Team Gosselin — Local Realtors Who Are Also Community Leaders

After joining Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Properties Group a year ago, Karen and Renynold (pictured here with company CEO/Chair Gino Blefari), became members of the Chairman’s Gold Circle, awarded to the top 2% of Berkshire Hathaway’s 50,000 sales executives worldwide.

Proverbially, Realtor Karen Tillman-Gosselin wears a lot of hats, including serving as the current chair of the North Tampa Bay Chamber of Commerce, the membership director of the Rotary Club of New Tampa, and on the board of several other local organizations.

And, she and her husband and real estate partner Renynold Gosselin also have been sponsors of the Taste of New Tampa & Wesley Chapel since their Rotary Club took over hosting the event in 2017.

But Karen, who joined Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Properties Group in 2018, is still not too busy to help her real estate clients with the tiniest of details, even if it’s picking out paint colors and furniture for their new homes.

“She’s absolutely remarkable,” says Karen’s client Ken Merrill, who says that’s exactly what she helped him do, as the single dad set up his home in Wesley Chapel. “She set a new standard for me.”

Ken says he relocated to the area when he bought a local Allstate insurance agency about a year and a half ago, then says he was referred to Karen and Renynold Gosselin, through their mutual Rotary Club.

He describes Karen and Renynold as “tireless,” as they took him and his kids, ages 16 and 13, out to see houses. Ken changed his mind a few times about exactly what he was looking for, and each time Karen and Renynold would simply find more homes for them to visit.

“Renynold is a virtual encyclopedia of information about the Tampa Bay area,” says Ken. “He knew every corner, every drug store, every market, and knew all the school districts.” 

Ken says it was 55 homes later before he finally found the perfect one.

 â€śNow, I absolutely love my house,” he says. “When I walk in, a feeling of warmth comes over me because of how much I love it.”

But, he also says visiting those 55 houses was just the tip of the iceberg of what the Gosselins did for him. 

“They negotiated an exceptionally favorable deal for me,” says Ken, who raves about the low price-per-square-foot he paid, and then lists the ways the Gosselins have shown outstanding kindness to his family —from helping him hire a top-notch roofer at a lowest-bid cost, to giving him and his son tickets to a USF football game.

And yes, they also helped him pick paint colors and furniture.

This beautiful 5BR, 4BA home in Saddlebrook in Wesley Chapel is one of many gorgeous luxury listings by Karen Tillman-Gosselin and her husband, Renynold Gosselin. They use the same impactful photography, marketing techniques and attentive customer service for buyers and sellers at any price point, even those who are purchasing or selling their first home.

Karen says she first got into real estate when she was working as an interior designer, often staging homes for sale for real estate agents. She’s happy to help her clients make their homes look their best, whether it’s a home they just purchased, or one they want to stage to sell. 

Award-Winning Service!

As real estate agents, Karen and Renynold represent buyers and sellers who want to purchase or sell a home. While Karen sells many luxury homes all over the Tampa Bay area, the New Tampa and Wesley Chapel area is her long-time home, and she works with people whose budgets are at any price point, even first-time home buyers and sellers.

The pair joined Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices in July of 2018, which Otis Bass, who is the president and managing Broker of the Florida Properties Group, says recently became the largest real estate company in the United States.

“Thanks to (chairman and CEO) Warren Buffett, there’s a lot of name recognition with Berkshire Hathaway, and it has prestige,” explains Renynold. 

However, Karen says there’s much more to why they chose to join the agency. 

“Berkshire Hathaway is a great company with a lot of tools for agents, including a network for referrals from agents around the world,” she says.

More referrals to the Gosselins means more buyers looking at the homes they currently have listed for sale, which is helpful to local sellers.

“Berkshire Hathaway has more resources than other brokers,” says Karen, “and they’re always looking out for the best for their agents. They have created a very positive culture here.”

Recently, the Gosselins were awarded membership to the distinguished Chairman’s Gold Circle, representing that they are in the top 2 percent of the nearly 50,000 Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices real estate sales executives worldwide.

Prior to joining Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Florida Properties Group, Karen worked for many years for local offices of Florida Executive Realty, Keller Williams, Casa Fina Realty and most recently, Smith & Associates.

