Firehouse Subs — Serving Great Subs…And First Responders Across The Country

Sarrk Restaurants, LLC, is the owner and operator of nine Firehouse Subs locations in the Tampa Bay area. Through a valuable partnership with the Impact Group, Sarrk Restaurants, LLC, became one of the earliest franchisees to sign on with Firehouse Subs, with its first location that opened in New Tampa in 2002 that was later relocated to the Shoppes at New Tampa of Wesley Chapel plaza in 2012.

The New Tampa Firehouse Subs was the 51st location for the franchise. Since then, the company has grown to become a national & international brand in 44 states, as well as in Canada, Puerto Rico and Mexico, totaling more than 1,000 locations, making Firehouse Subs one of the fastest growing fast casual restaurant concepts.

All restaurants have a focus to provide the highest in Quality, Service and Cleanliness, all based on a Firehouse Subs’ firefighter theme. And, for the Sarrk Restaurants, LLC, owner Sarju Patel and the public, the brand has become much more than that.

Firehouse’s current marketing drive focuses on a new slogan, “This Sub Saves Lives.” And it really does! Through the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, the company’s 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, which has granted more than $25 million to hometown heroes in 46 U.S. states (plus Canada and Puerto Rico) since it was established in 2005 to provide lifesaving equipment to more than 2,800 first responder organizations.

All of Patel’s valued team members that make this company run to its optimum are expected to learn what the foundation is all about and, in turn, educate the community.

The life saving equipment that is provided is truly remarkable. This part of the business is so strong, that the company’s own analysis has shown that the restaurants that raise the most foundation dollars has a higher percentage of sales than restaurants that do not embrace this aspect of the business. The old saying “Giving is Receiving” is very much alive and true. Funds are raised in three ways — customers can donate their loose change into canisters at the register, they also can “round up” their Firehouse purchases to the next dollar and/or purchasing a five-gallon pickle bucket for only $2.

Firehouse of America will donate 0.13 percent of your purchase in 2017 at all U.S. Firehouse Subs locations to the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation. This percentage will result in a minimum donation of one million dollars.

The Foundation was founded in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Firehouse Subs co-founders, Chris Sorensen and Robin Sorensen, traveled to Mississippi, where they fed first responders as well as survivors. As they traveled back to Florida exhausted and exhilarated, they knew we could do more and the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation was born.

Locally, through the funds raised from all Firehouse locations in the Tampa Bay area, here is a list of some of the Equipment that local organizations have received to date, valued at over $100,000:

•AED Defibrillator — Pasco County Sheriff’s Office

•Personal Locator Devices – Hillsborough County Sheriff’s office

•Fire Prevention Safety materials to educate the community – City of Seminole Fire and Rescue

•See-Doo water craft and trailer, surf rescue sled, life vests, ropes and helmets – City of Treasure Island Fire Dept.

•John Deere Gator Utility Terrain Vehicle (UTV) and Medlite Transport Deluxe System – Pinellas Suncoast Fire & Rescue

•RoboteX Inc Avatar Tactical Robot – Largo Police Department

•Extrication Equipment – Tampa Fire Rescue Station 13

•AED Defibrillator – Clearwater Central Catholic High School

What About The Food? — GN

Of course, most people still know Firehouse Subs for their steamed meat, toasted subs and everyone in our office has their favorite. I’m partial to the semi-spicy tuna salad sub and the steak-n-cheese sub (and I also really enjoyed the savory chicken noodle soup,too).

Graphic artist Blake Beatty and assistant editor John Cotey both prefer the NY steamer sub, which features corned beef and pastrami.

Sales rep Tom Damico enjoyed the hook & ladder sub, which comes with smoked turkey breast, Virginia honey ham, and melted Monterey Jack.

And, billing manager Stephanie Smith said she really enjoyed the crispy, toasted sub roll on her meatball sub, as well as the zesty tomato sauce.

