Page 10, Johnson City Press BEST PEDIATRICIAN Johnson City Pediatrics 301 Med Tech Parkway, Suite 180 Johnson City 423-794-5540 It’s important to get the best care for your children when they are at their youngest and most developmental stages. Our readers have chosen Johnson City Pediatrics as the best in the area. “We just want to thank the community and the readers for this honor,” Practice Administrator Suzi Reynolds said. “We strive every day to provide the best care possible, and this recognition lets us know we are on the right path.” At Johnson City Pediatrics, the physicians and staff are committed to the wellbeing of children and providing them with the highest quality of medical care. Their team would like each child to have the opportunity to develop to his or her maximum ability, and that philosophy drives the team in maintaining their standard of excellence. The group’s physicians, Michelle Bullman, M.D, FAAP, Jodi Gage, M.D., FAAP, Trevor Gage, M.D. , Chris Ledes, M.D., FAAP, April Lowery, M.D., FAAP, Bryan Prudhomme, M.D., FAAP, and Jill Wireman, M.D., FAAP, are there to enthusiastically provide sound, sensitive, and conscientious care. Their combined experience represents over 67 years. Johnson City Pediatrics is passionate about the prevention of childhood illnesses as an effective way to achieve optimum health for the children of our community. They are dedicated to providing every child with immunizations recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. Physicians and staff are equally devoted to effective communication – keeping both the patient and parents informed. They make every effort to thoroughly explain recommended tests and treatments and answer any questions that may arise concerning the child’s well-being. “We are more than just doctors here,” Ledes said. “As parents ourselves, we love to build relationships with our patients and enjoy watching them grow from infancy to their teenage years and beyond.” The clinic features an on-site licensed lab which allows the convenience of obtaining diagnostic studies at the time of the visit and providing fast, accurate results. This is most appreciated when children are sick, and waiting on tests from outside sources might further increase anxiety for families. Historically, Johnson City Pediatrics has been selected as one of the few pediatric offices in the country to pioneer research in studying subjects such as childhood fever and encephalitis. Locally, their founding physicians started the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit at Johnson City Medical Center Hospital many years ago, and they are thrilled that it has flourished and blossomed into one of the state’s perinatal centers. For more information about Johnson City Pediatrics, visit their location at 301 Med Tech Parkway, Suite 180 in Johnson City, or give them a call at 423-794-5540. Johnson City Pediatrics wants to thank our patients for voting us the Reader’s Choice Best Pediatrician! 301 Med Tech Pkwy. Suite 180 Johnson City, TN 37605 423.794.5540 BEST DANCE STUDIO Gay Whitt School of Dance Friday, October 17, 2014 210 Headtown Road, Jonesborough - 423-753-3171 106 North Main Ave., Erwin - 423-735-0920 in Boones Creek. In 1993, Ms Gay was given the opportunity to place a dance studio with Sportsnet Gymnastics in Johnson City. This studio operated with a full enrollment until the owners relocated to Nashville. In 2003, the Erwin Studio was reopened in downtown Erwin across the street from the original studio building. Robin Bailey Beals, the Jonesborough Studio Director, has been a dance student of the Whitt School since age 11. She has traveled the world with the Up with People Organization as a dancer, dance captain and producer. She graduated from ETSU with a degree in exercise physiology and is on the staff at the Wellness Center in Johnson City. Gay Whitt continues to celebrate her career as a dance educator A Tradition of Excellence and Grace in Dance Education Since 1955 Gay Evans Whitt, affectionately known as “Ms Gay” to thousands of dancers and parents over the past 58 years, began studying dance at the age of 8 with Reece Toohey. She progressed rapidly and began teaching in 1955 in Kingsport and Johnson City. She continues her work as a dance educator and choreographer with a full load of classes each year since 1955. “Ms Gay” always dreamed of having her own studio and in 1971 this lifelong dream was realized by the opening of her first dance studio in Erwin. Her Jonesborough Studio was opened in 1972. Over the next several years, these two original studios were followed by a dance program at the Greeneville YMCA and a branch studio GAY WHITT SCHOOL OF DANCE Erwin Studio 106 North Main Avenue Erwin, TN 37650 (423) 735-0929 *At the Cradic Building Jonesborough Studio 210 Headtown Road Jonesborough, TN 37659 (423) 753-3171 Thank you for voting us The Readers Choice ~ Best Dance Studio We are so proud of our school and our