Gulf Coast Woman July-August 2017

SUMMER SALADS | NEW SHOPPING | BELOVED TEACHER RETIRES

OMAN GULF COAST

COMPLIMENTARY

JULY-AUGUST 2017

Celebrating the Coast’s top women achievers www.gcwmultimedia.com

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Michael J. Christie M.D., F.A.C.O.G.

BOARD CERTIFIED OB/GYN

Diplomate of the American Board of OB/GYN

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Dr. Christie and his Team will take the time to address your healthcare needs

Kelly Mask, FNP-C Board Certified Nurse Practitioner

BOARD CERTIFIED OB/GYN

Cynthia Kinsey, FNP-C Board Certified Nurse Practitioner

Treatment of Women’s Health Concerns With an emphasis on preventative care and wellness Women’s Health Care • Annual Wellness Exams Family Planning • Pelvic Pain • Birth Control & Hormones

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“CELEBRATING 11 YEARS OF SUCCESS!” THEA CAUBLE | REBECA FAIRLEY, OWNER | WHITNEY DUBUISSON “When a customer tells me they get the most compliments on an item they bought at my shop and I can see the sparkle in their eye is a feeling worth living everyday! I love my job!”

Rebeca Fairley, Owner

9354 Three Rivers Rd., Gulfport | behind Gulfport Wal-Mart | 228-822-0120 3

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6/15/17 12:12 PM

ON THE COVER

FOUNDER Angela Bruni

Joanne O’Keefe, April Bullock, Velma Johnson, LuAnn Pappas Cover photography by William Colgin

EDITOR & PUBLISHER Dorothy P. Wilson

ADVERTISE

SENIOR EDITOR/WRITER Dana Sleger

Angela Bruni, (228) 760-8887 Dorothy Wilson, (228) 697-5676 Jennifer Cox, (228) 697-5119 Aisa Templeton, (228) 697-7091

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Dr. Christopher Burks Billie Comeaux Chris Dearman Adrienne Elliott Ryan Giles Robin Killeen Jackie Merlau

Tina Perkins Rebecca Ritchey Lee Rogers Stephanie A. Stasulis Dr. Joel Tucker Andrea Yeager Kathy Brown van Zutphen

CONTACT US 15431 O’Neal Road, Suite A, Gulfport, MS 39503 (228) 539-2422 dorothywilson@gulfcoastwomanmagazine.com

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS William Colgin Brian Pearse Christy Ryan GRAPHIC DESIGNER Tina Cullen Amanda Gronewold Farrah Underwood

www.gcwmultimedia.com

© 2017 Gulf Coast Woman is published six times per year and is available free of charge. We encourage your comments, suggestions and submissions, however, we reserve the right to refuse or edit them. Gulf Coast Woman is not responsible for unsolicited documents or manuscripts.

All material is copyrighted and may not be reproduced in any manner without the written permission of the publisher.

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July-August 2017

31685096_0419D

ilable ssions, man is

CELEBRATING

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We are passionate about CELEBRATING, PROMOTING & SUPPORTING WOMEN on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Meet the team that can help you develop a successful marketing strategy

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DOROTHY WILSON

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JENNIFER COX

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gulfcoastwomanmagazine.com

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AISA TEMPLETON

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gulfcoastwomanmagazine.com

BOOK YOUR SUCCESS SHOWCASE AD FOR THE NEXT ISSUE! WOMEN’S HEALTH + BABY ISSUE (September - October) HOLIDAY ISSUE (November - December)

CONT E NTS MONEY

124

SUM M E R S A L A D S

This season gives us a wonderul menu of fresh fruit and vegetables, offering a fresh, zesty flavor to summer days on the patio. Try these recipes.

Jul-Aug 2017

SUCCESS Showcase Edition

92

OU T D O OR L I V I N G Even a small corner space outdoors, if accessorized and furnished correctly, can be an extension of your home.

N O C OU C H P O TAT OE S !

Put an end to the summer whining about being bored.

Make an activity list. p. 121

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S OU T H E R N B E AU T Y

The Delta crape myrtle series offers seven stunning varieties.

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July-August 2017

86

C OL L E C T OR’ S PA R A DI SE

New shop in D’Iberville offers collection of nostalgia.

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D ON ’ T TA K E A KNEE

Understand the most common sources of knee pain.

Tax tran

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6/7/17 3:40 PM

It’s time to celebrate!

“Show me someone who has done something worthwhile, and I’ll show you someone who has overcome adversity.” — Lou Holtz

In this issue, we’re celebrating women achievers all across the Coast. Join Gulf Coast Woman in congratulating them! The women and the women-owned or women-led businesses represented in this issue are a roll call of successful female professionals. It’s important to take time each year to mark businesswomen’s accomplishments, and we do that with an edition set aside for that purpose, and also by presenting the SUCCESS Women’s Conference.

We do this for three reasons: One, many of the women recognized are quietly working in the background and deserve the spotlight. Two, many of these women have overcome great adversity to achieve success and they are an inspiration to others who are struggling. Three, as a women’s magazine, our mission is to inspire, empower, recognize and connect women. This is at the heart of what we do. It is why we exist.

I hope that you are inspired by this issue to pursue

PUBLISHER’S NOTE

your next big adventure. Read carefully the information about each woman and each business and ask yourself, “How can I help her be more successful? Is she someone I should be connected with?”

Let’s continue our celebration of successful women on Aug. 24 at the 2017 SUCCESS Women’s Conference at IP Casino, Resort & Spa. Do you have a ticket reserved? Do you want your company recognized as one Standing Tall For Women? Shouldn’t you be promoting your products and services as a B2B vendor at the conference? Ask me for more information (dorothywilson@gulfcoastwomanmagazine.com or go to successconference.info) Thank your for supporting Gulf Coast Woman as faithful readers, advertisers, contributors. We support you right back by doing all we can to show our appreciation.

We work hard to put deeds behind our thank-yous. We are successful because of YOU! Best regards,

O

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4/26/17 1:37 PM

Above: Yvonne Williams, Coast Episcopal School teacher, hugs students during retirement party. Top: Williams with her granddaughter, Amelia Power, incoming 6th grader at CES. Bottom: Williams, left, with her 3-year-old 1985 class.

Williams has been ‘educating the whole child’ for 35 years

by Dana Sleger

When Yvonne Williams reflects on her 35-year career as a preschool teacher at Coast Episcopal School, she has enough precious memories to fill a book. Thousands of preschool students throughout the Gulf Coast have been blessed to be under her instruction, which is guided by a philosophy of “educating the whole child.” To Williams, this simply means providing an environment of love that fosters growth socially, emotionally, physically, intellectually and spiritually.

“Children need to be developmentally in balance with themselves,” Williams says. “To stress one area over the others does not work well for the child. As I have often said, they are not ‘hot house tomatoes.’ Patience, patience and more patience! When a parent stops you at Walmart after their child has become an adult and thanks you for their preschool experience, I take that as a testimony to our success.”

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July-August 2017

This “testimony” was evident when Coast Episcopal held a celebration event in May to honor Williams’ retirement.

After dedicating her life to early childhood education, the overwhelming attendance by friends, community leaders, alumni, parents and visitors was very special for Williams.

Mississippi State Senator David Baria also delivered a proclamation to commemorate her academic achievement.

The decision to retire was not an easy one for Williams, but at age 72, she knew it was time to write a new chapter in her life story. So what does retirement look like for Williams?

“I have never been much of a planner, but more of an adjuster,” she says. “I’m looking forward to spending time with family, volunteering at Coast Episcopal School and cooking.”

Prior to her teaching career at Coast Episcopal, she was a

registered dietitian and taught nutrition classes to nursing students, but the draw to teaching young ones began before she was a teenager.

“My love for children began when I started babysitting when I was 12 years old,” Williams says. “It was then that I discovered I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with children.”

Teaching at Coast Episcopal worked especially well for her family since her own two children attended the school and the job change coincided nicely with their schedule. Working with her children tops the list of favorite memories for Williams, as well as spending 27 years with “one of the most talented teachers,” Janice Caridad.

To present and future students at CES, her advice is simple: “You have one opportunity at being your age.

Enjoy it and do not rush.”

To men and women currently studying to be preschool teachers, Williams’ years of wisdom is worth heeding: “Make sure you love the age group and prepare yourself by reading and learning from others who have been successful at understanding what is developmentally appropriate for preschoolers.”

And as far as what Williams wants her life legacy to be, her heart shines through four beautiful words: “She loved our children.”

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What do I do now that my tax return has been filed?

by Tina Perkins

Protecting Small Businesses from an Overzealous Government that Wants to Take Your Hard Earned Money 25+ Years Accounting,Tax Preparation & Auditing Experience 9+ Years U.S. Auditor Small Business Advocate

Call for your initial consultation on your business or personal taxes.

TINA PERKINS, CPA, PA Certified Public Accountant

4048 Popps Ferry Road D’Iberville (228) 392-2991 Email: TWPerkins@aol.com 16

July-August 2017

Your 2016 tax return is filed and you are left wondering what you should be doing tax-wise for the remaining part of the year. I say to upgrade, organize and better position your business’ accounting. But, “What should you do?” you ask. And, “Why should you do it?” you continue to ask.

Here is a tale of two businessmen who owned and operated separate but identical businesses and who experienced two different types of business outcomes. I will call them Jimmy and Johnny (to protect these innocent guys).

Jimmy, a businessman of many years, constantly worked at his business. He watched every crevice of his business and without a doubt had his accounting matters in great shape. His business was successful for many years.

Johnny, a businessman in a different state but of the same industry, worked at his business. Meaning, that because his business was profitable, he was able to be negligible in many aspects particularly with his accounting, and still enjoy a comfortable life style without showing a profit. This behavior went on for many years.

In a not too distant past, a national company within their industry came along wanting to expand its size and locations. The company was seeking to buy up smaller businesses in this industry to accomplish its expansion. Jimmy happily provided his business financials and was able to prove the success of his business through his accounting records. The company was pleased with what they learned about Jimmy’s business and what his accounting records revealed. The company was confident in buying Jimmy’s business. Jimmy sold his business handsomely.

Johnny, on the other hand, tried to explain to the national company how successful his business was. But his accounting records did not support nor prove what he tried so hard to tell them. Because of the skepticism surrounding Johnny’s business, the company refused to buy it.

The moral of this story is to get your business accounting affairs in order because you never know when your next business opportunity will be at your front door. As an accountant, I help business owners improve their accounting. I tell them of procedures and processes that they can implement to ensure (i) that all funds are safely deposited

and properly recorded; and (ii) that expenditures are legitimate and properly charged. All too often, business owners complain that it is too hard to implement these procedures because of the cost factor. But it is so vital.

Your accounting should be providing you (at a minimum) monthly information. The financial feedback should reveal the financial health of your company; its profit percentages; and the return on your investments, to name a few. For these reasons, you should improve or upgrade your accounting. Here are a few things you could do to accomplish this.

NEW SOFTWARE • Step up your in-house accounting department by implementing software to capture the income and expenses, otherwise, pay an accountant to do this.

KEEP DOCUMENTS • Maintain documents that are easily assessable. You will need these in an audit.

SET CONTROLS • Find a trusted accountant who can help you implement internal controls to safeguard assets. There’s nothing like having a professional to help you move forward effectively.

RETIREMENT PLAN • Set up a retirement plan so that not only can you prepare for your own retirement, but which also contributes to hiring and retaining a good work force.

STRUCTURE • Decide if your business structure is still valid. You may want to change from a sole proprietorship to an S-corporation or from a C-corporation to an S-corporation.

MANAGE EXPENSES • Remove dead weight. Unproductive employees, unnecessary expenditures and obsolete assets are costly.

To grow your business, you must have your accounting in order. Good accounting records will allow you to measure your goals and provide you the feedback needed to make better business decisions. Plus, as with Jimmy in the Jimmy and Johnny tale, when that one–time big opportunity comes along, you will be positioned to take it.

For more information, contact Tina Perkins, CPA, at (228) 3922991, or at 4048 Popps Ferry Road, D’Iberville, MS 39540.

REALIZE YOUR

DREAM Wendy understands what life change is about – and how it can affect a financial future. She knows life change personally and her experience makes Wendy a better financial advisor.

Working with families and helping them make financial decisions is Wendy’s dream. “I experienced a career change; I was a business owner before a financial advisor. I want my clients inspired to create a vision for their future – and then we draw a roadmap of how to get there, together.”

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Fake news: Savings and investing myths to avoid

by Lee Rogers

Is it time to

RE-PLAN?

“Baby boomers with paltry 401(k)s and IRAs are vowing to work forever, or at least, past traditional retirement age. But a new report says a crowded labor market will limit their ability to amass the savings they need even if they do work long past 65. The problem, researchers say, is that millions of boomers will try to crowd into the job market during those later years.”

- Gail Marks Jarvis, Chicago Tribune, June 3, 2017

LET’S TALK!

Lee Rogers

Office: (228) 206-5902 | Fax: (228) 265-5977 15431 O’Neal Rd. Ste B | Gulfport, MS 39503 www.marstonrogers.com Securities and Investment Advisory Services are offered solely through Ameritas Investment Corp. (AIC).

Member FINRA/SIPC. AIC and Marston Rogers Group are not affiliated. Additional products and services may be available through Lee Rogers or Marston Rogers Group that are not offered through AIC.

18

July-August 2017

The thing about investing that you will notice is nearly everybody has an opinion about your money and what you should do with it.

Fake news item 1: You will hit it big buying a single stock and holding it no matter what comes.

For everyone who accomplishes that, there are many more who don’t; it’s like buying a lottery ticket and hoping it hits. Solomon said, “Divide thy portions in seven; no eight baskets for you never know what trouble will befall the earth.” I am sticking with Solomon.

Fake news item 2: Put everything you have in gold (or silver).

I remember when I pawned my high-school class ring in 1980 I got $389. Gold was getting about $500 to $600 an ounce, but it took until 2006 to reach that price again.

Fake news item 3: Hide it in a mattress or savings account.

When you have retirement as a goal, a savings account (or mattress) cannot compete with forces of inflation.

Choose an investment strategy that will help your funds grow.

Fake news item 4: Your health will remain the same.

I can bear witness to that. At age 51, I had a massive stroke that left me unable to talk, walk and even brush my hair. It has been a challenge to get myself back, but your single biggest expense in retirement is likely to be health care. Medicare doesn’t cover any of the cost associated with assisted living. Protect your nest egg by purchasing long-term care or a chronic illness policy.

Seek out a licensed financial advisor to help you select the most suitable investment products and mitigate risks.

Be completely open and honest about your situation with the advisor you chose so he or she can accurately look at your needs and goals and make suitable recommendations.

For more information: www.marstonrogers.com, 15431 O’Neal Rd Suite B, Gulfport, MS 39503 or call (228) 697-2072.

Securities (and investment advisory services) are offered solely through Ameritas Investment Corp. (AIC). Member FINRA/SIPC. AIC and Marston Rogers Group are not affiliated.

Additional products and services may be available through Marston Rogers or Marston Rogers Group that are not offered through AIC. Representatives of AIC do not provide tax or legal advice. Please consult your tax advisor or attorney regarding your situation.

Investing.

It’s about more than money.

Suzie Pierce Sawyer

Managing Director Investment Advisor Representative sawyers@centurysecurities.com

(228) 864-4460 | (877) 896-4664

2304 14th Street | Gulfport, Mississippi 39501

Securities offered through Century Securities Associates Inc. Member SIPC & FINRA | A subsidiary of Stifel Financial Corp.

Home Office: 501 North Broadway, St. Louis, Missouri 63102 | (314) 342-4050

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MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST COMMUNITY COLLEGE

GETTING AHEAD

Collegiate Academy puts high school students on fast track to college degree High school students can now get a college degree through Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and complete it while still in high school!

The Collegiate Academy, piloted this past academic year in partnership with Gulfport School District, will expand to include other school districts beginning fall 2017. The academy allows students to simultaneously earn a high school diploma and an associate degree.

“Collegiate Academy is a stellar example of the opportunities we offer high school students at MGCCC, allowing them to immerse themselves in the college experience,” MGCCC president Dr. Mary S. Graham said. “For the highly motivated student, the academy promises a head start on their college education, whether they are planning to get a technical degree and go straight to work, or continue their education at a four-year institution of higher learning.”

The student body consists of high school juniors and seniors enrolled in dual credit courses at their high school and MGCCC. The Collegiate Academy expands learning opportunities for students, provides up to 60 hours of college credit transferable to universities, and/or an industry certification credential.

Counselors will work closely with the school district

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July-August 2017

and students to ensure students are getting the required coursework for both college and high school. Classes are flexible, allowing students to participate in the high school activities they choose and college activities except athletics. Academy students will have access to the college’s learning resource centers, which offer individualized attention from college instructors and a wide array of research materials.

For more information about Collegiate Academy, visit mgccc.edu/collegiate-academy.

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Make sure you plan before you leap

by Kathy Brown van Zutphen

Turning life’s storm waters …

If

you are troubled, maybe I can help. If you are a small business needing help or considering forming a business, a family member who needs help with a loved one, or an individual who has been injured or needs help with a divorce, give me a call and I will use over 17 years of experience to help you no matter what situation you may face.

I graduated from the University of Alabama in 1983, magna cum laude, and then received a Master of Arts before later proceeding to law school at the Cumberland School of Law of Samford University in Birmingham, Ala. I received my Juris Doctorate degree in 1997 and have had extensive experience since that time in corporate and insurance defense litigation, general civil litigation, as well as in the areas of Trusts, Probate, Estates, and the legal area called “Elder Law.”

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22

July-August 2017

Whenever a bride, groom and their family plan a wedding, they consider every detail. Sometimes, it can take over a year to get the plan just right: the best date, who to invite, the perfect dress, jewelry, flowers, the venue for the wedding, pre-wedding parties, the greatest reception, and…the list goes on. It is a big day and deserves proper consideration.

So, it amazes me that many of these same people often leave the rest of their life to chance. Either no plan is in place at all, or very little consideration is given to whether they need a pre-nuptial agreement, a trust, or at least a Last Will and Testament, before or after the big day.

More couples these days also are committing to longterm relationships without marriage. Sometimes, the couple will even buy automobiles, houses, and have children together — again, all without entering into a legal agreement, trust, or Last Will and Testament. If you jointly buy furniture, appliances, or automobiles and later decide to split apart or can no longer pay for it, then it helps if you have at least discussed how you want to title and handle the assets. People may believe that bringing up such possibilities could jinx the relationship, but in healthy relationships it can only improve the bond.

What if you are in a long-term relationship and one of you becomes sick? Do you want the other person to be able to access your medical information or make medical decisions, if necessary? What if you have bought assets together and one of you passes away? Do you want that asset to go to your partner, or your next of kin?

I recommend that all couples, before a marriage or even prior to moving in together — and certainly if you have children together — discuss what you want if one of you gets sick or becomes disabled. What do you want to happen to your assets or children? Making a plan for your life is just as important as planning for that big day. Your life deserves discussion and consideration, not just leaving it to chance. I am happy to talk to couples about your situation, and what you may need. Frankly, my dear…you need a plan.

Kathy Brown van Zutphen is an attorney licensed to practice law in Alabama and Mississippi. She focuses on the “elder law” areas of trusts, estates, and conservatorships. Additionally, she litigates lawsuits and represents small business owners as part of her legal practice. Visit Kathy’s website to learn more: https://www.al-mscoastallaw.com. You can also reach her at her office at (228) 357-5227.

Introducing the 2017 LBPW Women of Achievement

& Celebrating the Coast’s top business women

Lighthouse Business & Professional Women will recognize these 37 women at the 2017 SUCCESS Women's Conference.

Tell us on Facebook which one should be named Woman of the Year and why. We'll see if the Lighthouse Business & Professional Women's judges agree. www.gcwmultimedia.com

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“WOMEN STANDING TALL” 3rd annual

A unique developmental experience designed to INSPIRE, EMPOWER, CONNECT & RECHARGE professional women of the Gulf Coast

24

th

AUGUST

2 0 1 7

IP CASINO RESOR T & SPA • Doors open at 8:15 am

SHOW C A SI N G COMPANIES

standing tall

FOR WOMEN

LIGHTHOUSE BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL WOMEN

WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT HONOREES

$

39

per ticket (lunch included)

AT A G L AN C E

Sponsorships, booths, tickets available: www.successconference.info 228.539.2422 F OU N DING S P O N S O R S

P A R T N ER ING S PONS OR VENUE S PONS OR

8: 15 am R e g ist r a t io n 9 am Welcome/ Keynote speaker 10:15 am Breakout sessions 11:15 am Mentoring Panel 12:30 pm Awards Luncheon

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July-August 2017

2:15 pm Ask Anything Session Shopping, Expo, Networking, Giveaways

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ed)

NC E

at io n ome/ eaker ssions Panel

SPECIAL GUESTS

Cheryl Wood

International keynote speaker, women's empowerment champion, leadership coach and author

As seen on

MOTIVATIONAL SPEAKER

Christy Pickering

“Girl, You Deserve Better"

Angelyn TreutelZeringue Insurance agent, community leader, speaker "Charting Your Own Course" S T AN DIN G TA L L FO R W OM E N S PO N S O R

Stephanie Barnes Taylor Attorney/author/ international speaker “Who Should Be At Your Table of Influence”

Carrie Duncan Meterologist/ TV personality “Poke The Box Do Something!”

Connie Rockco Community leader/public official Panel: “Ask Anything!”

S U P P O R T I N G S PONS OR S

cheon

ssion aways

Karen Sock Consultant/ community leader “Poke The Box -Do Something!”

AL-MS Coastal Law, LLC Kathy van Zutpheb

Harrison County Supervisor Connie Rockco

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25

meet the COVER GIRLS

4 WOMEN

STANDING TALL

Joanne

Joanne Bullard O'Keefe, 57, has owned Nezaty's Cafe, a popular and successful brunch and lunch stop on Courthouse Road in Gulfport, for 12 years. Many of her customers know her by name and pause to share with her as she works right alongside that day's crew.

As a matter of fact, she sees her staff as very integral to the success of the business.

"I credit the success to always trying to keep an amazing staff of employees; dedicated friends and customers; and my son, Jeff, who throughout the years has been my rock, heart, and voice of reason," she says.

She's very proud of Jeff Jr. and is quick to mention Jeff 's wife Linsey and her first grandbaby, Layla Elaine, who was born this year.

Joanne seems to always be on the go at the restaurant, but she took a few minutes to answer some questions for Gulf Coast Woman about her career path, mentors and dreams.

MY CAREEER After receiving an MBA in 1982 from USM, I began my first career in waste management on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Upon transferring to Atlanta, my area of expertise became more focused and I became a hazardous material specialist and market development manager for environmental emergency response companies. In 2002, I returned to the Coast to live closer to my aging parents whom at the time needed help. In the summer of 2005, the opportunity to buy Nezaty's Cafe became available.

The location was great with unique menu items; so, my

26

July-August 2017

CE

second career as a cafe owner started July 2005.

