shop you really like. Other places I’ve been to, they aren’t interested in talking, they just want your get your money and get you out of there.”

Omar is from Manhattan, and Joanne is from Brooklyn. But, believe it or not, they actually met in Ocala as teenagers. It was love at first sight, Omar says, when as a freshman he bravely walked up to Joanne (a junior) and asked her for a date.

They were married in Ocala in 1995, and settled afterwards in Linden, NJ. Joanne went to school to earn her MBA, and Omar took jobs in retail management at Modell’s Sporting Goods, Sears and Home Depot.

He never stopped cutting hair, though. His son Israel would bring friends over, and he’d cut their hair on the back patio. He also cut the hair of friends and family. He got licensed to be a barber but until moving back to Florida last year, never thought about opening his own place.

But, tired of the retail grind and with the long hours that he said took him away from his family and left him depressed during holidays, Omar did decide to open his own business. He studied plans, conceptualized what he wanted, and decided, “I wanted a classy spot. And, little by little, things started falling in place.”

No one was happier than Joanne, who also works at Citigroup in Tampa.

“He always had such a good eye for it,’’ she said. “He wanted a nice gentlemen’s place, and he wanted to do what he loves.”

Omar built the front counter and the Man Cave himself and the Riveras attended an Orlando salon trade show and after lots of testing, decided on El Patron and Billy Jealousy skin and hair products for their clients. Israel, 19, got his license recently and also works in the salon with his dad. Israel also has picked up his mom’s touch for marketing, suggesting some beard oil and conditioner to a pair of customers following their haircuts.

Since opening VIP Elite, Joanne and Omar say business has been good, and getting better through word of mouth. She says they have 350 clients in their system already, and are working hard to retain them and attract others. Joanne believes she and Omar have something special, something she is happy to trumpet daily on social media. She works to keep Omar and his staff of five barber stylists busy, and their job is to deliver on the promise to give customers an experience worth repeating — and a look they will want to keep.

It’s a simple formula, Joanne says.

“We’re not here to be average.”

VIP Elite Barbershop is located at 20309 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. You can follow Joanne and Omar on FACEBOOK or on INSTAGRAM at vip_elite_barbershop. Online, find them at vipelitebarbershop.com or reach them by phone at 813-994-4057.  

With 25 years of experience treating patients throughout the Tampa Bay area, the doctors and staff at Florida Orthopaedic Institute are excited about their newest office, located in the Shoppes of Wesley Chapel on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., directly across from Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel (FHWC). The newest office has begun accepting patients, which is helping Florida Orthopaedic Institute meet the increasing demand for specialized orthopaedic care that can help residents of Pasco County stay active.

The Board-certified doctors and surgeons at Florida Orthopaedic Institute have been recognized globally for their expertise. Headquartered in North Tampa, there are nine other locations for patients who live in or near Bloomingdale, Brandon, Citrus Park, Northdale, Oak Hill/Brooksville, Palm Harbor, South Tampa, Sun City Center and Temple Terrace.

Wesley Chapel is the 10th Florida Orthopaedic Institute office, and will offer physician services, physical therapy and X-rays. Additionally, three Board-certified physicians staff the new office:

Christopher Baker, M.D., a fellowship trained specialist in sports medicine and shoulder reconstruction; Brian Palumbo, M.D., who specializes in hip and knee replacement surgery, with a focus on diagnosing and treating hip and knee arthritis, and Timothy Epting, D.O., who focuses on injuries and disorders of the foot and ankle, as well as general orthopaedic conditions.

In order to maintain the highest level of orthopaedic skill, Florida Orthopaedic Institute only employs doctors who have fellowship training.

“This additional training is just part of what sets us apart,” says Dr. Baker, “especially when the sophisticated work of joints is involved. In order to keep our patients active, the precision of the treatment is paramount to success.”

Dr. Baker has been with Florida Orthopaedic Institute for two years and has practiced in the area for five. He graduated cum laude with his M.D. degree from the University of Florida in Gainesville and completed his residency in Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. His fellowship at the Steadman Hawkins Clinic of the Carolinas (in Spartanburg, SC) gave him an extra year of study in sports medicine and shoulder reconstruction, making him the only fellowship-trained shoulder specialist in eastern Pasco County.

Dr. Baker has been very influential in Pasco County’s high school athletics since he assisted in opening the sports medicine programs at Wesley Chapel and Zephyrhills high schools. He also treats professional athletes and has served as the orthopaedic & sports medicine physician for the Tampa Bay Storm Arena Football League team.

Dr. Baker does more than just care for athletes. He also treats patients who have shoulder pain stemming from aging or injury. Many patients avoid shoulder treatment because they are afraid they will need surgery or because of the misconception that pain is a normal part of aging, but Dr. Baker always informs his patients about available alternatives.

