The North Tampa Bay Chamber continues to provide unique opportunities for its member businesses â and even the NTBCâs nonprofit business members also get their respective moments in the sun.
At the Chamberâs Business Breakfast at Pasco Hernando State Collegeâs Porter Campus at Wiregrass Ranch on June 2, more than 100 attendees were treated to a roundtable featuring four NTBC-member nonprofit organizations â (seated l.-r. in top photo) The Thomas Promise Foundation (TheThomasPromise.org), the PTSD Foundation of America (PTSDUSA.org), the Wesley Chapel Theater Group (WesleyChapelTheaterGroup.org) and Pepin Academies (PepinAcademies.com).Â
The roundtable â which gave representatives from each nonprofit the chance to introduce themselves and their respective needs to the Chamber members â was hosted by NTBC Board member Chuck Sullivan (standing in top photo) of the law firm McFarland, Gould, Lyons, Sullivan & Hogan, P.A., and was the brainchild of NTBC Board chair Angelique Lenox, who promised that the Chamber will host more such events for nonprofits in the future. For more info, call (813) 994-8534 or visit NorthTampaBayChamber.com/Events. â GNÂ
NTBC Ribbon Cutting Opened The State-Of-The-Art, 45,000-Sq.-Ft. Cancer Center In Wiregrass Ranch On May 15!Â
The ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new 45,000-sq.-ft. Florida Cancer Specialists (FCS) building off S.R. 56 in Wiregrass Ranch on May 15 was more than just another Grand Opening event. It expands Wesley Chapelâs reputation as a health-care hub, now with two major cancer treatment centers. (Photos by Charmaine George)Â
Although the Angeline community in Land OâLakes is getting what will be the largest cancer treatment and research center in Florida â the sprawling, 775-acre âSperos FLâ Moffitt Cancer Center campus with 16 million square feet of lab, office, manufacturing and clinical space, the new Florida Cancer Specialists (FCS) building on the south side of S.R. 56 in Wiregrass Ranch gives the Wesley Chapel area two major cancer centers (the other is the 28,000 sq. ft. being occupied by the Moffitt Cancer Center at Wesley Chapel in the 100,000-sq.-ft. Healing Plaza building adjacent to AdventHealth Wesley Chapel).
But, the 45,000-sq.-ft. FCS building, located only 3.5 miles from the AdventHealth/ Moffitt center, is now the largest cancer treatment facility in Wesley Chapel.
Samantha (Sam) WatkinsÂ
FCS cut the ribbon (in conjunction with the North Tampa Bay Chamber, or NTBC) to officially open the new state-of-the-art treatment center on May 15, as the locationâs VP of operations Samantha (Sam) Watkins introduced director of patient advocacy (and Board-certified oncologist and hematologist) Richard McDonough, M.D. (holding scissors in the photo on this page), who introduced several of his colleagues, including medical oncologist Dr. Ayman Barakat, radiation oncologist Dr. Bradford Perez and GYN (gynecologic) oncologist Dr. Jessica Stine to the crowd of more than 100 people, many of whom were FCS doctors, staff members and administrators.
Watkins mentioned that the new FCS clinic will include five medical oncologists and hematologists, two radiation oncologists, six advance practice nursing providers and a âdedicated group of clinicians and support staff.âÂ
Watkins also provided a lot of the basic information about FCS in general, including that in 2024, FCS celebrated its 40th anniversary of cancer care in the Sunshine State, when FCS treated more than 102,000 new patients and provided more than 4.2 million clinic visits.
The new FCS facility in Wiregrass Ranch has 62 infusion chairs.Â
âOne statistic that I find incredible,â Watkins said, âis that 67 percent of all Floridians live within 20 miles of an FCS center, which serves our mission of being in the community.âÂ
And, although Moffitt is still the highest-rated cancer treatment center overall in Florida, FCS also ranks among the top-performing oncology practices and offers more clinical trials than any other private oncology practice in Florida. And, according to Dr. Barakat (see more from him below), the new Wiregrass Ranch location should soon be hosting clinical trials of its own.
