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Home Helpers moves to new location

By TIMES STAFF WRITER
Published June 4, 2006

CLEARWATER - Home Helpers Tampa Bay, a nonmedical in-home care provider, has expanded and moved to new quarters, more than doubling its size.

Jonathan Bowman, president and owner of the franchise, started the business in Clearwater two years ago with a director of operations, Carole Ware, and 10 caregivers. The staff now includes 35 caregivers and a new hire, Scott Duryea.

As director of marketing, Duryea will be responsible for setting up and implementing a medical profession awareness program involving primary care physicians and their staff, rehabilitation centers and hospitals. He also will direct the company's advertising and communications activities.

Home Helpers Tampa Bay, now at 2370 Drew St., Clearwater, provides in-home care and daily assistance to the elderly, new mothers and people recuperating from surgery. The business also is a provider of Direct Link, a 24-hour, seven-days-a-week, in-home monitoring service that dispatches an ambulance and notifies a family member if a client needs emergency assistance.

The national franchisor, Home Helpers, is based in Cincinnati.

Doug Morris has been named sales executive and project coordinator over new-home sales at Nohl Crest Homes' Winslow Park community, to be built in East Lake.

The gated community is to feature 33 homes on 20 acres with ponds and preservation areas. Nohl Crest will offer 11 floor plans that provide 2,895 to 4,018 square feet of living space, priced from the $600,000s with the site. A 3,487-square-foot model is expected to be completed by mid July.

Morris will work with customers and building superintendents from contract through the completion of each home. He has a degree in business administration from Robert Morris University, Pittsburgh, and is a licensed real estate agent.

Nohl Crest, established in 1985, is based in Oldsmar at 4023 Tampa Road. It has built more than 2,200 homes throughout the Tampa Bay area.

Phyllis DeMarco has taken over the former Joffrey's cafe on the first floor of the Clearwater Main Library, redecorated and given it a new name, the Bookworm Cafe. The cafe's menu includes breakfast and lunch items with daily specials.

DeMarco also has extended the cafe's hours to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. The cafe opens at 9 a.m. The library is at 100 N Osceola Ave.

James T. Ayers and Sue Osborne have been named officers of the Largo Medical Center's board of trustees. Ayers, president of Ayers, Saclarides & Co., a certified public accounting firm in Clearwater, is the board's new chairman. He has been a board member since 2003. Osborne, a retail manager of Beacon-Leader-Bee Publications, is chairwoman-elect. She has been a board member since 2004.

Other officers of the board include Dr. Rakesh K. Sharma, chief of medical staff; Dr. Jay H. Epstein, chief of medical staff-elect; and Richard H. Satcher, secretary.

Largo Medical Center, at 210 14th St. SW, is a 256-bed acute care hospital. Its specialty programs include Largo Heart Institute, Florida Knee & Orthopedic Pavilion and Spine Care Center. It has been named five times as "One of America's Top 100 Hospitals."

TBE Group, a full-service international consulting, design and engineering firm, has promoted four employees based at its Clearwater headquarters.

Steven P. Howarth was promoted to vice president. He continues as deputy division leader of the firm's Civil/Environmental Engineering Division. He also assists with corporate initiatives and serves as the corporate licensed real estate broker for the firm's redevelopment real estate services. He joined the firm in 1987 as an engineering intern. He has a civil engineering degree from the University of Florida and an MBA from the University of Tampa.

Jonathan M. Blaha was promoted to assistant vice president and continues his role as corporate controller and finance group manager. He joined TBE in 1999 as corporate finance manager and was named corporate controller in 2000. He has an accounting degree from the University of South Florida.

Gary P. Frazho was promoted to director. He continues as Utilities Division national field operations manager. The position involves training development and quality assurance/quality control of all subsurface utility engineering field technicians. He also leads in developing new field staff when the firm expands to new geographic locations. He has been with TBE since 1993.

Craig Payne was promoted to assistant director, as well as deputy director of the geographic information system/asset management service group in the firm's Civil/Environmental Engineering Division. His position includes project and client relationship management, staff mentoring and geographic information system client training. He joined the firm in 1999 and is a graduate of the University of South Florida.

TBE, based at 380 Park Place Blvd., Clearwater, is rated No. 7 on CE News' current list of the Best Civil Engineering Firms to Work For and No. 2 in Trenchless Technology's Top 50 Design Firms. The firm has more than 40 offices throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico and has projects from Clearwater to China.

News of businesses and business people can be faxed to the Business Digest at 445-4119, e-mailed to cosdon@sptimes.com or mailed to Business Digest, 710 Court St., Clearwater, FL 33756. We are interested in new and unusual businesses, promotions, expansions and major new contracts. Photos can be sent but not all will be used, and they cannot be returned.

[Last modified June 4, 2006, 01:17:19]