Although I have owned and been the editor of the New Tampa & Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News for more than 27 years, about ten years ago, I started noticing that a number of businesses had plaques on their walls that displayed the Business and Dining Feature stories we’ve written about them.
Gary Nager Editorial
Because my staff and freelance writers have always done such a great job writing these Business Feature stories, I certainly could understand why those businesses were proud to have our masthead and the stories we worked hard to create displayed on their walls.
But, yours truly? Not so much.
I just couldn’t understand why those businesses wouldn’t just ask me if I could create plaques for them, since my hyperlocal business was the one that did the interviews, took the pictures, wrote, edited, published and directly mailed those stories to tens of thousands of their neighbors — and virtually all of those stories brought those businesses in new customers and stimulated interest in their businesses that they never had before.
Instead, a big part of the reason they never thought to ask me was because there have been businesses out there — at least two that I know of (more on them below) — who (originally) would purchase a subscription to the Neighborhood News and send those businesses proofs of the stories that we sweat blood to create in order to sell them those plaques.
The more of these plaques I’ve seen in those offices, restaurants and retail establishments — and there have been hundreds of them I’ve seen personally over the years — the more my blood boiled. Plus, we made it even easier on these not-local businesses to use our work to create those plaques by posting electronic versions of every New Tampa and Wesley Chapel edition of our publications on our website.
I was at one of my advertiser’s locations when my blood boiled over. Although that advertiser admitted that she “wasn’t sure” if the person from the company that reprinted our work on the plaque at her office represented their company as being “affiliated” with us, she was under the impression they were and went ahead and spent nearly $200 to have them create the plaque that so ticked me off.
The two companies who seem to be lying in wait for us every time we publish a new issue are “That’s Great News” and “In The News” and I have had words with the local sales reps for both companies, because whether or not it’s illegal for them to use our published content without our permission (it’s not), I am tired of them using our masthead, logo and content we work so hard to publish to make money in a business that we could do ourselves. And, I’ve warned both companies that the time was coming when I would do just that.
Well, that time is now. I want all of our advertisers and readers to know that you no longer have to utilize either of these two companies to preserve our business, dining and news stories — and we will even do it for less!
The plaque (right) preserving the Dining Feature story about Acropolis Greek Taverna that appears on pgs. 38-39 of this issue is the first sample of what we can and hope to do for everyone who wants to display our work.
We offer a variety of plaque and border colors and have the ability to modify the story to fit on any size plaque to fit in any space you have on your wall. And, you don’t have to be a current advertiser to have a plaque created. We guarantee professional work direct from its source and 100% satisfaction.
To order your plaque of any story from any issue of Neighborhood News, email me at ads@NTNeighborhoodNews.com.
Pastor Garrett Hamblen says now that people are working from home, “They’re so isolated, so we do a lot to cultivate developing friendships with other families” at his Spark Church, which meets in a movie theater at the Grove Theater, Bistro & Entertainment.
When most people think of going to church, a movie theater may not be what they have in mind.
But, that’s exactly where Spark Church meets every Sunday at 10 a.m.
Pastor Garrett Hamblen says the Grove Theater, Bistro & Entertainment (located north of S.R. 54, just west of I-75) has been the perfect location for his young church, which launched just six months ago.
“We love the movie theater,” Garrett says. “It’s newly renovated and the facility is amazing. From a tech standpoint, we have a huge screen and a nice sound system. Plus, everybody’s been there at some point, so they know what to expect.”
Garrett says movies start shortly after the service ends, and the other amenities at and coming to The Grove — such as the KRATE container park, a mini-golf course and more — make it a very desirable location for families to gather.
“I think that whole area is going to be like the center of Wesley Chapel,” Garrett says, “and we’re thankful to be in the middle of all that.”
On Sundays, the church takes over one wing of the theater, offering worship in a large theater, kids’ church in a smaller theater, and a nursery in a birthday party room. He describes the kids’ areas as “locked down” for safety, in a corner of the building where no public traffic passes by.
“A typical service is very modern, with worship music and lyrics on the screen – not hymns,” Garrett explains. “It’s a time of exciting worship, with a message that’s relevant to you today. We talk about what is happening in the world today, and what the Bible says about it.”
The recently-concluded summer series included a costume contest with prizes for those who were dressed in their most summer-y outfits, including gear like bathing suit trunks and Hawaiian shirts. He says Spark Church offers a very fun atmosphere and everyone is friendly.
