Mulberry has emerged from a sleepy little town to a growing center of arts, entertainment and, coming soon, culinary delights. About three years ago, City Manager Rick Johnson started wondering whether the popular food truck rallies would end as the price of gas and insurance continued to rise. “I wanted a place where the trucks […]
One local woman has been named to the 2023 class of the Tampa Bay Business Journal’s 40 Under 40 – a rising star who, at 34, she is already vice president of student life at Florida Southern College. Lauren Albaum, 34, “is dedicated to empowering students, fostering growth and positively impacting their academic and professional […]
Wauchula State Bank has a new name, Crews Bank & Trust, but you’ll still see the same familiar faces at all its branches, and you’ll still experience its “customer first” culture. So why did it change names? It wasn’t bought by a larger bank, which is what some people ask, said Andrew Foreman, senior vice […]
When two companies collaborate to create a video showcasing everything that’s right about Polk County, the county and its chief economic development agency — the Central Florida Development Council— are the winners. “We are so grateful to Duke Energy for providing a grant that allowed us to hire Indie Atlantic Films to develop a new […]
Higher wage opportunities. Strong sector presence. Growing employment opportunities. These factors and many others continue retaining talent within Advanced Manufacturing. With a talent pipeline supplied by a vareity of post-secondary institutions, Polk County is the perfect place to locate an advanced manufacturing facility, bolstered by a talent pipeline that both graduates students prepared to tackle […]
Polk County is Florida’s Best Place for Business, and those involved in advanced manufacturing have figured it out. They know the reasons why companies want to and have located here: Infrastructure It’s located in the center of the country’s third-largest state, providing timely access to customers via road (interstates 4, 75 and 95); rail (300+ […]
At Florida Southern College’s Center for Free Enterprise and Entrepreneurship (CFEE), learning goes far beyond the classroom, giving students opportunities to develop their ideas into reality. The CFEE opened as the Center for Free Enterprise in 2013 with a focus on free enterprise and why entrepreneurship matters in society, said Michael Weber, dean of the […]
Six local people who have contributed to the arts and culture of Polk County, along with the winners of six annual awards, will be honored at the Polk Arts & Cultural Alliance (PACA) Hall of Fame Gala in October. “This year’s Hall of Fame inductees represent the diverse arts and cultural contributions made by Polk […]
Lakeland, FL – The University of South Florida (USF) Alumni Association has recognized MADE as one of the 2023 USF Fast 56—the fastest-growing USF alumni-owned or -led businesses in the world. MADE, led by USF Alum Michelle Ledford, is a branding and marketing agency founded in Lakeland, Florida with business partner Allen Reed. In a press release provided by […]
Winter Haven Hospital’s young family medicine residency program has just graduated to the next level – it sent five recent graduates into the workforce, and all are staying in the Polk County area. “This feels like a great accomplishment. When this program started, it was just me in an office by myself. Now we have […]