Karen and Renynold both got their real estate licenses in 2000. Reynold worked “behind the scenes” for many years, until he recently retired from a 30-year career with Verizon and became Karen’s full-time partner in real estate.

During her decades-long career in the business, Karen has sold more than $200 million of real estate.

She says she continues to be successful because she is a trusted advisor to clients who refer their friends and family to her and Renynold.

“Having a real estate agent who will listen to your wants and needs and help you find that one house you will make your home is crucial,” Karen says. “That agent needs to put you first, then properly coordinate all aspects — from negotiations and inspections to ensuring that the transaction becomes a reality.”

Marketing Your Home

Karen and Renynold say that marketing also is a big part of their success, and that having great photographs online is key to marketing a home for sale these days.

“Most buyers start on the internet,” says Renynold, “that’s why photography is so important.”

So, Karen and Renynold provide a 3D tour of each home they list. The tour is so comprehensive, it can even be viewed in virtual reality to feel like you’re actually walking through the home.

The 3D tour often is accompanied by a separate video walk-through of the home, plus drone photography, and photos and video of the community, too.

“We’re selling a lifestyle,” Karen says. “If you live in a community with a pool with slides, we’ll have photos of that or incorporate that into the video, to show people who want to move here the kind of lifestyle they can have.”

Karen says she and Renynold are by their clients’ side throughout the entire process, paying attention to every detail.

“It can be very overwhelming to sell a house,” she says. “We try to take some of the load off, because we know you’re not only selling, you’re also moving.”

Karen and Renynold’s expertise can make the entire process much easier on buyers and sellers.

Ken Merrill seconds that. “I would refer (them) to anybody,” he says. “It goes way beyond the transaction of real estate. It’s been an incredible experience, and they’re now family, as far as I’m concerned.”

To schedule a free, no-obligation consultation in your home, visit FineHomesofTampa.com or call (813) 629-1502.

Philanthropist Dr. Kiran Patel Opens His Charter High School This Fall

Patel High School founder Dr. Kiran Patel (left) and principal Marlee Strawn are among the innovative thinkers who are bringing Patel High — a tuition-free charter school — to life.

When school starts back up again this August for the 2019-20 school year, 300 ninth graders will walk the halls of a brand new charter high school being built just off E. Fowler Ave. near I-75.

The tuition-free charter school is open to any student who is close enough to commute, including those who live in Pasco County.

“The goal is to provide an option to students who may be limited in the curriculum and extracurricular activities in their present environment,” explains Dr. Kiran C. Patel, a local entrepreneur and philanthropist who is the school’s founder.

The school is officially called Dr. Kiran C. Patel High School, but will be called Patel High. “Simply because you belong to a certain neighborhood should not force you to stay in that neighborhood [for school],” he says. “We are providing a choice.”

Dr. Patel — or “Dr. K,” as he is affectionately called — committed $20 million to launch the school. The Tampa resident’s business enterprises include luxury real estate development, medical software, health care solutions and commercial property acquisition and management. The success of these businesses has allowed him to make impactful contributions on a global scale, which he has done through the establishment of schools, colleges and hospitals on three continents. 

“Dr. K is the epitome of compassion, community service and humanitarian efforts,” says Ashok Bagdy, a New Tampa resident and a co-founder of the school, along with Bagdy’s wife, Kavita Jain, and Sonali Judd, who is Dr. Patel’s daughter. “He has made a tremendous impact on the two things that matter most — education and health care. His contributions have been inspirational, transformational and generational.”

Dr. Patel is much more than just a benefactor, as he will be very involved with the institution that bears his name, hoping to impart some of his personal philosophy to the students who will attend.

“Today’s world is focused on human rights,” Dr. Patel explains, “but nobody is focused on human responsibility. It’s that aspect that’s more important than your rights. What is your responsibility to your neighbor? You may have a right to do anything you want, but is that the responsible thing to do?”

This rendering shows what Dr. Kiran C. Patel High School will look like when construction is completed on or around June 30. The school’s first 300 students will be ninth graders who will begin attending the school in August.

