With a host of logistics companies like Saddle Creek calling Polk County home, the need for a talented, highly skilled workforce in supply chain management is critical. “Central Florida, and in particular Polk County, is the distribution hub for approximately 10 million people in a 100-mile radius,” according to Dr. James Fenton, dean of the […]
Investing early through smart infrastructure decisions is moving this Central Florida community into the future as a Smart City. The City of Winter Haven has been advancing its high-speed fiber-optic network for years, living by the “dig once” broadband Initiative that allows the city to install fiber and conduit whenever possible. The city believes the […]
Conversations with cities who border a proposed new Central Florida Innovation District near Florida Polytechnic University makes one thing clear: They are enthusiastic about the possibilities. “I’m very excited about it,” said Auburndale City Manager Bobby Green. “It’s one of those things that’s a great economic development opportunity for Polk County, and where that opportunity […]
Brothers from Brazil find educational success on their path to becoming chemical engineers. Miguel Amador was entering kindergarten when his parents moved the family from Araraquara, Brazil, to Lakeland in 2004. His brother, Victor, was part way through first grade. Speaking only Portuguese, they credit Valleyview Elementary School with ensuring they learned English. And they […]
A team of Central Florida Development Council representatives will be heading to the Paris Air Show to represent Polk County at the Enterprise Florida pavilion. Their goal: Recruit aviation and aerospace business to Polk County. “One of CFDC’s objectives is to promote Polk County as a global business hub, and the Paris Air Show, being […]
Aviation education takes flight in Polk County in many ways, supporting a growing industry that provides an $878 million economic impact to the area. The county’s aviation leaders, working together as part of a Central Florida Development Council’s aviation committee, hope to keep growing this sector of the economy. “Part of that strategy focuses on […]
Hot, hot, hot. That’s what experts are calling the Polk County real-estate market, where inventory of existing houses remains low and homebuilders are busy. Various reports rank the local real-estate market in the Top 5 among major metropolitan areas, continuing a trend that started in 2018. Realtor.com places the Lakeland-Winter Haven MSA (Metropolitan Statistical Area, […]
As construction continues to accelerate in Polk County, builders look for employees who can show up for work on time, ready to tackle that day’s project. They’re getting help from the Polk County School District. This year, the district opened four new construction academies, which are modeled after the first one at Bartow High School. […]
Forward-thinking research being tackled by a Florida Polytechnic University assistant professor could prevent cyber-attacks of the future. Dr. Arman Sargolzaei, assistant professor of electrical engineering, is working with students at Florida Poly and a colleague at Florida International University to make cyber-physical systems (CPS), like autonomous vehicles and smart grids, more resilient against new types […]
Whether it’s awarding bachelor’s degrees to the next generation of nurses and computer programmers or certificates to future machine operators and aviation dispatchers, Polk State College is training the workforce that will keep Polk County on the cutting edge. It’s just one goal Polk State President Angela Garcia Falconetti points to as she leads Polk […]