Garrett and his wife, Katterine, were married in March of 2020. He says they went on their honeymoon and when they returned, everything had changed. They were basically “the last wedding” before everything shut down due to Covid.
They now live in Wesley Chapel, just a few minutes from the movie theater where the church meets.
Another perk of meeting at the theater is that it already has procedures in place to ensure good air and surface sanitation, plus temperature checks at the front door. The church follows local and theater requirements to take precautions against the spread of Covid.
Garrett says there’s plenty of room to spread out and masks are not currently required, but many people do wear them. A wristband system allows people to choose a color so others know if they want to be greeted with close contact or keep their distance.
An “Outreach Church”
Garrett describes Spark Church as an “outreach church.”
“The big thing is that we’re here for the community,” he says. “We’re here to see lives changed in Pasco County.”
He explains that means the church is connected to schools, law enforcement, nonprofit organizations and the government and is available to help in all of these areas in the community.
As for the church’s name, he says, the it comes from the church’s mission, which is “to spark life change throughout our communities.”
Garrett says he moved to the area several years ago, when he took a job at Loving Hands Ministries, a drug rehabilitation program in Dade City. He also recently served as young adult pastor, then executive pastor, for Calvary Assembly of God in Dade City.
He is licensed as a minister through the Assemblies of God and also has a Bachelor’s degree in Business and an MBA from Indiana State University in Terre Haute.
“I’ve worked with Restored Hope, and in partnership with Habitat For Humanity and Meals On Wheels and most of the organizations that do good in our county,” he says. “At Spark Church, this is our focus.”
He says that problems facing the community — whether it’s something like homelessness due to a lack of a homeless shelter in Wesley Chapel, or human trafficking — “aren’t going to be fixed by one little church,” but that he hopes that Spark Church will prove to be part of the solution.
“It’s going to take all of us working together,” he says. “I believe we can do much better.”
Garrett is a member of the Rotary Club of Wesley Chapel, which he says is starting a major project to build a home for victims of human trafficking in Wesley Chapel. “Spark Church intends to be a big part of it.”
Created For Everyone
“We have a family atmosphere, and there a lot of people who just moved here,” Garrett says. “We’re all looking for friends. Or, maybe you’re not new to the area but haven’t made friends. Especially now that people are working from home, they’re so isolated, so we do a lot to cultivate developing friendships with other families.”
He says that might be cookouts, or providing popsicles after church on a Sunday, or a fun day like a pool party. He even opens his home once a month for “Pizza with the Pastor,” just to “hang out get to know each other.”
As the church grows, Garrett says it will continue to expand. For example, life groups are launching, which he describes as, “Church in people’s homes,” and while the church focuses on families, it welcomes people in any life stage, and recently started a ministry for single, younger adults.
Garrett also has a vision to start a ministry school in the spring that will help people learn to develop of gifts they may have to use in church — whether it’s at Spark or somewhere else.
“Someone might want to sing, but their church is full of rock stars, so they learn how to develop that skill and then go back and use that gift in their church.”
Asia McGlinchey and her husband Brendan met Garrett at an interest meeting for the church last year. At that time, they were living in Belize and were visiting family in Wesley Chapel who wanted to attend the meeting. They tagged along.
“We heard the vision and felt like the Lord was leading us to join them,” Asia says, “so we moved from Belize last December and have been a big part of the church since then.”
Brendan and Asia bring their three girls, ages eight, six and six months (Asia says her youngest was born just a week after the church launched) and volunteer for the church in various ways. Asia leads the kids’ ministry and the women’s ministry, and Brendan leads music as the worship leader.
“We think that church should be more than Sunday morning,” Asia says, “and that’s their vision, too. Let’s become a family, do outreach, get into the community, become a community, and learn to be a family of believers, not just people who pass by each other on Sunday morning. We love that.”
She says their experience in a tight-knit church in Belize, which served as the center of their small community, gave them a vision of what church can be like. Asia hopes they can bring that sense of connection to Wesley Chapel, too.
“People who come to Spark Church can expect to be welcomed, whatever their background or life,” she says. “We want to get to know everyone, and we want to grow together as a family.”
Spark Church meets at The Grove Theater, Bistro & Entertainment (6333 Wesley Grove Blvd.) every Sunday at 10 a.m. For more info, visit SparkPasco.com.