You can add your favorite dressings and toppings to any Firehouse sub, but the chain is famous for serving its subs “Fully Involved®,” or loaded, complete with mayo, deli mustard, lettuce, tomato, onion, and a kosher dill pickle on the side. The pickles are pretty tasty, too.

And, the fresh-baked, fudgy brownies are to die for and everyone in the office enjoyed the white chocolate macadamia nut and chocolate chip cookies, the Miss Vicki’s chips and Coca-Cola “super fountain,” where you can combine more than 100 different sodas and sparkling waters.

The Wesley Chapel Firehouse Subs is located at 1824 Bruce B. Downs Blvd. For more info, call (813) 977-3181 or visit FirehouseSubs.com. Or, see the ad on page 35 of our current issue for $2 off when you buy a medium or large sub, chips and a drink.

A Sneak Peek At Cypress Creek Middle/High School

Carin Hetzler-Nettles is the principal of the new Cypress Creek Middle High School and was previously principal of Wesley Chapel High, where she earned Pasco County’s Secondary Principal of the Year in 2012. 

We spoke with Hetzler-Nettles during staff training week at Cypress Creek, located off Old Pasco Rd. As the entire staff worked together to create the culture of the new school (which is set to open to students on Pasco’s first day of classes for the 2017-18 school year, on Monday, August 14), Hetzler-Nettles reflected on all the work that’s being done to get the school ready for its first class of students. Here are some highlights from that conversation:

Neighborhood News: How different is this process of opening a new school, compared with the typical summer routine at other county middle and high schools?

Carin Hetzler-Nettles: Really different! Every principal does a lot of work this time of year, but it’s very rare to have this opportunity to be side-by-side with the entire staff, building something new.

We’re setting the stage, creating our culture here. We’re setting our school-wide expectations and motto, and talking about what a Cypress Creek “Coyote” looks like.

An aerial view of the sprawling new Cypress Creek Middle High School campus on Old Pasco Rd., near Overpass Rd.

Cypress Creek will be a pilot program for “trauma informed care,” so we had training for that. We learned about ourselves as a staff and to be mindful that everyone comes in with their own trauma (which could be something minor), and we react in different ways. When a student acts out, it’s because of something in their life, and it’s on us to figure that out, and then to build resilience, grit and perseverance. Those are life skills.

On the last day of our staff retreat (which was earlier this month), our teachers will get their schedules and find out their classrooms, which they’re so excited about. Then, as teams, they’ll head out into the community to commit random acts of kindness. We want to say “hi” to our fellow community members and tell them we’re hoping for their support.

NN: What’s your favorite thing about the campus itself?

CHN: The look of this school reminds me of a community college. It has beautiful brick paver accents. There are amazing (floor-to-ceiling) windows in the classrooms. There’s so much natural light and every classroom has a great view. We are the only high school in the county that will have a rubberized track, so we’ll be able to host some big meets. We also have a large cafeteria and an enormous band room, and the most beautiful gym floor I’ve ever seen.

We had been working out of two classrooms at Quail Hollow Elementary. To move into the new campus, we needed to have the wi-fi working, a place to sit at and something to sit on. That happened last week, so this is our home now. The trailers will go away, but we will have a district employee and construction subcontractors finishing up around campus, for probably six more months.

NN: What are you most excited about?

CHN: I am most excited about the opportunities for students. It’s so cool to have middle and high school students together. I have seen the power of kids talking to kids, and of kids showing leadership, like when eleventh grade students help ninth grade students transition. They explain, “This is why you need to do your homework,” or even say, “Let me sit with you at lunch.”

I see that happening.

Outside of school, you don’t necessarily see that part of them all the time, but we see that kids have big hearts and truly want to help others.

We have a “Pack leader” program where, over the summer, eleventh graders will be trained in leadership and eighth graders will be trained in peer counseling. Then, those trained students will be scheduled into core classes in the lower grades.

