ryse magazine (feb/ march)

September/october 2011 $3.95 US

www.rYSemagazine.comFebruary/March 2012 $4.99 US

rYSemagazine.com

recognizing young successful executives & entrepreneurs

tipS For better

WorK liFe balance

DOING BUSINESS WITH B.O.B (BLACK OWNED BUSINESSES)

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Front-line Front-line Front-line proMotionS After nearly two decades, Pat Nix and Willie Fisher are still on top of the game

SPECIAL

ALL-STARWEEKEND

EDITION

2 RYSE MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 | WWW.RYSEMAGAZINE.COM 3

the readers of RYSE Magazine are young business Executives (ybE). ybEs are well-educated, ambi-tious go-getters, who strive to be the best in both their personal and professional lives. they excel at climbing the ladder in the corporate world, or at navigating unchartered paths as innovative and creative entrepreneurs.

ybEs are confi dent, cultured and know where they are going. they are community activists who pro-mote building wealth through social change. they are not afraid to express their opinions, but are always open to new ideas.

always keeping up with the current trends, ybEs earn a moderate to high disposable income and can be extravagant when it comes to enjoying the fi ner things in life. a suffi cient amount of ybEs income is spent on maintaining their homes with trendy furnishings, accessories, clothing, activities and events with those closest to them.

ybEs like to retain a sense of individuality within their groups, while understanding that true power lies in unity and collectivism. they live by mottos such as Quality rather than quantity and Each one, must reach one. Well-travelled, ybEs are likely to try exotic destinations, while not forgetting their normal native destinations.

they work smart, but play hard, making the transition appear seamless and effortless. young business Executives stand at the crossroads of change as a generation of ambitious, conscientious leaders and powerful voices within the communities they live.

YbEY O U N G B U S I N E S S E X E C U T I V E S

who wE ARE

JoiN ThE MovEMENT, gET coNNEcTED

Facebook.com/rysemagazine

Twitter.com/rysemagazinerosemonde cely of atlantic Justice Law group


FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012

f E AT u R E S

ContentsContents

Patrick Nix & Willie FisherShare how tenacity, perseverance and adaptability have allowed them to stay on top of their game for nearly two decades.PAGE 40


Coach Davis is the CEO/Founder of 3-D Consulting and has over 20 years of experience in the field of coaching and athletics. His professional career includes playing for the Houston Oilers, serving as a player advisor for the Denver Nuggets of the NBA, and being named the Head Coach of three National High School All-Star Basketball games. He is currently the Director of Boys Basketball and Head Varsity Basketball Coach at Trinity Prep in Winter Park.

Valerie Figueroa is an avid blogger on the topic of dating. Visit her Blog at: loveinfairytaleland.wordpress.com.

Devin Heflin is a feature writer and editor for the Orlando Times Newspaper. He is also the owner of Devin’s Ink Creative Services, a freelancing company that specializes in web articles, copywriting, blogging and marketing. For more information, contact him [email protected]

Alyssa Greenstein, RD, LD/N is a Registered Dietitian with Florida Dairy Farmers and the Dairy Council of Florida. Greenstein works with the Dairy Council of Florida to educate consumers and professionals on the importance and nutritional benefits of dairy products.

Alicia Mitchell is a storyteller. With a background and passion for broadcast journalism and public relations, “Lish” founded Mobile Mogul PR in 2010 where’s she able to live and flourish in the field she loves.

Dr. Harinath Sheela, MD is a practicing physician with The Digestive and Liver Center of Florida. He is a graduate of Yale University’s School of Medicine and has spent a significant amount of time in extensive basic and clinical research. Dr. Sheela’s practices interest include Inflammatory Bowel Diseases (IBD), Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, Metabolic and other liver disorders.

Denise Y. Mose, Ph.D is the owner/creator of Simply D Perfume and Beauty Skin Care Line. She is also the host of Urban America Today (www.myjbnonline.net). She is an authority on education, business, beauty/fashion, career coaching and etiquette. Her new book, The Guilt-Free Guide To Fashion, will be released summer 2011! You may visit her online at www.dymbeauty.com and www.danielformen.net.

Maria Genao-Homs is a multi-platform writer/producer with experience on award winning producing teams for both English and Spanish-language media. Genao-Homs is a member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists as well as the Society of Professional Journalists.

Susan Reddick is the owner of E & R One Stop, a document preparation company based out of Orlando, Fla.

Tracy Zampaglione, APR is public relations administrator for the Orange County Library Systems in Orlando; FL. Zampaglione has nearly 20 years’ experience in PR as well as led the communications function for A Capital City, a graduate-level university and regional environmental organization.

Shaquana T. Lynum formally affiliated with accounting firm Cross, Fernandez and Riley, LLP’s Lynum is a Certified Public Accountant and serves as a Managing Member of Thompson, Lynum & Associations, a full service accounting firm based out of Orlando Florida.

Tavia Record is an MBA/ MSBM 2012 Candidate in the DeVos Sport Business Management Program at the University of Central Florida (UCF). She is a former Division I full-athletic scholarship track & field athlete who served the UCF President’s Office as a university student ambassador on the President’s Leadership Council and is a 2 x Order of Pegasus Graduate Student Nominee, which is the highest distinction that a UCF student can receive.

CONTRIBUTORS


Special GueSt contributorS

RYSE would like to welcome our Special Guest Contributors, Mayor Buddy Dyer, City of Orlando Mayor & Gary Sain, President of Visit Orlando.


FebruarY/MarcH 2012

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D E P A R T M E N T S

9 A Word from the Publisher13 Ms. Know it All

Style14 Valentines’ Day Fashion tips

Fashion tips for ladies and mens

IN tHe NeWS16 RySe Magazine Secures

Unprecedented Distribution Agreement

ARtS AND eNteRtAINMeNt18 Valentine’s Day Gift Ideas

Fun and unique ideas for that special someone.

Book ClUB20 Ink that Will Make you think

ARtISt SpotlIGHt21 Cece teneal

WINe & DINe22 Draft Global Beer

lounge & Grill

24 Healthy, Wealthy and Wise Staying fit, making/saving money and being mentally healthy

MIND, BoDy AND SoUl26 Hebni Nutrition

The non-profit’s mission is to improve the health of a high-risk, culturally diverse population.

28 Facts and Fallacies About Digestive Diseases

30 the Best Foods to Fight the Flu

lIFeStyle32 tips for Better Work-life Balance

Beat burnout by discovering ways to devote more time to the activities and people that matter most to you.

loVe & HAppINeSS34 Finding Mr. Right

Quick tips to help you find that special person in your life.

tRAVel & leISURe36 Welcome to orlando

Special Guest Contributor Gary Sain, President of Visit Orlando

lIFeStyle38 the Gift of Meditation

Lessons learned from Oprah Winfrey

tRAIl BlAZeRS44 the legends of Basketball

Former NBA players transitioning to life off the court.

MoNey tAlkS46 tax tactics

What to Consider When Choosing a Tax Preparer RYSE Magazine

polItICAl poWeR48 All Star Weekend Comes

to Central Florida Mayor Dyer shares why All Star weekend means opportunity for Central Florida’s small business community

BUSINeSS SeNSe52 Doing Business with B.o.B

Why it’s important to support minority owned business

54 Rediscovering the public library Public libraries offer free resources for professionals and small businesses

It tAkeS A VIllAGe56 Former orlando Magic player

Adonal Foyle Shining his light through the Kerosene Lamp

60 youth on the RySe


Recognizing Young Successful Executives & Entrepreneurs

www.RySEMAgAziNE.coM

fEBRuARy/MARch 2012

Publisher/Editor in chiefJ. Jackson Sr.

Associate EditorsAshley Cisneros, Devin Hefl in,

Yolanda Baruch,

creative and Art Director StudioJones Graphic Design

contributing Photographer Nancy Jo Brown, 106FOTO

contributing writersAshley Cisneros, Alicia Mitchell,

Dr. Denise Y. Mose, Devin Hefl in,Tavia Record, Yolanda Baruch

Director of Marketing/Sales Jaconia Toyloy

Business Development Executive Timothy Stephens

Director of Special Promotions Natalie Hawthorne

Editorial intern Joni Fletcher

Advisory BoardDoug Hollis, Gerard Merritt,

Mark Glover, TK Walker, Ron Rodgers, Rosemonde Cely, Solomon Williams,

Samuel Lee, Steven Hall

RYSE Magazine ™is published bi-monthly by

The Words of Action Publishing, Inc.2100 Lee Rd. suite D

Winter Park, FL. [email protected] rights reserved

Visit the online digital edition of RYSE Magazine. In addition to online only extras, you can add bookmarks and

notes to features, send stories to friends and even click on links that

interest you while reading.

the online edition works on iphones and ipads, so take it with you

on the go.

c o N N E c T

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EEvERyoNE lovES A SuccESS SToRy, ThE SToRy of someone defying all odds and going against the grain to achieve their dreams, an underdog with the heart of a lion and the passion to move mountains. Someone, who based on their cir-cumstances, has every reason to fail, but simply refuses to do so. Whether they come from broken homes, poverty or lack a formal education, they refuse to be satisfied with the hand they were dealt and choose to create their own opportuni-ties and write their own destiny.

Millions of people tune in to watch shows like American Idol, America’s Got Talent, X Factor, The Voice, and similar shows that put an every-day individual with a God given talent against odds that are larger than life itself. Week after week, we watch and root for the underdog; the one, whose story and plight, touches our hearts the most. The show even adds to our compas-sion by sharing background stories of the contes-tants who had to overcome numerous obstacles and hurdles just too even make it to the point of being able to audition. This further adds to the dramatic conclusion of a winner being selected.

Consequently, if the person, who our heart-strings have been touched by, is not selected, we are dishearten and are quick to protest and pro-vide our opinion of disagreement. In our hearts we feel they deserve to succeed, even if they were not the most talented. We will spend days and exert immeasurable energy arguing our point with family members, co-workers, and friends.

Sadly, with all the interests that we have in others successfully achieving their dreams, the harsh reality is that we are more fascinated in their success more so than our own. We spend countless hours being entertained by magazines, books, reality shows, and movies that chronicle others living their dreams, while our own dreams sit quietly on the shelf collecting dust.

My question to you is, “How successful can you be if you believe in yourself as much as you believe in your favorite contestants on American Idol? As much as you believed in the stories of the underdogs of the entertainment industry or busi-ness world who have found room in your heart as a result of the struggle they overcame to succeed.

Please don’t get me wrong, I am in no way try-ing to take anything away from the numerous

individuals throughout history who have defied all odds and achieved success. As you thumb through the pages of RYSE, you will see exam-ples of individuals who show us by example that it can be done. My point is simply this: When are we going to start realizing that we too have the power to dream; we too have the ability to take action towards those dreams, and we too have the talent to successfully achieve those dreams?

So next time you’re watching one of those shows and rooting for the underdog, who unfor-tunately gets prematurely eliminated; a defeat that will surely amount to the end of the world for them, [at least in your eyes.] Remember this, they are pursuing their dreams. The question remains, “Are you pursuing yours?”

“Action” J. Jackson Sr.Publisher/Editor in Chief RYSE Magazine

“Action” J. Jackson Sr.

Pursue YOUR DreamsA Word from the Publisher

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Recognizing Young Successful Executives & Entrepreneurs

www.RySEMAgAziNE.coM

FoR oUR ReADeRS

to SUBSCRIBeRYSE Magazine is printed bi-monthly by

Words of Action, Inc.

To subscribe, visitRYSEMagazine.com

letteRS to tHe eDItoRRYSE Magazine wants to hear from you. Letters to the editor should be addressed

to:RYSE Magazine

2100 Lee Rd. Suite D Winter Park, FL. 32789

Attn: J. Jackson Sr.

Your letters to the editor can also be sent online by visiting RYSE Magazine

To be considered for publication, letters must include the name, address, and phone

number of the sender. Because of limited space, letters should not be unduly long.

Letters may be edited to meet space, clarity and/or style requirements.

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advertise your business, products or services

in RYSE Magazine, please call our office at

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You can also contact Tim Stephens at

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FoR MoRe INFoRMAtIoNFor more information on additional services,

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RYSE (Rise): [rahyz] – noun; to elevate or increase in rank, status, position, reputation, fortune, influence, or power.

Go to RYSEMagazine.com to subscribe today!