BALANCING WORK AND FAMILY Balancing work and family life at my age means having a great manager and staff that I can rely upon so that I have the time to devote to my 87-year-old Mom. DEFINING MOMENTS No one pivotal point has shaped who I am today.

Each decision that I have made throughout my life and each turn that I have taken has shaped and made me the person that I am today.

INSPIRATION My Dad, who passed away in 2004, was probably my greatest inspiration. He, along with my mother, taught me the value of a good education and work ethics.

CHILDHOOD ASPIRATION Never thought about it! My Dad, who had an MBA and a specialist degree in finance and was an associate professor at USM, just told me that I would get a degree in business one day and go from there.

LEADERSHIP TRAITS I ADMIRE Strength, courage, strong morals and ethics.

HOW I WIND DOWN Yoga and anything around the water.

L

3

A g A

CEO | SCARLET PEARL CASINO RESORT

WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT FINALIST CONGRATULATIONS FROM YOUR SCARLET PEARL FAMILY LuAnn Pappas is one of just two woman casino operators on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. A New Jersey native, she attributes her success to her Father’s advice; be fair, be firm and by all means be disciplined.

She began a casino career that would span over 30 years after answering an ad in the Atlantic City Press, the position was for a retail shift supervisor for Harrah’s Atlantic City. Defining success as “progress,” she spent 30 years with Harrah’s before leaving her role as Regional Vice President of Marketing to join the Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort, in D’Iberville Mississippi, as their CEO. Although women in the casino industry still have a way to go; there are no female casino operators in Tunica, or even Atlantic City. Pappas takes the approach “never give up,” she says, “never quit what you have started.”

LuAnn serves as a Commissioner on the Board of Visit Mississippi Gulf Coast, Board Member South Mississippi Mental Health Association and Board of Trustee Lighthouse Business and Professional Women.

www.gcwmultimedia.com

Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort reserves all rights to cancel or modify this program at any time. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-522-4700.

27

LuAnn

Velma

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July-August 2017

LuAnn Pappas has stood at the helm of Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort since it opened in December 2015.

The CEO has relocated for work many times in her career, but at times passed up opportunities for advancement to maintain stability in school for her son.

She shared recently about her struggle with balancing family and work, her aspirations and her inspiration.

“To be honest, I do not think I did (balance work and family),” she says.

“Something always suffers due to balancing personal and professional demands.”

Sometimes though, a health crisis can help bring focus and clarity. “In September of 2014, I had a massive heart attack at work — I can honestly say this changed my life in many ways. I focused on a work-life balance and changed my career and the company I worked for after 30 years.”

She has drawn strength and inspiration over the years from her father.

“I am who I am today because of my Dad,” she says. “My Dad taught us never quit was you start, be firm, fair and patient.”

Velma Johnson has been an educator for 18 years. She began her career as a teacher in the Gulfport School District, then rose to assistant principal and is now the federal programs coordinator for the district.

As the coordinator, she writes and manages federal grants.

She shared recently about her family, aspirations and inspirations.

and use the weekends to spend time as a family.

BALANCING Balancing work and family life is still a work in progress. My job often requires me to travel, therefore we have a family calendar to help each other keep track of upcoming family events. I also stopped bringing work home. By doing this, I am able to cook more often for my family and it gives me the opportunity to help my daughter with after school needs.

My husband and I have committed to making quality time a priority.

Therefore, we plan family vacations

CHILDHOOD ASPIRATION I always wanted to be an attorney — public defender.

TRAITS SHE ADMIRES Their ability to have work-life balance, their candidness and their intelligence. Most importantly, I admire other women leaders who take time to develop other women.

ADVICE TO OTHERS Success is not easy — work-life balance should be given major consideration as you strive for the pursuit of excellence and upward mobility.

HOW I WIND DOWN I am an avid cook — I love to create — and spending time with my two babies, Bella, my maltese puppy, and Bentley, my bischon frise.

DEFINING MOMENT The pivotal point in my life that helped to shape who I am today is choosing to change my surroundings and letting go of things and people that were unhealthy.

CHALLENGES Trying to become an administrator posed quite a challenge for me. I was young and did not have much leadership experience and my interviewing skills were subpar. Yet, I knew I had the willpower to do the job but needed someone to give me the opportunity. I began attending Toastmasters to help with my interviewing skills and public speaking. I took on additional duties and became a lead teacher and took it upon myself to shadow other administrators. I am See VELMA on page 30

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29

April

April Bullock, 35, opened her first retail store when she was 24. She has operated Eve Marie’s Boutique in Hattiesburg for 11 years and then opened Ivy Boutique five years ago in D’Iberville.

She says she didn’t have a clue what she was doing but “I had passion, drive and dedication. I knew I couldn't fail.”

“Each day in business, I aspire to give women confidence in themselves,” she says. “I accomplish this by dressing women in clothes that make them feel beautiful.”

She shared recently with Gulf Coast Woman about her life and business.

DEFINING MOMENTS Honestly, there are so many things that have happened through my life that have shaped me. I try to take negative situations and spin them into positive messages.

CHALLENGES There have been many challenges on my road to success. One of the main challenges is people who don't want you to succeed. For some reason there are individuals out there that insist on tearing others down. It is heartbreaking to witness how many times this actually happens. Especially to small business owners.

INSPIRATION I am inspired by all the women that surround me. They are mothers, wives, entrepreneurs, cancer survivors, friends, charity workers and so much more. I look at the women around me and am in awe of how much each one of them accomplishes in a 24 hour time frame.

ASPIRATION My Mom is a seamstress and as a 30

July-August 2017

VELMA continued from page 28 forever grateful to my former supervisor Bryan Caldwell for believing in me and giving me the opportunity and tools to become an administrator. This opportunity opened doors to many other opportunities.

INSPIRATION My mother inspires me. Nine years of my life she was a single parent. She never used that as an excuse to not be successful. She always instilled the importance of believing in God and the importance of education. I watched her overcome many hardships but her faith and work ethic have never wavered.

child, I would take her leftover fabric and turn it into beautiful Mardi Gras gowns for my Barbie dolls. So I wanted to be in the fashion industry as a designer. I also wanted to be a kindergarten teacher or a Spanish teacher. It wasn't until later in high school that I decided I wanted to open my own boutique.

TRAITS SHE ADMIRES Genuineness, compassion, drive.

SUCCESS I credit my success to God. Without Him, I would have nothing. I also credit my success to the many people who have supported me through the years, my friends, family, customers and employees. They have remained loyal and dedicated to me throughout my career.

ADVICE TO OTHERS It's hard and there will be many hurdles along the way. Take each of those as a learning experience and appreciate every moment that you get.

WINDING DOWN I love spending time with my fiancé, having cookouts and enjoying time with friends and family.

CHILDHOOD ASPIRATION As a child, I wanted to become a teacher and a priest. I fondly remember playing school with my stuffed animals and leading mass where I would have my grandmother partake in my make-believe communion of white bread and water.

LEADERSHIP TRAITS I ADMIRE I admire other women leaders who are risk takers, those who have a strong sense of self, and those who are servant leaders.

HER WAYMAKERS My parents have always supported me with anything I’ve tried to accomplish.

The women in my church kept me involved in service and were there to offer guidance as they watched me blossom into a young lady. Coaches and professors in college were there to offer guidance on many days when I struggled. Mentors, colleagues, and friends have supported many of my visions and endeavors that helped me grow as a professional. Last but most importantly, my husband is very supportive and one of my biggest cheerleaders.

ADVICE TO OTHERS In your pursuit of success, allow God to lead you. Never accept that you aren’t good enough or can’t do a certain job.

There will be obstacles but don’t allow those things to stop you.

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31

special message from the LIGHTHOUSE BPW CHAIRWOMEN

Re-discover BPW this year We are honored to serve as the 2017 co-chairs of the Lighthouse Business and Professional Women, Mississippi Coast Chapter. We have introduced a new format at our monthly general membership meetings, where we invite a panel of professional women to discuss topics that are important to women such as: women’s health, building effective relationships on and off the playing field and personal branding.

We have also added 12 outstanding business and professional women from across the Gulf Coast to our Board of Trustees. They are providing excellent skills and resources to our organization. We are pleased to announce that we have a new meeting location, the MGCCC Jeff Davis Campus, Hospitality & Resort Management Center, located at: 420 Debuys Road, Biloxi. We meet on the third Wednesday of each month with networking beginning at 11:30 a.m., followed by a presentation and lunch at noon, and we adjourn at 1 p.m.

We recently launched our 2017 membership drive. We are offering a special annual membership rate of $75, which is a 33 percent discount.

The discount will be available to all new and renewing members through Thursday, August 24.

We are excited to share that we are partnering with the Success Women’s Conference for the 3rd 32

July-August 2017

Laura Payne of Back Bay Mission, left, and Karen Sock of Sock Enterprises and Pathways2Possibilities

year. This year’s conference will take place at the IP Casino, Resort & Spa on Thursday, August 24. Doors open and registration begins at 8 a.m.; plan to spend the day at the conference. There will be a full and exciting agenda of speakers, breakout sessions, plus the annual Lighthouse Business and Professional Women’s Women of Achievement Awards Luncheon, where we will recognize 37 honorees. Last, but not least, an expo, shopping, networking, giveaways and "Ask Anything" session will wrap up the day.

We invite you to join us as members of Lighthouse Business and Professional Women, Mississippi Coast Chapter. Be sure to watch out for important announcements on our website: lighthousebpw.com and on Facebook.

Laura Payne and Karen Sock LBPW 2017 co-chairs

CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL

Women of Achievement FINALISTS!

Join us AUGUST

24 at the

Women’s Conference 2017 to recognize 37 WOMEN ACHIEVERS in...

Education | Medical | Nonprofit/Volunteer Corporate/Entrepreneur | Military/Government | Young Careerist

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For more information go to www.lighthousebpw.com ITC AVANT GARDE GOTHIC

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT

Becky Bennett OR Christine Coker AT lighthousebpw.biloxi@gmail.com

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33

introducing the 2017 WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT

37 women now eligible for

Woman of the Year award More than 75 women from across the Mississippi Gulf Coast were nominated for the 2017 Women of Achievement Award. Thirty-seven of them have been selected as finalists to be recognized at this year's SUCCESS Women's Conference. Out-of-state judges will select winners from seven categories ( Medical, Nonprofit, Corporate, Government/Military, Education, Entrepreneur and Young Careerist (age 21-35). From the category winners, a Woman of the Year will be named.

WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT / CORPORATE Brenda Taylor

Director of Sales, Golden Nugget Casino Biloxi It’s easy to see why Brenda Taylor lists “rising through the ranks” as one of her significant accomplishments. Taylor began her career in the hospitality industry as a receptionist in sales at the Royal d’Iberville Hotel, and moved on to be director of sales at Treasure Bay Casino Resort for nine years. She then took a sales management position at StarShip dining yacht, rising to director of sales before joining the IP Casino Resort sales team as the senior sales manager. Currently director of sales for the Golden Nugget Biloxi, Taylor has been in the hospitality sales business for 27 years.

Taylor is a member of the Gulf Coast and Biloxi Bay Chambers of Commerce, a board member of Mississippi Association of Executives, and is a past board member of the Mississippi Association of Executives and a past president of

the Gulf Coast chapter of Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International.

Taylor and her husband Jim (retired, US Air Force) have been married 38 years, 27 of that in Biloxi.

The Taylors have four children and nine grandchildren.

The ability to delegate and to counsel employees is important to Taylor. “I’ve always told my staff and others to listen to what’s going on around you; it’s the best way to learn,” she says.

Taylors advice to other career women? “Continue to learn and hone your skills. Stay relevant.”

Cheryl Johnson

President, Regions Bank MS Gulf Coast With 40 years in the banking industry, Cheryl Johnson is a banking veteran and brings relationship management and a diverse lending background to her role as president of the Mississippi Gulf Coast area for Regions Bank.

Her career has encompassed multiple banking sectors such as production, market development, and team leadership. As president, she is responsible for the oversight of all banking functions in the coast counties of Mississippi, including the markets of Gulfport, Biloxi, Pascagoula, Ocean Springs, D’Iberville, Bay St. Louis and Picayune.

Johnson serves on the Garden Park Hospital Board of Trustees, the University of Southern Mississippi (USM) Foundation Executive Board of Directors, United Way of South Mississippi Executive Board of Directors, and the USM Gulf Park Campus Housing Feasibility Study Committee. She is also actively involved in the Gulf Coast Business Council, Gulfport Rotary Club (past president), Gulfport Business Club, and 34

July-August 2017

the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber. In addition, she frequently serves on panels and steering committees associated with economic development projects.

Multiple organizations and publications have recognized Johnson’s leadership abilities through awards, including Gulfport Rotarian of the Year, Outstanding Community Leader (Sun Herald and Journal of South Mississippi Business), Woman of Achievement (Lighthouse Business and Professional Women) and Best of the Best (Regions Bank). Johnson was also named among Mississippi Business Journal’s Top 50 Leading Business Women and was recently awarded the 2017 Friendship Oak Award by the University of Southern Mississippi for her continued support and commitment to the Gulf Park campus.

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WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT / CORPORATE Kimberly Nastasi

Director of Communications, Ingalls Shipbuilding Kimberly Nastasi, IOM, CAE, is Director of Communication for Ingalls Shipbuilding. The communications and public affairs department is responsible for Ingalls’s brand and image, both inside the shipyard and in the community.

Prior to joining Ingalls, Nastasi was the Chief Executive Officer of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce, where she oversaw the Biloxi, Gulfport, Long Beach, and Pass Christian Chambers of Commerce along with Leadership Gulf Coast, Coast Young Professionals, and the Coast Centurions Association. She also serves as Executive Director for the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce Foundation.

A graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi, Nastasi obtained both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communications with an emphasis in speech. She has also studied Spanish at the Universidad de Cemanahuac in Cuernavaca, Mexico.

Nastasi is a graduate of the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, Gulf Coast Business Council’s Master’s

Program, Leadership Gulf Coast, Leadership Mississippi, and has received many honors including 2015 Executive Director of the Year from Hands on Mississippi, Coast Young Professionals Hall of Fame, and Top 40 Under 40 from Mississippi Business Journal.

Nastasi is a co-founder of Coast Young Professionals, which she considers her most significant accomplishment. “The Coast did not have a forum to... support our young professionals. We needed a breeding ground for future leadership. Today, Coast Young Professionals is 10 years old with hundreds of active members.”

Chamber member Linda Watts is a role model, as is Wes Fulmer. Nastasi encourages other women to be professional and ethical, and to be a mentor. “In every situation, find an opportunity to learn and find the good.”

Lorraine Miller

Branch Manager, Peoples Bank Pass Christian branch Lorraine Miller has been employed with Peoples Bank for 17 years, and serves as branch manager at the bank's Pass Christian branch. She received a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Southern Mississippi, and graduated from the Mississippi School of Banking at the University of Mississippi.

She has been associated with the Mississippi Coast Chamber of Commerce for four years, serving three years on the Board of Directors for the Pass Christian Chamber, and was president of the Chamber in 2015. She is a member of Leadership Gulf Coast, class 2014-2015, and a member of the Lighthouse Business Professional Women.

Miller currently serves on several committees for the bank.

She also has received the Outstanding Customer Service Award several times. Miller also assists with the Save for America school saving program in local schools.

Miller considers teaching students about saving to be her

most significant accomplishment.

“It’s very rewarding to educate children about saving because it will help provide a solid foundation as they begin exercising their money management techniques.”

Role models Dorothy Myles (Miller’s mother) and Robin Midcalf Brosig (her cousin) embody wisdom, unconditional love, determination, and dedication. Miller would advise other career women to be prepared, set realistic goals and make sure to exceed them, to own mistakes, and to build a good network with other career women.

An active member of Grace Temple Baptist Church for 15 years, Miller is a lifelong resident of the Mississippi Gulf Coast and lives in Gulfport.

Mary Cracchiolo Spain

Regional Director, Public Relation/Communications, MGM Resorts International A 20-year veteran of the Mississippi tourism industry, Mary Cracchiolo Spain serves as the Regional Communications Director for MGM Resorts International, overseeing public relations for Beau Rivage and Gold Strike Tunica.

Active in the community, Spain is the current chair of American Red Cross Biloxi, president elect/conference chair for the Southern Public Relations Federation, and was recently appointed to the board of the Visit Mississippi Gulf Coast Regional Convention & Visitors Bureau.

Spain also serves on the board for Walter Anderson Museum of Art, and on the board for Extra Table, a nonprofit organization that works with food pantries and soup kitchens to end hunger.

Spain is a member of St. James Catholic Church. She and her husband Mark have a 9-year-old son named Logan.

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July-August 2017

In Spain’s role as a regional tourism and gaming/entertainment industry resource, she is passionate about educating and driving visitors to the Mississippi Gulf Coast and MGM Resorts Mississippi properties.

“Having a successful, rewarding career while serving as an engaged parent and role model for my 9-year-old son is my most proud and significant accomplishment,” she says.

Spain calls her mother, who “led by example and achieved great success despite adversity,” her “inspiration and guardian angel.” She encourages other career women to have confidence in their abilities, to never stop learning, and to let go of the guilt and self-doubt.

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Nezaty's Cafe Celebrating 12-Year Anniversary The number 12 is a strong number that combines the numbers 1 meaning “stay positive”, and 2 meaning to “keep the faith”.

With this in mind, Nezaty’s Café is celebrating their 12 year anniversary under the ownership of Joanne O’Keefe.

It has been 12 years since Joanne O’Keefe purchased Nezaty’s Cafe in Gulfport. The Cafe changed hands at the end of July 2005, exactly one month prior to Hurricane Katrina.

The cafe sustained major damage in the kitchen but with a handful of dedicated employees and amazing vendors the doors reopened 3 months later with a limited menu.

With no prior experience in the food industry, Joanne

Joanne O’Keefe and April Bennett, Manager Photo by Billy Dugger

survived Katrina and that first year by staying positive, optimistic, working hard and keeping the faith.

In

addition, the Cafe would not have stayed open without the overwhelming support and help from an amazing staff, friends, customers, and other restaurant owners who generously lent their expertise.

During lunch time generous salads, soups, sandwiches, and paninis are enjoyed by all who enter. The signature black bean soup is served daily along with a soup du jour.

Only the freshest highest quality ingredients are used for a satisfying healthy meal or snack. Guests may eat in, carry

Today, 12 years later, Nezaty’s is a favorite local breakfast

out, or take advantage of fantastic office catering for lunch

and lunch destination. The ambiance is warm and charming

meetings.

with consistently great food.

Nezaty’s knows that not all paninis are created equal.

The Cafe is a favorite for that first coffee of the day. The

Artisanal breads along with premium ingredients are what

doors open at 7:00am Monday through Friday to the

set Nezaty’s apart. A few of the breads include stone baked

fragrance of fresh brewed coffees, baked stuffed croissants

kalamata olive bread, rosemary ciabatta, aged pepper jack

and pastries. An assortment of croissants, muffins, meat

cheese baguette, and an Italian cheese and herb infused

frittatas and spinach frittatas are served until they run out.

baguette. From the Vegetali to the New Orleans style

The coffee is brewed all day long. Customers may sample

muffaletta, there is something to satisfy everyone’s craving.

coffee from the “coffee bar” prior to purchase. Coffee beans are also sold by the pound with the majority roasted locally on the Coast.

F

Joanne maintains that the best part of Nezaty’s is the people.

In addition to making new friends through the eclectic clientele, she says that it has been her privilege to employ some outstanding people; some staying for years, some starting second careers, and others going on to pursue other careers.

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360 Courthouse Road, Suite C Gulfport MS 39507

www.nezatys.com 228.897.1139

Hours: Monday- Friday, 7:00am - 4:00pm

WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT / CORPORATE Monica Croutch Walker

Commercial Lender, Hope Enterprise Corporation/Hope Credit Union Monica Croutch Walker is a lifelong resident of Gulfport. The daughter of Peggy and the late Amos Croutch, Jr., Walker has two sons, Cameron and Damien.

Walker’s family helped found the North Gulfport Community Federal Credit Union and the North Gulfport Good Deeds Association, which provided community resources including a pool, a rec center, and a library. It seems natural that Walker would be drawn to a career that includes community service.

Walker got her bachelor of science in Business Administration from the University of Southern Mississippi and became manager of North Gulfport Community Federal Credit Union. Later she was Director of Business Development for Southern Mississippi Planning and Development District, where she oversaw and administered loan funds for a 15-county area, which included the women and minority loan fund. She is currently a commercial lender for Hope Enterprise Corporation/Hope Credit Union.

Walker conducts and participates in small business workshops, training for young entrepreneurs, and business consulting. She is an active member of Greater Mt. Olive

Baptist Church, where she directs the Sunbeam Choir and sings in the Inspirational choir. She is a board member for Habitat for Humanity for the Mississippi Gulf Coast, is on the diversity committee for the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce, and is financial secretary and on the executive board for the Mississippi Gulf Coast alumnae chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

Walker received the Small Business Administration Minority Small Business Advocate of the year award, and is a graduate of Gulf Coast Chamber’s Leadership Gulf Coast and True South Economic Development. She is also a certified Economic Development Finance Professional through the National Development Council.

Walker names her father among her role models, and she strives to live up to the standards he set as an active member of the community. “His word was his bond,” she says. She also draws inspiration from Oprah Winfrey and Michelle Obama.

LuAnn Pappas

CEO, Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort As CEO of Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort in D’Iberville, LuAnn Pappas has made her way to the top of an industry traditionally run by men. She is one of just two female casino operators on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. A New Jersey native, Pappas set her career in motion by answering an ad in the Atlantic City Press for a position for a retail shift supervisor at Harrah’s Atlantic City. That was more than 30 years ago.

Pappas attributes her success to her father’s advice: be fair, be firm, and by all means be disciplined.

She defines success as progress, and she has made much progress since answering that ad so many years ago. After spending more than three decades with Harrah’s, Pappas had

moved up to the role of regional vice president of marketing. She left Harrah’s to join the Scarlet Pearl Casino Resort as the property’s CEO. Having spent her career and succeeded in an industry where women still have a long way to go to be on equal footing with men (there are no female casino operators in Tunica, Miss., or in Atlantic City), Pappas says, “Never give up.

Never quit what you have started.”

Shannon Wall

President, Publisher, The Sun Herald Shannon Wall is the president and publisher of the Sun Herald, and is the first woman to ever hold the position. In this capacity, Wall is responsible for local and national news coverage, multi-media marketing, employee development and the publication's overall success as the leading news source in the region.

Gaining her position with the Sun Herald is what Wall considers her most significant achievement: “Because I did not graduate from college, I had to prove myself and work extra hard to show folks what I was capable of.”

Wall is proven in driving sales and digital marketing, implementing innovative advertising approaches and leading and developing high-performing teams. She has been on the Mississippi Gulf Coast for more than 20 years and is an accomplished business leader who is passionate about playing an integral role in supporting growth, economic and community development and enhancing the quality of life for the residents who live and work here.

