Spend five minutes with Sharon Muzzio and Shirley Arnold and you’ll be blown away —by their enthusiasm, by their laughter, by their constant flow of chatter and, perhaps most obviously, by their overwhelming love of their work. It’s clear that these two, friends since 1997 and business partners since January, have learned to incorporate work and play. After talking to the two women, there’s no doubt that their message of health and wellness is more than just a saying – it’s a way of life.

Both trained nurses with more than 30 years work-experience between them, Arnold and Muzzio decided to combine their love of serving people with their belief that the gift of touch is a powerful thing. “Touching someone puts them at ease,” says Muzzio, as she reflects upon her experiences in the health industry, “As a nurse, I saw the difference in people’s ability to be comforted.” And, with that thought in mind, Massa Therapeutics was born. Although Arnold originally began the practice in Hershey years before the two met, it was not until this past year that the establish became as we know it today — a full- service massage and wellness center, providing services for every person from every walk of life.

Although they are not the only massage therapists in the area, Muzzio and Arnold take pride in the fact they are the only group that are trained to provide therapeutic care to both pregnant women and children. In addition to the various services offered at the Center —such as the traditional Swedish massage and Deep Tissue Therapy — Muzzio sees the Child and Prenatal and Labor Massage as a great benefit to their clients, a list of whom ranges from children with Attention Deficit Disorder to mothers-to-be at home on bedrest. “We teach them relaxation techniques,” she says, “which helps them through their stressful times.” The two also revel in the fact that their establishment is the only one in the area that is an insurance provider, meaning that, as of September, they will be able to arrange clients’ rates with the backing of certain insurance companies.

Along with their normal, everyday on-site massages and the specialty programs, Arnold and Muzzio also take time to bring their gift of touch to local businesses. “We have a wellness package that we offer corporations,” Muzzio begins, adding, “we bring the message of wellness into the workplace.” The package, which the two provide for a variety of local companies, focusing on relieving the stress of the employees through massage while, at the same time, reinforcing the benefits of proper nutrition and stress management, an area in which both therapists share a great interest. The pair not only takes the time to lecture at some of Penn State Harrisburg’s stress management classes, they also became trained in the art of the “seated massage,” a massage ideal for the often hectic and crazy environment of the workplace.

As one of only three nationally certified massage therapy centers out of the more than fifty in the area, the two pride themselves on their training and their knowledge of their craft. In fact, both Arnold and Muzzio have spent much of their careers in the field trying to “clean up” the massage industry and inform the public that not all massage therapists are as stereotypically incompetent or irreputable as they may be perceived. For her part, Arnold has been on the Pennsylvania licensing coalition for the past eight years, focusing her efforts on the possible enactment of a state license requirement for massage therapists. Licensing, Arnold says, will not only better insure the safety of the clients, but also increase “the efficacy of our education, skills, and professional conduct.” The purification of the industry is clearly something that the two therapists take seriously, as their passion on the topic is done, not for themselves, but for the benefit of their clients — a point that is illustrated when they begin to recount some of the horror stories that they have been told. “We were told recently that someone got a broken rib during a massage,” Arnold begins, adding, “I don’t want to be clumped in with something like that.” Without hesitation, Muzzio reiterates the importance of their cause, “Until the population becomes more educated to the difference,” she says, “we will all be clumped together.”

In just a short time Massa Therapeutics Wellness Center has established itself as one of the leading massage and health centers in the area. And, to be sure, their message of wellness has become more than a mantra for Arnold and Muzzio, it has become part of the healthy living message that the two have made a mainstay of their career. “We really have an impact on helping people make lifestyle changes,” Muzzio states, “with our clients, we build up a relationship with them and make better decisions for them.” Agreeing, Arnold adds, “It’s very rewarding, you walk away at the end of the day and you feel like you’ve made a difference.”

Phillips Office Products has always been a mainstay in the area — and for the 59 years that it’s been a part of city life, it’s always been run by a family of Phillips … make that two families of Phillips. In the time since its opening in 1940, decades have passed, numerous expansions have taken place, and a second set of Phillips have taken the company over, doing their best to serve the community in the same spirit that the original store and the original owner had done since first opening the company’s doors.

The original Phillips Office Products opened its first store on South Second Street, not far from the company’s newest location at Strawberry Square. Founded by Walter F. Phillips, Sr., the store was known as “Phillips Typewriter Company,” a one-man location that sold only typewriters and adding machines. Before long, Phillips found himself relocating to a storefront on Second and Locust, a move that merged both his original location and a second site that was opened on Locust Street a few years after the opening of the first store. Over the years, Phillips opened stores on the West Shore, expanded the business to add furniture and office supplies, changed the name to “Phillips Office Products, Inc.,” and, eventually, retired at the age of 76 in 1984.

It was good timing and a small twist of fate that brought the Phillips company where it is today. Just as Walter Phillips was ending his career, Thomas G. Phillips, III (no relation) and his two sons were looking to purchase a business of their own in the area. And, as luck would have it, the new generation of Phillips had to look no further than to a company bearing their own last name — one that was, according to current President Peter H. Phillips, “a well-established name in the Harrisburg market, with a good reputation … it just needed some leadership and investment.” So, Phillips and his sons bought the business, and the rest is history.

Since taking over the business is 1984, Peter Phillips has taken pride in the fact that, through the direction of his family, the company has “concentrated more on the commercial aspect of the business” as opposed to just the retail. In the past fifteen years, the establishment has focused on broadening their role in the Harrisburg business community — widening the scope of their furniture department, adding interior designing, and, lastly, maintaining the level of success that has always existed in their technical products and office supply divisions. While Phillips notes that “the volumes of business are pretty much equal” between the three divisions — basic office supply, technical products, and furniture — he emphasizes that he and his brother, David S. Phillips, are always looking for new ways to keep the company up-to-date and fulfilling of their customers’ needs. “We can do the entire interior for you,” Phillips adds, “from wall coverings and carpet to the supplies and furniture that goes inside.”

To further the interior design and furniture division of the company, Phillips is also working on adding a program to the business known as Integrated Interiors that will, in some ways, eliminate the need for a middle-man in the relationship between the Phillips company and the customer. “If a customer wants to ‘gut’ the office, we’ll be able to do that,” Phillips predicts, noting that, when the program is instituted, the company will be able to do everything from designing the office and supplying the furniture to the actual construction of the walls — and thereby “remove the contractor” from the equation.

When talking to Phillips, it is obvious that developing — and maintaining — a customer relationship is second to none in the minds of those at Phillips Office Products. From excellent customer service, to the one-on-one relationships cultivated by the staff, the company makes a great effort to keep their customers the number one priority. “Every customer we have, we want to be a customer for life,” Phillips says, “We have 6,000 customers that are actively buying because the products that we have are just the kind of products that encourage return customers.” In addition, Phillips takes pride in the fact that their company has been “built around being able to service what we sell” with 45 service technicians on the road everyday.

Phillips also likes the fact that his company “offers an alternative to customers” in a world of superstores and quick decisions. “Now when you look in the yellow pages, you see international corporations,” Phillips notes, “but Phillips is still a locally owned, independent company that supports the area … and I think that consumers want that choice.” Phillips also thinks that most customers relish in the fact that the company is —and has always been — family-run, “We think that independent businesses are more responsive to the needs of the customer because we’re close to it,” he explains, adding, “if a customer had problem, you could call and ask for me.”