Contact

The Central Florida Development Council

Staff

Tom Patton

As Executive Director of the CFDC, Mr. Patton oversees the following Divisions within Polk County Government: Tourism and Sports Marketing, Business Development, the Small Business Development Center (SBDC) and the County’s Community Redevelopment Agency.

Mr. Patton’s business experience includes 15 years in Sales, Marketing and Management positions with John Deere Company. He also directed the economic development program for a multi-county Economic Development Council in Eastern Washington State for seven years. He moved to Florida to implement an economic development program for the City of Haines City in 2001, and has been employed in his current position with Polk County since 2003.

He is a graduate of Oregon State University, and has had several entrepreneurial ventures including the creation of the Home Court Advantage Crowd Noise Meter Scoreboard that has been placed in numerous sports facilities since its development in 1985. He serves on numerous boards related to development of this rapidly growing County, and was a member of the inaugural class of Leadership Polk.

Tom is an avid, but lousy, golfer and enjoys fishing in the lake behind his home in Haines City. He has a daughter in college and his wife, Jane, shares his professional interests as she is the Director of their local Chamber of Commerce.

Rodney Carson

As Director of Economic Development, Rodney is responsible for the development and implementation of the organization’s overall economic development strategic plan, including the formulation of target industry strategies for marketing of new business recruitment (domestically and internationally) as well as local business expansion.

Prior to joining the CFDC, Rodney has served as Vice President for a 3-state, 15-county regional economic development program, a Senior Economic Development Representative with a Fortune 250 company, an International Business Consultant, and Internet International Operations Manager and a Corporate Banker. He is also an accomplished entrepreneur, having started and sold several different small businesses in Texas and Hawaii.

Rodney obtained his undergraduate degree, with a double major in International Business Management and Business Finance, from the University of Hawaii. He holds an MBA with a focus in International Internet and E-Commerce Management from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. In addition, Rodney is a certified economic developer. Rodney is also a recipient of Progress Energy’s highest employee award – the Pinnacle Award – for his leadership work with Energy-Louisisana after Hurricane Katrina.

Rodney is actively involved in local, regional and state economic development organizations, having held various board positions with Tampa Bay Partnership, Florida’s Great Northwest, Opportunity Florida and the Haines City Economic Development Council. He is currently a board member on the Polk Works Workforce Board and is an active member of the Florida Economic Development Council and the International Economic Development Council.

Rodney is an accomplished scuba diver, having reached the ranks of master scuba instructor, and now spends his free time spear fishing, running and keeping up with his children.

Jim DeGennaro

Jim DeGennaro is the Senior Business Marketing Manager for the Economic Development Group. Jim is responsible for marketing the assets of Polk County and manages communications and public relations activities. He supports Management and the Business Recruitment and Existing Business Retention and Expansion initiatives.

Jim is a graduate of the Economic Development Institute at the University of Oklahoma at Norman and is a Certified Public Manager. He was honored as Florida’s 1995 Economic Development Professional of the Year by the Florida Economic Development Council.

Jim serves as a volunteer on the Board of Directors for Florida First Capital Finance Corporation and is a 29-year employee of the Board of County Commissioners and the Central Florida Development Council.

He has three grown children and five grandbabies. When he was younger, Jim rode a bareback bronco in a rodeo, parachuted from a perfectly good airplane and bungee jumped stone cold sober from a 200-foot tall tower crane on Daytona Beach. Today he is careful to hold the handrail when walking down the stairs.

Mark McDuff

As Senior Business Development Manager, Mark’s primary focus areas include target industry business attraction and recruitment, implementing marketing strategies to promote the advantages of our region to national site location consultants, national corporate real estate consultants and target industry corporate level executives. He also attends target industry trade shows and consultant events to increase awareness of the Polk County brand, create relationships with key location influencers and generate investment in Polk County.

Prior to joining the CFDC, Mark served as Community Services Director for the City of Lake Wales, where his department was responsible for providing a diverse range of community and municipal services.

He retired from the United States Air Force as a Lieutenant Colonel in 1999 after 20 years of service and holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration (Organization & Management) from Golden Gate University and Bachelor of Arts Degree in Anthropology from the University of South Florida. In 2001 he completed the University of South Florida’s basic Economic Development Course and completed the International Economic Development Council’s Economic Development Marketing and Attraction course in 2008.

He is originally from Winter Haven where he lives with his wife, Lynda. Mark is an avid runner, surfer and loves bass fishing and Florida archaeology.

Amy Palmer

Amy Palmer is the Senior Business Development Manager for the Central Florida Development Council (CFDC) of Polk County, a public-private partnership between the Board of County Commissioners and all the Chambers of Commerce in Polk County, where she is responsible for the Business Retention and Expansion Program.

Amy has a Master’s Degree in Urban and Regional Planning from Florida State University and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners. She is also Secretary for the Heart of Florida Section of the Florida Chapter of the American Planning Association. She attended undergraduate school at Catawba College in Salisury, NC, where she and her husband Andy Palmer met in their freshman year.

Prior to joining the CFDC, Amy was the former Staff Planner and Community Development Director for the City of Auburndale. She lives in Winter Haven where she enjoys entertaining family and friends, cooking, exercising and traveling.

Brandy Skinner

As the Administrative Assistant, Brandy supports staff with Economic Development functions and clients with Marketplace Gold reports for target marketing projects. She is also the assistant to the CFDC Board and prepares their monthly newsletter for distribution.

Prior to joining the Economic Development department, Brandy was employed at the 911 Communications Center for Polk County Fire and EMS. Brandy graduated with honors from Fort Meade High School.

Brandy currently lives in Fort Meade with her husband and two sons.

Lindsay Tannahill

Lindsay is the Intern for the Central Florida Development Council. She is responsible for general staff support, updating the new CFDC website and strengthening the Life Sciences and Medical Services industry in Polk County.

Lindsay holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Palm Beach Atlantic University and is currently working on her Master’s in Public Administration through Florida Gulf Coast University.

Prior to interning with the CFDC, Lindsay interned with BKSH & Associates, Washington, DC’s premier global public policy and government relations firm.

She lives in Winter Haven and enjoys traveling, cooking and spending time with her family.