Palms Pharmacy — Customer Service & Yes, Prices That Beat The National Chains!

Doctor of Pharmacy Shahida Choudhry (left) and pharmacy technician Naivis Valdes promise great prices and customer service at the Palms Pharmacy in the Shoppes at The Pointe in Tampa Palms.

Until I interviewed her for this story, I had never met Shahida Choudhry, Pharm.D., the primary pharmacist at the new Palms Pharmacy, which has been open for a few months in The Shoppes at The Pointe plaza in Tampa Palms (between Ciccio Cali and Stonewood Grill & Tavern).

But, meeting this genuinely sweet, high-energy fellow New Yawka (she’s originally from Brooklyn) at her place of business for the first time felt more like reconnecting with an old friend than it did a story interview.

The New Tampa resident says that she and her family relocated to Florida a few years after she graduated with her Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree from Long Island University in Brooklyn.

“And, what I saw was that the big chain pharmacies dominated the market here, even though their prices aren’t really that great and they can’t offer the level of service that a small, neighborhood pharmacy like ours can,” Shahida says. “Unlike those big chains, we are community-based and focus on each of our patients’ specific needs and requirements. We want to partner with you to help assist you in providing the best care and attention you deserve.”

The Palms Pharmacy, which also includes pharmacy technician Naivis Valdes, helps you feel at home with its warm, earthy decor and truly competitive pricing that those big chains should be able to match on your over-the-counter (OTC) medications and prescriptions, but they choose not to do so.

So, how does a small, neighborhood pharmacy compete on price? Shahida says that she has found a great wholesaler who makes sure that her prices beat or are at least on a par with what you can find at the large superstores, without the long lines and colorful clientele you’ll find at those impersonal department store-type locations.

And, although the Palms Pharmacy is still adding new items all the time — especially those that their customers demand — Shahida delivers on her price promise, at least based on my experience so far.

I selected four over-the-counter items available at Palms Pharmacy that I buy fairly regularly and compared the store’s prices to those at one of the national chains located just up the street. As it turns out, not only was the pricing better at Palms Pharmacy, I believe that it would be worth paying the same or a little more in order to get the caring, personalized service with a smile that every customer at Palms Pharmacy receives.

I started with 100 caplets of Extra Strength Tylenol. The local chain’s price was $9.99 for Tylenol and $7.99 for the chain’s own generic equivalent. The Tylenol was a little more expensive at the Palms Pharmacy, but the generic equivalent cost only $3.59, or less than half of the generic cost at the chain.

The next item I selected was the Mucinex 1200 mg (of guaifenesin), which was on sale at the chain store for $13.99 (reduced from the $17.29 regular price) for 14 tablets. The same item’s regular price at the Palms Pharmacy was just $13.09, a 90-cent savings over the chain store’s sale price.

All of the items I selected cost less at Palms Pharmacy than they did at the chain and Shahida says she has no plans to add foodstuffs, greeting cards and other items that you don’t need to buy at  a “drug store.”

“The only items we’re adding are those OTC medications and natural probiotic-type products that our customers request,” she says. As an example, I told her that although the store had a nice selection of liquid tears, I didn’t see the brands of contact lens rewetting drops I like and she said she would be happy to add them.

“We’ve purposely left some space on our shelves for customer requests,” Shahida says. “We want you to know that this truly is your neighborhood pharmacy.”

More Than Just OTC Meds

In addition to OTC medications and health care items, the Palms Pharmacy also has a very competitively priced selection of not just vitamins, but also probiotics and other nutritional supplements (top photo on next page), many of which are free of gluten and other allergens, for adults and children. There’s also flavored medications available for children and pets and yes, the Palms Pharmacy also compounds medications in the store. 

Speaking of those healthy options, if I were you, I’d ask Shahida and Naivis for a sample of the all-natural ZumBar soaps (right), which claim that if they were, “Any more natural, you’d be naked.”

