Shop Talk: Polings are top docs

Courtesy Gulfshore Life Magazine Marco physicians Robert and Patricia Poling were the only Marco-based doctors winning the "Top Doctors" award in Southwest Florida this year. The event was featured of the June issue of Gulfshore Life Magazine.

Submitted Rhonda Haley, a nurse practitioner with more than 10 years experience at the Marco Urgent Care Center, is the newest medical provider on the staff of doctors Robert and Patricia Poling of Marco Island. Her first official day at the Poling Medical Center is Aug. 1.

Teresa Gantner, partner at 2wice as Nice clothing consignment shop on South Collier Boulevard, is proud of the store's honor won in the recent Southwest Florida Choice Awards.

Two of Marco Island’s most popular physicians have a coveted “Top Doctor’s” awards. Again.

Doctors Patricia and Robert Poling — Doc Bob and Doc Patty to long-time friends and patients — operate the Poling Medical Center on Bald Eagle Drive. The award event is under the auspices of Castle Connolly, a global database of renowned physicians.

The award decisions are peer-review-based decisions. The Polings are the only Marco-based physicians to win the medals, along with about 109 other doctors in Collier, Lee and Charlotte counties.

Both of the Polings are primary care physicians. He is a family practice physician and she is an internist and pediatrician, with offices in suite 302 of the Regions Bank building, 606 Bald Eagle Drive. Phone 393-2200.

The Polings and their four children live on Marco and are active in the community. Dr. Patty is on the Student Advisory Council at Tommie Barfield Elementary, a soccer coach for the Optimists Club and a Girl Scout troop leader.

Dr. Bob also is a soccer and basketball coach and on the board of the Optimists Club. They both donate time to do sports physicals for the Marco Island Charter School.

The Polings also are pleased to welcome a new member of their staff. She is Rhonda Haley, a nurse practitioner with an emphasis on family medicine.

Ms. Haley has been on the staff at the Marco Urgent Care Center for the past 10 years. She cared for hundreds of patients with everything from colds and flu to life-threatening illness such as heart attacks and strokes. Her official first day at the Poling Medical Center is Aug. 1.

Another winner is ...

The “2wice As Nice” upscale clothing consignment shop has been open only since last October, yet already is getting noticed and honored around Southwest Florida.

The store, owned and operated by Judy Barney and Teresa Gantner at 291 S. Collier Boulevard, has won a Southwest Florida Choice Award in the category of clothing consignment shops.

“We’re honored to receive this award in our first year of business and thank all the shoppers and consignors who helped make this happen,” says Judy.

Teresa added, “We wanted to bring quality fashion to people at reasonable prices and we want to help people sell their gently used fashions and earn a bit of spending money. It’s a fun way to recycle and share.”

The store offers accessories as well as clothing, among them handbags, jewelry and brand new shoes. And the men’s department is increasingly popular.

For information call 389-0777, email 2wiceasnice@embarqmail.com.

Ernie takes the dread and the dings out of returning a lease car

Your car lease is up, so you drive to the dealer to turn it in. Then comes the bad news. What you thought were “wear and tear” trivialities on the vehicle are labeled “must repair and here’s the bill” from the dealer. What to do?

Ernie Bordon at Autocraft on Marco Island has a suggestion.

“We have a service that could save you a lot of money,” Ernie explains. “Come to me for a free inspection, I walk around the car to tell you what you will and what you won’t get charged for (at the dealership) and I’ll offer a competitive price to take care of those things that need doing.

“From experience I know what dings, scratches, etc will be OK and which they won’t accept. They normally use a quarter, that is, if scratch is no larger than the size of a quarter, they’ll OK that, but if it’s bigger they’ll charge you to repair it. They’re pretty strict, especially on higher-end cars.”

Ernie says getting the car fixed at Autocraft will save up to 30 percent compared with the cost at the dealer. He also tells his customers to beware of this technique used by some dealers.

“If you wait until the last minute to take the car back, they sometimes will say, ‘Well, you have this much damage, but if you lease another car with us or buy one ... ’ we can do this or that and so on. They use the repair costs as leverage against the customer.”

Ernie says Autocraft end-of-lease repairs can be up to 30 percent cheaper that at the dealership.

“It’s because my labor rates are much lower than theirs. They’re good guys, but sometimes when sales are weak, well, any time you have sales, service ad parts all wrapped into one, look out.” Autocraft is at 754 Elkcam Circle. Call 642-5309.

Past and Puccini, mozzarella and Mozart, Verdi and veal cops?

How about a night out at the opera? And maybe dinner out as well? Good ideas, but why not a twofer — a seven course dinner and good wine flowing while accomplished performers sing great opera classics?

It’s Aug. 1 at Casa Mia Italian Steakhouse overlooking Marco Lake. The singers are from Opera Naples and the Orlando Opera, accompanied by Robin Shuford Frank, chorus master and pianist for Opera Naples.

Reservations are a must. Call 642-5253. The price, $100 per person.

Chris Curle is a former news anchor for CNN and for ABC-TV stations in Washington, D.C., Atlanta and Houston. E-mail chris@chriscurle.com.

Don is a former ABC News correspondent and bureau chief and a former news anchor for CNN and ABC-TV, in Atlanta. His Farmer File column appears Fridays in the Naples Daily News. E-mail: don@donfarmer.com.