Gretchen Holzhauser says she didn’t choose the gaming industry; it chose her. “My parents trained thoroughbred racehorses, so I spent a lot of time on the racetrack — reading racing forms and picking winners with my dad,” recalls the Louisiana native. “It just came naturally that I would end up working in the gaming industry.” […]
While riding by a laundromat one night, Shira Stallworth was troubled by the sight of homeless people freezing and hungry in the cold. The next day, Stallworth, a Moss Point resident, and her daughter brought them blankets and food. “They could not believe that someone, a stranger, cared for them enough to make their life […]
Photography by Brandi Stage Portraiture Interior designer Debbie Batia doesn’t have a particular aesthetic she’s known for. Despite her expertise, the owner of Biloxi-based D. Batia Interiors isn’t one to impose her will or ideas on clients. Instead, from the start of the relationship, she focuses on putting them at ease and listening to their […]
Earline Johnson was adored for her kindness and sweet nature, but it was her determination that ensured her business would thrive for generations. She and her husband, Hardy, opened Johnson Brothers Jewelry Company in 1946 at its current location in downtown Pascagoula. The store was one of six of the same name owned and operated […]
Allanah Turner makes her living fighting fires, but the blaze that burns inside her won’t be extinguished anytime soon. “Growing up, I always knew I wanted to be a vessel and influence as many lives as possible,” says the 20-year-old Gulfport native. “I knew I had to start somewhere; why not my community? On Sept. […]
Monica Ladd and her niece, Andria Rodolfich, have long shared a dream of opening their own salon. “The beauty industry has always been in our blood; I had one of the first nail salons in the state of Oregon at a very early age,” says Ladd. In addition to her background in the gaming industry, […]
Some patients may still fear the dentist’s chair, but according to Dr. Clifford Cook, the old days of painful dentistry are over. “Lasers have created better work and require far less anesthesia — many times none …,” says Cook, a dentist with Broadwater Dental in D’Iberville. “Oral health is important to overall health, and I […]
For Dr. Tamara Harper, the pandemic has highlighted the fragility of life — but also its strength. Harper, a pediatrician affiliated with Singing River, may have to wear masks and protective gear all day, but she and her patients still somehow understand each other. “It’s amazing how babies are so resilient,” she says, “seeming to […]
As an oncologist, Dr. Olivia Hightower is used to nervous patients. But if a difficult diagnosis puts her in someone’s life, she does everything possible to make the experience a positive one. “I encourage patients that knowledge is power,” says the doctor, who practices at Gulfport Memorial Hospital, “and there is so much we can […]
When a client enters Polished Salon and Spa, they can leave their cares at the door. “In this crazy, hectic world, there’s not much time to relax and take time for ourselves,” says owner and stylist Rachael Hollingsworth, “so when our clients are at Polished, that’s their time to take a moment and relax.” Hollingsworth […]