And, if you’re into aromatherapy, the Palms Pharmacy carries the complete Now Essential Oils line. You’ll also find infertility supplements and diabetic supplies. Palms Pharmacy also offers local delivery of your medications and other purchases and accepts major insurance plans. Shahida even promises easy prescription transfers for those who would prefer to relax and enjoy a free cup of coffee if there is a wait, rather than wait in line with the masses.

For info about the Palms Pharmacy (17008 Palm Pointe Dr), which is open Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m., call 252-9063, visit ThePalmsPharmacy.com or see the ad on page 14 of this issue. The store is a member business of the Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber of Commerce and held a WCCC ribbon cutting a few months ago.

Samantha Taylor Helps Women Look Their Best, Even In Their 60s!

Samantha Taylor (third from left in front row) focuses on helping women lose — and keep off — those unwanted pounds with her Pure Health Personal Training & Fit Body Boot Camp programs.

As women age, personal trainer Samantha Taylor says they gain weight and lose muscle if they don’t do something to stop it. While many women in their 60s think they have to accept their bodies’ decline because they’re getting older, Samantha says that’s just not true.

“Sixty is truly the new 40,” she says. “We’re teaching women a way to eat that they love. It’s not a diet, not a pill, not shots; just understanding how to eat, how to work out their muscles for tone, and develop a healthy lifestyle they can keep for life.”

All this happens at Samantha Taylor Fitness, located across the street from Florida Hospital Wesley Chapel (FHWC) in the Shoppes of Wesley Chapel plaza on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. Samantha’s first location is nearby in Land O’Lakes, off of S.R. 54 on Knight Rd., and she just opened her third location, in Carrollwood, on Dec. 15.

At all three locations, Samantha offers her Pure Health Personal Training and Fit Body Boot Camp programs. Both include fitness training and nutritional counseling for women only, helping them to “age backwards,” as Samantha says.

Both programs start with a completely free, no-obligation consultation called a “Body Transformation Analysis” to determine goals and plan a fitness program.

The most customized, personal and private option available is Pure Health Personal Training. This can be done in one-on-one, semi-private, or small group sessions. In addition to personal training sessions, each client also meets with an assigned results coach monthly, to be sure they’re progressing.

Clients who choose Samantha’s Fit Body Boot Camp attend regular or beginner Fit Body Boot Camp sessions, which vary in cardiovascular intensity levels. Several classes are offered every day, and women choose three or more times each week to attend.

“We are getting women in amazing shape,” Samantha says. She is a Certified Personal Trainer who began her career 24 years ago and launched her own business 17 years ago. During that time, she estimates that she has trained 5,000 local women. Samantha uses her experience as a personal trainer, seeing what works and what doesn’t with her many clients, and her years of intensely studying the human body to coach women in fitness and healthy eating.

“Most of the people who come to us have done all the diets,” says Samantha. “The shakes, pills, protein diets and calorie depravation diets. They’re shocked they can eat the way I show them, they love the food, and they lose weight.”

She says many of her clients see more than just weight loss – they’re getting healthier as well. “They are preventing diseases such as heart disease and diabetes,” she says. “Some women no longer have to take cholesterol or blood pressure medication, and no longer suffer from muscle pains and aches.”

Cathy’s Story

One of those women is Cathy Moreland, who joined Pure Health Personal Training more than a year ago. She says the small group personal training has completely transformed her life.

“I had done every diet under the sun,” says Cathy. “I was taking blood pressure medication, cholesterol medication, and was seeing a chiropractor on a regular basis for my hips, back, and knees. I was worried about heart problems because I’m 64 and both my parents had bypass surgery in their 70s.”

Samantha Taylor (left) and Cathy Moreland, who has lost 40 pounds and six inches in 15 months.

She says that on other programs, she would often hit her goal weight, then gain it all back. With Samantha, she says the focus is on education, plus both eating and getting physically fit.

“I didn’t realize that I’d learn so much about my physical, internal health,” Cathy says, or that she would be able to stop taking the medications she was on. “Now I know how to eat, and I enjoy it. I’ve done it for 15 months, and I’m not worried about ever putting the weight back on again.”

