A hands-on approach and close communication with clients makes Sarasota Homes an award-winning builder, said realtor Michelle Fogolin.
The local builder recently received the 2012-2013 New-Home Buyers’ Choice Builder of Excellence Award. The award recognizes companies that built less than 50 single-family homes in the past year.
Sarasota is the only St. Albert builder presented with the award out of four winners from the Edmonton region. It is the second time in a row they won.
“We work hard every day to build the homes of our clients and we know it’s a place that they raise their families in and it means a lot to us,” Fogolin said.
“Getting the feedback from our clients that they are satisfied is the biggest reward.”
Presented by the Alberta New Home Warranty Program, the award is given out following a survey of new-home buyers in the province.
The 2012 Alberta New-Home Builder Customer Satisfaction Study measures everything from service and warranty, to the sales process and staff, construction, workmanship, price and design.
Based on the feedback from homebuyers, the top 20 per cent of builders in each region are recognized.
A fitness studio without workout machines is not traditional but that’s just what Robin Mungall wants.
The personal fitness trainer is opening a new boutique studio at the Enjoy Centre on May 1. Robin Mungall Fitness will be located inside Wellness Within Health Centre & Spa.
The studio offers individual, semi-private and small group training, as well as nutritional and lifestyle counseling.
Instead of traditional workout routines, Mungall said he creates exercises based on the fitness goals and needs of each client.
“You will have a program that is designed not just for that day, not just for that month, but to achieve your goal,” he said.
“And if your goal is to lose 50 pounds I’ll put a realistic timeline on that.”
The centre will have six trainers to work with clients at the spa or at their home.
Mungall said he does not use machines as he matches workouts with people’s personalities, be that slower or faster exercises. It also allows people to repeat workouts at home and have more fun, he said.
One-on-one training sessions will cost between $70 and $80 per session, and semi-private sessions will cost about $45 per session. The studio requires customers to sign three or 12-month contracts, to ensure they are committed.
A combination of fitness and medical spa will differentiate Sturgeon Valley Athletic Club from other service providers in town, said club owner Christine Rawlins.
The club celebrated the opening of True Balance medical spa at its Campbell Business Park location this Friday.
True Balance offers medical grade aesthetic services, such as Botox treatments, bio-identical hormone replacement, body contouring, and laser hair removal.
But clients can also have signature treatments such as manicures, pedicures and massage therapy.
Rawlins said they even have a special room for private parties and business meetings where people can watch a PowerPoint presentation while getting a manicure.
“We definitely do see it as a differentiating factor for us and we also see it as an excellent fit with the type of demographic that we attract to the club,” she said.
“A more discerning clientele who appreciate the value of investing in their health and fitness and well-being.”
One of the highlights of the new spa is the bio-identical hormone replacement therapy. The therapy is designed to offset hormone deficiencies in the body that appear with age.
Rawlins said the hormones are prescribed by a doctor at the spa, and will help her clients keep their energy levels and muscle tissue, sleep better and work through hormonal changes in their body.