12 RYSE MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY/MARCH 201212 RYSE MAGAZINE | FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012


it all

Ms.Know

Dear Ms. Waiting to Exhale, This is an easy one for me because before I got married I considered myself to be a professional dater. I believe I had dating down to a science. First of all, you have got it all wrong. You need to stop sitting there waiting on the phone to ring and be proac-tive. You fi rst have to remember that a woman has to fi nd a man that loves here twice as much as she loves him. You see I believe that women know how to love harder than men, so if you love him just half as much as he loves you, then you might end up with an equal amount. Most women know how to love, but sometimes men have to be taught how to love. That usually starts at home when they are boys and their mothers have to teach them affection. Once they are men, as a woman you can then refi ne how you want them to love you and slowly teach them how

YOU need to be treated. Some men are open to it and some men will never get it. Next, what you should do is go out with the person that really wants to spend time with you. A man that really wants to see you will call you a week in advance and ask to take you to dinner next week. Now that man really thinks something of you because the man that just calls and says, “Hey what are you doing” doesn’t really want to be with you, he’s just calling because he doesn’t have any-thing else to do. Basically you are an afterthought and the person that he really wants to see doesn’t have time for him so he calls his standby per-son. Remember that if he calls and you don’t even get dinner or a movie out of the deal, then he is just mak-ing a “booty call.” You may not like the guy who called a week in advance as much as the “Bad News Guy”, but

you will get a chance to get out, dress up and have a nice dinner. Don’t even think that you are using the other guy because if you spend enough time with a nice guy that treats you right, even-tually you will see that light and hope-fully say, this is the guy that should really be “My Friend with Benefi ts.” I hope this helps you with your dat-ing game, just remember that you got it going on and that a man should be glad that you are spending time with him. My nugget for the day is “spend time with the one who really wants to be with you and stop holding out for someone that just might be out of your reach.” Everything that looks good at really good for you. So go ahead and exhale and remember that you got it going on.

Have a question for Ms. Know it All? Send them to [email protected]. Your question maybe selected for our next issue of RYSE Magazine.

I have this guy that I really like but sometimes I’m not sure if he likes me the same way. We go out sometimes and we are friends with benefi ts, but I want more. I was hoping with Valentine’s Day coming up that would be my opportunity to let him know that I want more. I have been trying to keep that date open just in case he calls me for a date. What do you think I should do?

Signed,Waiting for my chance to exhale

Signed,Ms. Know It All

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1. Yes, everyone is going to wear red, but you don’t have to. Consider a soft pink cocktail dress or a traditional LBD (Little Black Dress) with a killer red necklace accented with stiletto heels. Keep in mind that your outfit needs to look perfect at the beginning of the evening all the way until the night is over.

2. Avoid heavy make-up! You are going out at night and the restaurant will be dimly lit. Stick to soft hues around the eyes and clear lip gloss only. No red lipstick!

3. Hair! Whatever you do, make sure it compliments the outfit. A nice up-do is always fun or a cute bob cut to show off that radiant neck of yours.

4. Nails: get them done. The ”tried and true” French Manicure wins every time. This is not the night to explore with the fire engine red nails. Less is more.

1. Yes, ladies love roses, but please be more creative than that. My suggestion is a small mesh bag of silver Hershey’s Chocolate kisses. It’s unique and you might get your own kiss!

2. Wardrobe. Ok, this is dinner, so you need to look amazing. Trust me, she will! So, you don’t have to wear a tie; just make sure your trousers fit nicely. The jacket should flatter your arms and chest. A nice ironed shirt under-neath is an added bonus.

3. Please visit the barber-shop 24 hours before your date. This gives you plenty of time to get any extra hair off of you or on your clothes. Women will notice!

4. Guess what? Get your nails cleaned and washed. I did not say a manicure, but those folks are in busi-ness for a reason. Go see them, quickly.

IN STYLE

Valentines’ Day Fashion tips


We often find ourselves making difficult decisions: Lipstick or no Lipstick? Tie or no tie? Pumps or stilettos? When it comes to fashion we can all use a little inspiration. Valentine’s Day is the one night of the year where your wardrobe must be perfect! Whether this is a “date night” for you and your special person or it’s a time-honored tradition to the seasoned couples out there, you need to look fabulous! So, to my men and women, pay close attention. The Doctor is in…

By DR. DENiSE y. MoSE

laDieS tipS: Men’S tipS:

SPEciAl TiP: For the men and women out there, your night would not be complete without the perfect fragrance. Visit www.denisemose.com to purchase your latest bottle of Simply D Perfume and www.danielformen.net to purchase a bottle of Daniel. The doctor has spoken and now it’s time to take my fashion tips and make this Valentine’s Day the best ever!


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IN THE NEWS

oN ocToBER 1, 2011, RySE MAgAziNE partnered with the City of Orlando and Dr. Angela Fals, Medical Director of Florida Hospital “Healthy 100 Kids Program,” in an effort to bring awareness to childhood obesity and juvenile diabetes in Central Florida by hosting the city’s first annual ‘Walk It Out’ 5K Walk/ Run & Zumba-thon fundraiser. Buddy Dyer, Mayor of the City of Orlando, commended the health awareness initiative of RYSE Magazine and issued a proclamation officially proclaiming Saturday, October 1, 2011 as “RYSE Magazine Walk It Out Day.”

Since the 1970s the rate of childhood obe-sity in our country has tripled and today a third of American children are overweight or

obese. This dramatic rise threatens to have far-reaching long-term effects on our chil-dren’s health, livelihood, and future.

The walk was held at Harbor Park in Bald-win Park, which brought in more than 400 participants. Talitha Vickers of NBC WESH 2 News, served as the special guest host.

After the race, attendees had the option to partake in numerous activities like raffle prize drawings, entertainment for children, free health screenings, nutritional education, fitness training for adult and youth, physical activities for youth and child, anti-bullying and self defense demonstrations which were sponsored by Advanced Diagnostic Group, Fulmore Chiropractic, Costco Wholesale, New

rYSe Magazine Secures unprecedented Distribution agreementYOU CAN NOW PICK UP THE LATEST ISSUE OF RYSE MAGAZINE ON NEWSSTAND AT BARNES AND NOBLES AND BOOKS A MILLION THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF FLORIDA By yolANDA BARuch


Life Hope Foundation, Central Flor-ida Urban League, Crawford Designs Promotion and Printing, and Gospel Now Magazine.

With the success of the first 5K Run/Walk under its belt, RYSE has achieved unprecedented success in less than six months of operation. Off the heels of their initial launch of RYSE magazine’s premier issue that was unveiled in grand style at the North Club Lounge within the Amway Center. Sponsored in part by the Orlando Magic and was hosted by Star 94.5 Radio Personality Monica May, the unveiling boasted an audience of 600 plus attendees which included leaders in business, the com-munity, and local politicians. Through the release of its second edition, which highlighted 25 young Attorneys and Firms in Central Florida, RYSE man-aged to secure a distribution agreement that will have the publication on news-stands in Barnes and Nobles and Books a Million throughout the state of Flor-ida. The magazine can also be found on newsstands within the Orlando Inter-national Airport.

This exceptional accomplishment has made RYSE, the only African

American publication that is locally owned, to be distributed throughout the state of Florida. “The overwhelm-ing response that we received after the launch just proved that there was a void in the market not being filled,” says J. Jackson, Publisher of the publi-cation. “We received calls not just from people throughout the state requesting copies and thanking us for the platform we are providing, but also from people in other states considering relocating to

Florida. It just proves that this is more than a magazine, but a movement and that RYSE is truly on the rise.”

RYSE Magazine captures a niche market that is rapidly growing. Sta-tistics from the 2010 US Census show that Florida now has the second larg-est population of African Americans in the nation, a 28.4% increase from 2000 statistics. RYSE Magazine plans to be a resource to this rapidly emerging middle class.

For more information about RySe magazine, please visit www.rysemagazine.com to view the digital edition of previous issues, order an annual subscription and to receive information on upcoming sponsored events.


Valentine’s Day Gift ideasLOOKING FOR THE PERFECT VALENTINE’S DAY GIFT?HERE ARE SOME FUN AND UNIQUE IDEAS FOR THAT SPECIAL SOMEONE. By JoNi flETchER

52 wEEkS of RoMANcEDon’t just celebrate one day, enjoy 52 weeks of romance! This game comes in a radiant black silk pouch and is filled with great romantic ideas for you and your partner. There are 52 amazing ideas so that you can enjoy a new and exciting adventure once a week for one entire year. $19.95, www.romanticintimategifts.com ThE 5 lovE

lANguAgESEveryone has a love language, find yours this Valentine’s Day with the 5 love languages: the Secret to love that lasts. A New York Times bestseller that shows you and your partner how to find the best way to express your love for one another. $14.99, www.5lovelanguages.com

ScANDlE: A BoDy MASSAgE cANDlEGive a gift of relaxation this Valentine’s Day. This delightful fragrant soy candle melts into a soothing body lotion suitable for skin care or a soothing massage oil. Scandle works equally as a room-enhancing scent and as an aromatherapy soy lotion for your skin. $35.95, www.abodycandle.com

lovE iS ART Take your intimacy to another level this Valentine’s Day. love is Art is a kit that comes with everything a couple needs to make a tangible piece of abstract art while being intimate with one another. When all is done, you will have a special painting that can be stretched, framed, or hung on the wall. Love is art founder Jeremy Brown says, “Art takes patience, dedication, practice, creativity, an open mind, and an open heart...so does love. Love is art.” The kit includes one 80” x 90” plastic surface sheet, 54” x 41” specially treated non-allergenic white cotton canvas, a 4 ounce bottle of specially formulated black, non-toxic washable paint, two pairs of disposable paper slippers, and one custom body scrubber. $60.00, www.loveisartkit.com

A BED of RoSESMake a date for Valentine’s Day and bring along this romantic gift, for a fun and memorable evening. Everything you need is included inside this black satin pouch set. A Bed of Roses includes a special invitation card, four tea light candles, rose-scented bubble bath, chocolate warming massage oil, a hand held massager and over 250 scented red silk rose petals. $40.00, www.holiday-gifts-gift-baskets.com

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT


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Superhuman Performance (volume I &II)Darrayl and Derrick MilesYou have a unique Gift: a special ability that allows you to perform with superhuman power. A gift once realized that will lead to your ultimate assignment and purpose. This book series weaves the personal insights and applications from top entrepreneurs, executives, and faith-based leaders on how to live a within the cone of excitement, anticipation and purpose. You will learn how to reclaim your sense of wonder, replacing worry with hope—fear with faith. Now is the time to move beyond the mundane of mediocrity and master your domain. Let your journey begin.

price: $19.99page Count: 125 pagespoint of purchase: www.superhumanperformance.com

The Illusion of CertaintyGreg MesselThe Illusion of Certainty follows two parallel storylines. Marc is a successful businessman who seems to have everything—a great job, a beautiful wife, a house in an upscale neighborhood of Portland, Oregon and two great kids who are preparing for college. But something is not right. Marc is unsettled by the sudden change in his wife, Aimee, who seems distant and unhappy. What’s going on with her?

The second storyline involves a successful young attorney, Alexandra Mattson. Alex, as she is called by her friends, meets a handsome young cop, Sean, during an unexpected crisis in her neighborhood. Sean and Alex seem made for each other and begin to merge their futures in a world of uncertainty.

price: $14.99 for softcover and $2.99 for iBook, Nook or kindle editions

page Count: 430 pages

point of purchase: www.gregmessel.com

BOOK CLUB

Are you an author who would like your book featured in our Book Club? Visit RYSEMagazine.com to submit the required information.Due to space limitations, not all submissions will be selected.

WIN! The top 35 Tips for Today’s EntrepreneurDenise Y. Mose, Ph.DEveryone loves to WIN. Winning connotes a competitive spirit, a rise to the top, and that supreme feeling of accomplishment. Mankind has posted gains throughout history and these exemplify the victory of a WIN! So... “What are we winning in this book?” This book uses the benchmarks of Health, Wealth and Success as three targets for Winning. We have therefore included a select group of people who have surmounted the pinnacle of these lofty peaks ...men and women that can look back down the mountain and say, “I did it!” The chapters in this book give you inside traits, habits and actions of successful achievers in an enjoyable read. If you have a desire to join them, you can read, scrutinize and copy the methods and thinking that these WINNERS have developed to help get you there. Each chapter is characterized by focus, discipline and substance. BE A WINNER!!!

price: $19.95page Count: 315point of purchase: www.danielformen.net and www.amazon.com

Ink That Will Make You Think

The Illusion

WIN! The top 35 Tips for

The time to support our local talent is not after they have made it to the top of the ladder of success. It is while they are working hard to pull themselves up the rungs when they need our support the most.