Dr. Jay Nelson has sold his dental practice and now focuses dental sleep medicine and specifically helping those who suffer from sleep apnea at his Nelson Dental Sleep Medicine practice located off S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel. (Photo: Courtesy of Dr. Nelson)
After decades of practicing dentistry, Dr. Jay Nelson, D.M.D (Doctor of Dental Medicine), has sold his dental practice in Lutz to focus exclusively on dental sleep medicine.
It’s been his passion for more than a decade, since he first took a course that he says sparked his interest.
As his knowledge, expertise and dental sleep medicine practice have grown over more than 10 years, it led Dr. Nelson to sell his dental practice, located off S.R. 54 in Lutz, in January. He had originally opened that practice in 1987, about the same time he moved to New Tampa, where he still lives.
In April of this year, he opened Nelson Dental Sleep Medicine on Foggy Creek Rd., in the Cypress Creek Professional Center off of S.R. 56 (less than a mile east of I-75).
The move to the new office allows him to focus fully on treating those who suffer from sleep apnea “We’re actually saving lives,” Dr. Nelson says.
Building on what he learned while earning his D.M.D. degree at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine in Philadelphia, Dr. Nelson has since earned advanced certifications from professional organizations such as the Academy of Laser Dentistry (ALD), Academy of Comprehensive Esthetics (ACE) and the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine (AADSM).
Frances Cameli (left) and Betsy Ramos both worked with Dr. Nelson at his dental practice and have now joined him at his Nelson Dental Sleep Medicine office.
Nelson Dental Sleep Medicine is the only facility in Florida and one of the first 20 dental offices in the U.S. to be accredited by the AADSM.
Recently, Dr. Nelson was one of only two dentists asked to speak before the 21st annual Current Concepts in Sleep medical conference, where he taught virtually to a national audience.
His team at his new office includes Frances Cameli, who worked in his previous practice for more than 10 years and serves as the dental sleep manager in the front office, while Betsy Ramos, who also came from Dr. Nelson’s previous practice, serves as the office’s clinical assistant.
Dr. Nelson offers a free consultation to people who wonder if their snoring might be a sign they have a serious underlying condition. And often, it’s not the patient who suggests they visit Dr. Nelson, but those who have to sleep within earshot of them.
“We save marriages, too,” Dr. Nelson says, referring to those couples who sleep separately because of the disturbances from snoring.
To find out if you’re at risk for sleep apnea, Dr. Nelson suggests using Google to search for the “STOP BANG” survey questionnaire. It asks questions about snoring, tiredness and other risk factors. There also is a similar assessment (that requires personal information to be entered) on the Nelson Dental Sleep Medicine website: SleepBetterFlorida.com/take-our-quiz.
Sleep apnea is a condition affecting more than 200,000 people in the U.S. each year. It causes patients to stop breathing for brief periods of time during sleep, which can lead to drowsiness that increases risk for auto and other accidents, as well as an increased risk of overall mortality, strokes and cancer.
“If you have symptoms of sleep apnea,” he says, “get tested or get treated.”
Obstructive sleep apnea is a medical condition, so those who see Dr. Nelson will be referred for evaluation at a sleep testing center, as well as to their primary care physician for diagnosis.
The standard treatment for obstructive sleep apnea has been to pump a continuous stream of air into a patient’s nose or mouth while sleeping. This method — using a Continuous Positive Air Pressure (or CPAP) system — is effective, but many people find the CPAP machine cumbersome and uncomfortable to use, Dr. Nelson says, resulting a high failure rate, usually due to patient non-compliance.
“We know that 50% of people who start on a CPAP give it up within a year,” explains Dr. Nelson, “so we provide an alternative to that.”
Instead of the unwieldy, scary-looking CPAP machine, Dr. Nelson makes an FDA approved oral appliance that is adjusted to position the tongue and jaw to allow greater airflow to the lungs while sleeping.
“Many people find the oral appliances more comfortable than the CPAP,” Dr. Nelson says, explaining that those who have been diagnosed with mild or moderate sleep apnea can begin using an oral appliance, while those who have severe sleep apnea should start with the CPAP. If they are not able to comfortably use the CPAP, they then become a candidate for an oral appliance. Nelson Dental Sleep Medicine does offer both types of appliances.
Ed Sapiega is one of Dr. Nelson’s patients, who first came to him about three years ago. Tired of the hassle of lugging his CPAP machine around while he traveled, Ed was thrilled with the appliance that Dr. Nelson made for him.
“I had lived with a CPAP machine for years,” Ed says, “The noises it made prevented my wife from sleeping almost as much as my snoring did.”