Cathy has lost 40 pounds, as well as six inches around her waist. And, Cathy just passed the ultimate test — a three-week vacation in Italy, the land of bread, pasta, and wine. So, how much weight did she gain on her vacation?

“Actually, I lost a pound,” she says. “We walked so much, and I was never sore, sick, or tired.” She explains she was with a group of 43 people, and she would watch other people eat, then complain of being stuffed and bloated. Many also complained of sore feet or back pain.

“I wanted to tell them, ‘I know why you feel like you feel, and I know why I feel like I feel,’” adding that she enjoyed all the foods she knew she could eat, such as filling up in the morning on the hotel breakfast buffet of eggs, bacon, cheese, and fruit, and taking a piece of fruit from the buffet for a snack later on.

“I wasn’t hungry, I just didn’t overeat,” she says. “I didn’t crave pasta and bread. It sounds unbelievable, but it was amazing.”

The Six-Week Challenge

Samantha offers six-week “Body Transformation Challenges,” where she gives away thousands of dollars in prizes, including a Grand Prize cruise for two. Her last six-week challenge recently wrapped up, with participants losing a combined 1,000 pounds.

The next challenge will begin on January 23. To register, or for more information, go to 6weekBTC.com. Just like in previous challenges, the woman who loses the most weight will win a cruise.

Expanding Into New Tampa

Samantha says her business continues to grow and expand, and she’s excited about her future plans in New Tampa. She recently bought 13 acres of property on County Line Rd. near Grand Hampton and is planning to build a 9,000-square-foot building.

“We will offer personal training and boot camp, plus have a kitchen with a full-time chef,” Samantha says. “We’ll offer cooking classes and healthy prepared meals, along with a spa for massage and maybe facials.”

She anticipates opening the new location in early 2018.

Samantha says something else new that she’s been doing recently is a segment on “Tampa Bay’s Morning Blend,” which airs on WFTS-TV, the local ABC affiliate. She brings guests on the show, sometimes clients, and shares what she calls, “ridiculous, delicious recipes.”

For recipes and to view segments of the show, including Cathy’s story in her own words from when she was Samantha’s guest on “Tampa Bay’s Morning Blend,” visit SamanthaTaylorFitness.com.

On her website, you can also get more information about her programs and her upcoming seminar, “5 Simple Keys to Get Results in 2017,” which will be held on Saturday, January 7, 12:30 p.m.

The Wesley Chapel Samantha Taylor Fitness studio is located is at 2653 BBD Blvd., Suite 205 (second floor). For more info, see her website, the ad on page 38 or call 377-3739.

Dr. Delaura Patel Joins Generations OB/GYN’s Wesley Chapel Office

The doctors of Generations OB/GYN are (l.-r., front row) Dr. Gem Ashby, Dr. Richard Dillon, Dr. Brian McNulty & Dr. Delaura Patel; and (back row, l.-r.) Dr. Kristen Segall, Dr. Tiffany Patrick and Dr. Vicar Qureshi.

Delaura Patel, M.D., may be the newest doctor at the obstetrics and gynecology practice of Generations OB/GYN, a division of Women’s Care Florida, but she says she’s already been present for the birth of 600 babies, including many she has personally delivered since joining the practice in September.

She now sees patients at all three Generations OB/GYN locations, including Wesley Chapel (at the Cypress Ridge Professional Center located off S.R. 56), Carrollwood and on Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. south of New Tampa, near the University of South Florida (USF).

Dr. Patel is a Tampa Bay-area native who went to medical school at USF, completing a seven-year combined B.S./M.D. (Bachelor of Science and Doctor of Medicine) degree program, graduating in 2012. She then completed an OB/GYN residency at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, working at hospitals in New Orleans, where she completed the program this past summer.