Dr. Richard McDonoughÂ
Watkins noted, âMore than 150 clinical trials are [being conducted] at our 29 locations across the state…. With our expanded capabilities to provide state-of-the-art genetic testing, our physicians are able to design treatment plans with the utmost precision and provide truly personalized medicine, which translates into better outcomes for our patients.â
Meanwhile, Dr. McDonough said, âMy colleagues and I share a passion and dedication to a singular goal to provide our patients with the most advanced treatments possible that are personalized to the unique needs of what they have. We try to minimize the disruption [to their lives] by making sure we are closer to where they live and that the patient can get the care with the support people and community around them, and really to be a big part of driving the best outcomes for our patients.â
Dr. Ayman BarakatÂ
Dr. Barakat provided some additional statistics about the new FCS facility, and the difference between the new building and the original Wesley Chapel location that opened in 2019. âWe only had four exam rooms and seven infusion chairs,â he said. âBut now, we have 32 exam rooms, 62 infusion chairs, and offer expert treatment for all forms of cancer and blood disorders. We have an on-site lab, our own oncology pharmacy care coordinator, services with patient assistance through our generous foundation, and, of course, access to the most advanced and promising treatment through clinical trials, which hopefully we should be planning to start in this building very shortly.â
Dr. Bradford PerezÂ
Dr. Perez, a lifelong Tampa native, talked about the team approach to patient care at FCS.
âOne of the things about FCS is that it does give us the opportunity to work together as part of a multidisciplinary oncology team and as a radiation oncologist you know Iâm really glad to have an opportunity to work with the medical oncologists here at FCS. This location has state-of-the-art equipment, like the Varian TrueBeamTM machine, which does precise, stereotactic radiation treatments.â
Dr. Perez also noted that, âWesley Chapel is a big growth area, so itâs great to be able to provide great care for patients, with the most advanced technology, where people are moving and living.â
Dr. Jessica StineÂ
Next, Dr. Stine said that when she joined FCS four years ago, âMy goal was to bring GYN oncology, which is a unique specialty that doesnât have a lot of growth outside of city centers, to areas where patients really needed to have access to high-quality care. I felt that it was really kind of a shame that patients [in suburban areas] had to essentially go to the âivory towerâ to get their surgeries and the care they needed.â
She added, âWe are also very excited to announce that we will be expanding the GYN oncology program within FCS with Dr. Heather Miller, who is actually joining us locally from her very thriving practice in the Brandon and Tampa Bay market. She will be caring for our patients here in Wesley Chapel and in North Tampa as well.â
Hope KennedyÂ
The final speaker before the ribbon cutting was NTBC president & CEO Hope Kennedy, who said, âIt is an honor to be here with you today. We broke ground in 2019, right before the pandemic, on a cold, windy day. We saw the renderings of what this [facility] was going to be. We could not be more honored to be here by your side. The community is here to support you. We thank you for your investment, not only in this beautiful building, but also for the service you provide to our community.â
FCS (2895 Hueland Pond Blvd.) is open every weekday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. For more info, call (813) 279-7107 or visit FLCancer.com.Â
The Varian TrueBeamTM machine actually rotates around the patient to provide precise radiation treatments.Â
We continue to shine our spotlight on the local businesses who host North Tampa Bay Chamber (NTBC) ribbon-cutting events â as a no-cost add-on to their Chamber memberships â and this issue is no different. We really hope youâll tell these businesses that you first read about them in the Wesley Chapel Neighborhood News!
Pinellas Vascularâs Tampa Office
On April 16, Board-certified vascular surgeon Avianne Bunnell, MD (at right in photo below, with NTBC president/CEO Hope Kennedy), and her staff at their new location (at 3450 E. Fletcher Ave., Ste. 330, Tampa) of Pinellas Vascular, hosted a great party for their Grand Opening, with food, a wine tasting and tours of the new office.
According to its website, Pinellas Vascular, âprovides the most advanced, low-risk treatments available anywhere to help improve your quality of life.â At the ribbon cutting, Dr. Bunnell said, âWe are now serving patients with vascular and arterial diseases, diabetic patients…and we also have a wonderful nurse practitioner (Chelsea Hermez, APRN) providing aesthetic services (including cosmetic injections, weight management strategies and vein ablations and sclerotherapy).â
For more info about Pinellas Vascular, visit PinellasVascular.com or call (813) 771-8346.-GNÂ
âJust Pull Itâ At 54 & Collier Pkwy.
On April 30, periodontist Jeffrey Hameroff, D.D.S. (right), the founder of âJust Pull It,â a unique dental office that specializes in low-cost, same-day tooth extractions, welcomed NTBC members to the ribbon-cutting event celebrating the third anniversary of the Just Pull It location at 1942 Collier Pkwy. in Lutz (across Collier Pkwy. from Pizza Suprema).Â
Dr. Hameroff opened the first Just Pull It in Spring Hill in 2018 and today has four Tampa Bay-area locations, including one off U.S. Hwy. 301 in Zephyrhills, with two more offices opening soon.
âItâs simple,â Dr. Hameroff told the NTBC members in attendance. âNo other dental office does what we do â especially for only $250!â
For more info about the Lutz location, call (813) 738-9490 or visit JustPullIt.dental.Â
Clean Freak Car Wash-Overpass Rd.