Before joining The Sun Herald team as the advertising July-August 2017 40

director in 2008, Wall held several positions of increasing responsibility in the gaming industry, including marketing director for the Hard Rock Casino and Resort and marketing manager for Casino Magic.

Two role models that Wall names are her mother, for always being a “true supporter,” and Jeana Tribble, who hired Shannon at Casino Magic Bay St. Louis in 1992, and who remains a friend and role model.

Wall admires leaders who are confident, but not arrogant, and who give credit where it is due. “Be yourself and be confident, always ask questions, don’t be afraid to fail, and have a strong support group,” she says. “My husband and children are my biggest fans, and I wouldn’t be where I am today without them by my side.”

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WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT / CORPORATE Lynn Rush Frisby

Employee and Community Engagement/Marketing, Penn National Gaming, Boomtown Casino & Hollywood Gulf Coast With over 15 years of communications, public relations, media, and community affairs experience, Lynn Frisby creates positive messaging for organizations.

Frisby got her Bachelor of Arts in Advertising and Public Relations from Spring Hill College in Mobile, and a PostBaccalaureate Certificate in Casino Resort Management from Tulane. Frisby graduated with Leadership Mississippi’s class of 2016, won the Top Community Leader award from One Coast in 2015, is past president and board chair of the Biloxi Chamber, and has been awarded the Sun Herald’s Top 10 Business Leader Under 40 and the Bity of Biloxi’s Distinguished Volunteer of the Year.

Frisby is especially proud of her work with Gulf Coast Boys & Girls Club and her participation in the Mississippi Economic

Council’s Leadership Mississippi program.

Good leaders, Frisby says, should “celebrate other’s achievements, encourage others to do their best, and always bring out the best in people.” She credits colleagues Mary Spain, Kriste Aylett, Cindy Defrances with being role models and inspirations for being experts in their fields, and for making the community a better place.

Frisby would tell other career women to pursue education, seize the opportunity to meet and make new contacts, and always to explore new opportunities.

Nell Schmidt

Business Development Officer, Keesler Federal Credit Union, Biloxi Nell Schmidt attended the University of Southern Mississippi and earned a Bachelor of Science in Advertising before moving to the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 1982. She became active with the local Chambers and organizations in support of their programs of work though participation, promotion and contributions. In 1997, Schmidt became a Keesler Federal Credit Union team member. By establishing relationships and cultivating community outreach, Schmidt is an advocate of the credit union’s values, mission and vision.

Schmidt admires “the skill to delegate, not mandate and the skill to recognize and acknowledge effort.”

She draws inspiration from her mother-in-law’s calm confidence, and her sister’s ability to see potential.

Schmidt advises other career women to “Practice being humble and grateful for all you receive, preserver no matter how hopeless it seems: ‘Where there is no vision, the people perish,’ Proverbs 29:18.”

Since 1991, she has been faithfully married to Frank Schmidt Jr. and they reside in Pass Christian.

Cindy Lamb

Manager of Client Relations, Pickering Firm Inc., Biloxi “Leadership is more than any one mannerism, tactic or style,” says Cindy Lamb. “It is the whole package, with the tools you develop over many experiences.” Her position requires her to engage professionals in a cornucopia of businesses along the Mississippi Gulf Coast and throughout the state.

In addition to the position at Pickering, Lamb is an accomplished award-winning photographer, published author, public speaker, manager of a self storage facility, and owner of a light construction and home maintenance company; she flips houses when she can find one; she is a mother, and the most rewarding position: Grandmother!

Lamb has worked in nonprofits, was a residential general contractor, residential designer, worked in retail (for a very short period of time), college instructor, fine dining restaurant manager, event planner, graphic designer, bartender, and a city alderman (she even ran for mayor once).

Lamb is a magna cum laude graduate of Tulane University, and a recipient of the prestigious Tulane 34 Award with a BA in Public Relations and Media Arts.

As a public speaker, Lamb has addressed groups as large as 1500 and believes that if she can do, it anyone can.

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She credits her dad with teaching her independence from expectations, her mom for teaching the benefits of conciliation, and her family with teaching that “hard work is the foundation for all dreams.”

Lamb recently graduated from Leadership Gulf Coast with the 2017 Class and was selected for the Gulf Coast Business Council Master Class of 2017. In addition, she will be a featured artist at the Gulfport Biloxi International Airport beginning in September of 2017 with a display of an eclectic array of photography that includes artistic macro, portraiture, landscape and thought-provoking human dispositional studies.

Lamb advises other women with mantras she learned in the 60s and 70s: “Do not take no from someone who does not have the power to say yes,” “If you are going to do a man’s job, demand a man’s title,” and “Knowledge is power. The more I know, the more I can do.”

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GULF COAST EMERGENCY VETERINARY HOSPITAL AND BEACH VIEW VETERINARY HOSPITAL Dr. Jennifer Sutton, along with her husband, Dr. Jeff Sutton, are the owners of Gulf Coast Veterinary Emergency Hospital, and more recently, Beach View Veterinary Hospital, which are both located in Biloxi, MS. She grew up along the Mississippi Gulf Coast and is a graduate of St. John High School, Millsaps College, and in 1998, Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Jennifer started her career in a small animal and exotic hospital located in a suburb of Cincinnati, Ohio.

The practice had great mentors and offered progressive, quality and cutting-edge care while staying in tune with the community around them. She missed the coast, however, and in 2003 she decided to come back home with her husband to open her open practice. The coastal community, however, already contained the established veterinary practices of both a high school classmate and a veterinary school classmate. Knowing that she did not want to compete with their businesses, but also knowing that she wanted to own her own business and maintain the same level of care that she had grown accustomed too, they established Gulf Coast Veterinary Emergency Hospital in July, 2003.

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The fact that their clinic is located just off I-10 exit #41the Woolmarket Exit - is by design. Knowing that they wanted to serve the entire coast community and that there are 80 miles of I-10 along the entire Mississippi Gulf Coast, they placed their practice as closely as they could to the half-way point.

Almost 14 years later, their practice has cared for more than 39,000 families and 54,000 pets! Some of these pets have visited the emergency hospital more than once, and so it is estimated that there have been more than 100.000 sick or injured animals that have passed through their doors since they opened! Care of animals in not just limited to dogs and cats — wildlife is often dropped off to the hospital to be treated prior to being transferred to several area wildlife rehabilitators and care is also offered to animals involved in motor vehicle accidents with their humans, after house fires, and injured strays that are picked up after hours by animal control officers and law enforcement.

Gulf Coast Veterinary Emergency Hospital prides itself in truly offering unparalleled care, compassion and concern in the most technologically advanced facility possible.

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JENNIFER LEWANDO SUTTON, DVM The hospital includes an on-site blood and plasma bank, complete in-house laboratory equipment, ultrasound, digital radiographs, completely enclosed oxygen cages, companion therapeutic lasers and comprehensive monitoring equipment.

The level of care, equipment, medical and surgical procedures performed in the hospital truly reflects human standards.

Appreciating that animals are not just pets, but also beloved members of the family, Dr. Jennifer and Gulf Coast Veterinary Emergency Hospital have furthered their facility accreditations to include being American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA) certified, and more recently American Association of Feline Practitioner (AAFP) Cat Friendly Gold Level Certified and Fear Free Certified. AAHA reflects an on-site accreditation process that measures more than 900 standards of veterinary excellence. Cat Friendly and Fear Free Certifications are designed to reduce the stress of veterinary visits, improve the quality of care provided, and support our team to consider the distinct needs of companion animals.

Gulf Coast Veterinary Emergency Hospital has the pleasure of serving the urgent, critical and emergency needs for the clients of more than 60 veterinary facilities and more than 100 veterinarians along the Mississippi and Alabama Gulf Coasts.

They also are recognized for their facility and mentorship abilities as they serve as an externship site for students in Veterinary Technician Certification and Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine Programs for a number of universities.

In addition to excelling in her practice, Dr. Jennifer is well entrenched in her community. Following Hurricane Katrina, in which she lost her home while seven months pregnant with twin girls, Dr. Jennifer felt a true calling to give back to others after she witnessed so many supporting her in the days and weeks following the storm. As a result, she has become a passionate advocate for underserved and underprivileged populations in the community in which she lives and works. From serving as the Interim Executive Director of the Hancock County Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) program in 2013, to serving on several boards including Goodwill/Goodworks, the Open Doors Homeless Coalition, Kairos Outside Prison Ministry and the Hancock County Substance Abuse Task Force, she will quickly tell you that although she loves serving animals, she equally loves serving their people! She also has a trained Search and Rescue canine, Belle, and together they have presented a program “Hug A Tree and Survive” program to more than 3000 school aged children to teach them what to do if they are ever lost in the woods. Perhaps one of her most favorite activities is volunteering with others in the Project Homeless Connect and vaccinating the animals of the homeless population the week before Thanksgiving each year.

Last year, after the calling to extend the same level of care and compassion to healthy pets too, Dr. Jennifer and Dr. Jeff acquired Beach View Veterinary Hospital from a retiring veterinarian. It is located on Porter Avenue, just north of the Biloxi light house and behind the Biloxi Visitor’s Center. She has thoroughly enjoyed getting to care for and know pets and their people not just on their “worst day ever” at the ER, but also at Beach View! It is a full-service companion and exotic animal hospital and features on-site laboratory equipment, digital traditional and dental x-rays, companion therapeutic lasers and medications, anesthetics and monitoring equipment that reflects human medical standards, as well.

Gulf Coast Veterinary Emergency re-located in 2013 to its present location, just south of I-10 at Exit 41, which is also the Woolmarket Exit. It is open and fully staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and is ready to help in any urgent care situation.

There is no appointment necessary.

Beach View is located on Porter Ave. and is open more traditional veterinary hours, Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. and Saturday 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Appointments are recommended.

Whether at Gulf Coast Veterinary Emergency Hospital, at Beach View Veterinary Hospital, or out in the community, Dr. Jennifer looks forward to meeting you and your furry companions soon!

Gulf Coast Veterinary Emergency Hospital 8144 E. Oaklawn Rd. | Biloxi, MS 39532 | (228) 392-7474 | gulfcoastveter.com Beach View Veterinary Hospital www.gcwmultimedia.com 132 Porter Ave. | Biloxi, MS 39530 | (228) 436-6497 | beachviewveterinaryhospital.com

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WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT / EDUCATION

Bobbie Loveless

Director, Interprofessional Education, College of Health Sciences, William Carey University Dr. Bobbie Loveless received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Master of Science in Adult Health Nursing and Nursing Education from William Carey University, where she is currently the Director of Interprofessional Education for the College of Health Sciences. Dr. Loveless also holds the rank of Professor of Nursing at WCU, teaching courses at the undergraduate, master and doctoral level.

Her 15 years of nursing education experience has included several nursing education leadership roles, including Dean of Nursing and Allied Health with Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and Associate Dean of Nursing with William Carey University’s School of Nursing – Tradition Campus.

In 2010, Dr. Loveless was inducted into the South Mississippi Roland Weeks Hall of Fame as one of the Top 10 Business Leaders Under 40. She is involved in nursing education organizations and has presented scholarly work at the local,

state, regional, and national levels.

Dr. Loveless lives in Biloxi with her husband of 21 years, Chris, and 12-year-old daughter, Georgia.

She and her family are members of Trinity United Methodist Church. Dr. Loveless enjoys supporting the Biloxi Indians and cheering on her daughter, who is a Biloxi Indian Cheerleader and varsity tennis player.

“Great leaders are those who are able to identify and encourage talented people to grow professionally,” says Dr. Loveless.

To other career women, Dr. Loveless quotes Barbara Bush: “Never lose sight of the fact that the most important yardstick of your success will be how you treat other people — your family, friends, co-workers, and even strangers you meet along the way.”

Dr. Carla J. Raines Evers

Superintendent of Schools, Pass Christian School District Dr. Carla J. Evers is a 26-year educator who currently serves the children of the Pass Christian School District as Superintendent of Schools. Dr. Evers, as CEO (Chief Example for Others) is responsible for communicating the vision of the district to its stakeholders and the day-to-day operations of the district.

Together with the teachers and administration of the district, she is also responsible for maintaining and growing the district’s reputation as being a premier school district in the state. She completed her doctorate of philosophy in educational leadership at the University of Southern Mississippi with a thought-provoking study entitled “A Relational Study of Elementary Principals’ Leadership Traits, Teacher Morale, and School Performance.”

She is a dedicated member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, a sisterhood built on Christian principles, scholarship, and service. As part of her service to Delta, she is involved in a variety of community service programs such the American

Kady Beaoui Pietz

Heart Association, March of Dimes, and Delta GEMS (Growing and Empowering Myself Successfully) in which young ladies are taught important girl-to-woman skills like financial fortitude and the importance of earning an education.

Dr. Evers serves as her chapter’s first vice president and has had articles published in local and regional publications. She also served on the Lynn Meadows Board of Trustees and is an active member of the Rotary Club of Pass Christian. She lives by the motto of Rotary International, “Service Above Self.”

Dr. Evers and her husband, SFC Carlos, have three sons, DeKarlos, Kiante’, and Kih’Ari, and three daughters, Davionshe’, Brandi and Kimberly. She attends First Missionary Baptist Church of Handsboro in Gulfport.

Director of Operations and Outreach, University of Southern Mississippi, Gulf Park Campus Kady Pietz holds a Master of Science in Political Science Pietz considers advocacy, with an emphasis in Public Administration, and is currently volunteerism, and active mentorship pursuing a Ph.D. in Human Capital Development, both from the most significant of contributions the University of Southern Mississippi. in her life, as well as what she admires She previously served as the executive director of Hancock in others. “The very best leaders, County CASA and as chief administrative officer of the through humility and positivity, have Mississippi Automated Systems Project with the University of the ability to motivate those around Southern Mississippi. Pietz is active in the community and has them to go above and beyond the previously held executive officer positions for National CASA normal call of duty,” she says. Great Rural Advisory Board, Coast Young Professionals, CASA leaders have great communication Mississippi and Long Beach GridIron. skills, she says, and integrity is the She is a 2010 graduate of Leadership Gulf Coast and currently most important quality of all. serves on the board of directors for the Gulfport Chamber of Pietz is the mother of two children, Conner and Tiffani Joy, Commerce. In 2017, Pietz received an Award of Excellence for and wife to Ronnie. She is an avid golfer and New Orleans her leadership in the Southern Miss Jazz and Blues Festival Saints season ticket holder. and was also named a recipient of Coast Young Professional’s Forever Young award.

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WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT / MEDICAL Dr. Allison Wall

Doctor of Oncology and Hematology, Medical Oncology Group, PA, Gulfport; Hematology Oncology Partners (HOPE Clinic), Gulfport and Biloxi Originally from Dothan, Ala., Dr. Allison Wall graduated summa cum laude from Auburn University and received her Doctorate of Medicine from UAB School of Medicine. Dr. Wall’s research in hematology and oncology has been published throughout her career. She works closely with local physicians and is consulted by colleagues throughout the country.

In 2008, Dr. Wall joined the practice of The Medical Oncology Group, and was elected president of the practice in 2013 when one of the original partners retired. In 2017, Dr. Wall formed her own practice, Hematology Oncology Partners, or HOPE Clinic, at Gulfport’s Memorial Hospital, and has clinics in Gulfport and Biloxi.

From earning the Caring Physician Award at St. Louis University, where she received her fellowship in Hematology/ Oncology, to the many accolades received locally on the Coast,

Dr. Wall is famous for the hugs she gives to her patients every time she sees them.

Mother Teresa’s “wisdom, undying compassion and dedication to healing the sick” provides inspiration for Dr. Wall, who truly believes it is her calling to comfort and heal those with cancer. A member of St. Alphonsus Catholic Church, Dr. Wall lives in Ocean Springs with her husband Mark and children, Katherine and Grant. Being a mother to her children, while also being a mother figure to her patients, is what Dr. Wall considers her most significant achievement.

She advises other career women to “be true to yourself and those around you will take notice. Having faith in others goes a long way, but having faith in yourself will set you apart.”

LuAn Brown

Family Nurse Practitioner, Digestive Health Center, Ocean Springs LuAn Brown, family nurse practitioner, enrolled in the LPN drug therapies to afford patients in program at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College right the community an opportunity to out of high school in 1979 and worked at Singing River Hospital receive medical therapies that are not in Pascagoula for eight years. She switched gears in 1988 and readily available. has been at Digestive Health Center for 28 years as the director Brown most admires a good of Nursing. leader’s ability to communicate She has continued to further her education and obtained effectively, to motivate others, to an associate in nursing at MGCCC, her bachelor’s from stimulate creativity, and to exhibit Chamberlain University in Downers Grove, Ill., and most an attitude of positivity. Beyond recently obtained a master's in Nursing from Maryville accepting Christ, which is her top University in St. Louis. priority, going back to school at 53 to In 1997 Brown was involved in starting the Rueben P. Morris get her MS in nursing while working full time is what Brown Patient Education and Wellness Foundation, later re-named the considers her most significant achievement. “All things are Gulf Coast Patient Wellness Foundation, one of Pascagoula’s possible and with dedication and determination your career first educational wellness centers. She currently serves on the path can intertwine with your destiny,” she says. board of the Gulf Coast Wellness Foundation, and has served Brown is married to Elton Brown. Their daughter, Marshea, for many years as the nurse educator. is also a family nurse practitioner. The Browns have three After her most recent advanced practice degree, Brown grandchildren, Brelan, Paris and Jordyn, and one greatcontinues in clinical research, working alongside the physicians grandson, Kolin. in the group. She coordinates clinical trials on newly developed

Dr. Shaun Weaver McKee

President, Coastal Imaging Associates, P.A. Dr. Shaun Weaver McKee is a double board-certified neuroradiologist, two-time Ironman triathlete and ultramarathoner. She graduated summa cum laude from the University of Florida in 1988 while simultaneously completing her first year of medical school as part of the highly competitive Junior Honors Medical Program, graduating from UF Medical School in 1991.

Dr. McKee’s many honors include the Health Professions Medical Scholarship from the United States Air Force, being selected among America’s Top Radiologists two years in a row, and receiving a two-year advanced fellowship in neuroradiology at Boston’s Tufts University Medical Center.

She served as chief resident at University Medical Center Diagnostic Radiology Residency Program (now Shands Jacksonville) in Jacksonville; was chief of neuroradiology at USAF Keesler Medical Center 1997–2001; and since 2001 is president of Coastal Imaging Associates, P.A. 50

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Dr. McKee is a current member of the Medical Advisory Board for biotech company LFVN, and is president of The Vitality MD, an online optimal wellness site.

Dr. McKee admires a good leader’s ability to bring out the best in others, and she cites the late Ruby Dickie and also her husband, Dr. John McKee, as role models who “would do anything for anyone and always bring a smile to everyone around them.”

The McKees have two teenaged sons, who represent her most significant accomplishment: “It’s the biggest responsibility and gift on this Earth. I strive to become a great example to them and to help mold their character and faith and to give them servants’ hearts.”

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WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT / MEDICAL Dr. Jennifer Sutton

Gulf Coast Veterinary Emergency Hospital, Beach View Veterinary Hospital Dr. Jennifer Sutton is a partner in Gulf Coast Veterinary Emergency Hospital and Beach View Veterinary Hospital, both located in Biloxi. She is a graduate of Millsaps College and Louisiana State University School of Veterinary Medicine.

Dr. Sutton has participated in numerous leadership development programs and is a graduate of Leadership Gulf Coast, Leadership Hancock County, the Gulf Coast Business Council Master’s Class and the Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses Programs.

Dr. Sutton is current president of the South Mississippi Veterinary Medical Association and is actively involved on several boards and community programs along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Leaders who offer mentorship and gentle guidance, who communicate well, and who share recognition with collaborative teammates earn Dr. Sutton’s respect. Her earliest role models are

her father, who continues to engage in service to others, and her mother, who “taught me the importance of a work/ life balance and being involved in your children’s activities and school despite your career.”

Dr. Sutton considers making a difference in her community to be her most significant accomplishment.

To other career women, she would say, “Pursue a career because it aligns with your personal ideals and you believe that you will make a positive impact on the community around you. Surround yourself with role models and mentors who can support you through rough patches, and be quick to support others when you are experiencing smooth sailing!”

Dr. Jennifer Sutton is married to Dr. Jeff Sutton and is the mother to four children who are between the ages of 10 and 13.

Suzi Bogard

CEO, Medical Analysis A lifelong resident of Biloxi, Suzi Bogard was a homemaker and church secretary at First Presbyterian Church, where she is a member, for 20 years. She was later certified as a phlebotomist, and provided lab services for local health fairs.

Through her work in healthcare, Bogard recognized a need for quality healthcare that is convenient and affordable for all.

This led her to found Medical Analysis, a premier health, wellness, and occupational program. The program services onsite health clinics that specialize in preventative health care and patient education for employer-sponsored health care programs. These programs are provided at discounted corporate rates with little or no cost to companies’ employees and dependents. Bogard considers founding a company on this model, and helping to allay the costs of healthcare for so many, to be her biggest achievement.

Bogard’s mission is to help corporations reduce the spiraling cost of medical claims while offering professional, informative

and affordable health care. Medical Analysis currently services 38 self-insured and fully insured corporations and more than 100 industrial businesses in Mississippi, Louisiana and Missouri.

The success of Bogard’s company developed many successful partnerships through scholarships, sports leagues sponsorships, nonprofit fundraisers, and by accomplishing local mission outreach objectives.

Bogard’s many honors include being recognized by the Chamber of Commerce Business Spotlight, Outstanding Woman in Business People’s Choice Award Recipient, Caring Woman nominee and others. Bogard presently serves on the People’s Bank Advisory Board.

Dr. Tamara Harper

Attending pediatric physician, The Pediatric Center, Gulfport Dr. Tamara Walker Harper, a native of Moss Point, is a board certified pediatrician and fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. A 1994 Summa Cum Laude graduate of Xavier University of Louisiana with a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry, Dr. Harper pursued her medical degree at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine, graduating in 1998. She completed her residency in pediatrics at USA College of Medicine in 2001.

Dr. Harper chose pediatrics not only because the specialty exemplifies her passion for servant leadership, but because children are fun! The innocence and resilience of children remains a daily motivation for her as a pediatrician. Her interest in pediatrics was sparked at an early age after a hospitalization, with her desire to help and serve others reaching a peak after attending a summer science academy at Xavier University as a teenager at the insistence of her parents, retired educator Verna Walker and the late Quincy Walker.

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A lifelong resident of the Gulf Coast, Dr. Harper started her career at the Pediatric Center of Gulfport, affiliated with Garden Park Physician Services, in February 2006, after 5 years as an ER attending physician of USA Children’s and Women’s Evaluation Center of Mobile.

“I believe my most significant accomplishment thus far has been the ability to combine my strong faith and love for God with my career as a pediatrician,” says Dr. Harper. She suggests that career women “do something that you are passionate about and believe in, for then it becomes so much more than just a career or a job!”