Students at Patel High will learn about responsibility through mentorship programs, opportunities for leadership and social projects that allow students, “to be contributing members of society at an early age,” says Dr. Patel.

About The School

Patel High’s inaugural class will consist of 300 freshmen. In future years, new freshman classes will be added, with the planned capacity of the school to be just 600 students total in grades nine through 12.

The school will offer an advanced curriculum and focus on the school’s mission statement, which emphasizes up-to-date knowledge and skills, personalized and innovative instruction, partnerships between the school and the community, social responsibility and leadership.

Mentors from throughout the community will work with students to give them the opportunity to explore potential career interests, community outreach and real-world applications. 

Students will experience project-based learning, a teaching method in which they gain knowledge and skills by investigating and responding to complex questions, problems or challenges. Students learn to take initiative, build confidence, solve problems, work in teams, communicate ideas, and manage time.  

The school’s lunch period will be called “Power Hour,” where students not only eat, but have extended time and opportunities to participate in open labs, clubs, tutoring, intensive intervention, or other academically enriching choices. They will be able to meet with teachers, catch up on assignments, and collaborate on projects with peers.  

Don’t Flip Out!

Patel High School also will use what’s called a “flipped classroom” approach when appropriate, meaning that instructional content is delivered outside of the classroom, often online, while moving other activities into the classroom. 

In a flipped classroom, students may watch online lectures, collaborate in online discussions, or carry out research at home. Then, they interactively engage in concepts in the classroom to clarify and apply that knowledge, giving teachers the opportunity to guide their students to deeper thinking and higher levels of application. 

Not only will Patel High be unique in its curriculum, schedule and students’ engagement with the outside world, it also is unique in its space design and flexible seating for students.

“It’s an opportunity for students to be in a brand new school with the most updated security features,” explains Bagdy, “It’s on a beautiful 32 acres, right off of I-75, and will have 67,000 square feet of building, including an 11,000-square-foot gym, for only 600 students.”

He says the school will have world-class facilities, including a gathering place they refer to as a “wow space,” an amphitheater, and innovative touches such as movable walls so teams of teachers can adjust how they use their classrooms.

The school also includes a music room, soccer field, baseball field and tennis courts. As to exactly what sports and music programs will be offered at Patel High, Bagdy says that will be left up to the students.

“It’s a student-driven school, and it’s a blank slate,” he says. “They’ll decide on the mascot, clubs and sports.”

A national search to hire a principal brought in 250 resumes and ultimately led the school’s board to select a candidate from right here in Tampa. Marlee Strawn was most recently assistant principal of curriculum at Bell Creek Academy 6-12 Charter School in Riverview, where she created and implemented a High School Cambridge Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE) curriculum. The Cambridge curriculum also will be used at Patel High.

Students Chosen By Lottery

Students who will be entering the ninth grade next school year and who are interested in attending Patel High must apply online at PatelHighSchool.org. Students are chosen to attend the school through a random lottery process.

“This is a lottery system; anybody can put their name in the hat,” says Dr. Patel. “We are not selective in identifying a segment of society by color or economic status or anything like that.”

While New Tampa and Wesley Chapel residents are invited to apply to the Patel High lottery, preference will be given to students in Hillsborough County. There are currently seats still available for this fall’s class.

Cypress Creek Town Center Lands Three More Restaurants

Bloomin’ Brands, which is well-known locally for opening the first Outback Steakhouse in Tampa in 1988, is looking to bring three of its other restaurants to the Cypress Creek Town Center on S.R. 56.

The Tampa-based company met on April 23 with Pasco County officials and submitted preliminary plans for building a Bonefish Grill, Carrabba’s Italian Grill and an Aussie Grill by Outback on the northeast corner of the S.R. 56 and Wesley Chapel Blvd. intersection., west of the Walk-On’s Bistreaux & Bar that will open in less than two months.

The Bonefish Grill, which has a location on Bruce B. Downs Blvd. just south of S.R. 56, will be 5,585 sq. ft. and will seat 195 customers, while the Carrabba’s Italian Grill is proposed for 6,438 sq. ft. and 229 seats for customers. The two restaurants will be next to each other facing S.R. 56.