Recently, Ed’s original oral appliance broke, and he went back to Dr. Nelson for a new one. However, he found out that since he first became Dr. Nelson’s patient, an even better device (above) has become available.
“It’s quite fantastic,” he says. “It’s easy to use, and there’s no pain and no strain. I didn’t have to go through a process of learning to sleep with it.”
He says that while he was very happy with his first device, times have changed, and his new one, while from the same company, is much better.
“Compared to the CPAP, it’s very convenient and extremely effective,” Ed says. “Dr. Nelson is very good with these devices and keeps very current. I’m extremely pleased.”
Ed adds that Dr. Nelson was able to accommodate him very quickly, and he has nothing but good things to say about him. “He’s a very pleasant dentist and professional to deal with.”
Because the treatment is for a medical condition, Dr. Nelson and his staff help patients navigate the confusing world of medical insurance and accept Care Credit, which offers payment plans for those who have out-of-pocket expenses.
Nelson Dental Sleep Medicine is located at 26907 Foggy Creek Rd., Suite 101, in Wesley Chapel. To make an appointment or for additional information, visit SleepBetterFlorida.com or call (813) 733-4169.
Gas N Grills on Livingston Ave. (at Bearss Ave.) in Lutz has plenty of options to help transform your outdoor cooking space into an awesome outdoor kitchen. (Photo: Charmaine George)
Football season has arrived which, for many people, also means grilling season. With cooler weather (finally) around the corner, it’s time to invite those fantasy football buddies over for some beer, beef and football. It also might be time to upgrade your grill game.
Gas N Grills, located on Livingston Ave. just north of E. Bearss Ave. and a 1.2-mile west of Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd., likely has everything you need to make all of your friends envious.
Not only does the location offer grilling accessories, charcoal, wood chips and propane. The store’s selection of gas and other grills also can help transform your outdoor cooking space into a charming culinary oasis.
Gas N Grills owner Joe Baker says that while it is tough to compete against the bigger box stores and online shopping, those who prefer to spend their money with smaller, local businesses will be pleasantly surprised by the quality offered at his store, which has been located in the same plaza since 1989.
“We specialize in high-end grills,” Joe says. “You get a good product here, not the cheap stuff. Good quality products, with good warranties.”
What you won’t find at Gas N Grills are the same, basic $199 grills you see lined up outside the big box stores, especially during the spring and summer.
At his store, Joe offers everything from simple Broil Master grills to a number of high-priced stainless steel beauties from top name brands like Alfresco, Blaze and Tec.
Alfresco grills are made in the USA, Joe says Blaze is his best seller and boasts commercial-grade cast stainless steel burners, as well as a lifetime warranty, and Tec uses infrared heating, which puts a good char on your meat. All are ideal for any outdoor kitchen, according to Joe.
Joe also sells the Weber brand, arguably the most popular and highly-rated grill in the country.
Naturally, any grill store would be incomplete these days without kamado grills, which are the popular kettle-shaped grills with a ceramic shell that offer both charcoal grilling and smoking versatility.
At Gas N Grills, Joe sells the Saffire Grills, which are similar to the more-well-known Big Green Egg grills but are even higher quality, he says.
The Saffire uses charcoal, and can be used to grill, smoke, bake, roast and BBQ. Not only can you cook steaks and burgers on it, you also can slow-cook some ribs, and even use it to make a true wood-fired pizza, if you so desire.
“It gives you better results than a regular grill,” Joe says. “The food stays so juicy that once you eat food cooked on it, you will never go back to just a ‘regular’ grill.”
The Saffire grills are definitely a little pricey — although they are available in multiple sizes, a medium-sized one will set you back about $1,000 — but they all come with a lifetime warranty and Joe says it will probably be the last grill you’ll ever buy.
In fact, that’s the case with many of the grills Joe sells at Gas N Grills, which are more for the dedicated and serious grilling enthusiasts who like to cook outdoors more than they do inside, moreso than the usual weekend chefs just looking to cook up a few burgers and hot dogs every once in a while.
“We target those customers who are looking for a better cooking experience,” Joe says. ”People who know the difference are very interested in what we have. Spending $1,000, though, may be overkill for some people. But, I have customers who cook on their grills five times a week.”
At Gas N Grills, the high-end grill choices feature large cooking areas and added perks like rotisserie kits, side burners, adjustable warming racks, shelves, cabinet storage and even blue LED lights for nighttime grilling.