students!!! *At the Bradshaw BuildingEntrance at 112 Gay Street www.gaywhittschoolofdance.com Friday, October 17, 2014 BEST FURNITURE STORE Zak’s Fine Furniture from doctor’s offices to college campuses and even a fitness center. The store has a furniture repair department where leather or fabric can be mended and wood can be refinished. “Most of the time we work on our own furniture, items we sold, or furniture that’s under warranty. But we do have some people bring other items in,” Scott said before adding tonguein-cheek, “We have a wood repair technician who is so good, if it’s not sawdust, he can restore it.” The digital age also has changed how the business advertises. “You can’t just put an ad in the newspaper or on television anymore,” Scott said. “The new generation, the Millennials, they aren’t watching television. They’re streaming, they’re on YouTube and social media like Facebook. They don’t respond to traditional marketing.” And the influence of that generation is slowly changing the style of what’s most fashionable in furniture. Northeast Tennessee is typically about two years behind trends in larger cities like Atlanta. And Scott said he’s noticed the new generation is leaning more toward contemporary styles instead of the traditional furniture that’s been popular in the past. Zak’s serves not only East Tennessee, but also Southwest Virginia, Kentucky and Western North Carolina. In addition to its main location, Zak’s Furniture also offers scratchand-dent items at Zak’s 4524 North Roan Street, Johnson City 423-282-4951 Six years ago, when Scott Bowman, president and CEO of Zak’s Furniture, became the new leader of the business his father Nile Bowman founded, he was ready for change, and so was his father. The senior Mr. Bowman retired while his son moved his family from Atlanta back to Johnson City. But, that was just the beginning in an industry where change is necessary to meet public expectations. Zak’s began as a way to diversify the offerings at Bowman-Howard, an electronics store his father and uncle co-owned. “They started to dabble a little in furniture,” Scott said. In 1968, Zak’s was officially born - focusing solely on furniture. Since its inception, changes included building expansions, additional locations, and a migration from low-cost furniture presented in a warehousestyle concept to fine furniture and mid-range priced furniture displayed in a regional home furnishings campus. “We’ve been following whatever the market has been doing,” Scott said. “Originally, if you bought furniture with us, you’d pick it up from our showroom floor. Now we can deliver it to you from one of our distribution centers. And we even can help you design your home.” The design department services are free to Zak’s Furniture customers. They specialize in residential design but have worked on various commercial projects ranging Clearance Center on Pickens Bridge Road and discount furniture at Zak’s Attic on North Eastman Road in Kingsport. It also operates its own separatelybranded mattress store, The Sleep Shop at Zak’s, which is housed alongside the main location. “We really strive to be the leader in mattress sales,” Scott said. Everything that’s for sale in the showroom is kept in stock so when a purchase is made, the customer isn’t kept waiting for their furniture. That’s just one distinguishing characteristic of being a locally-owned and operated business. “My competition doesn’t have the owner sitting in the store. They have a manager. Owners tend to look at things differently,” Scott said. “When a customer comes to Zak’s, I take service personally. It’s not just a sale; it’s our image. We go the extra mile.” Part of going the extra mile means that some staff work solely as customer service representatives. “They don’t work in the office, and they aren’t sales people,” Scott stressed stressed. “Because when people call in for service, they want to know they’re being taken care of. Instead of focusing on marketing, we like to focus more on the service aspect. We want repeat customers. We advertise, but we like the word-of-mouth advertising the best.” Continuing in the tradition of his father, Scott believes in giving back to the community. Zak’s contributes to schools, churches and organizations not only financially, but also through donations of store items to be used in silent auction fundraisers. Johnnson City Press, Page 23 Zak’s received Reader’s Reader Choice Awards in several categories, including Best Furniture Store, Best Interior Design, Best Mattress-Bedding Store, and Best Place to Work. In addition to that honor, Zak’s has also been chosen by industry trade magazine “Furniture Today” for the past four years in a row as one of the top independent furniture retailers in the nation, according to Scott. Business hours are from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m., MondaySaturday, and 1 to 6 p.m., Sunday. For more information, visit www.zaksfurniture.com