“There are a lot of options other than surgery, like physical therapy or cortisone injections,’’ he says. “Our mission is to do what is best for the individual patient.”

Even when surgery is necessary, Dr. Baker says he does not go straight to invasive surgical techniques. He uses the latest technologies and says that many repairs are done with an arthroscope to minimize incisions. Other doctors at Florida Orthopaedic Institute, like Dr. Palumbo, also believe that minimizing surgical trauma and muscle damage should be a high priority for any surgeon.

Before studying medicine, Dr. Palumbo served in the Special Operations Command for the U.S. Air Force. He later earned his M.D. degree from the University of South Florida in Tampa, where he also served as a resident in the Department of Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine. He also attended a one-year surgical fellowship at the combined residency program at Harvard Medical School’s Harvard Orthopaedics in Cambridge, MA, and at the Brigham & Women’s Hospital Department of Adult Reconstruction in Boston.

Dr. Palumbo specializes in hip and knee arthritis management, joint replacement surgery and the treatment of problematic or painful hip and knee joint replacements. He is Board-certified by the American Association of Hip & Knee Surgeons and the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

One method Dr. Palumbo uses to minimize surgical trauma is the direct anterior approach (DAA) for hip replacement surgery. He explains that, “Rather than cutting through or damaging muscles, (with the DAA approach) you’re simply spreading certain muscles to the side, using their natural tissue planes. It’s like opening a window versus breaking through it.”

For knee replacement candidates, Dr. Palumbo offers partial (rather than total) knee replacements whenever possible. He feels that sparing hip and knee joint muscles and preserving bone (when possible) can lead to improved and faster recovery and exceptional long-term outcomes.

Dr. Palumbo firmly believes in the importance of fellowship-trained, specialized surgeons. “The added training and expertise this provides allows us to care for complex failed and painful joint replacement issues,” he says. “ Approximately 30 percent of joint replacements I perform are re-do replacements for old or failed joint replacements.”

Educating patients is a core philosophy at the Florida Orthopaedic Institute, whose surgeons encourage patients to seek out options to ensure that they are getting a doctor who is experienced in treating their particular type of injury.

Dr. Epting is new to Florida Orthopaedic Institute, bringing expertise in injuries and disorders of the foot and ankle. He also is Board-certified in orthopaedic surgery, with fellowship training from the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Prior to joining the Florida Orthopaedic Institute team, Dr. Epting served three years as an attending orthopaedic surgeon at the Naval Hospital in Jacksonville, FL. He also served as an orthopaedic surgeon in Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan and was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal in 2010. “My military experience and fellowship training allow me to explore all options for my patients so they can receive the best possible care,” he says.

You can visit Florida Orthopaedic Institute’s new Wesley Chapel office at 2653 BBD, or visit FloridaOrtho.com for more information. Florida Orthopaedic Institute is open Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Call (800) FL-ORTHO to make an appointment or to talk to a staff member. — Submitted to & edited by Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News.

By Celeste McLaughlin

William Morales of Edward Jones Financial Services, located across Bruce B. Downs Blvd. from Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel can help you with your retirement and other financial planning needs…and much more.

Morales and office administrator Nancy Carazo previously worked together at the Edward Jones office in Tampa Palms before moving to their current Wesley Chapel location.

Financial advisor William Morales, AAMS (Accredited Asset Management Specialist), and longtime branch office administrator Nancy Carazo make up the Edward Jones Financial Services team in the Windfair Professional Center, located across Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. from Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel (FHWC).

Morales and Carazo have been serving clients in this location since 2012, when they closed their Tampa Palms office and moved it to Wesley Chapel. Morales had joined the company in 2009, while Carazo celebrated her 21st anniversary with Edward Jones this fall.

“I always wanted a Wesley Chapel branch,” says Morales, who lives in Meadow Pointe with his wife and two daughters, both of whom attend the Pasco-Hernando State College Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch. Carazo also lives in Meadow Pointe, making the Wesley Chapel office a convenient locale for the pair to serve their neighbors and community.

“We are a full-service agency, and I wear many different hats,” explains Morales. “When I work with clients, I may serve as their stock broker, insurance agent and bond dealer. At its core, my work is as a financial planner.”

He explains that he helps his clients in any of five different core areas, depending upon each client’s stage of life and their individual needs:

• Planning for a comfortable retirement (for those who are currently working)
• Enjoying retirement (for those who have already retired)
• Paying for education
• Preparing for the unexpected
• Saving money on taxes

“In 1922, Edward Jones, Sr., founded the firm, which he passed on to his son, Ted,” explains Morales. “When Ted passed, he left the company to the employees, making it the only financial services firm of its size that is held privately.”