Generations OB/GYN is one of many Women’s Care Florida offices that are located throughout the Tampa Bay area and the state of Florida. Generations OB/GYN traces its roots to 1995, when Richard Dillon, M.D., and Brian McNulty, M.D., joined together after about 10 years of each doctor practicing on his own, in an office near their current BBD location. Soon after, Dr. Vicar Qureshi, M.D., joined the office. Over the years, more doctors have joined the growing practice to better serve patients, including Kristen Segall, M.D., Gem Ashby M.D., and Tiffany Patrick, M.D. With Dr. Patel, that brings the total number of doctors in the practice to seven.

“It’s great because we rotate so that there are always two doctors at each of our three offices, plus one doctor at the hospital for any pregnant moms who are in labor,” says Dr. Patel. She says this is unique because many doctors don’t arrive at the hospital until a patient is ready to deliver her baby, but that timing can be unpredictable.

“With us, the doctor who is working in the office doesn’t also have to see patients at the hospital, so your appointment is not going to be rescheduled because a baby is being born,” she says. “It also means that the doctor at the hospital is not trying to rush back to the office to do a pap smear.”

This arrangement isn’t new. Dr. Patel says Generations OB/GYN has always done it that way, but that when she joined the practice, it allowed the other offices to be more fully staffed on more days of the week.

“All seven doctors go to all three locations,” she explains, “so you can see whatever doctor you want at whatever location is most convenient for you.”

All of the practice’s doctors are Board-certified by the American Board of Obstetrics & Gynecology, except Dr. Patel, who is Board-eligible, meaning she has passed the written portion of the certification but must practice for several years before receiving her certification. Dr. Patel also is a Junior Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology (ACOG), while the other doctors are all ACOG Fellows.

Services Available

Dr. Patel says that most women visit Generations OB/GYN for well-woman exams, contraception, STD testing, urinary issues, menstrual issues and pelvic pain.

The doctors serve these women, plus provide extensive gynecological and obstetric services, including infertility evaluations, counseling and treatment; prenatal and preconception care and services, in-office three-dimensional (3D) and 4D ultrasounds, plus all aspects of labor and delivery; as well as general women’s health care, such as cancer testing and screening, sterilization, hormone therapy and more.

Many surgical procedures are available, including tubal sterilization, a permanent birth control method that does not require incisions or a local anesthetic. The practice also offers an alternative to the traditional hysterectomy called an endometrial ablation, which helps to treat painful menstrual cycles and requires no incisions, along with less than 48 hours of recovery time for most women.

Other minimally invasive alternatives to hysterectomy also are available, which Dr. Patel says are called hysteroscopic myomectomy, and laparoscopic and robotic surgeries.

“These are really fantastic options,” says Dr. Patel. “The techniques have really expanded in recent years. While it’s still a major surgery on the inside, on the outside there’s really not much evidence of it. Women have less pain and less need for pain management, and much faster recovery, making for a much better experience than with a traditional hysterectomy.”

Generations OB/GYN also offers a weight-loss program and aesthetic services, such as Botox.

“Our weight-loss clinic was established as an adjunct to our other services,” explains Dr. Patel. “We refer patients from all of our offices to the Wesley Chapel office, where we have the weight-loss program.”

Dr. Patel says obesity and smoking are the biggest health issues in this country. As doctors who already have relationships with women who say they want to lose weight and are struggling to do so, they decided to bring a program into the Wesley Chapel office to be able to meet the needs of those women without having to refer them to outside sources.

“Patients can choose to use medications or do the program without appetite suppressants,” says Dr. Patel, who explains that the program also includes counseling on healthy diet and exercise.

Dr. Patel’s Perspective

Dr. Patel says she first became interested in the OB/GYN field in high school, when she had the opportunity to shadow several physicians in the operating room. She got to see several procedures, including a hysterectomy, and said it was so different than her concept of what “work” would be.

“This isn’t work,” she remembers thinking. “This is helping people.”

She says it’s important to her to help women who are facing health issues, including problems like fibroids and abnormal bleeding.

“Your period should not take over your life,” she says. “It is truly satisfying to be able to help someone who has been having problems that interfere with their ability to work and enjoy life.”

