Denise Sowell, CFPⓇ, CLUⓇ, ChFCⓇ, and Keli Hazel, CPA, BFA, the women behind Capitol Financial Solutions in downtown McDonough, decided to become business partners after realizing that they shared similar values and a passion for helping people navigate a complex, and constantly changing industry. They maintain separate offices on the same block but share knowledge and resources as they support each other and their clients. Customers who sit down with either of them know that they have a great team ready to answer any of their questions and create a financial plan uniquely tailored to them and their goals. Whether...
Acts of Love
Deborah Eskridge knows firsthand how illnesses can impact day-to-day life. Diagnosed with lupus in 2016 at the age of 19, she spent much of her time adjusting to her “new normal” rather than attending her second year of college as planned. Recognizing that many children and young adults impacted by illnesses may not be able to do the same things as others their age, especially during the holiday season, Eskridge began a toy drive called Deborah’s Toy Chest in late 2016. “With the support of my neighbors, friends, and family, I was able to donate 66 toys to Children’s Healthcare...
Children of the Mines
Traveling changes you. When placed out of your comfort zone in a part of the world in which there are more obstacles, you grow and never return to the same person you once were. Potosí, Bolivia, is one of the highest cities in the world. It sits on the lower part of the country and is known for its mining and colonial architecture. At one point, the city was the main supplier of silver to the Spanish empire. Today’s mining puts emphasis on the extraction of tin, zinc, lead, and silver. As we were looking for a spot to take...
GleamPro
When you see a service truck from GleamPro Cleaning pull up to your home or business, you might think it is just one franchisee for a large national company with offices scattered all over. It is not. There is only one GleamPro office, and it’s in Jackson. However, the cleaning company serves a wide geographic area that stretches across Henry and surrounding counties, utilizing a fleet of six trucks and 15-20 employees. Those professional-looking employees get the job done in a way that makes one think they have a gigantic company behind them. “We always wanted to look professional and...
Dreaming Big
Justin Phongsavanh is no ordinary local resident. He’s a Paralympian. A Paralympic bronze medalist and world record javelin thrower who now calls Henry County home. But how did this man, born and raised in the Midwest, make his way to Georgia? “The reason why I picked Georgia is I could not do snow anymore,” says Phongsavanh. He also had other reasons for picking his new home. “I found Henry County to be very optimal. I love my city and the community. It has everything you can imagine.” This lifelong athlete fell in love with sports at a young age. “I’ve...
Ready to Read
Learning to read is one of the core skills taught when a student first starts going to school. However, not every student learns the same way or at the same pace. At Community Christian School in Stockbridge, Alicia Petry, the school’s literacy specialist, has introduced students and teachers to the Orton-Gillingham method. She is the only fully trained and highly qualified Orton-Gillingham instructor on the southside of Atlanta, and she has seen lots of success since beginning to roll out the program at the school four years ago. “We started with just a handful of students the first year and...
The Power That Made the Body Heals the Body
This statement of truth, as viewed upon entry into the Manifest Wellness Spa, is quite apparent. Located on Highway 42/23, in the back of the Vineyard Park facility in McDonough, this unique health center not only offers healing services with discounted packages for paying clientele, but it also offers free services for military veterans and first responders. Every month on the 15th day, from the hours of 9:00 am -1:00 pm, the managers, Dr. Shea Wills and Sonya Gordon open their doors to these special servicemen. Since opening this healing facility in January 2023, various veterans have participated in the...
Grace Bats Cleanup
Scott Mayo and Matt Settle have known each other for over twenty years, playing high school baseball against each other. Settle played for Stockbridge High School and Mayo for Union Grove. Both men went on to play college baseball. Over the years, the two Henry County men always envisioned going into business together in some way, but it wasn’t until a year ago that the right opportunity presented itself. As Mayo and Settle were looking for a business venture to take on, an indoor baseball facility became available. Within months, they were signing a lease for the spot, and Team...
Three Generations, One School
For the McGinnis family, having several generations living on the same property in Henry County, with each generation having gone to the same school, is something special. “It’s neat three generations have gone there,” says TJ McGinnis, son of the patriarch of the family, Hal McGinnis. TJ followed in his dad’s footsteps by attending school at Creekside Christian Academy (CCA), and now he’s sending his children to CCA. “Dad and I had the same teacher. Having gone there myself, I knew my kids would go there,” says TJ. Since 1973, Creekside Christian Academy has provided families the opportunity to give...
The Women Who Lead Women’s Services
It isn’t a secret that Piedmont Henry Hospital is a busy place. The emergency department is one of the busiest in the Piedmont system, the surgical services department hums with activity every day of the week, and the hospital continues to offer new programs and services to care for a consistently growing and thriving community. The Marcia G. Taylor Women’s Center at Piedmont Henry also stays very busy. The department occupies two floors of the hospital’s North Tower and features the obstetric emergency department (OBED), Labor and Delivery, the Family Care Center, and a Level III neonatal intensive care unit...