So, an eleventh grade student might be scheduled into a ninth grade English class and they are the “Pack leader” in that class. We partner them up in one of their strong subjects to help kids in that class. They might set up a texting app to remind the class that there’s a test tomorrow, or take kids outside the class to help them, or just talk, if they had a fight with a friend, for example.

We’re trying to help kids stay engaged. The Pack leader might say the same things as the teacher, but in a different way.

So many things divert kids’ attention, whether it’s that they don’t see the purpose of school, they’re looking for fun, or they’re making bad choices. It’s on us as educators to engage them and find what works for them. It’s different with every kid, so there are a lot of different ways to do that.

NN: How deep are your roots in Pasco County schools?

CHN: I am a product of Pasco County Schools. I graduated from Land O’ Lakes High. I started my career in 1996 as an ESE teacher at River Ridge Middle School. I spent a year in Hillsborough County but found it very different and came back to open Mitchell in 2000. I got my educational leadership certificate and became assistant principal, then became principal at Wesley Chapel High in 2009.

I’ve actually worked with people who were my teachers in high school. When I was at Mitchell, I became an administrator and one of the teachers there was a teacher I had in high school. The same thing happened when I was principal at Wesley Chapel. I was principal of a teacher who taught me.

NN: How does the size of Cypress Creek Middle High School compare to other campuses in the area?

CHN: We are starting with 650 high school students, which is very small. The next smallest high school in Pasco County is 1,100 students, so we’re about half the size of that. It’s almost unheard of.

Four Cypress Creek Middle High teachers from the school’s Athletic Dept. showed up at our office on June 22, and all four were obviously excited to talk about the opening of the new school.

But, our middle school has 850 students, which is pretty typical. As those middle schoolers age up, we will end up being the size of a traditional high school, so we will grow quickly. We will have about 1,500 at the high school and 900 at the middle school (in the next few years).

In about four years, we hope to have a completely separate middle school built adjacent to this school. (Right now,) Cypress Creek Middle High School is a way to relieve a booming population that is necessary at our feeder schools. We’re embracing it as a unique opportunity to create a dynamic culture.

We’re doing vertical teaming, so sixth through eleventh grade teachers in each department (math, for example) will meet every week. There will be no “they didn’t learn this in middle school.” We will have a seamless campus and curriculum. And, when that day comes when there’s a separate middle school campus, we expect that culture will bleed over into that campus, as well.

NN: What do you want your students to know as they get ready to come to Cypress Creek?

CHN: Life is full of possibilities. That’s how I approach every day. I know parents teach their kids they can do whatever they put their mind to, and that’s what’s being instilled in our school. It’s easy to be worried or concerned about having sixth through twelfth graders on the same campus and sharing buses, and it’s right to have concerns. But, we are planning for that. We already have schools with this model.

We can also look at what an amazing situation it is that a middle schooler has access to criminal justice, business, and journalism classes. If they want to take Spanish or American Sign Language, they can walk across campus and take it. They have easy access to accelerated courses. They don’t have to do it online. It’s a great opportunity and it’s very exciting to me.

It’s easy to stay comfortable. I loved working at Wesley Chapel with those kids and teachers and parents and staff, but I took a leap of faith to come here, and so did all the other staff. We are looking at the possibilities and all the doors that will open for all of these students. It’s gonna be really cool.

Former Wildcat Hoops Star Ready To Pursue Pro Career

Erik Thomas worked out for the Portland Trailblazers three days before the NBA Draft. Although he wasn’t drafted, Thomas is pursuing opportunities in the NBA’s Sumer League.

When 22-year-old Erik Thomas was a basketball star at Wesley Chapel High (WCH), he drew attention from opponents for his always-tenacious effort on the court, from fans for his overall dominance and from the media for his mind-boggling, record-setting statistics.

What he failed to draw, however, was the kind of attention from big-time Division I college coaches that you might expect someone who averaged 33 points and 16 rebounds as a senior for the Wildcats would receive.

