SWEERS POOL SERVICE KEEPS POOLS CLEAN AND SAFE

If you are anything like the rest of Florida, you probably have a pool in your backyard. If you are looking for someone to help take care of your pool, one Valrico local is ready to start cleaning.

Sweers Pool Service cares about keeping pools safe for the community and helping pool owners figure out the correct way to care for their pool. Because every pool is diferent, each pool is cared for individually based on its needs. Pool care is dependent on things like screens, location, size and landscaping. Sweers Pool Service strives to work with the pool owner and the details of the pool to create the perfect care plan.

Not only does Sweers Pool Service curate each pool’s cleaning plan to work on its individual needs, but it also keeps in contact with pool owners by emailing photos and details of each visit as well as sending alerts when needed to keep them informed.

Alan Sweers, owner of Sweers Pool Service, grew up in Valrico and has been cleaning pools since his early 20s. Pool service was his first job, and he worked

By Makenzie Atkins

in the industry for five years. Sweers then went on to work as a bartender and server up until the temporary closures in 2020. When looking for his next adventure, Sweers decided he wanted to start his own business.

After giving it some thought, he knew he wanted to help community members keep their pools safe and clean for their families. Sweers went to ‘pool school’ to earn his certification as a certified pool operator and began cleaning pools under his own business locally in 2021. Sweers Pool Service now operates in the Valrico, Bloomingdale and FishHawk areas.

“I love the interaction with the customers because we learn from each other,” said Sweers. “I strive to find the right balance for each customer based on their pool needs and provide for them a safe, worry-free pool for recreation and relaxation.”

To make an appointment for a free consultation, please call Sweers at 813-2936236 or email sweerspoolservice@gmail. com.

Veteran Todd Kane Owns Riverhills Shell Station On Lithia Pinecrest Road

Local Marine Corps veteran Todd Kane is nearing his five-year anniversary of owning the Riverhills Shell station located of Lithia Pinecrest Road. The Riverhills station is the only independently veteran-owned store in the area.

Kane served in the Marine Corps from 1993 to 2000 as a logistics clerk in the S4 ofce. During his seven years of service, he was responsible for helping organize deployments and loading aircrafts.

The veteran said the biggest challenge of owning his own convenience store is the constant demands of the job. He is responsible for monitoring and working at the store 19 hours a day and seven days a week, and he said that, even when he is of the clock, he continues to work to ensure the success of the Riverhills Shell station.

“If anything happens, I have to get up and go to the store. It’s just one of those things that it never turns of, even with the outstanding employees that I have,” said Kane.

Despite the demands of his job, Kane expressed gratitude for the dedication and hard work of his employees that help him manage the station.

By Lily Belcher

“I have phenomenal employees. I have employees that I can trust. I have employees that I give the ability to manage the store as they see fit during their time of work and, to me, it has given them the opportunity to see they can do it, and it has given me the ability to not to be at the store 24/7,” said Kane.

The convenience store is operated by Kane and his three employees, ofering sodas, snacks, alcohol, tobacco and more in addition to Shell fuel.

Kane urged members of the community to support locally owned and operated stores like his over the larger franchises.

“If you know that you have somebody in your area that you know is independently owned and operated or locally owned and operated, try to support them as much as possible,” said Kane.

The Riverhills Shell station is located at 4330 Lithia Pinecrest Rd. in Valrico. For more information on Kane’s store, visit the Facebook page at www.facebook.com/riverhillsshell or call 813-643-7809.

Tampa Bay Strikers And Head Coach Gramatica Gear Up For Inaugural Season

The Tampa Bay Strikers of the National Indoor Soccer League (NISL) kicked of their inaugural 16-game season in January. The team named former Buccaneers kicker and 2002 Super Bowl champion Martin Gramatica, head coach of both the men’s and women’s teams last July.

The team was one of two expansion teams added to the former three-team league after its first season in 2022. The Central Florida Crusaders in Orlando were the other team. Home games will be played at the Yuengling Center on the USF campus, and both teams are made up of roughly 20-25 athletes from the Tampa Bay area.

“When we started the search for our head coach, there were several qualities we were looking for in our candidates in addition to soccer experience: passion, leadership and a proven winning track record, plus someone committed to the Tampa Bay community,” Strikers co-owner Andrew Haines said in the introductory press conference in July 2022. “We feel Martin Gramatica has all of those characteristics and more.”

The 1997 Lou Groza Award winner jumped at the opportunity to coach the Strikers and is thrilled that the team will showcase local talent.

“Soccer is my passion,” said Gramatica.

“I’ve been around and involved with soccer my whole life, so I was very excited for the opportunity, especially coaching for my hometown. To be able to give our local kids a chance to play at a high level is exciting.”

The former kicker and soccer player is impressed with his players’ work ethic, competitiveness and technical skills but knows that it takes more than that to be successful.

“At the end of the day, I always tell the players that the X’s and O’s and technicality don’t matter if you don’t have heart and passion for the game,” he said. “I believe we have the right group for that.”

The Super Bowl champion’s goal is for both teams to win a championship.

“I’ve said this from day one for both

teams,

there’s no excuses,” he said. “That’s one of the rules we had with coach Dungy: no excuses, no explanation. I don’t care if we’re an expansion team, I don’t care if we don’t have an indoor facility to practice in. We’re going to go compete and we’re going to go win. That’s the bottom line, you play sports to win, you don’t go to participate. We’re not giving out participation medals. We’re going to do whatever it takes to try to win the championship.”

The team’s full home schedule can be found on their website, www.tbstrikers. com.