The Aussie Grill by Outback, the company’s first fast-casual take on the Outback Steakhouse model, was developed for international growth – it has locations in Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia. Tampa will see opening of a location at the International Plaza food court this month.

At the Cypress Creek Town Center, the Aussie Grill will have seating for 72 customers in a 2,800-sq.ft. space.

Chick-fil-A On S.R. 54 Sets The Date


What we first reported in 2015 is about to become a reality.

Chick-fil-A will open its second Wesley Chapel location, at 28295 S.R. 54, on Thursday, May 2.

In its traditional, 15-year fashion, Chick-fil-A will hold a First 100 event, allowing the first 100 customers in line at the Grand Opening to win free meals (consisting of a Chick-fil-A chicken sandwich, medium waffle potato fries and a medium beverage) for a year.

There will be a First 100 Campout party, with games and Chick-fil-A food, leading into the morning opening. You will be able to register in the new store’s parking lot beginning at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 1.

The event is open to guests who live in the vicinity of the restaurant, so make sure you check out the eligible zip codes RIGHT HERE.

Prizes will be awarded shortly before 6 a.m. on May 2, and the restaurant will open shortly afterward.

Jim Larreau, a Tampa native, will operate the new Chick-fil-A. He is transferring from St. Petersburg’s Chick-fil-A at Tyrone Blvd. restaurant, where his team earned the Symbol of Success – Chick-fil-A’s highest honor for its Operators.

Larreau is partnering with Bridging Freedom to combat domestic minor sex trafficking during his grand opening celebration. He is encouraging First 100 participants and guests taking part in the Wesley Chapel event to bring items such as individual craft kits, toilet paper, paper towels, tissues, healthy snacks and gardening seeds during the grand opening week to be donated to Bridging Freedom.

Chick-fil-A always seem to have long lines, but Larreau says, “I hope to be the quickest Chick-fil-A drive thru in the Southeast.”

The Palms Pharmacy : Three years of success!

Dr. Shahida Choudhry and her Palms Pharmacy have moved…but don’t worry, it’s only next door in the same Shoppes at The Pointe plaza in Tampa Palms, in a bigger store to accommodate the independent pharmacy’s ongoing growth. (Photos: Gavin Olsen)

At the Palms Pharmacy, located at The Shoppes at The Pointe in Tampa Palms, Shahida Choudhry, Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.), promises personalized service you won’t find in a typical chain drug store.

Dr. Choudhry wants customers to see and feel the difference from the moment they walk in the door, with a warm, welcoming space where coffee is offered and natural soaps lightly scent the air.

“It even smells nice,” Dr. Choudhry laughs. “People who come in expect concierge service, which they get and we enjoy.”

That means Dr. Choudhry and her staff get to know their customers. Not only do they learn their names to be able to greet them personally and start getting their prescriptions ready as they’re walking in the door, they also learn about their patients’ medications to be able to provide the best possible care for them.

“We ask questions and we get to know them,” she says. “It’s a cool process.”

The pharmacy celebrated the third anniversary of its “first” Grand Opening on April 15. Late in 2018, Palms Pharmacy moved, but just next door to its former space in the same plaza. The new location is larger, allowing more room for pharmacists and technicians to work, a separate room for prescription compounding, and another separate room where durable medical equipment (such as walkers, crutches and nebulizers) is sold and fittings for compression garments are done.

The new Palms Pharmacy is larger, more attractive and has more inventory. 

Dr. Choudhry received her Bachelor’s degree in Pharmacy, then went on to receive her Pharm.D. degree, both from Long Island University in Brooklyn, NY, in 2001. Before opening Palms Pharmacy, Dr. Choudhry was the pharmacist at the Publix in Tampa Palms for 10 years. She loved her job and her customers, and enjoyed working with pharmacy technician Naivis Valdez.

“It was comfortable and I learned so much,” she says. However, Dr. Choudhry also says she was looking for a better balance to her work life and home, where she had two small children, and thought she could help patients more if she had her own pharmacy.

So, she says, she took classes and read books and asked questions of many people who served as mentors to her, eventually opening Palms Pharmacy and hiring Naivis to work alongside her.