Blame it on his size, which was and still is 6 feet, 5 inches, and 215 pounds. Blame a torn ligament in his ankle that scared away some schools. Or, blame it on the game itself, which is more impressed by flash than fortitude.

But, you can’t blame Thomas’ attitude, work ethic or competitive drive, which continue to propel him towards his dream of playing in the NBA.

On June 22, Thomas woke up with slight hopes for being drafted that evening’s second round. And why not?

Three days before the draft, the Portland Trailblazers called and invited him to a pre-NBA Draft workout. When he arrived, he found out he would be competing against a number of top college basketball players in a quest to convince team brass he was a worthy draft pick.

The group, invited to the sixth and final pre-draft workout held by Portland, included North Carolina small forward Justin Jackson (who ended up picked No. 15 in the first round by Portland but then traded), Oregon power forward Jordan Bell (drafted No. 38 overall by Chicago in second round), Kansas State guard Wesley Iwundu (drafted No. 33 overall by Orlando in the second round), and California’s Ivan Rabb (drafted No. 35 overall by Orlando in second round).

That’s pretty good company to keep, and Thomas held his own against the better-known players.

“I spoke to one of the (Portland) guys, he said they liked my performance,’’ Thomas said. “I think I did very well, considering it was my first pro workout. I was just enjoying the moment, honestly.”

After going undrafted, Thomas said he would be trying to earn a spot with an NBA team for their summer league, held in Las Vegas and Orlando.

“Everybody wants to be drafted, of course, and it was my dream to get drafted,’’ Thomas said. “But, if I can get on a summer league team and go there and perform, I’ll have more people watch me play. Hopefully, I opened up eyes at that camp.”

Impressive College Stats

Thomas has certainly opened eyes since he left Wesley Chapel as its most accomplished basketball player.

Thomas’ college career included one-year stops at East Georgia State College and Baton Rouge Community College (BRCC).

Erik Thomas with his sister Sthefany (left) and mom Fabiana.

While at BRCC, he earned Louisiana Junior College Assn. Player of the Year honors and attracted a slew of those Division I coaches that seemed to miss him at Wesley Chapel.

He ended up choosing the University of New Orleans. “My coach (at BRCC) called around, telling coaches I was transforming into a great player,’’ Thomas said. “He warned everyone in our conference, ‘Hey, you should watch this kid.’ I think some of the schools might be upset they didn’t recruit me.”

Like back in his days as a Wildcat, Thomas continued to draw attention from opponents, fans and the media. This past season, he capped his college career by leading the Privateers in scoring (19.5), rebounding (7.8), steals (45), field goal shooting percentage (59.1) and even free throw percentage (78.3). He earned Southland Conference Player of the Year honors, and guided his team to its first NCAA tournament appearance in 21 years.

“It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Thomas said. “For all of us to be able to have that experience together, to win the conference title and get as far as we did, that’s just a story to tell later down the line to the grandkids.”

A Family Legacy

For local basketball fans in Wesley Chapel and even New Tampa, where his parents now live, the name Thomas is synonymous with hoops excellence.

Sister Sthefany also played at Wesley Chapel High, graduating in 2007 after setting the Pasco County career scoring record (since broken) with 2,563 points before going on to Division I Clemson University in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Thomas definitely ended up living up to his sister’s rep, scoring 2,138 points. They are the only brother-sister team in the history of the Bay area to each break the 2,000-point mark.

As a junior at WCH in 2011-12, Thomas averaged 21.7 points and set a school record by averaging 14.1 rebounds. That record didn’t last long, as his senior year, he averaged 16.3 rebounds, and added another school record with 32.7 ppg.

That included one game where he had 32 rebounds, and two games where he scored 45 and 46 points.

The Wildcats went 24-5 in both of his final two seasons, and he was named the Florida Dairy Farmers Player of the Year for Class 5A.

Consider Heartwood Preserve Conservation Cemetery For A Natural Burial

Heartwood Preserve Conservation Cemetery in the Trinity area of New Port Richey provides a unique form of burial in natural setting for your final resting place.