Are you a Singer, Songwriter, Poet, or Speaker who would like to be featured in our Artist Spotlight? Contact RYSE Magazine at [email protected]

ArtistSpotlightneo-blues singer cece teneal released her debut album “train from osteen” october 18th, 2011. although this is her first official release, cece is by no means a stranger to music. With a passionate, soulful voice inherited from her mother, cece began to express her talent at church and in her home from the tender age of six. Each time cece was handed a microphone, her voice echoed with an invigorat-ing resonance—remark-able and unprecedented for someone of her years.

In 2003, cece moved to orlando, Florida to pursue her music career, taking over a weekly event she dubbed “sunday night Live”, and win-ning the heart of audiences who could not get enough of her voice. When the own-ers of b.b. king’s blues club caught wind of her talent, they hired her on the spot as the leading vocalist of b.b. king’s all- star band.

In 2009 and 2010, cece teneal was awarded the orlando hip hop award for best Female singer and in 2011 best art-ist at the 1st annual black tie & bbQ gala. cece has also appeared on the national television show the Daily buzz and more

recently, performed for president barack obama at the Victory Fund reception in orlando.

cece’s sound and energy rate second to none, all of which is evident on “train from osteen.” the music on this album transcends cultural and generational barriers. With a healthy blend of both soothing and exciting sounds, cece cre-ates music that gives listeners a truly special experience. she has been dubbed the “Voice of neo-blues” and opened for various national recording

artists including regina belle, Miki howard, Donnell Jones and b.b.king, as well as sharing the stage with Zac harmon and grammy award Winner buddy guy.

to stay connected with cece teneal please visit www.ceceteneal.com or facebook.com/cecetenealmusic.

cece Teneal



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WINE & DINE

Draft Global beer lounge & Grill RESTAURANT REVIEW

DRAfT gloBAl BEER louNgE AND Grill sits directly across the street from the $480 million Amway Cen-ter. The bar features 40 draft beers and over 60 different craft bottle beers, but equally as impressive as the selection of beers, was the menu selections available. For my appetizer, I decided to order the Spicy Draft Wings. When my order arrived, I quickly realized I had made a great choice. The meaty wings were seasoned with a spe-cial mix of spices, deep fried to a perfect golden brown, and covered with a sweet and tangy Buffalo-style sauce. (These details I later learned from the head chef) For my main course, I ordered the Drunked Chicken. A beer braised ½ chicken served with a Chimichurri sauce over gorgonzola mashed potatoes and chefs seasonal vegetables. I was absolutely amazing.Other menu items include Crispy Calamari, Wagyu Beef Sliders, Jumbo Lump Crab Cake Sliders, and Specialty Spring Rolls. Flat Bread options include the Margar-

ita which is roasted tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, fried basil on toasted flat bread, or the Steakhouse which is hand cut Rib-eye, sautéed garlic spinach, caramelized blue cheese on a toasted flat bread, just to name a few. Burger selections include The Draft Burger—fresh ground 1/2# Angus beef, fried pickles, roasted tomato, sharp cheddar cheese on a fresh baked brioche bun and the A.M. BURGER—Fresh ground 1/2# Angus beef, bacon, fried egg and sharp aged cheddar on A fresh baked brioche bun. The menu items are all reasonably priced. In addition to the restau-rant, because of its strategic loca-tion in downtown Orlando, Draft serves as a great lounge before and after games and concerts. The venue hosts various nights with different themes in an effort to attract a diverse clientele. Whether for lunch or Dinner, Draft is an excellent choice for anyone looking for that downtown experience with-out the parking hassles and the high prices.

Draft global Beer lounge and grill301 / 333 West Church StreetOrlando, Florida 32801 Tel: 407-826-1872

NHealthy,WealthyWiseand

STAYING FIT, MAKING/SAVING MONEY AND BEING MENTALLY HEALTHYBY COACH DAVID DAVIS

Now that the holiday season is behind us, you may be making some resolutions for the new year to get healthy—especially when it comes to food intake. Let’s take a look at how we can stay “Healthy, Wealthy and Wise” during 2012.HEALTHY: When talking about health, two words come to mind: obese and over-weight. The two words are often confused with each other. Obese refers to excess fat. Overweight refers to excess weight. Although there are certain things we can do to prevent, or manage, both, individually they can cause different problems. Because obesity deals with excess fat, it can lead to coronary heart disease, diabe-tes, and hypertension. Being overweight can lead to depression, high blood pres-sure and pain in your joints. Actually, doctors have found that you can be over-weight and your heart is in good shape. On the other hand, obesity directly affects the heart because of the excess fat.

There are a few things that we can do to control both; proper diet and exercise. I was amazed last year when I went in for a check-up only to fi nd that I had a high level of cholesterol. I immediately made a “slight” change to my eating hab-its. Being a country boy from Western North Carolina, I had never met a piece of bacon I didn’t like, so this was considered extreme for me. No extra salt, com-bination of fats and sugars and diet soda. (Yes, I said “nasty tasting” diet soda!)

How committed am I? When I feel the need for a cocktail, I have my liquor mixed with diet soda! Not to mention how broccoli became one of my favorite dishes. It was unbelievable how much better I felt after only a few months just by doing this.

When I was younger and extremely active in sports, I never had to worry about the exercising portion of staying healthy. It was a given benefi t from staying active. As we get older, we need to make sure that we make arrange-ments to get proper exercise. Something as small as taking the stairs at work,

For more information on obesity and being overweight, visit http://www.diffen.com/difference/Obesity_vs_OverweightCoach Davis can be contacted at [email protected]


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Healthy,

SPORTS & RECREATION


walking in the neighbor-hood, or while watching tele-vision do sit-ups/pushups when a commercial break comes on. This will help off-set the calories that our bod-ies have stored that can lead to health problems.

So, it is not necessar-ily how much you eat but WHAT you eat and the regi-ment of your day to burn off the intake.

wEAlThy: Staying, and looking healthy can also increase your chances to gain/keep employment. In today’s society, when corpo-rations hire, they consider the health of the potential employee. Because of insur-ance issues, they want to make sure that there are no pre-existing health issues before they hire you. Some may have you complete a health physical during the

are healthy by giving them memberships to gyms, or allowances to join one. It’s a no brainer, being HEALTHY can contribute to us being WEALTHY.

wiSE: As I mentioned, I have been an athlete all my life. Because of the physi-cal training I was doing, my diet had never been an issue. But, I had to get WISE and change some things. Diet being one, and also making a conscious effort to exer-cise, being the other. You also have to consider your

interview process. Some jobs may require you to do a lot of walking, or lifting, so being in shape definitely helps. Also, corporations will not tell you this, but they want you to pass the “eye test.” They ask themselves, “Does this potential employee “LOOK” healthy? Looking healthy does go a long way when being considered for a job. Is that right? Maybe not, but companies are more apt to hire people who look healthy. I know of companies that will go the extra mile to make sure their employees

DNA. Heart disease and diabetes were prevalent in my family and I have had family members die because of them. Genetics is one thing you cannot change. They do make a difference in how you should live your life. I got WISE and made it a point to take my genes into consideration while stay-ing healthy.

With the New Year, come resolutions and wishes. My wish is that the RYSE fam-ily does me a favor and: Get WISE: Check family his-tory. Be more aware of what you eat and start an exer-cise regimen.

Get HEALTHY: Elimi-nate the combinations of sugars and fats and salt intake. Go whole wheat!

By doing these two thing every day, you can add time to your life and make you, and your family WEALTHY!

it is not necessarily how much you eat but WHat you eat and the regiment of your day to burn off the intake.

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MIND, BODY AND SOUL

the staff at hebni nutrition consultants, Inc. is committed to crafting a culture of commitment among their clients, in the areas of nutritional value, health, wellness and the introduction of

firmer dietary systems.

Formed in 1995, Hebni Nutrition Consultants Inc., operates as a community centered non-profit organization with the set mission to improve the health of a high-risk, culturally diverse population by providing comprehensive nutritional information about healthy strategies in hopes to prevent diet- related diseases

By DEviN hEfliN

HhEART DiSEASE, DiABETES AND hyPER-tension are the three reasons roniece Weaver, Fabiola gaines, and Ellareetha carson, all registered dieticians, decided to collaborate together to establish the nutrition themed organization. the health-centered triumvirate banded their knowl-edge of nutrition to promote healthier liv-ing, dining and exercising with a shared goal to reach out to communities of color. gaines states, “back then we didn’t have the materials to get started. We devel-oped culturally sensitive materials and our caucasian associates helped us in edu-cating members of our communities. but they needed something to work with and we were able to set up the pyramid strat-egy.” as seen on their company’s website, hebni’s “soul Food pyramid” is designed to show the african-american population where traditional ethnic or “soul” foods fall in the food pyramid. the soul Food pyra-mid has been given nationally exposure

through its use in hebni’s conferences and educational programs including usage by pharmaceutical companies.

those that have worked in health fields or have participated in health seminars are familiar with the U.s Department of agri-culture’s Food pyramid. the hebni trio created the soul Food pyramid, which is a triangular chart solely targeted at the dietary habits of african-americans. the general perception that most african-americans hold an apathetic attitude towards their food consumption also gave the women an added reason to hold com-munity presentations on proper nutrition in areas where health related issues are prevalent. the opportunity to bring this idea to fruition came when they were able to move into a building located on West central boulevard near the citrus bowl, there they were able to host programs and counseling for little or no charge to the tar-geted community.

Hebni nutrition

L-R, The staff of Hebni Nutrition

Consultants, Inc: Glen R. Providence,

Ellareetha Carson, Roniece

Weaver, Fabiola Gaines and

Lindy Snyder.


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“We realized that we needed to con-centrate on our population so we were so excited to be in this building because this area has the highest incidence of heart disease, diabetes, and hyperten-sion. There is no excuse not to come through our doors, anybody can walk in and we will see them,” says Gaines.

As an example, the Centers for Dis-ease Control (CDC) estimated that there are 25.8 million Americans that have been affected by diabetes, comprising 8.3 percent of the total population. Of that number, African-Americans and Hispanics embodied 12.6 percent and 11.8 percent of that diagnosed populace. Weaver observes,

“At the time when we first formed, we were a for-profit organization and a lot of people couldn’t afford the ser-vices of a dietician and that still stands true today. We’re kind of the last per-son that a patient or a client will see. They’ll see the doctor, they’ll see the nurse but they won’t go see a dietician, but sometimes if you look at the big pic-ture they ought to realize that we are the first person that they should see. Their health issues are really tied to their dietary issues and if they would change that, many of them would visit the physician’s office for prevent-able ailments.”

The lack of knowledge and the sig-nificant health issues plaguing the African-American and the Hispanic communities are some of the chal-lenges that Weaver, Gaines and Carson face in their organization. Courtesy of seminars, cooking courses and healthy eating venues, they use the arm of edu-cation to advertise fitness alternatives. The company emanated in the home of Roniece Weaver and has expanded to an office that shares land with St. John Missionary Baptist Church, one of sev-eral churches that the three have pro-vided program access.

Weaver explains, “Sometimes the capacity doesn’t fit here in the facility and we may have to take our programs

to the schools where we are. But we are known in the community for several things, the cooking demonstrations and the nutritional education. The nutri-tion educational tools are pamphlets that we’ve developed as well. We are always in the mode of developing cul-turally sensitive hands on sessions. Our biggest benefit is instead of talk-ing all the time, we show you. That is really what sets us apart from others. “Schools and especially the churches have played a considerable part in the growth of Hebni Nutrition. Pastor Fra-zier of St. John M.B.C. is on their Board of Directors and they have held demon-strations in about 90% of the churches in the area. “It is amazing how many of our senior citizen groups say they are doing better based on the health guidelines that we teach them. We try to work with all the populations, par-ticularly the seniors and children,” affirms Carson.

The trio has also directed their con-certed efforts in developing nutritional programs geared toward minority chil-dren with the goal of decreasing child-hood obesity, an issue plaguing com-munities of color across the country. Hebni is successfully making strides in empowering kids to get in the kitchen through dietary changes and exciting culinary experiences. Their program

titled K.Y.D.S. Take Charge! (Keep Your Diet Straight) is very popular in the Orange County School System and multiple community centers.