Dr. Patel adds that she feels that all the doctors at Generations OB/GYN practice in a similar way. “We build relationships with each of our patients as an individual,” she says. “For complex situations, we lean on each other and work together to decide what’s best for the individual patient.”

She says this is essential because, “When you’re talking about pregnancy, there are a lot of things that can happen that aren’t by the book,” says Dr. Patel. “I believe our approach leads to better outcomes for moms and babies.”

Dr. Patel also says that working at Generations OB/GYN is, “like a dream come true. Here, we grow with the field. We follow all of the latest guidelines to ensure that we’re doing what’s best, according to evidence-based medicine. So, we are willing to change and say to our patients, ‘We used to do this, but now we do this.’”

For more info, see the ad on pg. 12, visit GenerationsOBG.com, or call the office of your choice. The practice has locations at 26823 Tanic Dr. in Wesley Chapel (929-7377); 13601 BBD, a mile south of Tampa Palms (972-9300); and at 3321 W. Bearss Ave. in Carrollwood (269-2528).

Loyless Funeral Homes Has Been Serving Bay-Area Families Since 1987!

Loyless Funeral Homes founder John Loyless.

Ask to see the business card of one of the 30 employees who work for John Loyless at his eponymous funeral home, and you might notice something. No one has a title under their name — not even Loyless himself.

That underscores a key point about Loyless and the funeral home business he started with one employee back in 1987.

“Whether you’re directing traffic in the parking lot, or directing the funeral inside, it’s all important,” Loyless says.

Since 1994, Loyless Funeral Homes has offered Tampa Bay residents compassionate guidance during some of the most difficult times of their lives (before that, Loyless served clients only through his Florida Mortuary & Crematorium in Seminole Heights).

With a full-service funeral home and crematorium in Land O’Lakes and an Arrangement Center in the Pebble Creek Collection shopping center (behind Kobe Steak House) off Bruce B. Downs (BBD) Blvd. in New Tampa, Loyless offers clients a place close to home where they can take the necessary steps: transporting and preparing their loved one, burying or cremating them, and gathering people to honor their life in a proper ceremony.

In an industry now dominated by large corporations, Loyless remains one of the few family-owned businesses that offers value and quality. When customers come to Loyless Funeral Homes, the employees who meet with them not only get to design a unique funeral, but also serve as guides and counselors, helping families sift through their memories amidst their grief and find the perfect way to memorialize the life of their departed loved one.

“It’s a critical moment in a lot of people’s lives,” says Loyless.

Loyless grew up in Brandon and first became interested in this field when, as a student at USF, he got a part time job at a friend’s father’s funeral home. Realizing that the profession dovetailed with his inclination to help people, he left USF and studied mortuary sciences at Miami Dade Community College, graduating with his Associate in Science (A.S.) degree in Mortuary Science in 1985.

He then interned for a year with a local funeral home company before he established his business first as the Florida Mortuary & Crematorium brand in 1987 in Seminole Heights. He opened Loyless Funeral Homes in Land O’ Lakes in 1994, and the Arrangement Center in Pebble Creek followed three years ago.

“It’s convenient for families who live here in New Tampa and Wesley Chapel,” Loyless explains. Although you can do the same things at the Land O’ Lakes facility, the Arrangement Center provides a neighborhood place on BBD. where grieving families can sit down with staff members to discuss everything from flowers, readings and music to officiants and ways to memorialize loved ones. A large-screen television in a tastefully muted conference room serves as a virtual showroom for families to view catalogs and samples of caskets and urns, and examples of ways to memorialize loved ones hang on the walls.

So Many Options

Loyless employees can help direct bereaved families through a plethora of options. For the burial, families can choose from immediate, graveside services, visitations or memorial services, which can be organized at several venues from Loyless Funeral Homes itself to local churches to family homes. Those who choose cremation also can have graveside services at interment or choose to scatter ashes or keep them.