Gas N Grills also sells camping stoves, turkey fryers, pizza ovens and grilling accessories, like a wide variety of different types of smoking wood with some flavors that Joe says you cannot find anywhere else.
Gas N Grills also specializes in various grill replacement parts, which can be ordered in-store or online and are a big part the store’s business. Even during Covid-19, when parts are hard to come by, Joe was able to help out customer Charles Sailor.
“I was looking for igniters for my (grill),” Sailor wrote in a review. “No one had it or it was back ordered 10 days. Also, this was all during the Covid-19 stay at home. I called Gas N Grills, (Joe) answered the phone and was very helpful…. ordered both parts on a Wednesday and (it came on Thursday). Efficient, quick and very helpful. If you have a hard time getting or finding parts, this is the place. I dealt with five other companies, but this was the only one that came through for me.”
Gas N Grills is located at 14615 Livingston Ave. For more information, visit GasNGrills.com or call (813) 972-4984.
Dr. Brian Wilson can help adults with a wide range of emotional issues, from PTSD to Covid-19 fears and more, with his telehealth practice based in Tampa Palms. (Photos by Charmaine George)
There’s little doubt that, because of the Covid-19 pandemic, the past two years have been especially tough to deal with for most of us.
For many people, whether or not to wear masks everywhere we go, whether or not to take a Covid-19 vaccine and not being able to go out to eat, to a movie, sporting event or concert has put more strain on us emotionally than perhaps any other situation in most of our lifetimes.
That’s where Brian Wilson, Ph.D., of Tampa Palms Psychology, comes in. Dr. Wilson (no relation to the co-founder of the Beach Boys rock group with the same name) says that although he doesn’t treat couples, adolescents or young children, he can help individual adults with a wide range of emotional problems — including depression, anxiety, work stress, aging, surviving abuse, dementia, compassion fatigue, insomnia, grief, relationship concerns and more — deal with their issues.
He also offers ongoing psychological treatment for people with chronic medical problems, including geriatric patients.
“These are challenging times,” he says, “so working with a skilled psychologist can help you navigate them with success. I am focused on helping you cope with the demands of the modern world through compassion, careful listening and comprehensive psychotherapy.”
Dr. Wilson graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from the University of Florida in Gainesville and earned both his Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees from the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks. He also completed a psychology residency at the Minneapolis Veterans Administration Hospital, where he specialized in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) as an adult generalist.
He has been practicing since 2003, and moved to Tampa in 2009 and to New Tampa in 2013. He says his private practice today is exclusively telehealth and, to that end, says that it was important to invest in good technology, with a nice computer and fast internet, even though he does also have a physical office location in Tampa Palms. He isn’t sure when he will begin seeing patients again in person, but says that transitioning to a telehealth-only practice hasn’t affected his ability to help his adult patients.
“The ripple effect of the Covid-19 pandemic is that everyone’s overall stress level is up,” Dr. Wilson says. “Even without Covid, however, many adults feel that there is often not enough time in the day to both accomplish our goals and care for ourselves. Responsibilities and commitments can be overwhelming. Raising children, pursuing career advancement, helping aging parents, retirement and coping with losses can leave us emotionally depleted. Such stressors and setbacks can feel even more difficult to manage with the state of affairs in the world.”
Because of HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability & Accountability Act) rules, Dr. Wilson doesn’t offer online testimonials but he says he has had a lot of success treating veterans and others with PTSD, and says that many people’s fears and concerns about Covid-19 (especially for those who have lost loved ones or seen them hospitalized long-term, as well as medical professionals treating Covid patients) have caused many of the same issues.
“It helps to have a professional to talk to about these concerns,” he says. “A lot of my current patients have been referred to me by a friend or family member I’ve been able to help.”
And, while he says that word of mouth is still the best way to build a practice in his profession, he has had a lot of success with his ads in this publication, too.
“Building a practice is very much a grassroots thing,” Dr. Wilson says. “But, I’ve found that the Neighborhood News is the best way to do that locally. My ads have generated a lot of calls.”
Dr. Wilson’s wife, Jessica, is a psychologist with the Department of Veterans Affairs and they have a six-year-old son who attends Chiles Elementary in Tampa Palms. And, even though he’s no Beach Boy, Wilson says that he enjoys not only playing, but also buying, selling and refurbishing guitars (“to fund my habit”) and working out.
For appointments with Dr. Brian Wilson and more info about Tampa Palms Psychology, call (813) 491-9343 or visit TampaPalmsPsychology.com.