Laura Starkey grew up running through the old Florida woods that made up her family’s expansive cattle ranch, much of which is now the 18,000-acre Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Preserve in the Trinity area of New Port Richey, just a short drive west of Wesley Chapel.

Now, her passion is conserving the land she loves, and connecting people to it.

To that end, she has created Heartwood Preserve Conservation Cemetery, the first conservation cemetery in the Tampa Bay region. It opened this past fall, set on 41 acres of the original Starkey Ranch bordering the wilderness preserve, and Laura is the cemetery’s founder and executive director.

One of just a few conservation cemeteries in the entire state of Florida, Heartwood Preserve provides environmentally-friendly options for people looking for a more natural burial.

“The word ‘conservation’ in our name means that not only are we are providing a natural burial option for those who don’t want all the fancy bells and whistles of a modern burial with an expensive casket and vault, but we’re also really contributing to the permanent conservation of this ecosystem,” Laura explains. “We are both literally and figuratively becoming part of this land.”

Laura and Heartwood Preserve manager Diana Sayegh explain that first and foremost, the cemetery is about conserving the precious longleaf pine flatwoods and cypress dome wetlands ecosystems of the preserve.

“We invite people to come and take a walk, hike and get some fresh air,” Diana says. “You can park for free, use our picnic benches, and experience nature. There are woodpeckers, owls and butterflies, and we have free events, such as silent meditation walks, yoga and even frog-listening events. This place is gorgeous, and we want the community to experience it.” 

Laura explains that using the land as a conservation cemetery is a tool that will allow it to be preserved forever.

“Land conservation is kind of tricky,” she says. “Sometimes, you think you just buy the land and hold on to it, but you have to manage it and maintain it, including controlled burns, managing invasive species and different things you have to do to keep it healthy and protected. I am always looking for tools to do that. Sometimes land may become a state or county park, but there are other ways to do that, too.”

She explains that there are layers of protection in place to ensure that Heartwood Preserve will always remain a natural burial preserve, with no above-ground burials, such as in a mausoleum, and a lower density than a traditional cemetery. In addition, when someone purchases a space at Heartwood Preserve, a portion of that fee goes to permanently protecting that ecosystem.

She says that what started out as an intellectual idea for her has morphed all the way into a spiritual experience.

“A conservation cemetery is a practical tool to help pay for protecting the land, but on a community and spiritual level, it’s an opportunity for the community to be connected to the land in a really deep way” she says. “What a beautiful thing to say your final wish — your final resting place — will protect the land.”

Diana says the fact that Heartwood Preserve allows pre-planning sets it apart from other conservation cemeteries.

“Like making a will, pre-planning for your cremation or burial is a gift to your family,” says Diana. “Your family is not left with the burden of the cost or the decision making. They have peace of mind for when that time comes.”

She continues, “It is a cemetery, and it’s sad, but it’s not typical. It’s natural and beautiful and serene and peaceful.”

Heartwood Preserve doesn’t allow embalming or vaults, neither of which are required by law. “The full body can be placed into the ground, wrapped in a shroud or buried in a biodegradable, natural casket,” Diana explains. “We also allow cremated remains to be buried directly in the ground or in a biodegradable urn, but we don’t scatter ashes.”

Diana, who worked in a traditional funeral home for many years before joining Heartwood Preserve, says she had to learn about so-called “green burial” and, she says, “it was a big wakeup call for me.”

She says she now considers it her personal mission to educate people that other options are available to them.

“In my old job, I used to tell people, ‘This is what has to happen, and this is how much you have to pay.’ But, I’ve learned that you don’t have to be embalmed or purchase an expensive casket.”

Not For Everyone?

Diana says that Heartwood Preserve welcomes all faith and religions, but she understands that natural burial is not a good fit for everyone.

“It’s okay if you want a more traditional burial. I respect that,” Diana says. “But, we want people to know this is another option.”