Weaver, Gaines, and Carson, have made considerable innovative strides in the growth of their newly completed Nutrition Resource Center that houses four commercial test kitchens. As a result of additions, this has given them the opportunity to expand their reach further into the public, an effort sup-ported and recognized by multiple community partners and the City of Orlando who awarded them a Com-munity Development Block Grant. The women have also been granted chari-table funds from the Darden Founda-tion, the Blue Foundation of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida and Florida Hospital’s Community Impact Council. Yet, considering America’s current aus-tere economic condition, obtaining con-tinued outside funding is now a chal-lenge to sustain the operation. “We’re in an era where most of those grant dol-lars are drying up. So we really need individuals and organizations to come and use our resources to educate their employees, patients, and customers, in order for us to stay above water. We’ve been able to survive for this long and we hope, that with assistance, we can continue to stay strong,” says Gaines.

“our biggest goal is instead of talking all the time we show you; that really sets us apart from everybody else.”

The staff interacts and prepares for an upcoming seminar.

—Roniece Weaver

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MIND, BODY AND SOUL

Facts and Fallacies about

By DR. hARiNATh ShEElA MD

Digestive DiseasesTHE diGESTivE SYSTEMResearchers have only recently begun to understand the many, often complex diseases that affect the digestive system. Accordingly, people are gradually replacing folklore, old wives’ tales, and rumors about the causes and treatments of digestive diseases with accurate, up-to-date information. But mis-understandings still exist, and while some folklore is harmless, some can be dangerous if it keeps a person from correctly prevent-ing or treating an illness. Listed below are some common misconceptions about diges-tive diseases, followed by the facts as profes-sionals understand them today.

UlcERSSpicy food and stress cause stomach ulcers.

FAlSEThe truth is, almost all stomach ulcers are caused either by infection with a bacterium called Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) or by use of pain medications such as aspirin, ibupro-fen, or naproxen, the so-called nonsteroidal anti-inflamma-tory drugs (NSAIDs). Most H. pylori-related ulcers can be cured with antibiotics. NSAID-induced ulcers can be cured with time, stomach-protective medications, antacids, and avoidance of NSAIDs. Spicy food and stress may aggravateulcer symptoms in some people, but they do not cause ulcers. Ulcers can also be caused by cancer.

HEARTbURNSmoking a cigarette helps relieve heartburn.

FAlSEActually, cigarette smoking contributes to heartburn. Heart-burn occurs when the lower esophageal sphincter (LES)—a muscle between the esophagus and stomach—relaxes, allow-ing the acidic contents of the stomach to splash back into the esophagus. Cigarette smoking causes the LES to relax.

boWEl REGUlARiTYBowel regularity means a bowel movement every day.

FAlSEThe frequency of bowel movements among normal, healthy people varies from three a day to three a week, and some perfectly healthy people fall outside both ends of this range.

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coNSTiPATioNHabitual use of enemas to treat constipation is harmless.

FAlSEHabitual use of enemas is not harmless. Over time, ene-mas can impair the natural muscle action of the intes-tines, leaving them unable to function normally. An ongo-ing need for enemas is not normal; you should see a doctor if you find yourself relying on them or any other medica-tion to have a bowel movement.

iRRiTAblE boWEl SYNdRoME Irritable bowel syndrome is a disease.

TRUEIrritable bowel syndrome is a disease, although it is also called a functional disorder. Irritable bowel syndrome involves a problem in how the muscles in the intestines work, as well as pain perception in the bowel. It is char-acterized by gas, abdominal pain, and diarrhea or consti-pation, possibly both. Although the syndrome can cause considerable pain and discomfort, it does not damage the digestive tract as organic diseases do. Also, irritable bowel syndrome does not lead to more serious digestive diseases later, such as cancer.

divERTicUloSiSDiverticulosis is a serious but uncommon problem.

FAlSEActually, the majority of Americans over age 60 have diver-ticulosis, but only a small percentage have symptoms or complications. Diverticulosis is a condition in which little sacs or out-pouchings called diverticula develop in the wall of the colon. These sacs tend to appear and increase in num-ber with age. Most people have no symptoms and learn that they have diverticula after an x ray or intestinal examina-tion. Less than 10 percent of people with diverticulosis ever develop complications such as an infection (diverticulitis), bleeding, or perforation of the colon.

iNFlAMMAToRY boWEl diSEASEInflammatory bowel disease is caused by psychological problems.

FAlSEInflammatory bowel disease is the general name for two diseases that cause inflammation in the intestines, Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The cause of the disease is unknown, but researchers speculate that it may be a virus or bacteria interacting with the body’s immune system. No evidence has been found to support the theory that inflam-matory bowel disease is caused by tension, anxiety, or any other psychological factor or disorder.

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MIND, BODY AND SOUL

the best Foods to Fight the FluBy AlySSA gREENSTEiN, RD, lD/N

Preparing for the flu season is very important for parents during this time. Bottles of disinfectant for the hands, disinfectant spray, and remedies for flu fill the shelves of stores, giving us the impression to be preparing for the arrival of a large storm.

The annual war against the army bacteriological is not waged only on our hands and faces, but according to health experts, it all starts with what you eat. Studies have shown that certain foods and nutrients associated with them have the property of increasing the body’s ability to combat the common cold and other severe diseases. The good news is that all these foods can be found in any healthy diet list, so you can enjoy throughout the year:

The skin is the first line of defense of the body against germs and requires a large amount of vitamin A to maintain its protection. In addition to the orange vegetables, like sweet potatoes, vitamin A is also found in regular and chocolate milk.

By implementing some of the suggested foods above, you will be taking the necessary precautionary steps to ensure protection of yourself and family against the potential seasonal cold or flu infection. For more information on what to do if you get sick with the flu and how to care for someone at home who is sick with the flu. Please visit www.cdc.gov and contact your primary care physician.

oATSContains one type of fiber that has anti-bacterial properties. Apparently, you can accelerate wound healing and help antibiotics to work more effectively.

fiShAlready recommended for its healthy proper-ties for the heart, is also rich in a mineral that helps white blood cells to eradicate the flu from his body. Many types of fish are rich in fatty acids “Omega-3”, which can help protect your lungs from respira-tory infections.

MilkRich in zinc, a min-eral that helps in the generation of white blood cells, which destroy bacteria and viruses present in the body. Zinc is one of the minerals that is absent in most diets, therefore, you should drink more milk with meals.

yoguRTThe best known of all foods that helps to fight influenza. As an excel-lent source of probiotic, yogurt contains “good bacteria” that helps to maintain controlled “bad bacteria” found in the digestive system.

SwEET PoTAToESRich in vitamin A, which helps increase your body’s ability to combat germs from the outside inward.

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BEAT BURNOUT BY DISCOVERING WAYS TO DEVOTE MORE TIME TO THE ACTIVITIES AND PEOPLE THAT MATTER MOST TO YOU.By JEN uSchER

tips for better Work-life balancetips for better

LIFESTYLE

1Build downtime into your schedule.When you plan your week, make it a point to schedule time with your family and friends and activities that help you recharge.

If a date night with your spouse or a softball game with friends is on your calendar, you’ll have some-thing to look forward to and an extra incentive to manage your time well so you don’t have to cancel.

“It helps to be proactive about scheduling,” says Laura Stack, a productivity expert in Denver and author of SuperCompetent: The Six Keys to Perform at Your Productive Best. “When I go out with my girlfriends, we all whip out our cell phones and put another girls’ night out on the calendar for one month later,” she says.

Stack also plans an activity with her family—like going to a movie or the park—every Sunday after-noon. “We do this because if there’s nothing on the schedule, time tends to get frittered away and the weekend may end without us spending quality time together,” she says.

Michael Neithardt, an actor and television com-mercial producer in New York City, wakes up three hours before he has to leave for work so he can go for a run and spend some time with his wife and baby.

If you’re feeling overworked and fi nding it more challenging than ever to juggle the demands of your job and the rest of your life, you’re not alone.

“A lot of people are having a more diffi cult time fi nding balance in their lives because there have been cutbacks or layoffs where they work. They’re afraid it may happen to them, so they’re putting in more hours,” says psychologist Robert Brooks, PhD, co-author of The Power of Resilience: Achieving Balance, Confi dence, and Personal Strength in Your Life.

“But even if you don’t have much control over the hours you have to work, you can ask yourself: In what other ways am I bringing greater enjoyment into my life?” Brooks says. “Focus your time and attention on things you can control.”

Here are fi ve ways to bring a little more balance to your daily routine:

5


“You have to make a

little time for the things that ignite your joy.”

“A lot of my friends tend to wake up, shower, and go straight to work. And they often complain about having no time to do anything,” he tells WebMD in an e-mail. “I find that if I can get those three hours in the morning, I have a more productive and peaceful workday. I can sure tell the difference when I don’t.”

2Drop activities that sap your time or energy.“Many people waste their time on activities or people that add

no value—for example, spending too much time at work with a colleague who is constantly venting and gossip-ing,” says Marilyn Puder-York, PhD, a psychologist and executive coach in New York and Connecticut. She recom-mends taking stock of activities that aren’t really enhancing your career or personal life and minimizing the time you spend on them.

You may even be able to leave work earlier if you make a conscious effort to limit the time you spend on the web and social media sites, making personal calls, or checking your bank balance. “We often get sucked into these habits that are making us much less efficient without realizing it,” Stack says.

3 Rethink your errands.Consider whether you can out-source any of your time-consum-ing household chores or errands.

Could you order your groceries online

and have them delivered? Hire a kid down the street to mow your lawn? Have your dry cleaning picked up and dropped off at your home or office? Order your stamps online so you don’t have to go to the post office? Even if you’re on a tight budget, you may discover that the time you’ll save will make it worth it.

Stack also suggests trading services with friends. Offer to do tasks that you enjoy or that you were planning to do anyway.

“You could exchange gardening ser-vices for babysitting services,” Stack says. “If you like to cook, you could pre-pare and freeze a couple of meals and give them to a friend in exchange for wrapping your holiday gifts.”

4get moving.It’s hard to make time for exercise when you have a jam-packed schedule, but experts

say that it may ultimately help you get more done by boosting your energy level and ability to concentrate.

“Research shows exercise can help you to be more alert,” Brooks says. “And I’ve noticed that when I don’t exercise because I’m trying to squeeze in another half hour of writing, I don’t feel as alert.”

Samantha Harris, a lawyer who works for a nonprofit organization in Philadelphia, says she recently started sneaking in a trip to the gym two or three mornings a week before her family

wakes up. “It’s been a real boost in terms of the way I feel for the rest of the day,” she says. “I feel like my head is clearer and I’ve had a little time to myself.”

5Remember that a little relaxation goes a long way.Don’t get overwhelmed by assuming that you need to

make big changes to bring more balance to your life. Brooks recommends setting realistic goals, like trying to leave the office earlier one night per week.

“Slowly build more activities into your schedule that are important to you,” he says. “Maybe you can start by spending an hour a week on your hobby of carpen-try or planning a weekend getaway with your spouse once a year,” he says.

Stack points out that even during a hectic day, you can take 10 or 15 min-utes to do something that will recharge your batteries. “Take a bath, read a trashy novel, go for a walk, or listen to music,” she suggests. “You have to make a little time for the things that ignite your joy.”

SOURCES:Robert Brooks, PhD, psychologist; co-author, The Power of Resilience: Achieving Balance, Confidence, and Personal Strength in Your Life.Laura Stack, president, The Productivity Pro, Inc., Denver; author, SuperCompetent: The Six Keys to Perform at Your Productive Best. Marilyn Puder-York, PhD, psychologist and executive coach. News Release, University of Georgia Office of Public Affairs. Hillman, C. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, January 2008; vol 9: pp 58-65.Reviewed on January 21, 2011 © 2011 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.

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LOVE & HAPPINESS


Mr. rightQUICK TIPS TO HELP YOU FIND THAT SPECIAL PERSON IN YOUR LIFE.

Finding

So you hAvE fiNiShED youR EDucA-tional goals and are on the ladder to suc-cess. Now that everything seems under control, there happens to be that one thing missing. A relationship. Someone to share all of this free time with now that you don’t have to study. It might be dif-fi cult to swallow, but you start to think, how do you meet someone? It seems all of your friends are off getting married and having babies. Then you start to wonder, what happened to all of this time that

has passed? Only 29 percent of the popula-

tion in the city of Orlando have a college degree of a bachelor’s or higher according to the U.S. 2010 Census. After reading that stat, your fear of fi nding someone might start to set in because you hoped that you would be able to meet someone at your level. Thankfully enough, the male to female ratio is about 50/50 according to orlando.areaconnect.com. There is a great chance that someone is in Orlando.