Morales explains that this means Edward Jones is unique in the industry, as it is not a publicly traded company itself, and has no Board of Directors and no shareholders, so his singular focus can be on pleasing his clients. Edward Jones branches are independently owned and small, but they are not franchises. All 11,500 branches throughout the U.S. and Canada are held by Edward Jones, which is headquartered in St. Louis, MO.

Morales works with his clients through a five-step process, starting with “Where am I today?” and “Where would I like to be?” Then, he says, the next steps — “Can I get there?” and “How do I get there?” — are his job. Once he’s worked with his clients through those steps, Morales says he continues to advise them to determine, “How can I stay on track?”

“I take care of financial affairs for a select group of families in our area,” he says, “with about half of my clients working families, and the other half already retired.”

He says this “select group” of both working families and retirees is limited not by any particular criteria, but because he limits himself to maintaining a small group of clients so that he can manage all of their needs well.

“If we get too big, we lose that personal touch,” he says. “(It makes it) tough to deliver the same level of service.”

Morales says the most important thing to do when you’re looking for a financial advisor is to find someone you can trust and can hopefully work with for the rest of your life.

“The person has to be someone you like, someone who makes you feel comfortable,” he says.

Another piece of advice he gives is this: “Don’t let your emotions drive your financial decisions. For example, if your favorite store has a 50 percent off sale, you’d probably run to go shopping. Yet, with stocks, many people get scared when the price drops, so they want to sell, rather than buy.” In other words, he adds, “to meet your long-term goals, don’t let your emotions get you off track.”

Morales also says that many people see the stock market in their daily lives but don’t know what it actually is or how it affects them. For example, you may hear a change in the Dow Jones Industrial Average reported on the nightly news. But, the Dow only tracks the price of 30 large companies, he explains. If you don’t own any stock in those companies, what happens with the Dow is less relevant to you. “It’s much more important to understand what financial products you’re invested in,” he says.

And, educating his clients about those companies (and financial products) is a big part of what Morales does every day. In addition to equity investments, such as stocks, Morales also offers his expertise regarding annuities, retirement plans, estate considerations, education savings, fixed-income investments such as bonds and certificates of deposit, individual retirement accounts, life insurance, mutual funds, as well as saving, spending and borrowing solutions.

Satisfied Customers…

Roy and Jane Spencer first encountered Morales when they moved two years ago to the Wesley Chapel subdivision of Watergrass from Arizona. They were working with a financial planner there, but say they weren’t happy with the service they were getting. They had a life insurance policy managed by Edward Jones, so Morales reached out to them, asked them a few questions about the policy, and invited them in to talk.

The Spencers agreed to meet with him, but thought they might be setting themselves up for little more than a sales pitch. They were soon thrilled to find out that they were completely wrong.

“William isn’t a sales guy,” says Spencer. “I’m in sales, so I know when someone’s trying to sell me something. Sitting with him really feels like chatting in someone’s living room. He knows his stuff, and he really cares. ”

Spencer says he left that initial meeting saying to his wife, “This is the type of (customer) service we’ve been missing.” He continues, “The stuff William knows is crazy. I try to do some research on my own, but after I spend an hour with him, I feel smarter and a lot more confident about the future.”

He says his entire experience with Morales has been positive, and unlike anything he’s had experienced in the past.

“I used to think I needed to have millions of dollars to get this kind of advice,” he says. “To have access to this level of service with a more middle income is amazing. And it’s important, because my future is in his hands.”

Morales concurs. “My job is relationship driven. I have to do the ‘nerd work’ and crunch the numbers, but most of what I do is serve my clients, and there’s no cost for advice.”

Morales explains a first-time appointment with him is similar to visiting a new doctor. “I’m going to ask you a lot of personal questions, so I can really understand what’s going on with you financially,” adding that he uses financial questionnaires and conversation to help determine his clients’ needs.

Once someone becomes Morales’ customer, they can choose to pay a flat annual fee for Edward Jones to manage all their assets or the more traditional method, where Morales receives his payment from the mutual funds, insurance policies and other investments he sells.

“One thing that makes us unique from our competition is that there are no Edward Jones investments to sell,” says Morales. “We sell the products of all the other companies, such as Fidelity, for the same cost to you as if you bought directly from them.”

Morales recommends working with a large firm, such as Edward Jones, “because the big firms have oversight. Unlike independent financial planners who don’t work for a larger company, Edward Jones has measures in place to watch what I do.”

Before joining Edward Jones, Morales was president of a mortgage company in New Tampa and served six years in the U.S. Army Ordinance Corps, spending four years stationed in and around Kuwait. Originally from New York City, Morales and his family moved to Tampa, where he graduated from Chamberlain High.

For more information, call branch office administrator Nancy Carazo at 991-7034, and she’ll schedule your appointment with Morales at the Edward Jones office in Wesley Chapel. You can also stop by the office at 2748 Windguard Circle, Suite 101 (in the office plaza behind The Hungry Greek).