And finally, on May 1, regional director of operations Chris Laurella (left) welcomed NTBC members to the new Clean Freak Car Wash at 32359 Overpass Rd., just east of Curley Rd., behind the coming-soon Chick-fil-A. The ribbon-cutting event also included free tasty coffee beverages from Travelinâ Tomâs Coffee Truck.Â
Laurella described the differences between Clean Freak â which has 30 locations, mainly in Arizona (Wesley Chapel is the companyâs first in Florida) â and other âtunnelâ car wash chains.
âThereâs not a lot of water in Arizona,â Laurella told the NTBC members who followed him on a tour of the new Clean Freak (the tunnel wash system was turned off for the tour), âso we do everything we can to reduce our environmental footprint, like our water recycling system and using eco-friendly chemicals. Our tunnels also feature the latest car wash technology.â He even showed the tunnelâs unique soft brushes (below) âthat wonât damage your vehicleâs paint job.â
Clean Freakâs parent company, True Blue Car Wash, LLC, was acquired by the parent company of Circle K. So, your $19.99 monthly membership also earns you discounts on fuel at participating Circle K locations.
We continue to promote the ribbon-cutting events hosted by members of the North Tampa Bay Chamber (NTBC). A recent one we attended was for Peak Brain & Body (2404 Creel Ln, #101, Wesley Chapel; below photo) on Mar. 11.Â
Peak is the office of Family Nurse Practitioner and Chiropractic Physician Dr. Spencer Zimmerman, who moved with his family to our area from Idaho and is the only dual-licensed nurse practitioner/chiropractor using advanced neurological diagnostics, functional neurology, functional medicine and peptide therapy in Florida.
Our photographer Charmaine George also was on hand for the ribbon cutting at Jachimek Chiropractic & Wellness, located at 5111Â Ehrlich Rd., Ste. 128, Tampa (Top Photo) on Mar. 20. Chiropractic physician Juliet Marvenko, or Dr. J, cut that Chamber ribbon.Â
For more information, call (813) 960-2225 or visit JachimekChiro.com.Â
And then, on Mar. 26, Tiny Tots Playtown (photo right & below), located at 24412 S.R. 54 in Lutz (in the Eagle Plaza, behind Brunchies), cut an NTBC ribbon. Owner Lauren Pratt introduced Chamber members to her super-cute, shoe-free (donât forget to bring your socks) little indoor play center for young kids â which surely will be a welcome respite from Floridaâs summer heat and rains, which are fast approaching.Â
Tiny Tots can host kids parties and has gift cards and unlimited play opportunities available.
If you havenât yet been to the new North Tampa Bay Chamber (NTBC) office â located at 28329 Paseo Dr., Suite 195, in the same space next to Dillardâs in the Shops at Wiregrass that previously was home to a Pasco Sheriffâs Office substation (and then, the off-site office for the Amberlin at Wiregrass Ranch apartments), you really should go check it out.
As NTBC president & CEO Hope Kennedy mentioned when I was her first guest at her new in-office studio for her âChamber Chatterâ podcast last week, âThis is the office I always wanted here at the mall. Iâm so glad we finally were able to get it!â
Hope said that it was only fitting that I would be her first guest in the new studio, because of the long-standing symbiotic relationship between the Chamber and the Neighborhood News, especially since Hope first took over the reins at the former Greater Wesley Chapel Chamber 13 or so years ago.
Not only did I get to tell that story, but also a lot of the history of the only news publication directly mailed to all of New Tampa and Wesley Chapel for the last 30 years under the same owner and editor.
My 30-minute chat with Hope also touched on my obsession with helping local mom-and-pop restaurants succeed in our communities, on my not understanding why we have to have so many chicken places and my decision to host a contest to find our readersâ favorite chicken restaurant.
Hope also brought up my dismay over the fact that two sisters who live in Wesley Chapel â Scarlett Spongberg and Fallon Fields (above left photo) â didnât get to win one of 20 drawn-at-random free Raising Caneâs-for-a-year prizes, despite being first in line at the Raising Caneâs Grand Opening. Hope mentioned âthe nice storyâ that local Realtors Chad and April Emory of Emorys Rock Realty split the cost with me of providing that prize for the two young women.Â
Check out âChamber Chatterâ at NorthTampaBayChamber.com. To try to be a guest on the show, call the Chamber office at (813) 994-8534.Â
Congrats, Tri-Health!
One of the other things Hope mentioned during the podcast was how much she appreciates us shining the spotlight in print on so many Chamber members who host NTBC ribbon-cutting events at their locations.
One such event we never published was the ribbon cutting (right) for Tri-Health Primary Care & Womenâs Health Services, located at 2253 Green Hedges Way, #101, in the Summergate Prof. Center, which cut a Chamber ribbon on Jan. 30.