Many also opt to memorialize loved ones through a video tribute, online memory wall or keepsake stationery. For veterans, Loyless Funeral Homes can arrange everything from a riderless horse and military band to memorial plots.

The company also helps growing numbers of people preplan and prepay for their own funerals, something Loyless says comes as a relief to the family left behind, as they no longer have to guess at what music their loved one might have wanted played, for example, as well as other details.

One big change Loyless says he has seen in recent years is the increasing number of ways in which people choose to retain a small part of their loved ones.  People are not only turning to cremation in greater numbers than before, they also are thinking beyond the traditional urn. Some opt for smaller repositories, so each sibling can share part of their parent, for example, while others want jewelry — called memory glass — that they can wear that can contain a portion of the ashes. Another popular item is a “thumbie,” jewelry that features an imprint of a departed loved one’s thumb.

Another change is the increase in number of non-religious funerals over the past 5-10 years, Loyless says. “We serve more people today that are unchurched, who say, ‘We want a celebration of life without a religious service.’” All the directors on Loyless’ staff are trained in officiating services for people who do not want clergy present. For those who do, Loyless also can make those arrangements.

Because the Tampa Bay area is one that so many people move into from so many other places, Loyless and his funeral directors also have served at enough funerals to learn about the nuances of the different cultures they serve. Families are often pleasantly surprised to learn that Loyless funeral directors have a working knowledge of faraway religious customs and traditions, as well as a willingness to listen and learn more.

“When you’re in a metro area with such diverse cultures, it’s important to be open and respectful,” says Loyless. “We listen.”

Loyless himself is a New Tampa local, having lived in Hunter’s Green since the early ’90s with his wife, Starr (who also is the company’s bookkeeper). Their daughters attended Hunter’s Green Elementary, Louis Benito Middle School and Paul R. Wharton High. Today, the older daughter, Brittni, 28, is studying mortuary science while her sister, Alexia, 25, attends medical school. The family’s deep roots in the community and their involvement serves as a calling card for area residents, and Loyless doesn’t take that responsibility lightly.

“When a family calls us, one of the most important things is that we want them to feel confident that they made the right choice,” says Loyless, who adds that one way he can ensure that is by hiring the right people to serve his clients’ needs.

“We have wonderful, long-term people who have been with us a long time,” says Loyless. “You can get two people with the same resume but you can see when you work with them if they are passionate about people and about those we serve. We can teach people how to do the job, but we can’t teach people to care. I’m always looking for that personality — that person who cares about other people first and foremost.”

Loyless Funeral Home is located at 5310 Land O’ Lakes Blvd., and the New Tampa Arrangement Center is at 19651 BBD Blvd., Suite E-2. For more information and pricing, visit LoylessFuneralHomes.com, call 996-6610 (Land O’Lakes) or the New Tampa Arrangement Center at 991-7500.

GL Homes’ The Ridge At Wiregrass Ranch To Add Clubhouse Soon

This beautiful 12,000-sq.-ft. clubhouse and other amenities at GL Homes’ The Ridge at Wiregrass Ranch are expected to be completed and open by February 2017.

On S.R. 56 in Wesley Chapel, a couple of miles east of the Shops at Wiregrass, behind a stunning entrance with an eye-catching waterfall feature, a brand new community called The Ridge at Wiregrass Ranch is taking shape.

Families who want to enjoy the best possible Florida lifestyle in luxurious, custom homes began moving into the community earlier this year. Of the more than 180 homes that have been sold in the community so far, 50 have been completed. The Ridge is expected to eventually include 562 homes.

Homes in The Ridge are priced starting from $295,000 to $615,000, with sizes from just under 2,000 sq. ft. to more than 5,000 sq. ft. Most homes back up to ponds or conservation areas, and the few homes that back up to another home feature deeper lots and green space in between.

The Ridge is being developed, built and sold by Sunrise, FL-based GL Homes. GL Homes is a privately owned company that has been in business for more than 40 years. It started in Palm Beach and Broward counties and has grown to include communities throughout Florida.