Dr. Harper is married to Dr. Oswago Harper, a native of Gulfport who serves as an administrator with Gulfport School District.

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WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT / ENTREPRENEUR Cheli Strumila

Owner/Editor, Coast Observer and Coupon Concierge; co-owner, Magnolia Leisure & Entertainment Cheli Strumila, the owner/editor of Coast Observer for 18 years, Magnolia Leisure & Entertainment for eight years, Strumila names fellow Women and the new owner of Coupon Concierge, is a self-made of Achievement nominee Mary entrepreneur. Cheli launched the Coast Observer with no Cracchiolo Spain and local PR formal training or publishing experience. But with a used professional Linda Orrison as role computer, $1500 worth of computer programs, and two lessons models, expounding enthusiastically in graphic design, she built a leading entertainment publication on their professionalism, tirelessness, of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. and dedication to the Mississippi Gulf In 2004, Strumila launched the Observer’s first Covey Coast.

Awards, for which readers determine the best local casinos, The motto that Strumila would bars, restaurants, bands, and more. In 2008, Strumila coshare with other career women is, founded Magnolia Leisure & Entertainment Guide, a reference “Succeed or fail, I cannot fail myself if I try!” for visitors to coast hotels and condos.

“I took on a project/business I knew nothing about,” Strumila Strumila’s latest acquisition is the Coupon Concierge, a says. “Learned everything I could to produce a top product and resource for local businesses and their customers. to be a leader in the community.”

Since 2007, Strumila has received several awards including Strumila sums up her philosophy about leadership: “I believe the Coast Chamber’s Tapestry award, the Intrepid Angel award, that honesty, integrity, hard work, dedication, loyalty and the Biloxi Chamber Business of the Month spotlight, and the passion are the attributes that make up a truly great leader.”

Forever Young award for Coast Young Professionals.

Denise Howell

Certified Public Accountant, Charted Global Management Accountant, Howell CPA, PA Denise Howell is a CPA and the sole owner of Howell CPA, advisory board of the Back Bay PA. She graduated cum laude from Auburn University with a Mission, is a Rotarian in Ocean Bachelor of Science in Business Administration – Accountancy Springs, and assists with financial in 1998, and earned her master of Accountancy from Auburn reporting for various non-profits.

University in 1999, graduating with Phi Kappa Phi honors. In Howell is proud of having become 2002, she passed the CPA exam in Louisiana. one of only five people in the Howell began her career at Saltmarsh, Cleveland & Gund, a U.S. knowledgeable in all fuel tax regional CPA firm in Pensacola, and then moved to FleetCor regulations for all jurisdictions at FleetCor Technologies. Howell’s No. Technologies in Covington, La., from 2001–2006. She built the company’s tax department, which became the largest fuel excise 1 role model is Jesus, whose light and love she wants to mirror, and she tax exempter in the United States. credits Billye Brim and Gloria Copeland with inspiration to be Howell returned to public accounting in 2006, and founded strong in her faith.

Howell CPA in 2013. She has obtained experience not only in She advises other career women to “Never quit learning. the world of tax, but also governmental accounting and audit.

She is licensed in Mississippi and can serve clients in 48 states.

Never believe you have learned or heard it all. Always be willing Howell is a volunteer audio/visual engineer at her church, to admit you are not the expert in all fields. Never be afraid to Church of the King in Mandeville, La. She is also on the say, ‘I do not know.’”

Patti Cuevas

Ambassador, Plexus Worldwide Born and raised in Gulfport, Patti Cuevas graduated from USM with a degree in Secondary Math Education and taught for almost 27 years.

Eight years ago, Cuevas began working in earnest for Plexus Worldwide, who make health and weight loss supplements.

Cuevas’s top role models are her parents, whose example she hopes she lives up to in being a mother and grandmother.

“My prayer is that I have instilled in my children the morals, integrity, and work ethics that my parents instilled in me,” she says.

Cuevas believes that leaders rule by example, and never ask anyone to do what they are unwilling to do.

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July-August 2017

Lead with love and example, she says to other career women. Love and praise your teams, employees, and coworkers. “People don’t care how much you know,” Cuevas says. “They care how much you care.”

She advises other career women to “Never quit learning. Never believe you have learned or heard it all.

Always be willing to admit you are not the expert in all fields. Never be afraid to say, ‘I do not know.’”

“ a

“My goal to make Bella Luna Boutique successful is to develop and enhance strong relationships with our customers all while offering them items which make them feel beautiful.”

900 Washington Avenue Downtown Ocean Springs 228-327-9191

DENA MCGRATH MANAGER

Mississippi Gulf Coast

Chamber of Commerce, Inc.

CONNECT

INFORM

ADVOCATE

DEVELOP

U.S. Chamber of Commerce Accredited 

WHY THE MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, INC.

IS RIGHT FOR YOU “Since I joined the Chamber, I was able to connect with all of the people in the same industry and other industries, and that really helped me develop my business.”

“We like the opportunity to be able to talk to other clients, to host seminars, and to be able to work with them in order to let them understand what’s going on in our industry, so we can help them in theirs.”

ARTURO BARAJAS,

THOMAS BROADUS,

“I’ve taken advantage of many opportunities to grow and connect with other business people in the community. I have been able to identify mentors who have helped me grow, but also I have become a mentee to others who are involved in the Chamber organization…”

“There is no doubt I would not be the leader I am today without the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce…I feel like they have truly built me into the leader I am today and will take me beyond to further places as I work in my career.”

MOSAIC TAPAS RESTAURANT & BAR

THE FOCUS GROUP

CHRISTEN DUHE’,

DOROTHY WILSON,

GULF COAST WOMAN MAGAZINE

MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Call us today to learn more about how we can help you and your business!

228.604.0014

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July-August 2017

WE’RE ON YOUR TEAM!

STAFF PHOTO: (Pictured Left to Right) Kaila Moran, Coast Young Professionals Director & Leadership Gulf Coast Liaison; Niki Tillson,

Communications & Marketing Specialist; Olivia Munn; Mei-Li Hernandez, Membership Development Coordinator; Rachael Seymour, Director, Biloxi Chamber of Commerce & Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce, Inc., Operations Manager; Adele Lyons, Chief Executive Officer; Rachel Leggitt, Finance Director; Hannah Burnett, Director, Gulfport Chamber of Commerce; Jenny Levens, Director, Long Beach and Pass Christian Chamber of Commerce; Tiffiny Hoyett, Executive Liaison & Customer Service Leader

JOIN TODAY!

The Chamber provides numerous ways to reach new customers and gain valuable exposure for your business including:

RIBBON CUTTINGS ADVERTISING OPPORTUNITIES OFFICE SUPPLY SAVINGS NETWORKING SOCIAL MEDIA REACH DIRECTORY LISTINGS EVENTS MORNING, NOON, & NIGHT

START NETWORKING, SAVING, AND CONNECTING TODAY! 228.604.0014 | mscoastchamber.com | email address: info@mscoastchamber.com

www.gcwmultimedia.com

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Celebrating

47

Years of Success!

Pottery • Art Gallery Creative Glass • Artistic Jewelry

920 Washington Ave. | Ocean Springs, MS 39564 228.875.8065 | www.hillyerhouse.com Store Hours: Mon. - Fri. 9:30am - 5:30pm | Sat. 9:30am - 5pm | Sun. 12pm - 4pm

“MY DEFINITION OF SUCCESS IS SEEING THE SMILE ON CUSTOMERS FACES WHEN I MAKE THE PERFECT PRODUCT FOR THEM.” Life’s too short to throw boring parties

Patti Schankin | Holly Schankin, Owner

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July-August 2017

Congratulations Cheryl Johnson on being selected as a finalist for Women of Achievement.

Cheryl Johnson, Regions Gulf Coast President.

With 40 years in the industry, Cheryl Johnson is a banking veteran and brings relationship management experience and a diverse lending background to her role as president of the Mississippi Gulf Coast area. Her lengthy banking career also has encompassed multiple sectors such as production, market development and team leadership. As president, she is responsible for the oversight of all banking functions in the coastal counties of Mississippi, which include the markets of Gulfport, Biloxi, Pascagoula, Ocean Springs, D’Iberville, Bay St. Louis and Picayune.

Currently, Cheryl serves on the boards of Garden Park Hospital, the University of Southern Mississippi Foundation and United Way of South Mississippi. In addition, she has served on numerous panels and steering committees associated with economic development projects. Multiple organizations and publications have recognized her leadership abilities through awards, including Gulfport Rotarian of the Year, Outstanding Community Leader (Sun Herald and the Journal of South Mississippi Business), Woman of Achievement (Lighthouse Business and Professional Women) and Best of the Best (Regions Bank). Cheryl was also named among the Mississippi Business Journal’s Top 50 Leading Women and recently honored by the University of Southern Mississippi with the 2017 Friendship Oak Award.

© 2017 Regions Bank. Regions and the Regions logo are registered trademarks of Regions Bank. The LifeGreen color is a trademark of Regions Bank.

www.gcwmultimedia.com

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WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT / NONPROFIT Audrey Gary

Director, Coast Trade Exchange, Gulfport Audrey Gary’s career has taken a winding path from when she graduated from high school in Brandon, Mississippi, attended LSU, met and married Chip Gary, and opened her first business — a frame shop — in Dallas. The couple later owned a flooring business before moving to Baton Rouge and opening Voodoo BBQ & Grill and the Londoner Pub & Grill.

The couple had joined a nonprofit barter trade exchange while living in Baton Rouge, and were sure that the idea of small businesses bartering goods and services with each other would be a good concept to bring to the Mississippi coast one day.

That day came in 2015 when the Garys founded Coast Trade Exchange, a nonprofit focused around the three coastal counties. The exchange has grown from one to 60 members since its inception.

Gary helps the small businesses of the exchange trade goods and services and promote their businesses through social media and networking. She also promotes the exchange and its

members through four chambers of commerce, including the Biloxi Bay Area Chamber, where she is a board member.

Good communication, delegation, and time management skills are what define leaders for Gary. She credits grandmother Ruby Poole with being a role model for her work in teaching and in keeping her family close.

Gary would advise other career women not to let failure or setbacks to define them. “Be kind to yourself, and be your biggest cheerleader,” she says.

Gary is a member of Biloxi Bay Area, Mississippi Gulf Coast, Ocean Springs, and Hancock County Chambers of Commerce, Gulf Coast Networking, Women in Business Networking, Lighthouse BPW, and St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church.

Felice Kelly Gillum

Director, USO Gulf Coast Felice Kelly Gillum is a native of Gulfport and a 1995 graduate of Harrison Central High School. She got her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from University of Southern Mississippi in 1999 and began her career with the American Cancer Society.

Through the ACS, Felice learned about nonprofit management and advocated for cancer research. She initiated programs for cancer control along the Gulf Coast and began the discussion around smoke-free communities along the Gulf Coast, leading to several coastal counties’ smoke-free ordinances.

Gillum is the director of USO Gulf Coast. Under her leadership, the nonprofit agency has expanded its outreach in the region and in 2016, USO Gulf Coast provided programs and services to more than 65,000 service members and their families. Gillum was instrumental in opening a USO lounge in the Gulfport/Biloxi International Airport and

Geneva Dummer

oversaw construction of a state-ofthe-art USO facility at the Naval Construction Battalion Center.

In 2016, Gillum received a USO worldwide recognition award for her support of the military in the aftermath of the Louisiana floods, and this April, Gillum was recognized for 10 years of superior service.

Gillum is a member of Morning Star Baptist Church of Gulfport and Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, and serves on the board of directors for Gulf Coast Ministries.

Gillum and her husband Chris have two biological children, Raegan Kelly, and Dallas Christopher, and many more children who will always be in their hearts and who will always have a home with them.

Owner/operator, The Meeting Place, LLC; administrator, Heritage Trails Partnership of the Mississippi Gulf Coast Geneva Dummer’s passion lies in economic and community operations for Arguelles Auto Sales. development, public health, and community involvement. Since Dummer completed Leadership moving to the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 2008, she has sought Gulf Coast in 2013, and this year opportunities to bring these concerns together, most notably was selected to participate in the through her involvement with Heritage Trails Partnership of the Gulf Coast Business Council’s Mississippi Gulf Coast.

Masters Class. Dummer has served Dummer was born and raised in Florida and joined the U.S. on numerous boards of nonprofit Navy after high school. She served seven years as an avionics organizations and enjoys performing technician, then left the service to earn her B.S. in Molecular with community theater groups.

Biology at the University of Wyoming and continued her She holds positions with Gulfport education at the University of Tennessee College of Medical Excel by 5 Steering Committee and Health Sciences, where she earned her Master of Science Coalition, the Gulf Coast Community Exchange Steering Degree.

Committee, Heritage Trails Partnership, PRAM Beach Chapter, Upon her arrival to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, Dummer and Biloxi Main Street. was brought on as manager of Human Resources, Risk Dummer launched the Meeting Place in 2012.

Management, and Information Technology with Diamondhead Dummer and her husband, Biloxi attorney Stephen Dummer, Property Owners Association. She also managed financial have two children.

July-August 2017 60

Experience the Difference STEPHANIE SHAW, Broker/Owner “Authentic & Diligent” CLIENT TESTIMONIAL It’s been 14 years since we first came across the amazing staff at Latter & Blum Shaw Properties in Gulfport, MS. My husband and I were stationed at the Naval Construction Battalion Center, Gulfport in the summer of 2003. We reached out to Latter & Blum since we were interested in finding a home to spend our next two years in while on the coast. Stephanie Shaw jumped on the opportunity to help us and within a couple of weeks we found a perfect home in Long Beach. Stephanie made the search and process very simple!

After 2 years, our time was coming to an end here on the coast but Katrina decided to pay us all a visit. We stayed a short while after the storm to rebuild our home but then it was off to the next duty station. Fortunately, my parents fell in love with the area and moved into our home from Florida! We have since been coming back to visit and over the years the Mississippi Gulf Coast has become our home.

As luck would have it, at the end of 2015, we were given the opportunity to be stationed in Gulfport one

more time. We immediately decided that we wanted to purchase another home. So, without hesitation, we thought of Stephanie Shaw. At the time we were living in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba so we emailed Stephanie and we were amazed that she remembered us!!! Almost immediately, Stephanie had Caroline Brooks contact us and start the search for our next home. Living on an island can make home buying difficult and we could not have done it without the help of Caroline and her dedication. She offered to view multiple homes for us, sending honest feedback every time. Caroline connected with us and was able to envision what we were looking for in a home. In the end, we chose a home that we never even stepped foot in! And we love it!

Since we love this area, we decided that our next venture would be a small business. Once again, we are working with Caroline and her team! This team is wonderful! So professional, extremely helpful and personable. But most of all, they are our friends. If anyone is looking for a solid experience, they should definitely consider the team at Latter & Blum Shaw Properties!!!

Ron & Andrea Jenkins

For more information on our featured listing, please contact us.

At Latter & Blum Shaw Properties, we add value through understanding the realties of today’s real estate market without forgetting the dream of home ownership starts in the heart. This head and heart alignment allows our company to provide a worldclass experience to buyers and sellers alike. After all, we are not number one, you are!

777 Watkins Avenue | Gulfport, MS 39507

228.896.6060 www.latter-blum.com

Latter & Blum Shaw Properties, ERA Powered, is independently owned and operated.

www.gcwmultimedia.com

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WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT / NONPROFIT Sharon Robbins

Founder of Hadassah Ministries Sharon Robbins is a survivor, public speaker, public educator, and founder of Hadassah Ministries, a nonprofit organization providing safe havens for victims of human trafficking with a mission to bring holistic approaches and healing that result in better choices for a better life. With a passion and commitment to bring light and provide refuge to those in the world that are suffering from such hurt, she works endlessly, actively training and teaching, in the trenches of human trafficking on how to maneuver within the streets to provide victims opportunity they would otherwise never know.

Under Robbins’ leadership, Hadassah Ministries operates with a behind-the-scenes board, working with ministries out of Tennessee to help ensure that their local Street Ministry on the Mississippi Gulf Coast is actively effective. She is responsible for spearheading the present-day orchestration and development of a network database for local, regional, national and

international usage.

Robbins is a former President of the Board of Advocates for Freedom and the recipient of the "Teen Challenge Appreciation Award," a Christian nonprofit organization established to support addicts in recovering and overcoming addiction.

She received an undergraduate business degree from MGCCC and owns and operates her own business independently servicing the local community for over 20 years.

Robbins is a mother of five children, three boys and two girls, and spends her extra time spreading her wisdom of the timing of the word from her in-depth knowledge of Hebraic Bible teachings.

Jill Cartledge

Emergency Assistance Caseworker, Back Bay Mission Jill Cartledge has worked in social services since 1980, and accordingly, most admires the leadership skills of trustworthiness, integrity, and the ability to demonstrate compassion every day.

She received her Associate of Arts in Criminal Justice from Broome Community College in Binghamton, New York, and a Bachelor of Social Work from Junita College in Huntington, Pennsylvania. She has also received extensive professional training through Cornell University’s Family Life Institute.

Cartledge served as Senior Caseworker in the Specialized Sexual Abuse Investigation Unit at the Orange County Department of Social Services and as the Livingston County Youth Advocate for the Legal Aid Society of Rochester, New York. She came to Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina and began work with the Mississippi Department of Rehabilitative Services, where she served as an employment counselor until she joined the staff of Back Bay Mission in 2008.

She looks up to her mother, Helen Cartledge, who raised four children on her own and taught Jill and her siblings to

remember, “‘There, but for the grace of God, go I,’ to remind us just how lucky we were for what we had.”

Cartledge’s wife, Ellen, was shot down in a classified mission over the Saudi Arabian Peninsula in the 80s, and was one of only three who escaped with their lives that day. Despite resulting PTSD and in addition to living with lupus and fibromyalgia, Ellen “never hesitates to offer a hand” to others, shows “relentless courage and determination,” and is a role model to Jill.

“Don’t settle!” she says to other career women. “Whatever path you wish to take, give it everything you’ve got, make it happen!”

Cartledge lives in Gulfport with spouse Ellen, her dog Shiloh, and her cat Dilly.

IT'S NOT TOO LATE! BOOK YOUR SUCCESS SHOWCASE AD FOR THE NEXT ISSUE!

CONTACT YOUR MARKETING CONSULTANT OR CALL

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July-August 2017

Celebrating our First Year of Success!

“Do what you love, family is everything, have fun in the chaos, and don’t take life too seriously!”

- Katie Allen Cusick

228-284-1768

516-E Courthouse Rd., Gulfport, MS | nellagifts@gmail.com

TERRI MYER, CFO

Comfort Keepers(R), provides in-home care that makes a difference in the lives of seniors and other adults. We offer the care and support that improves a senior’s quality of life and enables independent living at home. Through our Interactive Caregiving(TM) system, our caregivers or Comfort Keepers(R), interact and engage seniors.

Interactive Caregiving(TM) centers on four (4) interrelated aspects: mental engagement, active body, proper nutrition and safety.

JENNIFER GILL, Executive Director | JAN GARNER, Care Supervisor

COMFORT KEEPERS(R)

Congratulates and Recognizes

CFO & Co-Owner, Terri Myer and our Executive Director, Jennifer Gill on their successful careers and accomplishments as businesswomen and community leaders. We welcome, Jan Garner, Care Supervisor, to our team.

Not shown: Joe Dierking, Care Supervisor.

Our Comfort Keepers(R) are: • Selected after a rigorous interview process, including national background checks and review of personal and professional references • Our employees, not contractors • Bonded, insured and covered by workman’s compensation • Trained specially to provide an interactive care solution for clients 1505 East Pass Rd. Gulfport, Ms 39507 228-867-9700 | Comfortkeepers.com

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WOMEN

SUPPORTING WOMEN

IN BUSINESS

GULFPORT SALONS WORK TOWARD SUCCESS TOGETHER

spa group

“IF EVERYONE IS MOVING FORWARD TOGETHER, THEN SUCCESS TAKES CARE OF ITSELF.” HENRY FORD

Get away…come experience a day spa that will pamper you with customized skin care, nail and massage services.

RACHEL BRIDGES Owner + Esthetician Hair Removal Guru + Lash Extensions TIFFANY BATEY, LMT 469 Massage Therapist + Reflexologist + Young Living Oil Lover

240 Eisenhower Dr., Suite J • Biloxi, MS 39531 (in Petit Bois Specialty Center) Call or schedule an appointment online 228-280-8072 | WWW.BRIDGESSKINBODY.COM BRIDGESSKINANDBODY@GMAIL.COM

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We are a team of professional hairstylists dedicated to making you look as beautiful outside as you are inside!

CHRISTINA MOORE (owner/stylist) BONNIE COOPER (colorist/stylist) FALLON WESCOVICH (hairstylist) KATIE RAY (hair straightening/color/styling)

11280 East Taylor Rd., Suite E • Gulfport MS 39503 228-284-4539 | WWW.SCHEDULICITY.COM Honeycombsalonllc@gmail.com

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Michael Michael J. Christie J. Christie M.D., F.A.C.O.G. M.D., F.A.C.O.G.

BOARDBOARD CERTIFIED CERTIFIED OB/GYN OB/GYN

DiplomateDiplomate of the American of the American Board of OB/GYN Board of OB/GYN

Serving theServing Gulf Coast the Gulf for 15 Coast yearsfor 15 years

D

LaparoscopicLaparoscopic Surgery • All aspects Surgeryof • All Gynecology aspects of Gynecology Normal and High Normal Risk and Obstetrics High Risk • Minimally Obstetrics Invasive • Minimally Outpatient Invasive Surgery Outpatient Surgery Robotic Assisted Robotic Laparoscopic Assisted Laparoscopic HysterectomyHysterectomy • Uterine Ablation • Uterine • 4-DAblation Ultrasound • 4-D Ultrasound

Kelly Mask, FNP-C to address toyour address healthcare your healthcare needs needs

Dr. Christie Dr. Christie and hisand Team his will Team take the will time take the time

CONGRATULATIONS!

Board Certified Nurse Practitioner Treatment of Women’s Health Concerns with an emphasis on preventative care andNurse wellness.

Board Certified Practitioner

Kelly Mask, FNP-C

• Women’s Care Treatment of Women’s HealthHealth Concerns with an emphasis on preventative • Weight Management care and wellness.