Don Zegel’s son, Gregory, passed away when he was just 21. That was nearly five years ago and his son was cremated, but Don says that ever since, “I’ve been looking for something meaningful to do with his ashes.”

When he and his wife, Gay Wasik, were biking through the Starkey Wilderness Preserve, Gay had what Don says was a “magical” experience. When she returned home, she began researching the preserve and came across information about Heartwood Preserve Conservation Cemetery.

Don says he looked at the Heartwood Preserve website and it really struck a chord with him. “I love the woods, I love old Florida, and I love nature,” he says.

“I was ready right then, but Diana told me I needed to come out and be sure that’s what I wanted for my son’s burial,” Donald explains. “I visited, and I fell in love with the feel of the place and with their philosophy. When I walked the property with Diana, I didn’t want to leave.”

He says the feeling of peace and comfort that he felt extended to the burial service that was held at the preserve. “It was a small family thing, and Laura and Diana were both there,” Don says, “It felt like they were welcoming us into their family, like they had this land and were allowing us to be a part of it.”

That’s exactly what Laura hopes people will feel if they choose Heartwood Preserve for their loved ones’ burials, or even their own.

“We’re growing a family here,” Laura says. “It’s so moving to me, because that’s what makes me so happy to come to work. We’re just getting started, but it really feels like we’re doing the right thing.”

Don says, “Now, when we think of Greg, Heartwood Preserve is where we take our minds. It’s been such an affirming experience. After five years of being in mourning one hundred percent of the time, I have started to go through some real healing.”

Heartwood Preserve Conservation Cemetery is located at 4100 Starkey Blvd. Visitors are always welcome when the gates are open, Mon.-Sat., 9:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., and 11 a.m.–4:30 p.m. on Sun.

For more information, call (727) 376-5111, or visit HeartwoodPreserve.com.

Scott vetoes money for Overpass Rd./I-75

Florida Governor Rick Scott wielded his veto pen earlier this month in a state budget deal with legislative leaders and, in the process, crossed off a number of Pasco County projects, included the proposed new interchange at I-75 and Overpass Rd. in Wesley Chapel.

Scott vetoed $15 million for the proposed planned exit for Overpass Rd., approximately halfway between the S.R. 54 (in Wesley Chapel) and S.R. 52 (in San Antonio) exits.

In all, Scott knocked $22 million in Pasco County projects out of the $83 billion state budget for 2018.

The Governor also vetoed more than $400 million in local projects statewide.

The I-75/Overpass Rd. interchange is located in a rapidly developing sector that includes the new Cypress Creek Middle/High School, new housing developments and Metro Development’s “Connected City” corridor, which is a 7,800-acre  behemoth running north from Overpass Rd. in Wesley Chapel to S.R. 52 in San Antonio, and east from I-75 to Curley Rd.

The interchange was being counted on to help ease traffic at the congested interchanges at S.R.s 52 and 54 by providing another east-west option for travelers. It also was expected to improve the safety conditions on the surrounding state roads, and improve emergency evacuation and response times with the county.

Overpass Rd. is currently an east-west roadway that runs 0.86 miles from Old Pasco Rd. east to Boyette Rd. Overpass Rd. crosses over I-75 but without any connections to the interstate, between S.R.s 52 and 54.

The interchange also is part of a larger project to extend Overpass Rd. nine miles from its current eastern terminus at Boyette all the way to Hwy. 301 in Zephyrhills.

The interchange was identified in the 2009 Pasco Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO)’s Transportation Update Plan (through 2035) “Needs Plan.” That plan scheduled the new interchange, extension and expansion of Overpass Rd. to be completed by 2020.

The interchange also was expected to ease some of the traffic concerns on and around Old Pasco Rd., which already is a hotbed of construction, with Cypress Creek Middle/High opening this fall, the Quail Hollow community possibly adding 400 new homes to replace the existing golf course and, closer to S.R. 54, 264 new multi-family units in the Arbours at Saddle Oaks.