Visit our Foreign Direct Investment page to see which other companies find value in Polk County. You’ll be amazed at the international presence here!

Also, if you haven’t started following the Central Florida Development Council on LinkedIn, you should. We’ll keep you connected with our network and up-to-date with exciting news.

While planning his design, Calatrava established the following principles to help guide his vision: to reflect the important role that the landscape, vegetation and water play in Central Florida; create an iconic structure marking the campus within the larger local and regional context; recognize and conserve the natural landscape, open space and vegetation; place vehicular traffic at the perimeter of the campus; and create a ­”pedestrian-friendly” campus environment.

We can’t wait to see the finished product! Learn more about the Florida Polytechnic campus here.

Source: The Ledger

Author: Mary Toothman

The Polk Education Foundation (PEF) was created in 1988, as a 501(c) (3) direct-support organization for the Polk County School Board. The Foundation serves as the fiscal agent and manager of many educational programs for Polk County Public Schools. PEF also enhances educational student-focused programs funded by private and corporate funds.

The Top 20 school districts were scored based on eight performance categories: total revenues, revenues per student, total assets, assets per student, total program expenses, program expenses per student, investment income and total volunteers.

According to the study, the top 10 education foundations are particularly well-rounded, with six of the top foundations placing in all eight performance categories, and four placing in seven of the eight performance categories.

Led by a volunteer Board of Directors made up of community, educational and business leaders, the Polk Education Foundation & Business Partnership, Inc has raised and spent over $26 million dollars to help make its vision a reality. Its vision is to help enhance public school programs and to help students reach their educational goals.

Get the complete list of Top 20 Education Foundations and read the complete survey here!

Specifically, her research focuses on how the calcium component contained in cacti can be used to reduce phosphate levels in water. She hopes that one day her research will help restore lakes to their former beauty. After several years of research, Kirsti’s quest to find a natural way to reduce the phosphate level in lakes resulted in a first place finish in the environmental science category at the Polk Regional Science and Engineering Fair. She was also a runner up for best of show in the senior division. These two distinctions qualified her for her second trip to the International Fair.

As she gets prepared for her trip, Kirstie is looking for local organizations, businesses, schools, municipalities and area attractions to provide pins for her to exchange with students from other states and countries. As mixer-type event, the International Science fair conducts a traditional pin-swap with science fair participants, where they can collect interesting pins from other participants’ home towns. Since Florida pins are always a huge hit, Kirstie has decided to focus the collection she brings with her around her research – lakes. This year she’d like to take pins representing area lakes, Disney World and Legoland — and any others she can round up before Sunday.

Success stories in education, especially those in the STEM fields, make us excited about the bright future ahead of us in Polk County. If you’re interested in donating pins for Kirstie’s adventure, get in touch with Kirstie soon!

Author: Donna Kelly

Source: The Ledger

SteriPack plans to hire 65 employees who will make $41,000 annually, which is greater than 115% of Polk County’s average annual wage. The total capital investment for the project is $7 million. The CFDC worked closely with the LEDC to convince the company they should choose Polk County over other locations both in and outside the State of Florida.

Thanks for choosing Central Florida, SteriPack!

We are so appreciative of Jerry’s leadership and are grateful for the time he dedicates to making Polk County a better place. Thanks, Jerry!

Click here to see the full article in the News Chief.

The trial, which is developed by OncoSec Medical Incorporated, is designed to assess local and distant objective response following treatment of cutaneous melanoma lesions with DNA IL-12 and electroporation with a primary endpoint of 24 weeks. One treatment cycle will consist of three treatments applied to up to four lesions on days 1, 5 and 8 with a maximum dose of 1.5 mg DNA IL-12 per treatment cycle.

At 12 months, patients will be moved to the follow-up phase of the study and will be followed for up to five years for safety.

“Data from the Phase I study was very impressive, which demonstrated that the therapy was not only safe but also provided durable therapeutic benefit,” said Manuel Molina, MD, Surgical Oncologist and LRCC principal investigator on this trial.  “Advancing into a Phase II study is encouraging and is important for validation of results seen in the Phase I study. We look forward to participating in this trial.”

“Lakeland Regional Cancer Center is a state-of-the-art clinical site and represents an important center of excellence that will add value to enrollment targets and expertise by participating in the study,” said Punit Dhillon, OncoSec President and CEO.

Melanoma is the most serious form of skin cancer. If it is recognized and treated early, it is almost always curable, but if it is not, the cancer can advance and spread to other parts of the body, where it becomes hard to treat and can be fatal. While it is not the most common of the skin cancers, it causes the most deaths. The American Cancer Society estimates that at present, about 123,000 new cases of melanoma in the US are diagnosed in a year, resulting in approximately 10,000 deaths. Melanoma originates in melanocytes, the cells which produce the pigment melanin that colors our skin, hair, and eyes. The majority of melanomas are black or brown, but often they can also be skin-colored, pink, red, purple, blue or white. Currently, there remains few treatment options for patients with late stage metastatic disease that can extend survival for the broad population.

For more information on this trial or to find out if you are a candidate, please call 863-904-1900.  To learn more about LRCC and its clinical trials program, please visit www.lrmc.com/cancer-center.

Publix is privately owned and operated by its 152,000 employees, with 2011 sales of $27.0 billion. Currently Publix has more than 1,050 stores in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama and Tennessee. The company has been named one of FORTUNE’s “100 Best Companies to Work For in America” for 15 consecutive years. In addition, Publix’s dedication to superior quality and customer service is recognized as tops in the grocery business, most recently by an American Customer Satisfaction Index survey. For more information, visit the Publix website.

We are proud to have such a giving company in our community. Support is what we’re all about. Congratulations, Publix!

Source: PR Newswire

For the eighth year in a row, Texas ranked as the No.1 state in which to do business.

Of course, we are thrilled to have received this news and hope it gives you another reason to consider Central Florida’s Polk County as your chosen destination to start, relocate or expand your business. If you’re interested in learning more about the opportunities available to you or what support the CFDC can offer you, take a look at the web page that best fits your needs: Start a Business in Central Florida, Expand your Central Florida Business or Locate your Business in Central Florida. We are ready to assist!

Source: Tampa Bay Business Journal

To register or to get a schedule of the event, please click here.