Success Spurs Growth

As the business has grown, so has the staff at Palms Pharmacy. Today, there are six employees, including a second full-time pharmacist, two pharmacy students and a pharmacy clerk.

“Now that we’ve been here more than two and a half years, hopefully people realize we’re here to stay,” Dr. Choudhry says.

 â€śWe do exactly the same as every other pharmacy,” she continues, “but we do it better.”

She says this includes a wait time that is usually “next to nothing,” along with compounding medications and selling durable medical equipment not sold at typical big chain pharmacies. She and her staff also provide immunizations such as flu shots, vaccines for pneumonia and shingles, and travel vaccines.

They also thrive on helping patients with especially complicated health or insurance issues.

Dr. Choudhry says that when insurance companies decline to cover a patient’s medications, that’s when she picks up the phone.

“I know the doctors and the medical assistants,” she says. “I work with them to get their patients what they need, usually within the day.”

This is in huge contrast to other pharmacies, which may take 7-10 days to come up with a solution when an insurance company won’t cover a medication.

In fact, Dr. Choudhry says many of her patients find Palms Pharmacy through their doctors. “Doctors are supportive of us because we take care of their patients,” she says.

Clarence Williams is one patient who found Palms Pharmacy when his doctor recommended it. He drives to Tampa Palms from his home off County Line Rd., passing several big chain pharmacies along the way.

He says the personalized attention he receives is worth it. 

“They know all the medications you’re taking,” he says, and will suggest alternatives “if there’s one that’s better for you or cheaper.”

Clarence says Palms Pharmacy has great communication with his doctor, checking with the doctor before making any changes, and he appreciates the phone calls he gets when his medications come in or when he’s due for a refill.

“The people working there are friendly and reliable and they just do a good job,” he says. “They go one step further than everyone else.”

Dr. Choudhry says that’s the commitment Palms Pharmacy has to all of its patients. 

“We recently had a patient come in who is in his early 30s. We saw that he had been prescribed diabetic medication,” says Dr. Choudhry, explaining it was a red flag for someone so young. Dr. Choudhry found that the patient hadn’t really paid a lot of attention or given it much thought when his doctor suggested the medication because he is pre-diabetic. She says she challenged him to make some lifestyle changes, such as exercise and diet, to avoid having full-blown diabetes. 

“I scared him,” she says, “but sometimes people need that, especially if they’re pre-diabetic in their early 30s.”

Dr. Choudhry says that at another pharmacy, they would just hand you your medication and you would leave. “We don’t want to do that,” she says.

Dr. Choudhry has also taken classes to specialize in hormone balancing for women and men. She reviews lab work provided by a patient’s doctor, prescribes the appropriate hormones and gets approval from the doctor for them.

She says it’s gratifying to have the doctors’ trust and help patients in this way.

Unique Gifts, Too!

Palms Pharmacy also sells natural vitamins and supplements, from companies such as Pure, Nordic, Metagenics and Mason. The store also sells LovePop pop-up greeting cards and all-natural products in the Zum line, such as Zum Bar all-natural soaps, Zum Kiss lip products, Zum Body lotions, Zum Rub moisturizers with shea butter and Zum Mist aromatherapy & body mists.

Palms Pharmacy patients also can use a free app, called “RxLocal” to refill their prescriptions, receive reminders and interact with the pharmacy staff. 

Dr. Choudhry says opening her own pharmacy has been extremely rewarding.

“I love it,” she says. “From the clinical side, I have a say in patients’ health care. Physicians listen to me and they ask me what I recommend. This is why I went to school, to affect my patients’ health care.”

In addition to helping patients, Palms Pharmacy works in the community, from supporting the Parent Teacher Associations at Chiles and Tampa Palms elementary schools to providing over-the-counter and prescription medications for medical students from nearby University of South Florida who travel around the world on medical mission trips.

“We’re growing every day and it’s a blessing,” Dr. Choudhry says. “I wake up every morning and I’m excited to get to work every day.”

Palms Pharmacy is located at 17008 Palm Pointe Dr. and is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. For more information, call (813) 252-9063, or visit ThePalmsPharmacy.com.