• Most Acute Medical • Concerns Women’s BOARD CERTIFIED BOARD CERTIFIED Health Care OB/GYN OB/GYN Kinsey, Cynthia FNP-CKinsey, FNP-C Kelly Mask, FNP-C Kelly Mask, FNP-C • Weight Management BirthCynthia Control Board Certified Board Certified Board Certified Board Certified Nurse Practitioner Nurse Practitioner Nurse Practitioner Nurse Practitioner •Women’s Most Acute Medical Gynecology Treatment of Treatment Women’s ofHealth Concerns Health Concerns With an emphasis With anon emphasis preventative on Concerns preventative care and wellness care and wellness Kelly Women’s Mask,Care FNP-C Quality Care,Exams Women’s Health Health • Annual CareWellness • Annual Exams Wellness • Birth Board Certified Family Planning Family • Planning Pelvic Pain • Pelvic • Birth Pain Control •Control Birth & Hormones Control & Hormones One Patient at a Time Nurse Practitioner Quality Care Quality One Care Patient At Patient A Time At A Time • One Gynecology Main Office

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Mask,Springs FNP-C OceanKelly Springs Ocean Springs Ocean Biloxi Office Quality Care, (228) 374-3749 (228) 374-3749 Board Certified (228) 818-0025 (228) 818-0025 147 Reynoir St., 147 Reynoir St., (228) 374-3749 (228) 818-0025 at aSuite Time Nurse Practitioner 2113 Government 2113 Government St., I-4 St., I-4One Patient Suite 102 102 147 Reynoir St., Suite 102 2113 Government St., Bldg. I-4 66

Main Office2017 July-August

Ocean Springs

(228) 818-0025

2113 Government St., Bldg. I-4

Biloxi Office

(228) 374-3749

147 Reynoir St., Suite 102

B

Beau Rivage congratulates

Mary Cracchiolo Spain on her nomination as a

Agent featured on H

Woman of Achievement Finalist

HOL

HL Raymond Pr (601) 569lemoine.

Meet the Women of HL RAYMOND PROPERTIES

$474,900 7621 Fairway Dr Diamondhead, MS 39525 4,854 sq ft MLS # 310694 Holly Lemoine-Raymond Broker / Owner / Designer

$1,190,000 300 S Beach Blvd Waveland, MS 39576 3,673 sq ft MLS # 311655 Brenda Renfroe Associate Broker

Cherie Hyde Exec. Assistant/Office Manager Interior Designer

Ginger Necaise-Dastugue Executive Assistant Marketing Manager

We are a dynamic TEAM of realty professionals who believe that selling your property and/ or helping you find your home is a privilege.

PUT US TO WORK FOR YOU! $874,900 2 Chapel Hill Katy Aime Bay St. Louis, MS 39520 Realtor 4,400 sq ft MLS # 316467

5 Innovative Marketing 5 Monthly Communication 5 Creative Advertising Lisette Ecuyer Maria Salter Carla Thornhill 5 Professional Photography Realtor Realtor Realtor 5 Social Media 5 Virtual Tours Licensed in Mississippi # 21359

Rene Juneau Realtor

Featured on HGTV’s “Beach Front Bargain Hunt” We are a dynamic TEAM of realty professionals who believe that selling your property and/or helping you find your home is a privilege.

ured on HGTV’s “Beach Front Bargain Hunt” PUT US TO WORK FOR YOU! • •

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HOLLY LEMOINE-RAYMOND, BROKER/OWNER

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Raymond Properties | 837 Suite B, Hwy 90 | Bay Saint Louis, MS 39520 HL(228) RAYMOND PROPERTIES (601) 569-6099 | Phone: (228) 466-6643 | Fax: 466-6536 529 Ulman Ave | Bay St. Louis, MS 39520 | Phone: lemoine.holly@gmail.com | www.hlraymondproperties.com (228) 466-6643 | Fax: (228) 466-6536

www.hlraymondproperties.com | Follow us on Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn and more. www.gcwmultimedia.com

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WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT / YOUNG CAREERIST Heather Sanders

Community Development Lender, Bancorp South Heather Sanders admires the skill of empowerment. “Anyone that can bring out the light in someone to reach into themselves and produce to their maximum capacity, definitely has a gift,” Sanders says, and her career in development lending reflects that.

In her role as a development lender with Bancorp South, Sanders identifies loan programs, grants, and down payment funds that can be used with loan products to assist low-tomoderate-income individuals to become homeowners. She maintains relationships with individuals and partner employers, and she hosts education seminars along the three coastal counties, teaching mortgage origination, credit basics and financial fitness.

Sanders graduated in 2014’s Leadership Gulf Coast, was a 2014 Top 10 Under 40 nominee, and is a member of the Junior Auxiliary of Gulfport, Back Bay Mission Advisory Council,

Coast Young Professionals, and Handsboro Civic Club, and is on Mercy Housing’s board of directors.

She received an Associate of Arts from Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and a Bachelor of Arts from Alcorn State University in Lorman, Miss.

Sanders’ father “treated everyone with the utmost respect, from the janitor to the district manager. That is not always the case in our society, and to have seen him be a leader and not just a manager shaped my professional philosophy.”

Sanders finds the act of helping someone who never thought they could become a homeowner to attain that dream to be a huge reward. “My greatest accomplishment is actually the lessons I am taught through my customers,” she says.

Jenny Levens

Director, Long Beach and Pass Christian Chamber of Commerce Jenny Levens is a lifelong resident of the Mississippi Gulf Coast, and graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a degree in business.

Levens has worked with the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce for the last five years, and she graduated from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Institute for Organization Management, receiving the recognition of IOM. She is a graduate of Leadership Gulf Coast Class of 2014, and is in the current Leadership Mississippi Class. Levens was recognized in 2016 for the Top 10 Under 40 One Coast Awards.

Levens is a member of St. Thomas Catholic Church in Long Beach, as well as Gulfport Junior Auxiliary, United Way Women’s Leadership, and the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and she is a Lynn Meadows Boogie Nights committee member.

Drive and determination top Levens’ list of qualities in the best leaders. She saw those qualities in her grandmother, Mary

Leslie Kelley

Levens, who is still a bookkeeper at 81 despite a lack of formal education, and in her parents, as well as in colleague Dorothy Roberts, each of whom are models of giving back to the community.

“My involvement in the local schools has been the most rewarding, seeing the difference you can make in a child’s life by giving them an hour of your time,” she says. She encourages career women to do what you love, because “if you love it, it is not a job, it’s a passion!”

Levens and her husband, Scott Brown, live in Long Beach with their daughter Anniston.

Vice President, Business Development, Community Bank, Coast Kelley is proud of having been elected Leslie Kelley began her banking career with Community president of the Biloxi Kiwanis Club Bank, Coast in 2003. She is a 2013 graduate of the Mississippi in 2015. She was the second female School of Banking at the University of Mississippi in Oxford. president in a predominantly male Kelley serves as immediate past president and secretary civic organization that has increased for Biloxi Kiwanis Club, current president of Ocean Springs Education Foundation (OSEF), a member of her church finance its female membership since.

Ask questions, give full attention committee, member and Chamber Champion of the MS Gulf Coast Chamber of Commerce, and is treasurer with her to those with whom you’re doing neighborhood association. business, challenge yourself, learn, Humility, transparency and innovation are the leadership and have fun are among the pieces of skills that Leslie most admires. Colleague Marshall Eleuterius advice she would give to other career is a role model and inspiration: “He epitomizes the... dedicated women. “My past experiences shaped me into the employee and and passionate employee, supportive parent, Godly servant and person I am today. Each day, I look for ways to lead, inspire, compassionate community volunteer.” Kelley also credits her teach and make a difference.” mother with teaching a strong work ethic and the importance Kelley is married to Joey and has one son, Jacob, and lives in of giving back.

Ocean Springs.

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July-August 2017

14 Years & Going Strong!

Everything from baby to tween

425 Courthouse Rd. Suite D Gulfport, MS Next to S.F. Alman

(228) 896-6823

FOR GENERATIONS, OUR FAMILY SERVING YOURS WITH HONESTY, INTEGRITY, FAIRNESS, AND LOYALTY As you walk through American Factory Direct Furniture you will be amazed at the breathtaking showroom design and delighted by the friendly staff. Bob and Billie’s journey began when her mother introduced them. It was a marriage of ideas and talent! Their honeymoon was spent at the furniture market in North Carolina. “It has been furniture ever since. Our passion for the business and our love for God has been the root of our success in business,” Billie says. “He has always protected and guided us in the way He knows best.”

Free In-Home Design Consultation Baton Rouge, LA Long Beach, MS Mandeville, LA www.afd-furniture.com (985) 871-0300

Blessings have come in the form of expansions of their Mandeville location with additional stores in Mississippi, Baton Rouge and Clearance Centers in Mandeville and Baton Rouge. American Factory Direct Furniture is very excited to announce they will be opening their newest location on I-12 in Covington in late November 2017. Our state of the art Distribution Center enables us to compete with larger national companies in our area. It gives us efficiency and buying power to offer the lowest prices.

“Business is about relationships and the way we treat people. Our business is God’s and we give Him all the glory for what He has done.”

www.gcwmultimedia.com

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4/7/16 6:14 PM

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Jan Rideout, Owner

For 25 years Mark & Vicki Howard have worked alongside each other helping customers color coordinate their home. They both agree that paint is the least expensive product you can have in your home, but it can make the BIGGEST difference.

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WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT / YOUNG CAREERIST Nikki Johns

Business Development Manager, AGJ Systems and Networks Ocean Springs native Nikki Johns attended the University of Southern Mississippi and attained a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with an emphasis in Small Business Management. Johns also graduated the Mississippi School of Banking at Ole Miss.

After a 13-year banking career, Johns joined AGJ, where she helps grow the customer base and maintains profitable relationships in six Mississippi counties.

Johns serves on the Gulfport Chamber board, is a former chair of the Coast Chamber’s Chamber Champions, is on the advisory council for Back Bay Mission, is past president of Biloxi Main Street Association, is a 2015 graduate of Leadership Gulf Coast, and was selected to the 2013 Class of 50 Leading Business Women by the Mississippi Business Journal. Johns is a member of Krewe of Bonne Vivantes, a board member and treasurer of Junior Auxiliary of Biloxi-Ocean Springs, and a parishioner at St. Elizabeth Seton Catholic Church.

“In my mind, a leader will never ask someone to do something he would not do himself,” Johns says.

Her role models, Mrs. D’Auby Shiels, Cheryl Johnson, and her aunt, Nat Hebert, all “started at the bottom and climbed their way to the top.”

She is proud of having taken her company through a stagnant period to a period of growth, and also for having earned her bachelor’s degree as a single mother and while working. “This taught me to set goals and work twice as hard to achieve them,” she says.

She advises career women to find the balance between career and family and not to let one suffer for the other. Also, learn to say no, and always give back.

Johns and her husband Michael have two children, Blaine and Isabelle, and they live in Ocean Springs.

Chantell Barkum

Owner, Consultant, Revamp Business Solutions Revamp Business Solutions owner Chantell Barkum has a track record of developing and growing organizations. She has a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from USM, and an MBA from William Carey University.

Barkum assisted in the recovery after Hurricane Katrina as a lead program specialist with the US Department of Homeland Security-FEMA, and moved on to work with the Census Bureau in 2009-2010.

Barkum directed and developed the U.S Small Business Administration’s (SBA) first Women’s Business Center in the State of Mississippi, providing business consultation resulting in 14 small business start-ups on Mississippi’s Gulf Coast.

As a consultant with Revamp Business Solutions, her consulting company, she provides business and marketing solutions to small businesses.

“True leadership leads with the best interests of others in mind,” Barkum says. Her first role model is her dad, Melvin Barkum, who was the first African American quarterback at Mississippi State University. “His ability to navigate through the racial adversities of his time will forever be my drive to succeed,” she says.

Barkum also names Karen Sock as a local inspiration.

“Spurring business creations along the Mississippi Gulf Coast is the accomplishment that I’m most proud of,” Barkum says.

“Being the director of the Small Business Administration’s Women’s Business Center made me realize how much I enjoy helping others create and accelerate their visions and ideas.”

Dhiana McKaig Skrmetti

Executive Director, Gulf Coast Symphony Orchestra, Inc. Dhiana Skrmetti is a hands-on professional whose wideranging career has given her experience in nonprofits, military protocol, sales, research, marketing, fundraising, customer service and budgets. Skrmetti attended Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College and will receive her BA from William Carey University in 2018. She is also working toward her IOM designation from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Institute for Organization Management.

Skrmetti was a programming coordinator and military liaison for the Mississippi Gulf Coast Chamber 2013–16, and began working with the Gulf Coast Symphony in 2016, successfully focusing on sales, expenses and community outreach.

In leaders, Skrmetti admires humility, accountability, honesty, integrity, inclusiveness, and the ability to remain resilient under adversity, as well as willingness to take risks. Her mother Dee grew up in poverty and faced single parenthood as an adult, but went back for a master’s degree, and has survived breast cancer and military-related injuries, but “never lost faith in God nor herself,” says Skrmetti. “If I become even a shred of who she is, I July-August 2017 72

will have lived this life right.”

She names Rachel Leggitt as a steadfast friend, and Kimberly Nastasi as a former boss who had high expectations and “taught me how I wanted to be when I became a manager.”

Motherhood to her two beautiful children (5 and 2) is Skrmetti’s greatest personal achievement, while professionally, Skrmetti names creating the Women Entrepreneurs Small Business grant. “While it was not a significant amount of grant money, I was proud of being able to give back to our local community and to women-owned businesses.”

To other career women, Skrmetti says, “You belong here.

While you may not feel it, you do belong where you are, and you have earned your voice, so don’t ever doubt you and your abilities.”

Your next

Meeting

Photograph by Kirstin and James Newkirk

place...

The HOSPITALIT Y RESORT MANAGEMENT CENTER at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College is the perfect venue for meetings, weddings and other events. With over 5,000 square feet of ballroom space, the HRM Center will accommodate up to 350 guests.

Photograph by Jim Tabor, Destiny Photography

• Price includes use of tables and chairs as well as set up and audio visual • Price includes rental of catering kitchen, equipped with a cooler/ freezer, ice machine and food warmer • BYO Catering or you can choose our on site caterer • BYO alcohol

420 Debuys Rd., Biloxi MS 39531 | LISA BRADLEY | (228) 897-3971 | lisa.bradley@mgccc.edu www.gcwmultimedia.com

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WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT / YOUNG CAREERIST LeKeisha Taylor Cotten

Singer, Speaker, Vocal Coach, Minister, LTC Ministries, LLC Indianola, Miss., native LeKeisha Cotten attained her Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration from Mississippi Valley State University, and her MBA in Organizational Management from Capella University. She also graduated from the International Agency, Actors Models & Talent for Christ with studies in talent and brand development.

An ordained minister, Cotten has shared the musical stage and clergy platform with a host of greats including Lyle Lovett, CeCe Winans, and many more. She has won acclaim as a vocalist and is the founder of Spirit of Excellence clinic, which teaches vocal technique, care, and etiquette. Cotten also owns Day8Designs event planning company.

“What I admire most in others is a person’s ability to always be open to grow and learn,” Cotten says. “I believe a great leader must not only be a great follower, but one who is continuously seeking to stretch and challenge themselves in all areas.”

Grandmother Mahaley Taylor, who raised her following the death of Cotten’s mother in 1991, gave Cotten her strong foundation, and “pruned, corrected, instilled and reared me in

the admonition of the Lord.”

Other role models that Cotton says have helped shape who she is today are “my late aunt Lula Taylor, who taught me how to be stern and tactful, my Mother-In-Love (law), Lina Cotten, who teaches me how to stand bold and unwavering in my spirituality, and my spiritual mothers, Joyce Battle, Sandra Johnson, Carolyn Johnson and Shenee Jones.”

Cotten is proudest of motherhood. “Being a mother every day and witnessing the miracle of development in your child has proven to be the greatest of all of my awards, licenses, degrees and the like.” She tells other career women to “look at every obstacle and every victory as one step closer to becoming greater.”

Cotten and her husband Curtis Cotten have two children, Mattie and Israel.

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July-August 2017

Howell CPA • PA is owned and operated by Denise Howell, CPA. Howell is licensed in Louisiana and Mississippi and is a member of the AICPA (American Institute of Certified Public Accountants).

Celebrating our

NEW LOCATION on Popps Ferry Road coming soon!

The Citizens Bank is proud of the women who make a difference every day within our community. The skills, professionalism and contributions women make, in businesses across our region, state and nation, make business better today and brighter tomorrow. We invite women from all aspects of life to stop by and visit us for all of your banking needs.

From left to right: Katie Hancock - AVP/Branch Manager Lynn Hollingsworth - Loan Assistant/closer Kimberly Bovard - Loan Assistant/closer Tammy Warren - AVP/Mortgage Loan Officer,

15309 Lemoyne Blvd. | Biloxi | 228.207.2343 LOBBY: Mon. - Thu. 9:00AM - 4:30PM, Fri. 9:00AM - 5:30PM DRIVE THRU: Mon. - Thu. 9:00AM - 5:00PM, Fri. 9:00AM - 5:30PM NEW! 1826 Popps Ferry Rd. | Biloxi | 228.594.6913

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Congratulations to my sister,

KADY BEAOUI PIETZ

2017 Women of Achievement Finalist

Your brother, David Gunter

228.669.0004 facebook.com/acmefab

ASPIRING TO INSPIRE MY LIFE MOTTO:

To whom much is given, much is asked.

Through my work activities and community service, I focus on mentoring other women and young people to encourage them to lead and bloom where they are planted.

Angelyn Treutel Zeringue, CPA, PWCAM A Trusted Choice independent insurance agent and President of SouthGroup Insurance Gulf Coast and AST Solutions, Inc. (Accounting, Systems, Technology).

One Coast Top Community Leader • Person of Passion for Hancock County • Hancock County Citizen of the Year National Top Women in Insurance and America’s Elite Women in Insurance COME HEAR HER SPEAK AT THE

2017 SUCCESS WOMEN’S CONFERENCE ON AUGUST 24 AT THE IP CASINO, RESORT & SPA!

www.southgroupgulfcoast.com 76

July-August 2017

Congratulations to the Mississippi Gulf Coast 2017 WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT NOMINEES!

We are proud of you!

Kimberly Armstrong, Rebecca McCutcheon, and Christina Bootthanoo

EYES OF THE SPIRIT PSYCHIC MEDIUM

Mission: To bring high quality healing and spiritual support into as many lives as possible, especially on the Gulf Coast Christina Bootthanoo | christinaboothanoo@gmail.com www.eyesofspirit.com

TOOLS FOR EMPOWERING WOMEN, LLC

Products/Services - Guided journals, motivational speaking, journaling workshops.

Contact her! Kimberly Armstrong | kimberly@toolsforempoweringwomen.com www.toolsforempoweringwomen.com

PURE ROMANCE

Let me spoil you with a free Pure Romance shopping spree! Let Pure Romance be a part of your next ladies’ night! With all of the latest and greatest in beauty products, body products, lingerie, and bedroom accessories. Pure Romance is sure to have something for everyone! Pure Romance parties are always free, and as a hostess you will receive a gift just for hosting a party with me!

Rebecca McCutheon | 228-382-7651 | Pr.partiesbybecca@yahoo.com www.pureromance.com/RebeccaMcCutcheon www.gcwmultimedia.com

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We know what a great job she does to create opportunities for businesses and entrepreneurs across the Gulf Coast, and we are excited to see her recognized for all her good work.

HOPE congratulates

Monica Walker

on being selected as a finalist for the

Women of Achievement Award!

Come see Monica to find out how she can help your business with the right financing from HOPE.

Monica Walker Commercial Lender

188 Porter Avenue | Biloxi, MS 39530 | O: 228-435-5805 | M: 228-229-5144 | monica.walker@hope-ec.org | www.hopecu.org

LET ME GUIDE YOU TO SAVINGS!

MeLisa Dill OBM/VA

There comes a point in time when you realize you need to outsource work. Employees need office space, equipment, and supplies. Then there are taxes, insurance, and benefits.

Come make some ash with us!

Enjoy your favorite stogie and beverage in a relaxing atmosphere in beautiful Downtown Pass Christian

As an Independent Contractor, I work VIRTUALLY to maximize your dollar. I help entrepreneurs just like you take the stress out of your business, maximize your time, and discover the freedom to generate the revenue that fuels your success. I keep all those distracting details in check so you can focus on what really matters.

SERVICES OFFERED ONLINE BUSINESS MANAGEMENT Project Management Team Management Strategy & Goal Setting

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July-August 2017

Patricia Holland, co-proprietor

124 Davis Avenue, Pass Christian

228.452.9534

Congratulations Nikki Johns for your nomination of the Women of Achievement Award We appreciate all you do and continue to do.

Your hard work, dedication and devotion are unparalleled.

Providing the coast with exceptional IT support could not be accomplished without you on the front lines.

www.agjsystems.com

Go Team Frog!

Nikki Johns Business Development Manager

Your home in the spotlight!

STAGING YOUR HOME TO SELL OR DECORATING YOUR HOME TO DWELL!

“Susan and Ch ris with UpStag ed did an abso job staging on lutely AMAZIN e of our Town G Homes in The We wanted to Village At Trad turn one of th ition! e available ho Home for show mes into a M ings and we co odel uldn’t have be with their wor en more plea k. Th sed of it really brou e furniture, the artwork, th e accessories, ght this home all to life! These for design!” ladies have an eye Amy Lumm, Re

altor, Tradition

company! They go beyond d have been amazing for our “Chris and Susan with UpStage pany, NextHome E-Realty, com our great eye for detail. For what’s expected and have a staging their home before of mind that they will get help we give our sellers the peace For a home to sell for the oot. tosh pho r thei comes out for our professional photographer s every time...they give doe d tage best and that’s what UpS highest price, it has to look its e E-Realty our clients their best!”

Justin Allen, Owners, NextHom

Village Realty

LLC

“As a Realtor, I am always happy to work with UpStaged.

Susan and Chris have incredible eyes for stagin g, design and functionality. Whether a consult for a seller or a full staging job, they are always prompt, professional, and the results speak for themselves!”

Tammie Joubert, Compass Realty LLC

Darlene and

YourHomeUpStaged@gmail.com | Chris Forbes 228.860.6389 | Susan Ragusa 228.324.2160 www.gcwmultimedia.com

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WORK SMARTER SAVE MONEY BY SHARING EXPENSES & RESOURCES

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Congratulations, Audrey!

We’re proud of you and the other Women of Achievement finalists.

AUDREY GARY Find out more about Coast Trade Exchange!

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Dr. Steven Moser, from left, USM Provost and SVP for Academic Affairs; Dr. Rodney Bennett, USM President; Cheryl Johnson, MS Gulf Coast President; Bobby Johnson; Dr. Steve Miller, Vice President of USM Gulf Park Campus and Dr. Casey Maugh Funderburk, Vice Provost for USM Gulf Park Campus

Region Bank's Johnson receives USM award

Cheryl Johnson, Mississippi Gulf Coast president for Regions Bank, was recently honored by The University of Southern Mississippi. She received the 2017 Friendship Oak Award, in appreciation of her ongoing support and dedication to The University of Southern Mississippi.

As president, Johnson is responsible for the oversight of all banking functions for Regions in the coastal counties of Mississippi. She is a banking veteran of 40 years, with a career that has encompassed various roles including production, market development, and team leadership through the utilization of a diverse lending background and relationship management experience.

Currently, she serves on the Board of Trustees for Garden Park Hospital, The University of Southern Mississippi Foundation’s Executive Board of Directors and the United Way of South Mississippi Executive Board.