Well, where do you meet Mr. Right? There are sev-eral channels in which to meet someone who is looking for a rela-tionship. Dating sites which you pay for a subscription for such as eharmony.com or match.com are one of the best ways to fi nd someone who is looking for the

same thing you are. You will have the opportunity to get to know them on an intellectual level fi rst, which is most important to the professional woman. Plus you know the guy is serious. He wouldn’t be paying a subscription fee if he wasn’t truly looking. If you want a seri-ous relationship, please do not go on a free dating site. Those are fi lled with men who are looking for that one thing your mother told you to watch out for.

Another great place is through your friends who are already in a relationship. Their signifi cant other might have a great friend he or she has been hiding for what-ever reason. Your friends know you best and they know what is good for you. They would not be hooking you up with some-one who they do not think is right or you better fi nd new friends.

Also meet new people through network-ing or other hobbies you might be inter-ested in getting involved in. Orlando is a growing city and organizations are pop-ping up everywhere. There is a great salsa group in Orlando which teaches group les-sons which allows you to get up close and personal with your potential suitor. Or even join a 5K training team. There are several groups across the country but Dis-ney has some of the biggest races at the beginning of the year. Regardless, if you don’t meet Mr. Right, you will feel good for helping those in needs.

The most important thing before you date anyone, make sure you’re ready for a commitment. You will be giving up per-sonal time which you might not have been accustomed to in the past. A smart man will not let an independent, professional woman out of his sight.

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By vAlERiE figuERoA


Mr. right

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Would like to thank Atlantic Justice Law Group for their continuous support


orlandoWelcome to

wElcoME To oRlANDo: the cen-ter of all of the action for the 2012 nba all-star Weekend Feb. 24-26. During the week of the big game, there will be events that span from family-oriented to volunteerism to swanky parties—as varied as the players themselves.

For family fun, attend the all-star Jam session at the orange county

convention center. For die-hard sports fans, check out the ris-ing stars challenge or all-star saturday night, featuring the highly-anticipated slam Dunk contest. If you’d like to give back to the community during your stay, get involved in the nba’s all-star community caravan or E-recycling event.

and while you’re in orlando catching the all-star action, check out our starring attractions. When it comes to the fun and memories you can create in orlando, there’s no contest. In fact, there are many reasons why orlando slam dunks on the compe-tition with plenty to do, see and be a part of.

Join the winning team of Mickey and Minnie in the magic and wonder of Walt Disney World® resort’s theme parks and water parks. From the Magic kingdom® park to Disney’s hollywood studios®, there’s something for everyone in your group or fam-ily to enjoy. take in a show at seaWorld orlando® and watch majestic killer whales jump through hoops. score points and re-connect with your loved ones on one of Universal orlando® resort’s heart-pounding rides.

not to mention, we have 100 other attractions to cater to every whim, as well as great restaurants, hot nightclubs and thrilling outdoor adventures.

For a taste of our nightlife, get your groove on at the blue Martini or IcEbar orlando, a nightclub made entirely of ice. West church street, near the amway center in downtown orlando, is fi lled with top-notch steakhouses, cozy dessert bars and enough entertainment options to fi ll your nights with fun.

and did we mention the shopping? shopping in orlando means endless options: From upscale malls, to open-air out-let centers to fanciful boutiques in quaint districts. take time away from the all-star action and head to downtown Winter park, where you’ll fi nd gourmet restaurants and shops fi lled with haute couture fashions. and if you’re looking for culture, the hannibal square heritage center is just steps away from Winter park. Exhibitions, photographs and works of art at the center capture the lives of Winter park’s close-knit, african-american community.

Experience more of the artistic side of orlando during arts-Fest: an immersion of more than 300 free arts and cultural events in more than 80 locations around orlando Feb. 1-29.

to learn more about orlando’s distinct african-american history, tour the Well’s built Museum, once a famous hotel where ray charles and count basie stayed. Learn about one of orlando’s most famous writers, Zora neale hurston, at the museum that bears her name.

Looking for theater or live shows? We got that, too. Laugh the night away at the orlando Improv, where comedians like gary owen and tommy Davidson regularly perform. be a part of the act during sak comedy Lab’s show, where comedian Wayne brady got his start. Join some of your favorite nba players at shaq’s all-star comedy Jam at hard rock Live orlando Feb. 24-25.

and to wind down from all of the activities on sunday, treat your soul to one of the many sunday jazz brunches around the area, including one at the grand bohemian hotel in down-town orlando.

When you visit orlando for all-star Weekend, you’re bar-gaining for lots of action and excitement – on and off the court. that’s because when it comes to orlando’s thrills, excitement, adventure and smiles, there’s no competition.

go to Visitorlando.com for a listing of events and things to do during your stay. For more information on all-star events, go to www.nba.com/allstar2012.

SPEciAl guEST coNTRiBuToR gARy SAiN, PRESiDENT of viSiT oRlANDo

TRAVEL & LEISURE

FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 | WWW.RYSEMAGAZINE.COM 37FEBRUARY/MARCH 2012 | WWW.RYSEMAGAZINE.COM 37


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MeditationLESSONS LEARNED FROM OPRAH WINFREYBy MARiA gENAo-hoMS

FfoR ThE PAST SEvERAl yEARS, ThE PRAcTicE of meditation has slowly infiltrated mainstream cul-ture in the United States. No longer does it seem as an elusive practice of the Far East. Now, books, seminars and even mobile device apps are readily available to help you find your “ooom” moment. But even with the accessibility factor being bumped up a few notches and solid research backing up the life–changing health benefits of sitting in silence for a few minutes, most people are skeptical; not to mention often “too busy” to take a few minutes to themselves. I, too, was a skeptic until I tried it for myself. And I am here to tell you that it is a game changer.

After completing my bachelor’s degree at the University of Central Florida, I had the fortune of grabbing my first gig as a production assistant in the television industry—a dream that I had worked so hard to achieve. I literally packed every sole possession I had into my little four-door coupe and hit the road to New York City. I was excited as thoughts of meeting amazing people, work-ing in a studio and living the life in the concrete jungle bounced in mind. Don’t get me wrong; I knew working in television was going to be hard work. Little did I know that would mean averaging an 80-hour work week, eating every meal at my desk and being connected 24/7 while living in 500 square feet of space. I held up, but quickly real-ized that it was taking a toll on my health and my personal life.

Fast forward nine years, still working in the same high-pressure industry with the difference being that I can now compartmentalize that pressure all because I have started the practice of Transcen-dental Meditation thanks to my boss, Oprah Win-frey. I have had the great fortune of working as a producer at Harpo Studios for a little over a year

now. Ms. Winfrey has been a student of medita-tion for many years and often preached its benefits to her viewers and also to her staff. She believes in it so much, that she gave the staff opportunity to learn the practice of Transcendental Meditation earlier this year. And who could say no to that? Not me! So, I signed up, dove right in and have never looked back. I cannot begin to tell you what a gen-erous gift it is and so easy, too.

Transcendental Meditation or TM, is the regarded as one of the simplest forms of medi-tation. It requires nothing other than you, a quiet space and 20 minutes, twice a day. It was brought to the states by an Indian Yogi, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, around 1961 and is now practiced from coast-to-coast. Dr. Norman E Rosenthal wrote a book with research supporting the benefits. Praised for its ease of practice and incredible ben-efits, TM is used in schools to help children with their development and has been introduced in pris-ons all over the world. Inmates as well as students have attested to how it has helped with behavioral issues and stress reduction.

Part of the gift included a week-long session with TM teachers that gauge your needs and teach you proper practice. Within a few days of begin-ning the exercise, I started feeling the results. I experienced stress level reduction; a longer atten-tion span and I even lost a few pounds. Though my work demands have not changed, the negative effects caused by stress have begun to fade.

And although not everyone may be able to receive this specific gift of wellness, you can find a few minutes in the day to sit and let your mind go to the quiet place it craves. Trust me when I tell you, in an age when noise is not only heard, but seen, this is the best investment you can do for yourself and those you love. Who can sit down behind that?

The Gift of

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FRoNT&

cENTERN APRil 11, 2011, BuSiNESS PARTNERS Patrick Nix and Willie Fisher opened the doors of their upscale establish-ment, Draft Global Beer Lounge and Grill, where the business motto reads Go Local…Drink Global. Located down-town directly across from the newly built $480 million Amway Center, the

new spacious lounge and restaurant hosts a lavish bar that boasts long rows of beers on draught, an impressive menu, and a comfortable ambiance that is accented with backlit panels that alter their color display. While patrons have access to multiple dining tables in the spacious venue, they also can unwind along the end of the main room in the banquette.

The space that Draft currently occupies has been empty for years and it has seen numerous restaurants come and go. With the assistance of Philadelphia Eagle’s Football Player Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Nix and Fisher were able to see a dream come into fruition. Rodgers-Cromartie shared the same vision that nix and Fisher had, which was to one day open a lounge directly across from the Amway Center.

Nix and Fisher consider it as a great achievement to have such an ideal location for their restaurant due in part to the amount of foot-traffic that it can draw upon from devoted Orlando Magic fans, downtown professionals, and college students. “It’s a very big blessing and we feel we worked hard to get where we are,” affirms Fisher.

Draft draws in a decent influx of customers if there is an event or when the Orlando Magic is playing at the Amway arena. However, when the arena goes dark and there is

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nothing to draw people to downtown, Nix and Fisher crafted themed nights to maintain their customer base. On any given Wednesday, Draft has a promotional event called “Re-Wine Wednesday” that draws many professionals availing for the special pricing on appetizers and drinks in addition to net-working. “Exit 21” takes place on Thursday night that caters to the young urban professionals who are looking for an out-let to enjoy swaying to hip hop but in an upscale setting, Nix affectionately calls this night “Hip Hop with Heels.” After a long week of work, everyone is welcome to come out and enjoy their happy hour from five to ten or as it is fittingly called “Recess,” which is hosted by Star 94.5. For Saturday, Draft has “Open Format,” a mixer that accommodates a diverse pop-ulace. For the two entrepreneurs, the opening of their lounge restaurant is not their first foray in operating a lucrative busi-ness; they have seen the success of many for nearly 20 years

The Florida natives became business partners in the late 1990s, but before their paths would eventually cross, Nix and Fisher were making distinctive marks on their own separate paths.

In 1991, while attending Florida A&M University, Nix was developing his marketing and promotional skills as a member of his fraternity Kappa Alpha Psi, Inc. “I was in charge of fun-draising so it was my job to come up with events and parties to raise money for our non-profit,” said Nix. After graduating in 1993 with a Bachelor Degree in Business Economics and a minor in Marketing, Nix went on to become a Sales Man-ager at Toyota Orlando, however, his employment there was brief after he realized that he was not well suited for corpo-rate America and decided instead to pursue a full-time career in promotions. “Working for someone else, I feel that there is only a certain level you can go and eventually that level will stop somewhere. With owning my own business I have the opportunity to keep growing forever,” declares Nix.

For Fisher, his path led him to play professional basketball for two years in Istanbul, Turkey after graduating from Jack-sonville University in 1995 with a Bachelor Degree in Business Management. Upon his return, Fisher was given the oppor-tunity to promote his first event Welcome to Orlando Party for NBA basketball players Tracy McGrady, Dee Brown, and Grant Hill at Roxy Night Club. Needless to say, being a novice to the industry the event was not a success because it was only able to draw in 75 people in attendance. Fisher knew he had a long way to go before he could garner the success he enjoys

today. Nevertheless, through his first failure he was introduced to Nix, who in 1995 formed Front-Line Promo-tions serving as President. Together they hosted their first profitable event that brought in over 800 people at the Roxy Night club causing Fisher to join the company in 1999 in the capacity as Vice President.

Today, Nix and Fisher base their success on consistently being dedicated to providing their customers with high cali-ber entertainment options; by creating unique atmospheres, trendsetting themed events with access to top-tier celebrities. Together they have grown Front-Line Promotions and Mar-keting Inc., into multi-faceted service company specializing in elevating the experience of Central Florida events by focus-ing on the designing, planning, coordination and execution of various types of special occasions coupled with utilizing grassroots and cutting edge promotional efforts; in order to reach a diverse minority demographic and cater to a variety of distinguished clientele. Some of their more notable clients have included House of Blues-Orlando, Florida A&M Univer-sity, Magic Johnson, Allen Iverson, Hard Rock Live, Remy Martin, Tom Joyner, the Kenard Lang Foundation, and Tracy McGrady. As testament to their continued savvy business practices, one of their more recognizable events that they have

pat Nix & Willie Fisher with NBA player leBron James. Right: pat Nix with entertainer ll Cool J.

pat Nix with R&B artist Brian Mcknight

FoR MoRe INFoRMAtIoN ABoUt DRAFt, VISIt WWW.DRAFtoRlANDo.CoM


been closely associated with since it moved to Orlando seventeen years ago has been the Florida Classic, the annual college football game between the Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman University and the Rattlers of Florida Agricultural and Mechani-cal University. “We have been the official market-ing companies for the Florida Classic since day one. I’d say we prepare for it all year long and really get into high gear about six months out. We come up with our ideas and what we plan to do to make it happen and [around four months out, our ideas come to fruition],” said Fisher.