The company is different from many community developers, because it also is the builder. “We purchase the land, work with engineers to create a site plan, go through the approval process, develop each home site and build each home,” says Marisa Lufkin, project manager for The Ridge at Wiregrass Ranch.

Although Marisa just recently began working at The Ridge, she says she has been with GL Homes for 17 years, most recently at Valencia Lakes (the only other GL Homes community in the Tampa Bay area), which is for adults ages 55 and older and located in the Sun City Center area of southern Hillsborough County.

She explains that being both the developer and the builder has its advantages. “We control the standard of the overall aesthetics,” Marisa says. “We start with the entrance and follow through with the elevations of the homes. We tie it all together, from the guardhouse to the landscaping, to the exterior of the clubhouse and the homes themselves.”

The elevations of the homes in The Ridge all include concrete roof tile, stacked stone exterior details, a covered patio, and brick pavers on driveways, walkways, entries, and covered patios.

“These are standard features in all of our homes,” explains Marisa. She adds that the high-end standard features continue inside, as well, where you won’t need to upgrade to get stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, 42” upper cabinets in the kitchen or luxury bathroom finishes.

“In this community, you really can have it all,” Marisa says.

Clubhouse & Pools

As homes are being constructed throughout the community, so is The Ridge’s amenity center. The 12,000-sq.-ft. clubhouse currently is under construction and GL Homes plans to open it in February. The clubhouse will include a fitness center with 24-hour resident access, aerobics room, indoor sports court, game room, kids room and even an arcade.

Outdoors, a resort-style pool is accompanied by a lap pool, kids water play area and a water slide. There also are four tennis courts, a shaded tot lot, a full-size, full-court basketball court, open play field and party pavilion.

“There’s nothing else like it in a community this size,” says Marisa. “We’re different for the market, and that’s what attracts buyers to this community.”

When the clubhouse is complete, a social director will be hired to build programs based on what the residents want, and schedule those programs based on when they want them.

“That’s the beauty of a brand new community,” she says. “We can mold it into an outstanding (facility), and the residents will dictate what those programs will be.”

“I can’t wait for the clubhouse to open,” says Steven Nguyen, a resident at The Ridge. “No doubt my two kids will use the pools.”

Steven says he moved from New York, “to get away from the cold weather.” The family moved into the new home in May.

“We bought a four-bedroom home,” he says, “where I live with my wife, my children and my parents. My brother lives next door.” He adds that the entire family chose to move into The Ridge because, “This community is definitely one of the best in all of the Tampa Bay area.”

He adds, “Here, everything is convenient. Shopping is just minutes away, and everything is close.”

Steven has that in common with many other residents of The Ridge, who also say they were attracted to it because of the location. In growing Wesley Chapel, with close proximity to The Shops at Wiregrass, Tampa Premium Outlets, and I-75, the community is where families want to be.

Steven also researched local schools and liked where students in The Ridge were zoned to attend. The community’s rear entrance, which is not yet open (and will be gated for residents only), backs up to Dr. John Long Middle School. Students also are zoned to attend nearby Wiregrass Elementary and Wiregrass Ranch High.

Marisa says Steven and his brother aren’t the only families who have purchased two homes next door to each other; other families have their parents next door. She adds that a wide variety of people are coming to live at The Ridge, “from newlyweds to families with children to empty nesters.”

She says many of the buyers are local. “Our community gives people who have outgrown their New Tampa homes an opportunity to build a bigger home in the area,” she says, adding that other local buyers are looking to downsize once they become empty nesters. “Other families just want to live in a brand new home with all the finishing touches and these amazing community amenities.”

In addition, she says, “GL Homes offers the whole package. From the multi-million-dollar entry that makes you feel like you’re coming into an upscale community, to our many floor plans and hundreds of options for customization, along with the great lifestyle.”

The sales center at The Ridge at Wiregrass Ranch is open every day, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. For more information about The Ridge, see the ad on the inside back cover (pg. 55) of this issue, visit GLHomes.com or call (855) 671-1700.