In addition, she frequently serves on various panels and steering committees associated with economic development projects.

Her civic memberships include the Gulf Coast Business Council (charter member), Gulfport Rotary Club (past president), Gulfport Business Club, and the Coast Chamber. Historical leadership positions include the American Heart Association (2011 Go Red Event Chair and Executive Leadership Board), Greater Biloxi Economic Development Foundation (past president), Knight Nonprofit Center (executive board of directors), Gulf Coast Symphony (board of directors) and The University of Southern Mississippi Alumni Board of Directors.

Johnson has received recognition as one of Mississippi’s 50 Leading Business Women, a South Mississippi Outstanding Community Leader, Gulfport Rotarian of the Year, a Woman of Achievement (Corporate Category, Lighthouse Business and Professional Women), and Best of the Best (Regions Bank).

CELEBRATING A MEMORY — LIVING A DREAM Founding Healthy Smiles Family Dentistry was a dream and goal for Kinyatta Bennett and her husband. They both worked tirelessly to achieve it.

With the untimely passing of Dr. Christopher Bennett in November 2014, Dr. Kinyatta Bennett continued to devote many hours toward achieving the dream that she and her husband shared. Through labors of love and hard work, Dr. Bennett opened Healthy Smiles Family Dentistry, dedicated to the memory of Dr. Christopher Bennett, DMD, in Gulfport, an area where Dr. Bennett has been practicing for 7 years.

Dr. Bennett is a member of the National Dental Association, American Dental Association, Mississippi Dental Society and Mississippi Dental Association and is known for tending to her patients in a caring and compassionate manner and with a gentle touch.

We’re the SMILE MAKERS!

Kinyatta Bennett, D.M.D. General Dentist

Most Insurances Accepted • New Patients Welcome

Please call to schedule your appointment today: (228) 832-1000 13179 Three Rivers Road | Gulfport, MS 39503 Services offered include: Tooth Color Bonded Restorations, Crowns, Bridges, Amalgam Restorations, Dentures, Partials, Teeth Whitening, Extractions and more

Meet

JUDY MAXWELL I am a special ed teacher, am working on my Ph.D. and built Bottoms Up from the ground up. My goal is to please my customers.

Bottoms Up is located in South Mississippi and we specialize in dock repair, piling restoration, and bulkhead repair. We specialize in helping families protect their waterfront investments.

Piling Wraps Piling Encapsulation Bulkhead Reinforcements Bulkhead Repair House Piling Repair House Piling Reinforcements Dock Repair | Docks | Piling Restoration

Congratulations to our own Leslie Kelley FOR BEING SELECTED AS ONE OF GULF COAST WOMAN MAGAZINE’S WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT AWARD FINALIST!

• Leslie has been with Community Bank for 14 years and leads the Business Development team along the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

• Her dedication is evident by the way she diligently serves the communities in which she lives and works.

• Leslie’s compassion and commitment reflect her exceptional character.

BOTTOMS UP DOCK, PILING & MARINE RESTORATION, LLC

Licensed and Insured Serving Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida 228.314.4411 | www.Bottomsuprestoration.com

• COMMUNITYBANK.NET • MEMBER FDIC • COMMUNITYBANK.NET • MEMBER FDIC

www.gcwmultimedia.com

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WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT / MILITARY/GOVERNMENT Jennifer Wittmann

Director of the Mississippi Coastal Preserves Program at the MS Department of Marine Resources Jennifer Wittmann is a graduate of Mississippi State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Professional Geology.

She currently represents the Mississippi Department of Marine Resources on the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality Permit Board, which issues, modifies, denies, transfers, and revokes Mississippi permits and certifications administered under the Clean Water Act, the Clean Air Act, the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Surface Mining Control Reclamation Act, state mining laws, and state water resource control laws.

Wittmann, her husband Jack, and son, Clark, enjoy fishing, boating, and cooking.

They live in Gulfport and are members of Saint James Catholic Church.

Wittmann credits her mom for being a terrific role model and a “perpetual volunteer” who went back to college to get a second degree while Jennifer and

her sister were in elementary school. “My mom is amazing!” she says. Her “perseverance, patience, and selflessness allowed each member of my family to excel. Our successes are her successes.”

Wittmann is proud to have represented the state of Mississippi at an interagency training course for mitigation interagency review teams. “As a part of this team, I have reviewed proposals for the restoration of more than 22,000 acres of wetlands and more than 22 miles of streams,” Wittmann says.

“I would remind other career women it’s not fair to ask of others what you are not willing to do yourself,” she says. “Always remember the reason why you put in the hours and work as hard as you do. My family is my driving force.”

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Lori Brown

Program director, South Mississippi Regional Center Lori Brown has experience working within mental health service settings with seriously mentally ill adults, children from abusive backgrounds, and with persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Brown started her career at SMRC in 1995 and has held various leadership positions within the SMRC organization prior to being appointed as program director in 2015.

Originally from the Hattiesburg area, Brown received her graduate and undergraduate degrees from the University of Southern Mississippi. Brown is a Licensed Nursing Home Administrator and a Licensed Department of Mental Health Administrator. She is a graduate of the Department of Mental Health’s Focus Leadership program and the John C. Stennis Institute of Government and Community Development’s State Executive Development Institute. Brown is a certified public manager, developmental disabilities therapist, and mental health therapist. She currently serves as first vice-chair of the Mississippi chapter of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.

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Brown lives in Long Beach with her husband and two sons. She is active in her church, where she volunteers her time. While at home, she enjoys reading and gardening.

Brown admires leaders who listen and communicate well, who demonstrate personal and professional integrity, who honor commitments, and who invest time and effort to develop younger leaders.

She names her mother, who raised Brown and her sister as a single parent, and Senator John McCain as role models. Both show that “a person has the ability to overcome the most difficult of circumstances and can make a significant contribution as a result,” she says. Brown considers being a parent to two sons with strong personal goals to be her most significant achievement; she also appreciates that her past supervisors have supported her parenting efforts.

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GULF COAST DOULA NATASHA WOODARD, CLD gulfcoastdoula@gmail.com (228) 365-5941 www.gulfcoastdoula.com Providing professional compassionate support before, during, and after the birth of your baby.

Offering Labor & Postpartum Doula services and Childbirth Preparation.

LOVE THE MOUSE TRAVEL

Free professional and personalized service tailored to your family’s needs.

I’ll handle all the details so you can relax and enjoy your Magical Vacation!!

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Travel Consultant Free Disney Vacation Planning (228) 697-6790 linda@lovethemousetravel.com www.facebook.com/ lindaatlovethemousetravel

ARROW LANDSCAPE DESIGNS ROBYN SMITH LEVI

(228) 239-9297 robyn@arrowlandscapedesigns.com Landscape Design Professional Mowing Patios & Decks - Fencing Water Features “On Target All the Time”

REBECCA MCCUTCHEON 228-382-7651 Pr.partiesbybecca@yahoo.com www.pureromance.com/ RebeccaMcCutcheon Let me spoil you with a free Pure Romance shopping spree! Let Pure Romance be a part of your next ladies’ night! With all of the latest and greatest in beauty products, body products, lingerie, and bedroom accessories.

Pure Romance is sure to have something for everyone! Pure Romance parties are always free, and as a hostess you will receive a gift just for hosting a party with me!

SOUTHERN BOUND BOOK SHOP Can you slow aging, inside and out?

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Storybook Birthdays provides fairytale and adventure themed entertainment.

Our professional entertainers come to your event dressed in high quality costumes prepared to wow your guests.

VIRGINIA NEWTON

MICHELLE GOODSON

(228) 861-3143 virginianewton.lifevantage.com

STORYBOOK BIRTHDAYS

(228) 447-8364 http://www.storybookbirthdays.com/

Come and shop Biloxi and Ocean Springs locally owned indie book shop. Southern Bound Book Shop is pleased to offer new and used books with a strong southern focus.

1218 Government St. Ocean Springs, MS 39564

EDDRAY DEARTH LULAROE FASHION CONSULTANT (228) 324-5234 lularoewitheddray@gmail.com

280 Eisenhower Dr., Biloxi, MS

LuLaRoe is a unique clothing line full of flattering, comfortable, and fun styles.

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Host a pop up boutique and earn FREE clothes!

ss networking host Wine Down and Shop with Women in Business every last Wednesday of every month at

ents, 6616 Rose Farm RD, Ocean Springs 39564. For more information contact Summer Gregory 228-641-4610.

ested in Joining Women in Business Networking? Contact Charlotte DiStefano 228-806-1425.

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The Vancleave team

CAPTURED!

I love to create images that will make a lasting impression …

Keesler Federal opens new branch Keesler Federal Credit Union has opened a new branch in Vancleave at 11621 Highway 57.

The full-service branch features comprehensive teller and loan services, safe deposit boxes, drive through teller lanes, and a 24/7 walk-up ATM. Branch manager Christian Hartley said, “We are delighted to be a part of the vibrant Vancleave community and believe Keesler Federal Credit Union offers members a better way of banking than traditional for-profit financial institutions.”

The Vancleave branch is open six days a week, Monday through Saturday.

Congratulations TO THE

2017 WOMEN OF ACHIEVEMENT FINALISTS

Brian Pearse brianpearseimages@gmail.com https://brianpearse.smugmug.com

228-326-3833 84

July-August 2017

“Ladies, embrace your femininity, nurture your passion and be courageous in every endeavor.

Believe in God and in yourself. Pray!”

— CONNIE ROCKCO, Harrison County District 5 Supervisor

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HOME

Collector's paradise

What's Not To Love opens in D'Iberville

by Dana Sleger A new shopping venue in D’Iberville is quickly gaining traction among those who have a penchant for nostalgic things. One might even say it’s a collector’s paradise because of the eclectic range of items available from times past.

What’s Not To Love opened in April right across from the Grand Theatre, and this “vintage, antique and re-imagined store” started out as a personal quest by owners Kenneth and Rosalyn Fitzpatrick to preserve antique and collectible items that tell a story.

While slowly pacing through the aisles in a very calming atmosphere, it’s not hard to imagine who brought the “Welcome Back, Kotter” tin lunchbox to school, or who wore the stunning and very rare Japanese wedding gown/kimono, or who typed a tale on the old typewriter that was found in a barn?

Piece after piece, story after story fills this gem of a place that offers a unique mix of items from vintage, antique and collectables to re-upholstered/re-imagined furniture.

“The items that customers comment on the most is our Tiger Oak Column dresser with swivel mirror, the rustic antique washer/wringer, the needle point chairs, the unique apothecary desk and the stereoscope depth perception view finder with rare cards used for qualifying aviators for pilot training,” Kenneth says. “We update items in the store at least weekly, or as soon as an item sells, we will pull from back inventory or we’re back on the hunt for that next hidden treasure. Our taste is 86

July-August 2017

much like how we are — open and accepting to the differences in the world and appreciating the beauty in most everything.”

Annie Simon is a regular customer, but the first time she walked into What’s Not To Love, she was overwhelmed by the feeling she had just stepped back in time.

“The owner was so welcoming and eager to share a story behind each unique piece in his store that caught my eye,” Simon says. “He is a great conversationalist and also didn't hesitate to let me know that he is willing to negotiate the prices on many of the items if need be. The name of his store is a perfect description of what you can expect during your visit! I immediately wanted to tell all of my family members about this store so they could revel in the nostalgia as I did.”

Bringing the idea for What’s Not To Love into fruition took some time. When Kenneth and Rosalyn both retired from the Army after serving a combined total of more than 43 years, they decided to make D’Iberville their home. After experiencing Hurricane Katrina and seeing the aftermath of devastation from the storm, the couple was so inspired by how the community and community leaders worked tirelessly to bring the Gulf Coast back to its former glory. Kenneth and Rosalyn wanted to help the Gulf Coast bounce back, but didn’t know how.

A gathering of family and friends at their home changed all that.

“One day after a huge family get-together, many of our family and friends were complimenting us on

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some unique collections and upholstered pieces we had in our home and remarked, ‘You guys should open a store,’” Kenneth says. “After a few months of contemplating, I drove my wife to the storefront where we are Kenneth and Rosalyn currently located and said to her, Fitzpatrick ‘Let’s do it! Let’s open a store.’ And here we are, taking a leap of faith.”

So where did the name What’s Not To Love come from?

It’s actually quite endearing.

“The name of the store came last,” Kenneth says. “As my wife was growing concerned whether people would like our vision, I replied to her, ‘If you are doing it, sweetie, then what’s not to love?’ And then she said, ‘Ah-ha! That’s it — that’s the name.”

Kenneth and Rosalyn do their best to keep a finger on the pulse of the people who walk through the doors.

Since the store evolves almost daily, they always ask their customers what items are in the market that they would like to find or what would they like to see more of. Their goal is to assist as much as they can while also still staying true to their vision.

“Our hope is to simply provide services that people will appreciate and cherish as much as we do,” Kenneth says.

“We are not in it for the money…we would have chosen something more lucrative! But the ability to tell the story of how a piece from the 1800s came into our possession, preserve or restore the item and then pass it on for someone else to appreciate really means a lot to us.”

IF YOU GO

11505 Cinema Drive, Suite 5, D’Iberville (228) 207-0923 Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.

Saturday, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; closed Sunday facebook.com/WhatsNottoLoveLLC

Summertime Entertaining with Dana Wittmann

738 East Pass Road • Gulfport, MS 39507

228.897.7644

SHE LISTENS SHE WORKS HARD SHE CARES “Charlotte is a trustworthy and caring person. She puts her client’s needs and attention at the forefront of everything she does. I highly recommend her.”

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“Charlotte takes pride in providing great service to her clients.”

— Geneva Dummer “Charlotte is a pleasure to work with.

She always conducts herself in a very professional manner. She is a very honest person and one of the hardest working women I know. She is very dedicated to everything she is involved in and pays close attention to detail. I highly recommend her.”

— Linda Galloup

Charlotte DiStefano Associate Realtor

2598 Pass Rd., Suite B Biloxi, MS 39531 Cell: 228-806-1425 Charlotte@exitbiloxi.com

WWW.EXITBILOXI.COM www.gcwmultimedia.com

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Heaven on Carre Court story and photographs by Ellis Anderson

A forgettable 'green shoebox' house becomes elegant showstopper Adriana Metcalfe and Harry Slick met each other later in life, which makes them unafraid to share their unvarnished opinions. So the first time they pulled into the driveway of the house for sale on Carré Court, Harry said, “I’m not even getting out of the car.”

Overgrown shrubbery blocked most of the house from view. Architecturally, what was visible resembled a “green shoebox.” The curb appeal: sub-zero.

Realtor Don Buisson, who had proposed showing the couple the house, was ready to turn around at Harry’s reaction.

But Adriana, an avid gardener, was encouraged by the large size of the lot.

Her vision wasn’t occluded by the tangle of neglected shrubs, trees and weeds.

So Harry relented and the couple toured the house, noting that the floor

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plan inside also resembled a shoebox.

The rectangular living area consisted of one long room, with cramped bedrooms off to the side.

Still, there was that amazing yard.

Wouldn’t their two large dogs love it?

And maybe, maybe, with lots of work, the house might have possibilities. Built in 1945, at least it had nine-foot ceilings.

“Think of it as a clean slate,” said Adriana.

The couple purchased the house in 2014. Three years later, it’s no longer overgrown. Garden paths meander through the yard, winding their way through beds planted with roses and lilies. The green color of the house disappeared under a deep shade of charcoal with elegant white trim.

The house can no longer be compared

Harry Slick and Adriana Metcalfe

to a shoebox — inside or out. A large screened porch living area has been built off one side, while an addition on the other made way for a spacious master suite.

The house now possesses a sleek contemporary feel, yet the stone foundation and chimney seem to indicate that it’s historic, perhaps from the 1920s. While the architecture defies pigeonholing, the overall effect is striking. Most longtime locals who pass it now wonder why on earth they never noticed this beauty before.

Adriana, who lived on the upper East Coast most of her adult life, says she wanted the house to have the feel of “a lake house in the northeast.”

“We had no plans,” Harry says. “The house took on a life of its own as we worked. We knew some basics, but it just grew.”

“Growing” included several unexpected projects. When they ripped out the popcorn ceiling in the main living area, they discovered that the structural supports needed to be completely replaced.

Plans to simply add more windows on either side of the main room’s fireplace to allow for more light changed to allow for French doors instead, which in turn, led to building the screened porch on the side — now their favorite room in the house.

Along the way, household plumbing, electrical and HVAC systems had to be replaced and a whole house de-humidifier was installed. The kitchens and baths were remodeled from the ground up.

Outside, the driveway became part of the garden and parking was moved toward the back. They closed in the carport, which became Harry’s workshop and Adriana’s gardening shed. A stone patio ties in with the stone

foundation they had installed around the perimeter of the house.

When the couple purchased the Carré Court house in 2014, they searched for a contractor who could handle the extensive remodeling and met Eddie Clark who came recommended by an old friend of Harry’s.

“We hit it off immediately.

Eddie just got what I wanted to do,” says Adriana, smiling.

“It’s like we had a Vulcan mind-meld.”

Harry laughs. “Live long and prosper!” he says.

That’s exactly what the couple are doing.

Now that the project is complete, they both believe it’s their dream house. The close proximity to the water allows Harry to fish on a whim. The yard is an evolving art project for both of them. Their rescue dogs — three of them now — have room to range on the property and on comfortable couches inside. Both Adriana and Harry love to cook, so the state-of-the-art kitchen makes entertaining a joy.

Occasionally, Harry will tease Adriana, saying that the Carré Court house can’t possibly be as nice as her 1740s home in New Jersey where she once lived. She doesn’t hesitate to disagree.

“Are you kidding?” she tells him. “We’re in heaven here.”

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Which rug fiber works best for you?

by Billie Comeaux

In the last issue, I discussed some important factors in choosing the perfect rug size to enhance and complement your room. Another very important variable for you to consider when shopping for your rug is the fiber content.

Your choice is best determined by your functional needs.

If you have high foot traffic or messy stains from children, you may choose a more resilient fiber like polypropylene or polyester would a better choice.

The following fiber choices will help you make a better choice: ACRYLIC Moderately priced. Durable, although not strong as other synthetics.

POLYPROPYLENE Very affordable. Easy to maintain and highly durable.

Commonly used in indoor-outdoor rugs. Mildew and water resistant qualities.

COTTON Natural, soft fiber. Easy to clean and maintain.

POLYESTER Very affordable, wears well and feels very soft, especially when used for rugs with a thick pile. Moisture, stain and abrasion resistant. Retains color overtime, easy to clean.

SISAL Natural fiber, highly sustainable.

JUTE Shiny, vegetable fiber. One of the most affordable and durability makes it a popular choice.

WOOL The most commonly used natural fiber in rugs production.

Wool rugs shed initially, but shedding subsides over time.

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July-August 2017

Comeaux is co-owner of American Factory Direct Furniture.

EXCELLENCE • EXQUISITE DESIGN 15 YEARS OF EXPERIENCE • MASTER CRAFTSMANSHIP Paramount Contractors is a leading custom home builder on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. Paramount Contractors was established with the passion to provide extraordinary homes to ordinary people. Bo Ladner is a licensed general contractor that prides himself on producing superior quality custom homes while integrating innovative design, technology and craftsmanship. He specializes in creating one-of-a-kind custom homes that build a reflection of you.

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A new spin on an old favorite

by Stephanie A. Stasulis

Outdoor spaces can extend home

by Adrienne Elliott

Since I moved from Canada and now live on the Gulf Coast, the transition allows me to appreciate outdoor living in a whole new light. Outdoor spaces can truly be used year round on the Coast and how fabulous is that!

The best part is that even a small corner space outdoors, if accessorized and furnished correctly, can be an extension of your home. So where do you start? Small spaces can become the perfect getaway. All you need is a cozy chair, a small unique accent table and a lamp, some beautiful staggered pottery with some easy care green plants and finish it off with a weather resistant piece of art.

In my opinion, if the area is spacious it is worth it to invest in some quality outdoor furniture. The options for outdoor sofas, chairs, tables, etc., are endless. Go neutral for the larger pieces because it is so incredibly easy to change out a throw pillow for an entire new feel or look.

Stain resistant outdoor fabrics have come a long way and are so readily accessible to achieve the look you truly want.

Have a favorite chair? Why not reupholster it in a suitable outdoor fabric and bring it into your new space. Treat your outdoor living areas as just that! Include area rugs, coffee tables, accent pieces and, of course, greenery. Succulents are my favorite!

The key is not to stop there. I challenge you to add artwork to the walls, table lamps, candles and trays. Just by adding some outdoor curtains your space will instantly become cozier and more intimate. If you know me or have seen my work, I will incorporate a chandelier anywhere possible. Why not try one on your back porch? All it takes is a sprinkle of imagination and a few new pieces to create an outdoor sanctuary to call your own. The time is now so shop away!

Elliott is a design specialist with Elliott Homes, LLC. Reach her at elliott.homes.llc@gmail.com

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Summertime on the Gulf Coast means spending time outdoors. So, although you may not know what they’re called, you’ve undoubtedly seen these renowned southern favorites in bloom everywhere you go. You guessed it… I’m talking about crape myrtles!

While many people love the beautiful light to dark green leaves and abundant clusters of brightly colored flowers that traditional crape myrtle varieties offer the landscape, I often have patrons visit the garden center in search of something “southern, yet different.” Well, allow me to introduce … (drum roll please) … the Southern Living Collection’s “Delta” crape myrtle series! (Breeder and inventor, Robert “Buddy” Lee.) The Delta crape myrtle series offers seven stunning varieties and each one sports unique burgundy curved leaves with clusters of blooms either light lavender, lavender, dark red, fuchsia, dark pink, bright pink or white. Whether using them in the landscape as a shrub or a small tree, Delta crape myrtles certainly put a new spin on an old favorite! The new spring growth emerges as a striking coppery bronze color, deepening to a rich, dark maroon color during warm months. Finally, in fall the show stopping foliage transforms to a stunning orange.

I’d be willing to bet if you add these unique crape myrtles to your garden, you won’t be disappointed.

Are you wondering what plants would complement these game changing small trees and/or shrubs? The fine texture and deep burgundy color of the foliage contrasts nicely with lighter colored or brightly colored shrubs and plants. Some of my favorite companion plants are as follows: Sunshine Ligustrum, Variegated Liriope, Aztec Grass, Miss Lemon Abelia, Variegated Dianella and Lemon Lime Nandina.

Here are the reasons I love the Delta series crape myrtles and why you should too!

• Thrive in full sun or part sun • Exceptionally heat tolerant • Reach 8-12 feet tall and 4-6 feet wide at maturity, but may be easily kept smaller • Great as an accent, hedge, in mass plantings or even in a large container • Deer resistant • Mildew resistance • Offer a striking contrast to a nearly green landscape Contact Stasulis at Beatline Nursery, Garden Center & Gifts or email stephanie1981@cableone.net.