As a means to add to the continued growth of Front-Line Promotions and Marketing Inc., besides promoting events, the business partners decided to enter into another sector of busi-ness by procuring the nightclub Rain (initially named Club Whispers) and quickly gained the distinction of being named Orlando’s Number One Urban Night Spot by the Orlando Sentinel. Building upon the acquisition of their premiere nightspot, they were able to expand the Frontline promotions brand by providing Orlando and surrounding areas, with over a decade of Phat Fridays and Grown Folks First Fridays. However, Nix and Fisher are not just limited to the Central Florida, they have served as a relevant liaison between areas in the Southeast region by providing quality urban entertain-ment to a number of different cities and venues throughout the United States such as national special events for the Super Bowl, Essence Music Festival and NBA All Star Games. They attribute their growth and accomplishments to their innate ability to harness the power of effective marketing. “Our mar-keting strategies have gone from back in the day doing grass roots, gorilla flyer distribution that has [now] transitioned to mediums such as television, billboards and now today [we] greatly relying on social media techniques,” said Nix.

Although their reputation in Central Florida has sur-rounded Orlando’s nightlife, there is more to these two men than just parties, clubs, and promotions. Nix and Fisher fought through the backlash they received when they decided to close down their nightclub in order to open Draft. “There comes a time in a business when it’s not making sense any-more that you have to move on,” said Nix. They decided to seek other opportunities elsewhere when they realized that they were not receiving the much needed patronage from the minority community. “For some reason in this market, were always at a tug of war against each other instead of support-ing each other. There’s a lack of support from the minority community. Hopefully one day we can change that overall per-ception here in Central Florida,” said Fisher.

Nix agrees that more minorities need to help build and sus-tain minority owned business in Central Florida. “Everyone has the right to go out and do business, but you have some people who will stop going to an establishment once they find out it’s [African-American] owned. But you have cities like Atlanta, Chicago, and Charlotte, [where] you have a lot of black people pulling each other along.”

Undeterred by their many trials, Nix and Fisher are more focused on maintaining their progression into new emerging markets. Currently, they are in the developmental stage of creating the Fisher and Nix Marketing Agency because they recognize the value of utilizing integrated marketing com-munications in ever changing industry; they are determined

to understand the habits of various groups of consumers in order to attract a broader audience. Recently, they have partnered with Kheep Entertainment headed by John Hamilton & Tony Khuu who are up and coming event pro-moters with the ability to navigate through the social media marketing terrain. The synergy benefits of the merger for FLP will allow the pair to pass on the responsibility to Kheep Entertainment to continue to tap into the profitable 18-30 year old target market, by remaining engaged to this group who communicate their interest and activities heavily through social media. In the meantime, this will permit Nix and Fisher to devote their energy to court the more maturing sophisticated business crowd.

Nix and Fisher have overcome many hurdles in their careers in order to achieve the level of success they enjoy today, however, they do not take their position lightly. “There are Fortune 500 companies that have gone out of business and we feel blessed that we are still here,” said Nix, Fisher adds, “It’s important to stay humble, just as sure as you can be on the top you can be on the bottom.” As of now they are far from being abased, through their joint venture they have reaped 20 years of professional experience and accomplish-ments to afford them the opportunity to be in the prime position to capitalize on the 61st edition of the National Bas-ketball Association All-Star Game being held on Feb. 23-26, 2012 in Orlando.

NBA All-Star Jam Session will be held at the Orange County Convention Center on International Drive while also serving as a hub for pre-game activities, and then on Friday, Feb. 24, activities shift to Amway. On Saturday, Feb. 25, the Amway Center will also host the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge and Youth Jam and the NBA All-Star Saturday Night events in addition to the mid-season All-Star Game..

Nix and Fisher have been earnestly preparing to benefit from the NBA All-Star game, they have already secured mul-tiple exclusive venues throughout the city of Orlando to host events that will bring in high caliber A-list celebrity guests that include Drake, Dwayne Wade, Dwight Howard, Tyrese, Rick Ross, Nicki Minaj, and Mario Lopez, to name a few.

“There’s going to be something for everybody. We locked down the best venues, we have everything from black-tie to corporate events. If you have never been to an All-Star week-end it is a major experience and you should definitely treat yourself to something that weekend.” Concluded Nix.

Willie Fisher and pat Nix along with kheep entertainment’s tony khuu (far left) and John Hamilton (Far right)

FoR NBA All StAR WeekeND, VISIt WWW.WeAReAllStARWeekeND.CoM

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TRAIL BLAZERS

WE WANT OUR COMMUNITY TO SUPPORT US. WE WANT

TO BE ACCESSIBLE…—Wayne “Tree” Rollins, President

oF baSKetballFORMER NBA PLAYERS TRANSITIONING TO LIFE OFF THE COURT.

the

By TAviA REcoRD


OoRlANDo chAPTER PRESiDENT, wAyNE “TREE” Rollins voiced that the National Basketball Retired Players Association (NBRPA) is ready and eager to build relationships in Central Florida as the Legends of Basketball. The chapter is actively seeking opportuni-ties to give back through service and to stimulate new business development in our community.

The Orlando chapter is a non-profi t organization with a 75 member roster comprised of former basket-ball players from the National Basketball Association (NBA), American Basketball Association (ABA) and the Harlem Globetrotters. The integral focus of the orga-nization is to provide resources for retired players to make a successful transition into life off the playing court. However, Rollins would like Central Floridians to know that his chapter is motivated to reach out and connect. “We want our community to support us. We want to be accessible to the general public.” The 7 feet 1 inch Clemson University graduate and center, was drafted into the NBA in the fi rst round as the 14th pick in 1973. Known for his relentless efforts on the court, he now channels his tenacity to lead the Legends of Bas-ketball into becoming a major partner in the commu-nity. How might this affect Central Floridians?

For starters, the 2012 NBA All-Star Weekend is scheduled to take place during February 23-26. The chapter will be hosting events that are open to the gen-eral public, with the intention to interact with a variety fans. “We want to offer an experience for the locals to enjoy,” said Rollins.

Rollins expects the chapter to have a presence that resonates long after the 2012 All-Star Weekend is over. In fact, the chapter hit the ground running as soon as it was established in February 2011, embarking on an opportunity to work with graduate students from the top fi ve nationally ranked DeVos Sport Business Man-agement Program at the University of Central Florida (UCF). The opportunity enabled the graduate students to develop sports marketing and brand management experience while lending their talents to help the chap-ter with structural development and growth. The chap-ter has also provided internship opportunities for UCF undergraduate students looking to develop public rela-

tions and event management experience. Legends Care is the NBRPA community service pro-

gram that provides opportunities for the Legends to serve in their communities nationwide. Sharon Let-alon, Chief Operating Offi cer of the Orlando chapter, has steered the chapter’s involvement in Rock Pink, a local charity that raises money to help individuals with-out health insurance to cover the costs associated with treatment for breast cancer. Letalon shared that, “It’s events like Rock Pink that show that these men are not only legends because of their athletic achievements, but also because of their character and desire to give back.”

Basketball 4 Life is another service initiative in the Orlando chapter that enables the Legends to connect with local young people beyond the court, such as the Darcy J. Foundation Golf Outing, which was attended in an effort to support a local University of Central Flor-ida Alumnus in the community with a similar interest in fundraising to give back to the youth. This service initiative was inspired by a DeVos student assisting the chapter and adopted by the membership keen on getting involved. Some of the active members include, Nick Anderson, Chucky Atkins, Adonal Foyle, Sam Vin-cent and Greg Kite.

The chapter also works with a program called Global Coach, which offers opportunities for international and local basketball programs, student-athletes, or fans to work with a former NBA coach or player.

The Legends of Basketball in Orlando are willing to ignite partnerships with like-minded leaders, entre-preneurs, philanthropists, organizations, schools, busi-nesses, and fans, who aspire to use the power of sport to stimulate a positive impact. In response to the strides made by the chapter since early last year, Arnie D. Fiel-kow, Chief Executive Offi cer and Executive Director of the NBRPA expressed, “I commend President Rollins and the entire Orlando chapter for their outstand-ing work in helping former professional basketball players to transition from the playing court and also for their tremendous contributions to the greater Orlando community.”

Visit: www.lobfl .com for event details and contact information.

Members of the National Basketball Retired Players Association ready to make an impact in Central Florida as the Legends of Basketball.


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MONEY TALKS

STOREFRONT OR CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL: WHAT TO CONSIDER WHEN CHOOSING A TAX PREPARER RYSE MAGAZINE

By ShAQuANA T. lyNuM, cPA MANAgiNg MEMBER of ThoMPSoN lyNuM & ASSociATioNS, llc

tax tactics

sent you before the IRS. Some of the advantages of using a CPA to prepare your tax return include tax planning advice that can be provided throughout the year, they are knowl-edgeable of tax breaks, modifi cations and ramifi cations to new tax legislations, and alleviate the time and effort of doing it yourself.

TAx cliNicS. Low Income Taxpayer Clinics (LITC) provides assistance for individuals whose income meets the income poverty guidelines and other criteria. LITC can provide rep-resentation before the IRS in court on audits, tax collection disputes, and other issues for free or for a small fee. If an individual’s native language is not English, some clinics can provide multilingual information about taxpayer rights and responsibilities. To fi nd a tax clinic in your area visit www.irs.gov for more information.

Now that you have a brief understanding of the differ-ent types of tax professionals that are available to you, it is important to also ask yourself the following questions:

Is this person or the company’s personnel available beyond the tax deadline? It is important to know if the preparer will be accessible beyond the April 15th deadline. If the IRS has questions about your return, will this professional be avail-able to assist you in responding to the inquiries.

TTAx SEASoN iS JuST ARouND ThE coRNER AND MANy individuals and small businesses are asking themselves: Who should fi le my tax return this year? The answer to this question depends on the complexity of your return and the quality of the tax preparer providing the service. Before you commit yourself to a specifi c individual or company, here are some questions and tips you should consider when choosing a tax professional:

Is this person qualifi ed? The IRS does not certify tax pre-parers. You should be aware that anyone that generally meets the minimal educational and state requirements has the ability to fi le a tax return for a fee. As determined by federal regulation, tax professionals face a series of penalties if they prepare returns incorrectly.

The following is a description of the type of specialists you may encounter during this tax season:

SToREfRoNT PREPARERS. This includes the big chains, like Jackson Hewitt or H&R Block, and even sole proprietors. These individuals are usually used for simple, straightfor-ward tax returns and typically have credentialed and non-credentialed employees. Employees of these national chains have usually passed at least a tax preparation course, and the companies maintain that experienced supervisors review their work.

cERTifiED PuBlic AccouNTANTS (cPA). A CPA is an indi-vidual who is certifi ed by the state to act as a Public Accoun-tant based on the completion of a state exam and practical experience. In addition to being certifi ed, CPAs generally hold a Bachelors or Masters degree in Accounting and/or Finance. Many CPAs specialize in taxation and may repre-

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Are you an aggressive or conservative taxpayer? Do you like to take chances or do you like to play it safe? Many tax returns are cut and dry, but some financial situations could call for a tax professional to take either a more assertive stance or a subdued conventional method when determining the custom-er’s tax return. Make sure that you hire a preparer who agrees with your level of risk taking and that you understand the consequences of asserting a particular tax position. The key to defending a tax position is to maintain adequate support for deductions and credits taken in a tax return.

Avoid THE FolloWiNG coMMoN PiTFAllS:1. guARANTEES of A lARgE REfuND—Be aware of sup-posed tax authorities that claim they can give you a better refund on your return than their competitors. A preparer is not able to estimate your refund without reviewing your financial information. Avoid doing business with anyone who bases his or her fees on a percentage of your refund, which is illegal.

2. fRAuDulENT ExTRA fEES—Be aware of fees for “processing,” “document preparation,” and “service bureau” which are often used to pad the preparer’s bottom line. Ask for a fee list in advance and avoid anyone who refuses to give you one.