Celebrating 2 years of Success!

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July-August 2017

home service Directory BUILDER Elliott Homes 1 (844) BUY-ELLIOTT MyElliottHome.com Paramount Contractors Bo Ladner (228) 832-9160 paramountbuilds.com FLOORING Floor Lord Carpet, Floor & Upholstery Cleaning (228) 209-2354 floorlord.com FURNITURE American Factory Direct Furniture Outlets Mandeville, Baton Rouge, Long Beach (985) 871-0300 afd-furniture.com HOME DÉCOR Hillyer House 920 Washington Ave. Ocean Springs (228) 875-8065 Layton’s 630 Washington Ave. Ocean Springs (228) 215-1415

Martin Miazza 1208 Pass Road Gulfport (228) 863-1252 Nella Home Interiors 516 Courthouse Road Gulfport (228) 284-1768 INSURANCE GEICO 3586 Sangani Blvd.

D’Iberville (228) 832-0600 SouthGroup Insurance Services, Gulf Coast 5400 Indian Hill Diamondhead (228) 467-2282 412 Highway 90 Bay St. Louis (228) 466-4498 2502 Pass Road Biloxi (228) 385-1177 southgroupgulfcoast.com INTERIOR DESIGNER Ashley Grant White Bungalow 1304 Government St. Ocean Springs

LENDER

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The Citizens Bank Tammy Warren (228) 860-3300 thecitizensbankphila.com

Howard’s Paint & Decorating 9434 Three Rivers Road Gulfport (228) 864-5969

Community Bank Gulfport, D’Iberville, Biloxi communitybank.net

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Keesler Federal Credit Union 1-888-KEESLER (533-7537) kfcu.org Navigator Credit Union Jackson County, Harrison County, Alabama 1 (800) 344-3281 Regions Bank Gulf Coast area (800) 734-4667 The Citizens Bank Tammy Warren (228) 860-3300 thecitizensbankphila.com LANDSCAPER Smith Contractors (228) 236-8565 smithcontracting.us MOVER Mighty Men Movers (228) 297-5676 mightymenmoversms.com

Bark Busters (228) 697-DOGS (3647) barkbusters.com POOL Gulf Gunite Pools (228) 223-2845 gulfgunitepools.com REAL ESTATE AGENT Exit Prestige Luxury Realty Charlotte DiStefano 2598 Pass Road, Ste. B (228) 806-1425 exitbiloxi.com HL Raymond Properties Holly Lemoine-Raymond 837 Highway 90, Suite B Bay St. Louis (228) 466-6643 Latter & Blum Stephanie Shaw 777 Watkins Ave. Gulfport (228) 860-5245

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95

FASHION & BEAUTY

Resell and shop at

Style Encore photography by Lauren Holliman Photography Chelle Williams’ first encounter with a Style Encore shop was during an out-of-town trip. “I immediately fell in love with the selection and the prices.

When I looked for other locations nearest me, I found none. That’s how new the brand was.”

The Mobile businesswoman has now Chelle Williams, owner/manager of Style Encore brought that brand to the Coast in her new retail venture in D’Iberville. She was enthralled with the concept from IF YOU GO the moment she shopped at a Style 11505 Cinema Dr #3, D'Iberville (across from Grand Theater) Encore.

Monday-Saturday, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m.

“I love the concept of the store. Being Sunday, noon - 5 p.m. able to provide women a place to get style-encorediberville.com some money back out of items they are (228) 967-7966 no longer using feels good. They seem to love it, too!”

HOW TO SELL YOUR ITEMS She chose D’Iberville because she Style Encore owner/manager Chelle loves the area and the people here, Williams’ offers these tips for reselling she says. “The people have been items: Our process is a same-day overwhelmingly kind and supportive service. We ask that items be freshly of what we’re doing here. Although it’s laundered, off of the hangers and in only been a few months, I already feel a container of some sort (hamper or cemented in the community.” tote works well). We do not require an Style Encore fills a special niche for appointment and don’t place a limit on Coast women who are holding onto the amount we’ll accept. Our buying good condition, quality brand fashions decisions are influenced heavily by that are no longer the right size and the style and condition. We’re looking for items that are current and trendy or look for them. “As women, we all in style (offered in stores in the most have those things in our closets just recent 18 months) and in next to new taking up space,” Williams says. “Some condition. We’ll inspect the items garments have tags on them because one at a time and look for the things ‘maybe one day we’ll wear them.’ Or we wish to purchase from the seller. something that we haven’t worn in a Garments, shoes or handbags will while because it was too tight or loose. then be entered into our computer to The shirt that you thought you would generate a quote, and we’ll make an love but never could quite find the offer to purchase those items for cash right pants or bra to wear with it. Then, on the spot. there’s the shoes we wore one night July-August 2017 96

and one night was enough (but they’re basically new). We hear similar stories daily.”

And for women who like to keep their wardrobe fresh but shop on a budget, Style Encore aims to meet that need as well. “Personally, I’ve always enjoyed being able to switch out my wardrobe frequently,” Williams says.

“Being able to afford that isn’t an option for everyone (and at different times in my life wasn’t an option for me). Now our sellers and buyers have a way to do a closet cleanout, make some room and some cash, and perhaps find something to bring back home with them.”

Williams, who says she has never met a stranger, has always been involved in sales. “I love helping people find what they are looking for and putting a smile on their face,” she says. “I enjoy challenging some of the customers to try on things that I have picked out for them. Things they wouldn’t ordinarily pick for themselves. Some outfits work, some don’t. Sometimes it just takes an open mind.”

Style Encore offers women’s business and casual apparel sizes 0-24. It also carries athletic wear. “You can find shoes ranging in size from 5-12.

We also buy and sell handbags both designer and fashion, as well as other accessories,” Williams says. “The apparel in the store is intended for women of ages ranging from mid-late STYLE ENCORE continued on page 98

K o r i P a v o l i n i H i l t o n p r o u d o w n e r of K. Pavolini & Company located in Pass Christian.

My definition of success is the merchandise — It really fits into our charming beach community.

Business is booming! I have a great location and continue to be inspired and creative in ways to grow my business. Most importantly, I don’t just sell clothing, I get to know my customers. Making a sale, though important in operating a successful business, isn’t my main objective. I feel like my whole goal is to make women look and feel beautiful.”

117 Hayden Avenue, Suite B | Pass Christian, MS | 228-222-5268

STYLE ENCORE continued from page 96 20s and beyond. To appeal to an audience that broad, our selection must, too.”

Style Encore’s selection is constantly changing as new merchandise is purchased daily and stocked.

“Style Encore is a fun place to shop,” Williams says.

“There’s such a variety of brands that women love that it’s hard to imagine a lady of any age not finding something she’ll love. Our prices are amazing. It’s like one big clearance rack. And where else can you bring in unwanted items and get handed cash that day?”

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99

Multipurpose makeup tips for travel

by Jackie Merlau | Jmerlaumakeup.com

Traveling soon? Here’s a list of some multipurpose products that will not only simplify your makeup application, it will leave more space in that suitcase for one more swimsuit!

PRODUCT: BECCA SHIMMERING SKIN PERFECTOR By now we have all fallen in love with a highlighter and the great thing is this face product can also double as an eyeshadow. Tap it in the inner corner of your eye to brighten your look and apply it right on your eyelid to give your eyes a pop of shimmer!

TRAVEL TIP: Insert a cotton ball into the compact to act as a “shock absorber.”

If you’re flying, toss this in your carryon bag to ensure its safety.

PRODUCT: MATTE BROWN EYESHADOW A matte brown eyeshadow is extremely versatile. Pack an angle brush

and use the product to fill in and shape your eyebrows or use along your lash line as an eyeliner. For a more defined brow or eyeliner, dampen the brush before dipping it into your shadow. This product also triples as the perfect crease color for a smoky eye!

TRAVEL TIP: These shadows are quite sturdy and withstand travel well.

PRODUCT: SUPERGOOP! PERK UP LIP & CHEEK COLOR SPF 40 A lip and cheek combo is the epitome of multipurpose makeup! Plus, this specific product also offers broad spectrum SPF and makes it even better and more effective for fun in the sun.

Simply tap onto your cheekbones and blend to create a natural flush. You can also dab onto your lips or even apply with a lip brush. This product is great because it works for all skin tones!

TRAVEL TIP: It is a cream, so be sure not to leave it in the heat.

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TRAVEL TIP: This is packaged in a tiny glass bottle so be cautious with this one. I always put the bottle in a quart size Ziploc bag and bring it on as a carryon. If you’re traveling in a car, just be sure not to leave it in the heat too long.

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Making marks

International fiber artist blazing new trails in Bay St. Louis story and photos by Ellis Anderson

A show of recent work by Bay St. Louis artist Kerr Grabowski opened at Smith & Lens Gallery in May. If you missed it, you’ll have opportunity this fall to see her work in another gallery…in Australia.

Grabowski is something of a legend in the international world of fiber art, having pioneered techniques that have people flying her in to teach in places like Australia and New Zealand, Chicago and Los Angeles.

She’s also taught on the university level. Her work has shown in top galleries around the country, garnering favorable reviews from art critics. The New York Times has even written about Grabowski three times.

For most of this stellar career, Grabowski created wearable art — painting, printing and dyeing fabric that was then used to construct high fashion, one-of-a-kind garments. Grabowski’s show-stopping silk kimonos might retail for thousands of dollars in a metropolitan gallery. Since the pieces were naturally limited in production, they became highly sought after by serious fashionistas. None of this acclaim has gone to the artist’s head.

“I’ve just happened to be at the right place, at the right time,” she says.

Now, Grabowski is moving into fine art, utilizing those same unique techniques to create wall hangings and paintings that can be framed. She finds the new work challenging but exciting, saying that she can “play with them more, take them further.”

But she’s still motivated by the same passion she’s had since she was a child, the love of a beautiful mark.

“One tiny mark can be the most beautiful, eloquent line,” Grabowski says. “My brain synthesizes the world through making marks. It’s the way I try to make sense of things.”

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July-August 2017

She started making her marks early, in Jasper, Alabama, in the hill country north of Birmingham.

Recognizing her talent early on, her parents signed her up for art classes, but in a bizarre effort to impress Grabowski’s parents and keep the lessons going, the art teacher would paint over each of her works. The experience almost turned Grabowski against art altogether.

The family moved to Gulfport, where she continued pursuing that eloquent line in high school. After graduation, her parents convinced her that making a living with art was unrealistic, so she headed off to college majoring in chemistry and biology, first at Mississippi University for Women and then Mississippi State.

Leaving school to become a wife and mother, Grabowski began painting children’s furniture and purses. Her success convinced her to return to college, this time for art. After she obtained her degree from Delta State, the young family moved back to the Coast. She began drawing late at night, then focusing on batik, an ancient method of using wax and dye to produce designs on cloth.

Divorcing when her daughter, Crawford, was six, Grabowski had $200 in the bank when she decided to start selling her work at craft shows to pay the bills. She traveled to regional shows in a 1958 VW van that could “only go for about four hours without breaking down.” When Crawford had sleepovers, Grabowski would enlist (and pay) the children to help iron and sew.

The business grew, and so did Grabowski’s skills. With a more reliable vehicle, she was able to show at crafts venues in the northeast. It turned out to be an enormous asset that she’d been working on the Mississippi Coast, where fiber artists who might have influenced her work were rare. In the Northeast, where fine crafts were sought after and revered, FIBER ARTIST continued on page 106

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FIBER ARTIST continued from page 104

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she realized that her work and the some of the techniques she’d developed were unique.

Grabowski hired assistants and purchased a studio in Pass Christian. By the mid-80s, she’d become a shoo-in for highly competitive shows featuring the top craftspeople in the country like the Smithsonian. Gallery owners across the country snapped up her work.

She’d been considering moving to the Northeast when she was offered a position as head of the fiber program at the prestigious Peter’s Valley Crafts Center on the Delaware River in New Jersey.

“I felt immediately at home in those woods,” Grabowski says. “The rock formations and the forests seemed just like the ones I’d loved as a child in Huntsville. It turns out they’re both bookends of the Appalachian Mountains. The job was for three years. I stayed for nine. I did a lot of adjunct teaching in the surrounding universities during that time.”

In the mid-90s she purchased a derelict historic building in downtown Sussex, New Jersey, 60 miles from New York City.

She rehabbed the bottom floor, and it served as her gallery, studio and living space.

She continued teaching, extending her range exponentially in 2007 when she made a DVD demonstrating her signature deconstructed screen-printing technique. The DVD sold internationally, and the invitations to teach outside the country began arriving regularly.

But her granddaughter was born in Jackson, Miss., that same year, and Grabowski began to feel the tug to return to the South. Artist friends, including Vicki Niolet, Kat Fitzpatrick, J.J. Foley, John McKellar and Bill Myers all urged her to move back.

In 2010, she found the perfect house on Keller Street in Bay St. Louis. With an original historic cottage and a small contemporary guesthouse, it provided ample space for both home and studio. The guesthouse had been renovated, but the restoration of the 1920s cottage had stopped mid-stream.

After its purchase, she flew back and forth to supervise the construction. When it was completed in 2011, Kerr moved to Bay St. Louis full time.

“I love the vibe here,” she says. “I can sit on my porch, or walk over to the Mockingbird [Café] and meet friends and have coffee. There’s a wonderful energy in this town. And the arts scene across the whole Mississippi Coast is really taking off.”

Soon, locals interested in learning from Grabowski won’t have to fly to Australia to take one of her classes. She’ll be offering instruction at the new Bay Creative Arts Center later this year.

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Looking for lush lashes?

Let’s face it…what girl doesn’t want beautiful eyelashes? If you have been blessed with lush lashes then consider yourself very fortunate. If you need some help in that facial department, there are wonderful services available to give you a stunning, yet natural look. Cicely Melvin, salon manager at Polished Blowout and Beauty Bar in Gulfport, offers some information on various eyelash options.

WHAT EYELASH SERVICES ARE AVAILABLE? Eyelash extensions can be applied for a one time daily use for around $10 at most salons. You can also get actual eyelash extensions that adhere to each individual eyelash.

This service does take some time and is more costly, but the outcome is amazing. Say goodbye to mascara and hello to beautiful lashes first thing in the morning. It’s important to note this service is something that will require visiting the salon every three to four weeks to have a fill.

WHAT WORKS BEST? With either strip lashes or individual, you can get super natural lashes or super full lashes. Your aesthetician or

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July-August 2017

HEALTH

by Dr. Christopher Burks

Common causes of knee pain

by Dr. Joel A. Tucker

Summertime on the Mississippi Gulf Coast brings lots of outdoor fun with activities such as boating, golfing, running, biking and swimming; however, the increase in physical activity can sometimes lead to an increase in symptomatic knee pain. Many risk factors for knee pain have been identified which include playing certain sports, prior injuries, lack of flexibility or strength, and being overweight.

Below are five causes of knee pain that I see in my clinic every week.

PATELLOFEMORAL PAIN SYNDROME Patellofemoral pain syndrome is pain in the front of the knee around the kneecap. This pain will typically increase when you sit for long periods with your knee bent, squat, or are on stairs. Physical therapy is often KNEE PAIN continued on page 116

Know the sources of back pain

Nearly 90 percent of people will have at least one episode of back pain at some point in their lifetime. Most of these episodes will resolve within six weeks and far less than 1 percent will require surgery.

As a spine surgeon, I try to educate people every day on the best methods for reducing back pain and minimizing longterm recurrence. Sometimes, this is as simple as home exercise, but on occasion it may involve medications, interventional pain procedures, and/or surgery. Below are the most common diagnoses associated with back pain, and various treatment methods for them.

LUMBAR STRAIN This is by far the most common diagnosis and is often characterized by diffuse tightness in the middle of the back that radiates outward. This is due to muscle spasm and inflammation. Utilizing intermittent ice or heat, over the counter anti-inflammatories, and maintaining a normal level activity can all contribute to resolution. Contrary to popular belief, rest can sometimes make this problem worse. This is usually self-limiting but may occasionally require prescription medications and a course of formal physical therapy.

DEGENERATIVE DISC DISEASE Unfortunately, as we age, the intervertebral discs in our back will begin to breakdown. This is a normal process of aging. Sometimes, however, this can lead to central back pain usually made worse with bending forward. Maintaining an active lifestyle, good posture, and good core strength can greatly reduce long-term pain and dysfunction from this condition.

In rare cases, this can lead to problems that may benefit from surgery.

SACROILIAC JOINT DYSFUNCTION This is caused by irritation or abnormal motion in the joint that connects the end of the spine to the pelvis. Usually this will be one sided, be made worse with changing positions, and possibly be associated with pain down the back of the leg to the knee. It is more common in middle-aged woman. This can be a challenging problem to treat, and I favor a multi-factorial approach involving medication, physical therapy, and sometimes bracing and/or injections.

LUMBAR DISC HERNIATION This can occur at any age and can be associated with back pain. When the disc pushes on the nerve roots in the spinal canal, this can lead to radiating leg pain.

This may require pain injections and/or surgery if it persists despite conservative treatment.

While back pain can certainly be debilitating, it will often improve on its own with over the counter medications and maintaining an active lifestyle. If your symptoms persist, or are associated with fevers, chills, difficulty with bowel or bladder function, or pain and weakness in your legs, you should seek the care of an orthopedist or your primary care physician, as it could be something more serious.

Dr. Christopher A. Burks joined Bienville Orthopaedic Specialists in August of 2015.

He completed his residency in orthopaedic surgery at the Baylor College of Medicine Medical Center in Houston, Texas, and received his fellowship training in orthopaedic and neurological spine surgery at the University of Virginia. Dr. Burks earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Biological Engineering from Mississippi State University, a Master of Science Degree in Biomedical Engineering from Tulane University, and his Doctor of Medicine Degree from the Tulane School of Medicine.

Dr. Burks is licensed to practice medicine in Mississippi. In his free time, he enjoys golfing, fishing, and spending time with his family.

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‘Don’t Worry Be Happy’

event celebrates 10 years on July 21

The Mental Health Association of South Mississippi’s “Don’t Worry Be Happy” is celebrating its 10th anniversary on July 21 at the Biloxi Civic Center. A cocktail party begins at 6 p.m. with a Mixology Contest and main doors open at 7 p.m.

This year’s honorees have helped increase awareness of mental health and wellness issues in the community and secured raffle and auction packages to raise money for MHA. The 2017 honorees include: Jonathan and Nicolle Allen, Lada Alley, Jeff and Lauren Bertucci, Brian Brown, Joannie Evans, Austin Hampton, Billy Miller, Kent and Jennifer Nicaud, Halle Rickets and Dorothy Roberts, and Mikki Whitworth.

Walter and Katherine Blessey will receive the Annette O’Keefe Humanitarian Award for their long history of contributing to the community. Since 2009, the Blesseys

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have donated overnight stays at Chateau Blessey Bed and Breakfast to countless charitable organizations to help raise money.

“One thing I’ve learned is our whole well-being comes from mental health,” Katherine says. “Turning to the trained professionals has brought me a wholeness I could have never achieved alone.”

The Mental Health Association of South Mississippi has been working for more than five decades to help the community learn more about wellness and empower people who suffer from mental illness.

For more information about MHA or “Don’t Worry Be Happy” company sponsorships, donation of an auction item, volunteering, or purchasing a ticket for event, call (228) 864-6274, email info@msmentalhealth.org or visit msmentalhealth.org.

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Walter and Katherine Blessey will receive the Annette O’Keefe Humanitarian Award

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KNEE PAIN continued from page 112 beneficial to strengthen and stretch the knee, and simple treatments such as ice and rest can help with pain.

PES ANSERINE BURSITIS Pes anserine bursitis also occurs on the front of the knee but more on the medial (inside) side of the knee. Bursitis is inflammation of the bursa. Bursas are small fluid filled sacs that help to cushion tendons where they contact bone. Pain tends to increase with exercise, kneeling and climbing stairs.

Physical therapy to stretch the hamstring muscles tends to help.

ILIOTIBIAL BAND FRICTION SYNDROME Iliotibial band friction syndrome occurs most frequently in distance runners but can be seen in many other scenarios. It tends to cause pain on the lateral (outside) aspect of the knee.

The iliotibial band is part of a muscle and tendon complex that starts in the pelvis and ends just below the knee. The pain is caused when the iliotibial band becomes so tight that it rubs on the outside of the femur (thigh) bone. Stretching this band is the key to treating this problem.

MENISCUS TEAR A meniscus tear can cause pain, swelling and locking of the knee. The meniscus is a C-shaped cartilage that sits inside the knee and acts as a cushion to disperse forces.

There is a medial and a lateral meniscus in each knee. The

causes of tears vary from sport injury, kneeling, and wear and tear over time. Injury is usually caused by a twisting motion to the knee.

Treatment of the meniscus tear depends on the type of tear and location but can range from rest and observation to arthroscopic surgery.

Dr. Joel A. Tucker

OSTEOARTHRITIS Osteoarthritis is caused by loss of the articular cartilage (cushioning) of the knee. This is different than the meniscus cartilage. This loss of cartilage can occur from wear and tear, injury, and disease of the knee. Treatment of osteoarthritis varies based on the severity of the disease and symptoms but ranges from anti-inflammatory medications, lifestyle changes, injections, and knee replacement surgery.

While not all knee pain is immediately serious, when left untreated it can lead to increasing pain and damage to the joint. You should see your doctor if you can’t bear weight on your knee, have knee swelling, see deformity of your leg, feel that your knee is locking or “giving out,” or have persistent pain.

Dr. Tucker joined Bienville Orthopaedic Specialists, LLC in 2011 and specializes in general orthopaedics and adult reconstruction surgery. He is certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

Call 228-230-BONE (2663) or 800-588-0365 to schedule an appointment today. www.BienvilleOrtho.com

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G.

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Baby BEFORE

Regina Ramazani’s STORY WHAT I DID I started on Ideal Protein September 2015 after my friend had talked me into joining with her. I was hesitant because of what I perceived was additional cost and concerned it was another fad diet, but after considering what I was spending in groceries and restaurants I determined it may be an overall savings for me. Also, I saw how a colleague had been successful and decided to give it a try.

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HOW IT WORKED It wasn’t but a week on the diet that my motivation instantly skyrocketed. I was shedding major pounds each week; it was crazy. I wasn’t hungry because my body was using a process called ketosis to burn fat and the majority of the food was tasty. I love the desserts! Within three months I lost 59 pounds. One year after the program, I am happy to say I have lost 97 pounds and have three pounds to reach my goal.

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PARENTING

No couch potatoes this summer

by Rebecca Ritchey

We are in the glory of sweet summer time. The days are longer, the nights are shorter, and couch potatoes unite. This is the season where “I’m bored” abounds and “What can I do?” is second only to “I’m hungry!”

The first week of summer break, I let laziness and Netflix binges take over, but then I decided my family needed alternatives to electronics. I made a list and posted it front and center on the refrigerator.