3. REfuND-ANTiciPATioN loANS (RAl)—Also known as “instant refunds,” RALs are basically short-term loans that were designed to offer customers a quicker access to their funds than waiting for tax refunds. However, annual inter-est rates can reach almost 500%, consumers should avoid paying such an exorbitant tax preparation fee.

4. REfuND DEBiT cARDS—Tax preparers might offer an “instant refund” on a debit card, which can be loaded with fees. Certain debit cards charge a fee per transaction or a monthly fee for unlimited transactions.

Now that you are well equipped to make an informed decision, ask yourself again; who should file my tax return this year?

“Make sure that you hire a preparer who agrees with your level of risk taking and that you understand the consequences of asserting a particular tax position.”

WwhEN i BEcAME MAyoR iN 2003, i hAD a bold vision for Downtown. I challenged central Florida to imagine a great city, reborn and revitalized. I asked our resi-dents to envision a Downtown that has restaurants and retail, vibrant entertain-ment venues and professional sports drawing in citizens from not just our city or the central Florida region, but from all over the state and even the country. since then we have worked together as a community to make strategic invest-ments in business, development and amenities, making orlando the exciting, urban city it is today.

and we continue to see those invest-ments pay off. the nba all-star week-end in February 2012 will be much more than a sports and entertainment expe-rience for our residents and visitors. It will bring continued economic impact to Downtown orlando. the 2008 and 2009 all-star weekends drew 60,000 visitors to new orleans and phoenix and in 2010 Los angeles drew 100,000 attendees with each city generating an economic impact of $80-$100 million. In orlando, we expect similar numbers, with tens of thousands of attendees staying in our hotels, eating at our restaurants, shop-ping at our retailers and enjoying every-thing orlando has to offer.

key to attracting the nba all-star weekend was the city’s development of the world-class amway center, which will host most of the events. the center has become a vital part of orlando’s eco-nomic recovery, from the jobs provided during construction, to the opening of new restaurants and other businesses throughout Downtown. With the all-star events, the amway center will continue to be a powerful economic driver for countless local businesses.

the city invested in the development of the amway center to bring our resi-dents increased entertainment options,

but to also provide a significant eco-nomic impact to our local businesses throughout central Florida.

I want to encourage all of our local businesses to get prepared and informed about all the opportunities the nba all-star weekend will bring to our community and to put a plan in place to take advan-tage of these opportunities. Whether it is offering special discounts for attendees or improving signage on your business to increase your visual presence in turn attracting more business—there are a multitude of ways that local businesses can profit from the nba all-star week-end here in orlando.

the city is pleased to host this inter-national event and give our local busi-nesses and entrepreneurs “an assist” to ensure the nba all-star weekend is a “slam dunk” for our economy.

POLITICAL POWER

all Star Weekend comes to central FloridaMAYOR DYER SHARES WHY ALL STAR WEEKEND MEANS OPPORTUNITY FOR CENTRAL FLORIDA’S SMALL BUSINESS COMMUNITYSPEciAl guEST coNTRiBuToR MAyoR BuDDy DyER


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POWER MOVES

Are you making power moves in your community? RYSE Magazine wants to hear about it. Email us at [email protected]

Jessica BurnsNew position: Vice President

organization: R L Burns Inc. General Contractors / Construction Managers

Responsibilities: As Vice President of R L Burns Inc. General Contractors, Jessica’s Primary responsibilities will continue to include new business development, marketing and client relations. As part of her new role, she will also be responsible for executive project management, strategic planning and business operations.

Former position: Business Development Manager

Community Involvement: City of Orlando, Code Enforcement Board—Vice Chair, BBIF Annual Business Networking Event—Immediate Past Chair, National Sales Network-member, National Urban League Young Professionals-member.

William (Will) SmileyNew position: Vice President/Market Manager

organization: First Southern Bank (Winter Park Offi ce)

Responsibilities: Manage all aspects of branch operation; directing and managing market planning, business development and new client acquisitions.

Former position: VP/ Branch Manager (Federal Trust Bank

Community Involvement: Rotary Club of Winter Park, Seminole County Chamber of Commerce, Seminole Advisory Board; Dream Center for Youth and performances in various community stage plays.


I

BUSINESS SENSE

iT HAS bEEN dUlY NoTEd THAT MoST African-American consumers usually do not patronize black-owned businesses. Although this statement seems quite harsh, if their respective communities do not sup-port African-American establishments, they will face the strong possibility of falling by the wayside. As a result, the legacy they will leave will be of discouragement due to the lack of success and will serve as a means of disillusionment for future entrepreneurs.

Metro Orlando is a booming location with a thriving hospi-tality and service market, which serves as a rich opportunity for budding African-American entrepreneurs. With more than 11,000 Black-owned businesses operating in the City Beautiful, Orlando has all the resources for minority owned ventures to be a success, yet the much-needed support from their targeted consumers continues to avoid their grasp.

In quiet reflection, one must ponder why our African-American consumers are so reluctant in supporting busi-nesses that cater to their communities; and why has it become so difficult to rally their consistent patronage? One

possible solution that will encourage progress in this sector is for both the business owner and the intended consumer to realize that they share a part in a symbiotic relationship. However, in order for the relationship to work, both parties must be committed to constantly supporting one another.

The beneficial results that can spring from this bond will afford both parties innumerable advances in their respec-tive objectives. For the consumer, if they continuously sup-port African-American businesses, they give the business owner the opportunity to create more jobs, which will in turn advance the local economy.

For the owners of these ventures, they must recognize that many African American consumers do not receive emotional satisfaction from patronizing black-owned busi-nesses. In order to rectify this significant problem, business owners must find ways to connect and engage their local communities by openly supporting their citizens in likes of civic events, having a presence in local government regard-ing policies that affect the social groups of their consumers, becoming actively involved in the African-American youth segment in the areas of education and extracurricular activi-ties, being open to prospect of helping others to succeed in their own businesses or organizations, and most of all black-owned businesses must accept the fact that they have not been known to give back to their communities. In order to re-build and re-brand this tarnished image, businesses must

WHY IT’S IMPORTANT TO SUPPORT MINORITY OWNED BUSINESSESBy AliciA MiTchEll

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show that their primary agenda is not only to make money from their constituents but that their presence will create growth and opportunities for the African American populace.

Having more than 18 years in the food and beverage industry, with experience owning and managing other Metro Orlando establishments, Pat Nix and business partner Wil-lie Fisher, owners of Draft Global Beer Lounge & Grill, also have taken notice that another aspect to operating a success-ful black-owned business is having a good product.

“With a billion dollar building sitting across the street from you, we did not feel like you could come with anything shabby and be successful right across the street from the new Amway Center.”

In addition to Draft’s supreme location, Pat and Willie

placed a great amount of effort in creating a swanky ambi-ance, with an upscale décor and menu for their lounge that would appeal to many people with different cultural back-grounds and tastes.

“Not to put any other minority owned restaurants down, we wanted to build an atmosphere where everyone felt com-fortable in coming. That was key to the amount of money and efforts we put into the build-out and finishing of the place.”

Landon Hale, on the other hand, holds a different perspec-tive on minority-owned business. As a professional that lived in different areas across the nation, Landon Hale struggled identifying where to find black-owned businesses in Central Florida when he relocated from Austin, Texas.

“First and foremost, the issue was learning where these establishments were located. There wasn’t a good resource to identify African American marketplace, especially identi-fying the companies in the categories I needed.”

Forward thinking, Landon developed the Central Florida Black Business, a directory created to address the very basic need of connecting black consumers to black-owned busi-nesses, with the principal goal of helping these companies to grow with the continued support of the African American consumers.

Obtaining a greater consciousness and commitment to black-owned businesses is possible; dropping the inherent biases towards the quality of a black business is the first step.

“We’re not the only one with quality issues,” Landon stated. “I’ve supported a lot other businesses [that are not owned by minorities] in my life and I’ve had service failures.”

Other components that greatly impact the growth of black-owned businesses are legislation that promotes small business growth, access to capital, and business manage-ment training, which are all available through participation with organizations like the African American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida.

Through membership, the chamber fosters economic suc-cess and tangible benefits that will assist black businesses in becoming more efficient and more successful.

Dr. Robert M. Spooney, President of the African Ameri-can Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida. (AACCCF) believes, “There are many variables that separate success from failure,” Dr. Spooney stated. “I believe that one fac-tor we must not ignore is that successful businesses have in depth, strategic plans that are dynamic and adjustable. Without a roadmap, you will go nowhere.”

Since January 2008 over 200 seminars and workshops were attended by 5,160 business men and women. Moreover, the chamber has grown from 120 members to 480 members and has been able to track 320 referrals that resulted in solid busi-ness deals for its members that represent millions of dollars.

In the end, African American business owners who are determined to be successful need to structure their busi-nesses so that it caters to the needs of their core target group, they must position themselves as having quality products and services, and to be of service for the community. If these tactics are implemented the economic landscape of the Afri-can American community will grow and prosper.

For additional assistance and resources to grow your business please visit www.blackcommerce.org

in quiet reFlection, one MuSt ponDer WHY our aFrican-aMerican conSuMerS are So reluctant in SupportinG buSineSSeS tHat cater to tHeir coMMunitieS?

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BUSINESS SENSE

rediscovering the public libraryPUBLIC LIBRARIES OFFER FREE RESOURCES FOR PROFESSIONALS AND SMALL BUSINESSESBy TRAcy zAMPAglioNE, APR


YyouR locAl liBRARy iS whERE you can enjoy free wireless internet, learn a new language or computer software pro-gram, access databases, and check out the newest DVD release while partaking in a live lecture.

It is also the ideal place where the quintessential young professional and the small business owner can access resources to conduct extensive research on potential employers, competition, potential custom-ers, and investors. There are informative books on starting and managing a busi-ness, writing a business plan, and videos on small-business financial and manage-ment strategies.

Large groups of young professionals are turning to libraries to meet their busi-ness needs. Comfortable study rooms are usually available where entrepreneurs and their business partners can convene to collaborate on projects that can add a level of social structure to the work envi-ronment.

Spacious meeting rooms may also be available to civic and community groups for a nominal charge and business train-ing space may be rented as well. The abil-ity to use the libraries comfortable, cut-ting-edge computer classrooms provides a terrific venue for training work groups.

For Elba Bermudez, her library inter-action was more personal. When the econ-omy took a downturn, it left her jobless, so Bermudez took free computer classes to enhance her job related skills while seek-ing employment. Armed with the objective to improve her resume and attain employ-ment, she completed classes in resume writing, online job searching, Office 2007 and QuickBooks. Presently, Bermudez is gainfully employed and credits the library

for her success in landing a new position.“I’m very thankful and happy to

have walked through the library’s doors because the classes gave a lot of positive and fantastic tips for selling yourself,” said Bermudez. “I got called for an inter-view and ultimately got the job.”

Her story is not an isolated one; just recently a handwritten thank you note was left in the Technology Education Cen-ter at Florida library, from a patron who identified himself only as “Brian.” It read, “I found the Improving Job Interview Skills to be very beneficial in my last job interview. I felt much more prepared and confident about my own strengths and weaknesses. I got the job part time for now with the possibility to go full time.”

CEO and Library Director of Orange County Library System in Orlando, Florida, Mary Hodel says, “It’s gratifying to fill such critical needs in these trying times. Libraries have always been in the information business, but technology has expanded the definition of what “infor-mation” means—and broadened the list of what people expect from libraries.” Hodel is pleased to be riding the crest of the technology wave and meeting people where they are, which is currently on their smartphones.

Most public libraries encourage patrons to explore their offerings and services by way of their iPhones, iPods or Androids. This is a convenient way for customers to access their accounts, search the catalog, find library locations and driving direc-tions, learn about upcoming events, and watch informative videos.

Visit your own local library to find more information on programs, products and services.

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MShInIng hIS lIghT Through The KeroSene lampBy yolANDA BARuch

My fiRST iNTRoDucTioN of ADoNAl Foyle was at an intimate birthday party of a mutual friend. Amiably known by the sobriquet “The Gentle Giant,” standing at 6”10 and 250 lbs., Adonal quickly injected a surge of energy into the group’s conversation by expressing his deep concern for his fellow NBA players, both for the neophytes and the veterans, many of who lack strong financial knowledge on how to manage their earnings and lifestyles effectively during and after the ending of their careers. As the newly appointed Director of Player Development with the Orlando Magic, Adonal relayed his vision to implement a program where he would bring in financial advisors from Merrill Lynch to assist players in practical monetary management. His need to serve and better his fellow man is a testa-ment to his character that has been carefully molded by his family, career, and his experiences. His giving and gregarious nature has endeared him to his peers and his fans alike, so when the assignment to describe retired Orlando Magic Center Adonal Foyle’s excep-tional life and the reason why he started the Kerosene Lamp Foundation it proved to be a daunting task.

How can the poverty of the English language fully encapsulate the incredible life he leads and his gener-ous spirit? A simple overview of Adonal’s life would appear to be rife with adulation and would come across like a celebrated epistle of an over enthused devoted sports fan? Granted, he is very much entitled to the recognition of his many awards and achievements, however, one should not holdfast to his fame, success or the accumulation of his numerous accolades as a means to define or label him. Doing so would appear prosaic and frankly would not give him justice since he is a man who seeks to use his many honors to bring inspiration, joy and hope to others rather just bask in the exaltation. The best way to understand the com-plexity of Adonal and the impact of how his success has affected others would be to start at the beginning and his beginning is quite simple.

Born Adonal David Foyle on March 9th, 1975 in the Caribbean islands of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, one of four children to parents Hycinth and Patricia Foyle. Sadly, when Adonal was only seven, his father

decided to leave the family, forcing Patricia to become the sole provider. Later, Adonal move in with his grandmother Faith.

Growing up with his grandmother would profoundly developed Adonal’s present-day altruistic spirit. As a young boy, he would witness his grandmother take simple small ingredients and make a meal, which she managed to feed 20 people in the close knit Mannie Village. However, witnessing his grandmother’s gen-erosity only angered him because he was concerned on how he would eat if there was no food. Imparting a gem of true island wisdom to her displeased grandson, she taught that ‘God will always provide and you do not know when you will need from others [or] what will happen tomorrow so give today. ‘

At the age of 15, Adonal met two American college professors Jay and Joan Mandel at the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States Club Championship Tour-nament in Dominica. The Mandels were basketball enthusiasts, who dedicated their time to working in the Caribbean’s basketball leagues and tournaments by educating the participants on the rules of the game. They noticed Adonal at one of the tournament games and were immediately captivated by him. Although at the time, Adonal was not a highly skilled basket-ball player and by his own admission he despised bas-ketball due in part to his lack of knowledge on how

adonal Former Orlando Magic Player

Foyle

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to dribble. However, the couple, like true visionaries did not see this diamond in the rough as what he was but rather what he could be if given the right oppor-tunities to blossom. Within a short amount of time, the Mandels met with Adonal’s mother and explained to her the opportunities that awaited him in America like receiving a better education and the chance to play bas-ketball. After much consid-eration, she gave her tearful blessings to her son and the couple whisked him off to New York.

Upon arriving in the U.S., acclimating to a new culture was a bit overwhelming for the youngster, having been accustomed only to Third World living. However, his greatest hurdle that he had to overcome was improv-ing his performance in a rigorous academic environ-ment for which he struggled greatly. Undeterred by this obstacle, the Mandels were relentless in their pursuit to provide a stellar education for Adonal. Under the cou-ple’s tutelage, Jay who was a W. Bradford Wiley Profes-sor of Economics at Colgate University, would diligently teach Adonal 10 new vocab-ulary words a day through the use of fl ashcards and Joan, an Associate Professor of Sociology, Anthropology, and Women’s Studies at Col-gate, would also require him to write a paper for them whenever he had one due for school. When he was not studying, Adonal was busy improving his ball playing skills with endless drills like passing, shooting, dribbling. Eventually the Mandels’ dil-igence paid off when Adonal ascended to being one of the top players in the country within a year. In 1994, he

led Hamilton Central High School’s Emerald Knights basketball team to their fi rst two state championships and unsurprisingly garnered the attention of many recruiters from prominent universities with elite NCAA programs like Duke and Syracuse. However, Adonal instead chose to attend Colgate, a small liberal arts college in upstate New York with a small yet aggressive Division I basketball program, rather than attend one of the tra-ditional basketball schools. In his offi cial biography, he stated that he wanted the opportunity to learn the principles of the game in a slower paced setting, where the coach would be able to give him the attention he desired while maintaining a strong academic foundation.

At Colgate, Foyle fl our-ished as a basketball player, breaking a number of records and earning many accolades. With his athletic popular-ity growing, the NBA soon came calling, forcing Adonal to come to a crossroads in his life, to either fi nish his education or pursue a pro-fessional basketball career. At the end of his junior year, Adonal made the arduous decision to leave Colgate and enter the NBA draft.

Drafted in 1997, the 8th pick of the San Francisco’s Golden State Warriors for the position of a Center, a team Foyle would play for the next 10 years with a brief stint of playing for the Orlando Magic for three years before retiring.

Despite his enormous success on the courts, he managed to graduate from Colgate University in 1999, Magna Cum Laude, with a degree in History and in June 2011, he received his Master’s Degree in Sports

Psychology from John F. Kennedy University.

During his career, Foyle would take many sum-mer trips to Canouan and in 2003 he experienced an epiphany. He contemplated how he could work with children from his country, who shared his humble background, on a more con-sistent basis? He called upon his Colgate college friend, Shiyana Valentine-Williams to share his vision and together they birthed the concept of the Kerosene Lamp Foundation in 2005. The name is originated from Adonal’s experience grow-ing up on the island where he used a kerosene lamp to study and fi nd his way home when the island became pitch dark since there was no available electricity. The kerosene lamp serves as his foundation’s symbol by which it is seen as a light through the darkness, giving hope in efforts to brighten the futures of today’s youth. Knowing the importance

of their work, Shiyana is extremely dedicated to the mission of the KLF and her position as Executive Direc-tor. Before the inception of KLF, Shiyana worked as Country Manager in the Bahamas for the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Ini-tiative, a foundation founded by the former President of United States Bill Clinton. Within her role, she assisted the Ministry of Health with integrating HIV/AIDS care into primary healthcare ser-vices and strengthening their antiretroviral supply chain to ensure that patients received an uninterrupted supply of medication. With Shiyana at the helm of KLF and armed with her notable experience, she has grown the founda-tion’s global infl uence and its event outreaches consider-ably. Adonal notes, “Shiyana

Adonal teaching kids it’s about the mind as well as body in Dominica

to dribble. However, the couple, like true visionaries did not see this diamond in the rough as what he was but rather what he could be if given the right oppor-tunities to blossom. Within a short amount of time, the Mandels met with Adonal’s mother and explained to her the opportunities that

led Hamilton Central High School’s Emerald Knights basketball team to their fi rst two state championships and

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took the reigns of KLF and expanded our goals. She has a keen sense on how to execute ideas, she took a shoe string budget and grew the foundation.” She actively seeks corporate sponsorships and partner-ships, manages program development, as well as, supervises the board, events, and volunteer man-agement. She also plays an active role in grant writing and as a result KLF was

recently awarded a three-year grant from Scotia Bank. To date, under her direction, KLF has directly reached over 6,000 at risk youth in the USA & Carib-bean. The biannual Ath-letic and Academic camps brings in a staff of 15 vol-unteers from the United States, which sometimes includes prominent NBA players, coaches, and staff. The mission of KLF is to provide free camps using basketball as a conduit to empower children of the Eastern Caribbean as well as the United States and give them the right tools to navigate life’s chal-lenges like illiteracy, sexu-ally transmitted diseases and economic hardship, in hopes that the children will grow into healthy and well educated adults through the promotion of educa-tion, health and nutrition awareness. Although bas-ketball is used to engage the children, Adonal uses the camps as a platform for them to explore other paths to success, concentrating more on the pursuit of edu-cation rather than sports.

Already KLF’s vision has come to fruition in a young man named Cregg Friday. Friday, originally from Bequia a tiny island in the Grenadines, attended his first camp in 2005. He per-ceived attending a univer-sity a distant dream consid-ering his poor performance in the classroom. However, through the mentorship of KLF, Friday was awarded a basketball scholarship, and the 22-year old is in his third year at Ming Chuan University in Taiwan, studying hospitality man-agement and astounding local basketball fans.

The goals that Adonal

and Shiyana hold for KLF are to established more programs focused on aca-demics, leadership and nutrition in Central Flor-ida and San Francisco, host more camps that will reach 1500 kids or more, develop a scholarship program whereby they can track the children that attend the camps in terms of their results in school, and open their own center in Carib-bean with the hope to reach 25,000 kids.

With a sparkle in his eyes and excitement shin-ing in his smile, Adonal knows the goals are grand, yet he believes, “If you reach for the moon, you hope to get some stars.” Adonal and Shiyana are already busily planning two prominent fundraising events both to be held in Orlando. One will be a wine and food extravaganza for Adonal’s Birthday Bash February 26, 2012 and the other will be the 3rd Annual KLF Gala Dinner & Caribbean Fete that will be at the Rosen Shingle Creek on March 31, 2012.

Adonal’s own life and the lives he has touched is remarkable because he has come full circle, all the while carrying his grandmother’s humble creed of serving rather than be served. The Kerosene Lamp Founda-tion will undoubtedly con-tinue to be renowned for the contributions that it has made in changing the world in which we live.

If interested in tickets and information for KLF events please visit: www.KeroseneLampFoundation.org, and for sponsorship opportunities contact Shi-yana Valentine at svalen-tine@KeroseneLampFound ation.org

Book fair at Canouan Camp in St. Vincent & the Grenadines

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YoutH on tHe rYSeAbENA APPAH-SAMPoNG Trinity Preparatory School senior Abena Appah-Sampong has been named a 2012 National Achievement Finalist and is being considered for National Achievement Schol-arships to be offered to outstanding African American stu-dents in the Class of 2012. Abena is one of approximately 1,300 Finalists from across the nation, and 800 Achieve-ment Scholarship winners will be selected from this group.

More than 160,000 African American high school students entered the National Achievement Program competition by taking the PSAT/NMSQT in October 2010. Abena was one of 1,600 National Achievement Semi-fi nalists who were recognized in the fall as the highest scoring African American students. National Achievement Semi-fi nalists are named on a regional representational basis.

The National Achievement Program, conducted by National Merit Corporation, is a privately fi nanced compe-tition established in 1964 to provide recognition for out-standing African American high school students. For each of the last fi ve years, Trinity Prep has had students recog-nized by the National Achievement Scholarship Program, including two fi nalists like Abena.

Abena has attended Trinity Preparatory School in Winter Park since grade six, where she is involved in Science Olympiad, Spanish Honor Society, and National Honor Society. She is looking forward to attending college next year and is interested in studying neuroscience.

RYSE Magazine and Trinity Preparatory School congratu-late Abena Appah-Sampong for being a RYSE-ing Star!

IT TAKES A VILLAGE

Are you a youth that’s on the RYSE? Visit RYSEMagazine.com and let us know why you are a next generation leader.

62 RYSE MAGAZINE | AUGUST 2011

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Would like to extend a special thank you to the following advertisers and contributors who made this issue possible. As they have supported us,

we ask that you support them in their businesses.

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RYSE Magazine would like to welcome the following new advertisers:Atlantic Justice Law Group, Digestive and Liver Center of Florida, Frontline Promotions, Hollywood Barbers, Orlando Utilities Commission, Space to Grow, Thompson, Lynum and Associates

106 Foto (www.106foto.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 37 all tied Up Men’s Wear . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 49 atlantic Justice Law group (www.atlanticjustice.com . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 35 b Jackson photography (www.facebook.com/bjacksonphotography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 23central Florida orthodontic specialists (www.orlando4braces.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside back coverDaniel For Men (www.danielformen.net) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 19 David Washington – charles rutenberg realty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 1Digestive and Liver center of Florida (www.dlcfl .net) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 35 Florida hospital healthy 100 kids (www.healthy100kids.org) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 61Frontline promotions (www.weareallstarweekend.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 2, 3Fulmore chiropractic (www.fulmorechiropractic.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 12grassland Enterprises, Inc. (www.grasslandenterprises.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 31 hollywood barbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 29 Juve’ salon and spa (www.juvesalon.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Inside Front coverorlando Utilities commission (www.ouc.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .back coverspace to grow (www.spacetogrow.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 25studioJones graphic Design (www.studioJonesDesign.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 62suit city (www.suitcityoforlando.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 15the Experience christian center (www.theexperiencecc.org) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 50the g-Wrap company (www.ghairwrap.com) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 55thompson, Lynum and associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 23trinity preparatory school (www.trinityprep.org) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . page 47

iN ouR NExT iSSuE…

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