PLAY GAMES In our family, playing cards was a rite of passage with my grandparents. We enjoy a fun game of Kings In the Corner, Phase Ten or Skip Bo. We also enjoy playing a game of memory, charades, and Heads Up. There are many games that can be played with a deck of cards or a set of dominoes.

Gather the family around the kitchen table and have a fun time laughing and making memories!

CRAFTS Slime is the popular craft this summer (recipes can be found on Pinterest). Make some slime and see how many different creatures you can create with it. Coloring is a simple pastime and it takes no time to print coloring sheets from the internet and color the afternoon away. The children also can paint new art for their room. Just buy a small canvas from a craft store, paints and let them paint what they can

imagine. Crafts are great bonding times for families, and they allow creativity to grow.

READ AND LEARN Dr. Seuss said “The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more you learn, the more places you’ll go.” Reading takes you on new adventures with every page turned. The Magic Tree House books

by Mary Pope Osborne are favorites for us to read because each book takes you on a new adventure and a new lesson is learned. In our family, each child who can read takes a chapter and I also find resources to go along with the book for additional learning.

WRITE A LETTER Old-fashioned letter writing is becoming a lost art, so write letters to special people in your life and mail them. A grandparent, aunt, uncle and even a teacher would be happy to receive happy mail. Your child can decorate the letter and include a special memory in it.

Summer doesn’t have to be spent sitting in front of the television. Summer can be spent learning, growing and making memories!

Ritchey is CEO of the Ritchey household, the mother of three children and wife to Jonathan. Reach her at rebeccaritchey@ ymail.com.

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FAITH

Now is the time for T and T

by Robin Killeen

I am sure we have all heard someone say they are in desperate need for a little R and R (rest and relaxation).

Well, I propose that we all need some T and T: Thankfulness and Trust!

One of the main reasons to be thankful is because we are children of God, daughters of the king. We are free to have no fear of death because we are promised eternal life (John 3:16). We are never alone because Jesus is our savior, a constant friend and our GPS that help us navigate our lives.

The attitude of thankfulness is one of the most important activities we can do. Being thankful leads us to trust Him to see us through all the trials we face in this life. However, just as Israel forgot His works and His wonders, we are prone to forget God’s goodness towards us. We can make the choice to be thankful and simply trust Him anytime.

For instance, I like to start my day by reading my devotion, but I haven’t always started my day out immediately by reading my devotion. I have been guilty of starting my day by getting a cup of coffee and looking to see what happened overnight on social media or turning on the news. One day God convicted me to make him the priority — to put first things first.

What if we all started keeping a T and T journal where

we list things we are most thankful for and those things we are trusting God for? No matter how difficult things may be in our lives, there is always something we can be thankful for. Recording the things we are thankful for and what things He has brought us through in the past will help us remain thankful while building our trust in Him through the most difficult of days ahead.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 tells us to be thankful — to give thanks in all circumstances for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. In Psalm 100:4, it says to “Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise! Give thanks to Him; bless His name.”

The Bible also talks about trust. Proverbs 3:5 says, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. Psalm 37:4-5 says, “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your ways to the Lord; Trust in Him and He shall bring it to pass.”

Life can be simple and peaceful when we come to Him with a thankful heart and trust Him even when our life hasn’t worked out as we planned. We must focus on what He has brought us through and His promise to direct our paths.

Now is the time for T and T!

"No matter how difficult things may be in our lives, there is always something we can be thankful for."

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FOOD & ENTERTAINMENT

Head to the beach with cool, safe food

by Andrea Yeager

Headed to the beach this summer and need some cool food ideas? Try packing a refreshing, light picnic that friends and family can enjoy. One of the hottest trends is jarred salads. Simply choose the right size glass jar for each person, put the seal and lid on tight and store in an ice chest. The salads can be as individual as the people eating them.

Want more traditional beach food? Wraps work well at the beach. Fill the tortilla flavor of your choice with anything from deli meats to sprouts, avocado and tomatoes. Thin-sliced Cajun roast beef paired with cheese, slices of fresh cucumber and tomato and drizzled with a balsamic vinaigrette is so refreshing, yet filling. You can also wrap up grilled chicken with shredded cabbage and cucumber slices and top it with a yummy peanut sauce.

Watching the calories? Try using lettuce leaves, kale or even collard leaves for the wrap instead of a tortilla.

If possible, stay away from mayonnaise-based sandwiches and salads. Mayonnaise, if not kept at the proper temperature, can spoil quicker than you think — two hours at max. Even with a good airtight cooler, it is suggested to still opt for olive oil vinaigrettes and dressings.

Enjoy…and don’t forget the sunscreen!

CHICKEN TACO SALAD WITH CILANTRO VINAIGRETTE Canned corn, drained Canned black beans, rinsed and drained Chopped tomato Cooked chicken (rotisserie chicken works well) Romaine or favorite type of lettuce Cilantro vinaigrette (recipe follows) In a screw-top jar, add the vinaigrette and top with corn, beans, tomato, chicken and lettuce. Seal jar and place in cooler.

CILANTRO VINAIGRETTE 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 tsp. salt 1 cup cilantro, packed 1 cup parsley, packed 1/4 cup sherry wine vinegar (you can substitute either red wine or cider vinegar) 3/4 cup olive oil (I use light) 1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce 1 pinch of sugar Add garlic and salt to a food processor fitted with the steel blade and process until it is a paste. Add cilantro and parsley; process to a fine mince. Add vinegar; process for 10 seconds. Add oil in a slow steady stream with the processor on. Add hot pepper sauce (to match your taste) and a pinch of sugar. Chill the dressing for several hours in a glass jar; shake to combine before using.

PEANUT SAUCE FOR WRAPS 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter 1/3 cup water 2 Tbsp. soy sauce 2 Tbsp. rice vinegar 1 Tbsp. honey 1 Tbsp. sesame oil 1 1/2 tsp. fresh ginger, peeled and grated 1 tsp. minced garlic 1 pinch of cayenne pepper or 1 dash of chili sauce Combine the peanut butter, water, soy sauce, vinegar, honey, sesame oil, ginger and garlic in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade; process until smooth. Season with cayenne pepper or chili sauce. When covered and refrigerated, the sauce will keep for one month.

Recipes source: food.com

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Summer Salads

There's just something about the summer season that invites a breath of fresh air, especially when it comes to all the tasty offerings harvested to create a superb summer salad that's refreshing, light and packed with amazing flavor! This season gives us a wonderful menu of fresh fruits and vegetables, and when drizzled with a dressing full of zest, spices, herbs, oils and more, this bowl full of goodness is sure to be a crowd pleaser among family and friends at your next gathering.

WATERMELON, CUCUMBER AND FETA SALAD SALAD: 4-5 cups watermelon, cubed 2 large cucumber, peeled, sliced and quartered 1¼ cups feta, cubed 2 Tbsp. fresh mint, finely chopped DRESSING: 1 Tbsp. olive oil 1 lime, juiced 1 tsp. honey

Whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Stir the watermelon, cucumber, mint and dressing together in a large salad bowl. Add the feta and gently stir to combine.

Pinterest source: Downshiftology

THE BEST KALE SUMMER SALAD SALAD: 1 bunch of kale, finely chopped (4-5 cups) 1 cup strawberries, sliced 1 cup blackberries 1 cup diced peach ½ cup blueberries ½ cup raspberries ½ cup mango, diced 3 Tbsp. dried cranberries ¼ cup almonds ¼ cup walnuts DRESSING: 3 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard 2 Tbsp. honey 3 Tbsp. olive oil Salt and pepper to taste 124

May-June 2017

In a small bowl, whisk together apple cider vinegar, mustard, honey, salt and pepper until combined. Slowly stream in olive oil while whisking until emulsified. In a large bowl, combine the kale and dressing. Massage the dressing into the kale until coated and place in the fridge to marinate for a few minutes (this is a great time to chop the fruit). Before serving, add the diced fruit, dried cranberries and nuts to the kale and toss until evenly combined.

Pinterest source: The Balanced Berry

LEMON BALSAMIC SUMMER PASTA SALAD SALAD: 16 oz. bowtie pasta 1 cucumber, chopped ½ cup chopped green bell pepper 2 medium sized tomatoes, chopped ½ cup fresh parsley, chopped ½ cup crumbled feta cheese DRESSING: ¼ cup balsamic vinegar ¼ cup olive oil 1 tsp. salt 1 tsp. black pepper 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard ¼ cup lemon juice, fresh squeezed

Boil bowtie pasta according to package directions, cooking until al dente and then rinse in cold water and strain. In a large bowl, combine cucumber, bell pepper, tomatoes, parsley and feta. In a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients and pour over top of veggies. Add pasta to veggies and dressing, stir to combine, then refrigerate until ready to serve.

Pinterest source: Kitschen Cat

PEACH, FETA AND PECAN SALAD SALAD: 5 oz. bag mixed spring greens 2 peaches, sliced 2 oz. of feta cheese, diced ½ cup of pecans 2 Tbsp. red onion, minced DRESSING: 4 Tbsp. olive oil 2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar 1 Tbsp. honey Fresh cracked black pepper

Wash and dry the mixed spring greens and set aside. Slice peaches, dice feta and mince the red onion. Whisk together olive oil, white wine vinegar, honey and black pepper. Toss half the dressing over the mixed greens. Add all the rest of the ingredients to the mixed greens and toss with remaining dressing.

Pinterest source: Green Valley Kitchen BLUEBERRY ARUGULA SALAD SALAD: 2 cups arugula ½ cup blueberries ⅓ cup walnuts ⅓ cup shredded goat cheese DRESSING: 1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil 1 tsp. honey ½ Tbsp. lemon juice ½ tsp. oregano Dash of salt and pepper

For the dressing, mix the lemon juice with the honey, stir well and then slowly add the olive oil

until combined. Add the oregano, pepper and salt (not too much if the cheese is salty). Put arugula in a salad bowl. On top of it add the walnuts, cheese and blueberries. Drizzle the dressing and serve immediately.

Pinterest source: broccoliandmuffins.com ZIPPY ORZO SUMMER SALAD SALAD: Olive oil 1 cup uncooked orzo 1-2 cups rotisserie chicken, shredded or cut into small pieces 1-2 cups chopped cucumber 1-2 cups baby spinach 1-2 cups fresh sweet corn (3-4 ears), cut off the cob 2 cloves garlic, minced Crumbled goat cheese (optional) DRESSING: 2 Tbsp. olive oil 2 Tbsp. lemon juice ¼ cup fresh dill, minced ¼ cup green onions, sliced Salt and pepper (Note: If you want more dressing, you can up the amounts of lemon juice and olive oil to ¼ cup.)

Cook orzo according to package directions.

Heat a little bit of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and the corn; sauté until the corn is bright yellow and tender. Toss all ingredients together, including dill, green onions, olive oil, lemon juice, goat cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve hot or cold.

Pinterest source: Punch of Yum

www.gcwmultimedia.com

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25

ways to cool off this summer

Living on the Mississippi Gulf Coast is amazing, and in the summer months it can be amazingly hot!

You can have a perfect summer picnic at one of our many splash pads and not spend a dime.

The local waterparks and casinos have options to get out of the heat and still enjoy fun in the sun!

FORT MAUREPAS PARK SPLASH PAD

499 Front Beach Drive, Ocean Springs

CLAY BOYD PARK SPLASH PAD

SHIP ISLAND FERRY

Ferry goes to Ship Island seven days a week at 9 a.m. and noon. Fares range from $19 to $29. 1040 23rd Ave., Gulfport.

MARGARITAVILLE SUMMER SPLASH BASH

Every Friday night in the summer. $15 cover for all non-hotel guests. 195 Beach Blvd., Biloxi.

THE KROC CENTER

GOLDEN NUGGET POOL

BLOSSMAN FAMILY YMCA

HARD ROCK BILOXI POOL

TRADITION FAMILY YMCA

HARRAH’S GULF COAST POOL

HARPER MCCAUGHAN SPLASH PAD

Outdoor pool. Closed Sundays. Monthly membership rates from $15 to $59.

2661 Village Ave. W, Biloxi.

MCDONALD PARK SPLASH PAD

FRANCIS X COLLINS RECREATION CENTER AND SWIMMING POOL

PALACE CASINO RESORT POOL

214 Morris Noble Road, Ocean Springs

WEST SIDE SPLASH PAD 4010 West Beach Blvd., Gulfport

JONES PARK SPLASH PAD 2250 Jones Park Drive, Gulfport

GASTON POINT SPLASH PAD 1506 Mills Ave., Gulfport

POINT CADET SPLASH PAD 121 Cadet St., Biloxi

301 Jeff Davis Ave., Long Beach

Dunbar Ave., Bay St. Louis

SAUCIER COMMUNITY PARK SPLASH PAD

23715 Saucier Lizana Road, Saucier

WOOLMARKET COMMUNITY PARK SPLASH PAD 16320 Old Woolmarket Road, Biloxi

BUCCANEER BAY WATERPARK Admission is $17 if you are four feet or taller and $12 for anyone under four feet. 1150 S Beach Blvd., Waveland.

GULF ISLANDS WATER PARK

Admission is $30.99 for anyone 42 inches or taller and $22.99 for anyone under 42 inches tall. 7200 16th St., Gulfport.

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The aquatics center is open seven days a week. A two-hour pool pass is $8 for ages 3 and up. Ages 2 and under are free. 575 Division St., Biloxi.

Indoor and outdoor pool is open seven days a week. Monthly membership rates from $15 to $59. 1810 Government St., Ocean Springs.

Open Monday through Saturday.

Admission is $1 per person. 2204 Swetman Blvd., Gulfport.

DONAL M SNYDER COMMUNITY CENTER SWIMMING POOL

Open Monday through Friday.

Admission is $3 per adult and $1 per child age 17 and under. 2520 Pass Road, Biloxi.

BILOXI NATATORIUM SWIMMING POOL

Open Monday through Saturday.

Admission is $3 per adult and $1 per child age 17 and under. 1384 Father Ryan Ave., Biloxi.

Non-hotel guests can purchase a pool pass: $20 per person Monday through Friday; $30 per person on weekends.151 Beach Blvd., Biloxi.

Non-hotel guests can purchase a pool pass: $10 per person Monday through Friday; $20 per person on weekends.

777 Beach Blvd., Biloxi.

Non-hotel guests are permitted at the pool. $15 per person Monday through Friday; $20 per person weekends and holidays. 280 Beach Blvd., Biloxi.

Non-hotel guest pool passes may be purchased: $15 per person Monday through Friday; $20 per person weekends and holidays. 158 Howard Ave., Biloxi.

TREASURE BAY HOTEL POOL

Non-hotel guest pool passes for people ages 21 and over may be purchased for $10 Monday through Friday; $15 on weekends. Season passes may be purchased for $100. 1980 Beach Blvd., Biloxi.

— Compiled by Rebecca Ritchey

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To Encourage, Promote and Enhance the economic posture, environment and cultural heritage of the Biloxi Bay region.

MEMBERSHIP BENEFITS • Networking Opportunities, “Coffee Talk!”, “Bay Connects - After Hours Networking • Biloxi Bay Chamber membership database or labels for a nominal fee • Office Depot discount card • Monthly subscription to the Business Journal of South Mississippi • Ribbon Cuttings • BUSINESS EXPO & Marketplace • State of the City Address by the Mayor BUSINESS MEMBERSHIPS AS LOW AS $125 PER YEAR Visit our website and FB page for more about our Chamber Events & Projects The Biloxi Bay Area Chamber also offers membership to individuals without business affiliation.

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LONG BEACH MARKET & DELI Dining locale offers delicious multi-cuisine menu story and photographs by Chris Dearman

Since moving to the Mississippi Gulf Coast a few years ago, I have tried many amazing po’boys, but I may have found my favorite at a gem of a deli in Long Beach.

The Long Beach Market and Deli is family-owned and operated by Chef Lucia van Norden, her husband Maxim, and their children Dustin and Devona. It opened in the fall of 2011 and locals and tourists have found out by word of mouth that this unique place offers a menu with dishes that must be experienced.

Chef Lucia learned the art of flavor and food design from her upbringing in South Korea, as well as the professional training she received as a graduate of the Le Cordon Bleu Culinary School in Ottawa. Prior to fulfilling the dream of opening her own restaurant, she worked as a table games pit boss for over a decade at a Gulfport casino. When Hurricane Katrina wiped it out, she took it as a sign to start anew and trained at the world-renown school.

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When the opportunity came up to acquire what was formerly known as Pineville Mart, they renovated the space and Chef Lucia created a menu that not only puts a twist on traditional Asian cuisine, but also features Cajun, vegetarian and American dishes.

“A lot of people are amazed at the diversity of our dishes,” Maxim says. “Some have a misimpression that we are only an Asian restaurant. While we do have Asian dishes, our menu also has a whole spread with burgers, specialty fries, po’boys, catfish, falafel and more.”

Everything on the menu at the Long Beach Market & Deli is made from scratch, and with the infusion of sweet, spicy and savory in many of the dishes, you will be sure to find many to love.

Two of the most popular dishes are the General Tso and the Sweet & Sour specials that are made with chicken, pork or shrimp. It includes fried rice and a Crab Rangoon, with

options to substitute for an egg or spring roll. The grilled chicken, steak and shrimp wraps made with a spinach tortilla wrap also are really popular.

The Summer Rolls are light and filling, and are wrapped in rice paper that includes spring mix, cilantro, spicy Sriracha mayo, lettuce, cucumbers, bell peppers, pickled red onions, radishes and carrots. Veggie rolls are available and you also can get one made with shrimp tempura, spicy crab, or try the tasty Vietnamese roasted pork version called Banh Mi. For an extra kick, you can add jalapeño peppers.

Another unique item they offer is a Middle Eastern dish called falafel, which is a deep-fried chickpeas patty in a pita pocket stuffed with with spring mix, tomatoes, red onions and cucumbers. The dish is served with flat bread and sides of homemade hummus and tzatziki sauces. It is absolutely delightful.

The Long Beach Market & Deli has a nice selection of po’boys, which are made on Gambino French bread, as well as sandwiches and burgers served on sesame or brioche buns. Choices include catfish, shrimp, roast beef, grilled steak, Banh Mi, and what I now consider my favorite sandwich on the Coast, the Kogi Po’boy.

This tasty po’boy is filled with Korean-style barbecue chicken, sautéed onions, bell peppers, spicy Sriracha mayo, and topped with fried onion rings. It’s the perfect mix of sweet and spicy and I’m already anticipating a return visit for another.

Besides the incredible food, the Long Beach Market & Deli features one of the largest cold selections of beer on the Coast. With more than 200 varieties of craft beer available, you can build your own six-pack, or they also have 10 different beers on tap to fill a growler or buy a pint while dining.

Long Beach Market & Deli is open seven days a week, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. and 10 a.m.-8 p.m. on the weekends, with daily lunch specials served from 11 a.m.-4 p.m. The pet-friendly patio features outdoor seating with live music often on Saturday afternoons.

To save time, you also can place your order online at lbmarketanddeli.com.

IF YOU GO 20110 Pineville Road Long Beach (228) 864-1933 lbmarketanddeli.com facebook.com/LongBeachMarketDeli

Sip on the Scenery as you enjoy your brew and a book, converse — and just maybe meet a great visiting author

Pass Christian Books offers new, used, and rare books advancing the ideal of reading and books as central to the intellectual life of a community. The second floor is known as The Mississippi Loft for its focus on Mississippi authors and subjects.

Author Greg Iles during recent visit

PASS CHRISTIAN BOOKS & CAT ISLAND COFFEEHOUSE Overlooking the Gulf of Mexico 300 E. Scenic Drive Pass Christian, MS

(228) 222-4827 www.gcwmultimedia.com

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COAST CARES

Feeding the Gulf Coast expands operations in Mississippi

by Cathy Pope, President & CEO of Feeding the Gulf Coast MORE INFO Feeding the Gulf Coast, formerly Bay Area Food Bank, serves a 24-county area spanning south Alabama, south Mississippi and the Panhandle of Florida.

In 2016, the food bank distributed over 22 million pounds of food to nearly 400 church pantries, soup kitchens and other nonprofit organizations throughout its service area. For more information, visit feedingthegulfcoast.org.

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Teachers tell us all the time, “You cannot teach a hungry child. The physical needs must be met before a child can learn.” We hear from seniors: “I have to choose between healthy food and paying my light bill.” A mother of two says, “I have a good job and still can’t seem to have enough food in my house to feed my kids.”

These are the stories we hear every day in Mississippi and across our service area. People are hungry and need help.

One in six people in Mississippi, including one in four children, struggles with hunger. This is higher than the national average of one in seven people and one in five children. These people are seniors living on fixed incomes, children who don’t have healthy food to eat on the weekends or during the summer, and working families struggling to make ends meet.

Feeding the Gulf Coast, formerly Bay Area Food Bank, serves a 24-county area spanning south Alabama, south Mississippi and the panhandle of Florida, and also is a member of Feeding America. We have been actively working to fight hunger in south Mississippi since 1990, and one year ago we moved from a temporary office into permanent space in Gulfport. We are very excited to see our capacity grow to end hunger in coastal Mississippi.

Last year in Mississippi, with our more than 60 partner agencies, we distributed over 2.4 million meals to an estimated 37,000 households, served nearly 3,000 children through our Nutrition Programs, and assisted over

1,000 households with submitting SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, formerly known as the Food Stamp Program) applications through our SNAP Outreach Program. However, more work needs to be done to solve hunger in coastal Mississippi, and you can help.

There are many ways you can join our local fight against hunger. First, please help us spread the message of the crisis of local hunger in our community.

Feeding the Gulf Coast can stretch $10 to provide 50 meals to our neighbors, so any donation you can offer to support our mission will effectively decrease hunger in our community.

Additionally, on Sept. 21, we are hosting Mississippi Chef Challenge in Biloxi, our first fundraiser in Mississippi. The goal is raise funds in support of our Mississippi programs, as well as raise awareness of local hunger. Chef Challenge guests will enjoy tastings of dishes from local chefs, live entertainment by the band Roman Street, a vast silent auction, as well as complimentary beer and wine.

Guests will also vote on their favorite dishes of the evening, and the overall winner will qualify for the World Food Championships in Orange Beach, Alabama! Tickets are $60 in advance or at the door.

We hope you will join us in the local fight against hunger any way you can! For more information about how you can help solve hunger in our community, please visit feedingthegulfcoast.org.

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16205 Lemoyne Blvd. Biloxi,, MS 39532 Tues-Fri 8:30am-6pm - Sat 9am-3pm

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Smile Gulf CoaSt Implant, Cosmetic & General Dentistry

At Smile Gulf Coast, we pride ourselves on caring for your physical and emotional well-being in a relaxing and friendly atmosphere.

In our practice, you will receive advanced and comprehensive dental care in total comfort.

Ross Buntyn, D.D.S. and “Randy” Buntyn, D.M.D. 1203 Government Street • Ocean Springs, MS 39564

228.875.3343

email: SmileTeam@SmileGulfCoast.com www.SmileGulfCoast.com