Four small businesses that showcase the best of Polk County are finalists for the Central Florida Development Council’s Jim Brantley Economic Development Award – Success in Small Business. The winner chosen from the finalists will be announced at the CFDC’s annual meeting, which will be held Sept. 28 at Haus 20 in Lakeland. Last year, […]
Phosphate reigned in 1950 when Roy Chastain and Joe Skillman took over the leadership of a young engineering firm, creating Chastain-Skillman Inc. The new company served that industry but also realized it needed to provide surveying, land development and public works engineering to become a major supporter of the growth and development of Polk County’s […]
Polk State College’s new provost for Academic Affairs and Workforce Education is no stranger to education or Polk County with 23 years of experience in education. “Amy Bratten brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in academic affairs to our institution. We are proud to have her as an integral part of our Polk State […]
Since retired Air Force Major Gen. H.D. “Jake” Polumbo founded Two Blue Aces Consulting in 2016, he’s assembled an impressive team of senior consultants. Now he’s sharing what it takes to assemble such a team in the second of two books on leadership. Leadership at 100 Feet follows his first book, Leadership at 30,000 Feet. […]
A bank with a rich history after 123 years in business and a foundation built on community and powered by its core values, mission and purpose. “We believe in building a company that never knows completion—an organization that keeps getting better,” said Andrew McGinnis, Polk County Market President for Hancock Whitney Bank. “Our Mission, Our […]
President & Principal Michelle Ledford and Executive Creative Director and Principal Allen Reed MADE something of their new venture together, and now that company, MADE, is six years old and going strong. The boutique branding and marketing agency celebrated its sixth year in June, and along with growing the business, it continues to give back […]
Lakeland Regional Health has added another project to its growing list in its effort to increase access to health care in our growing county. The latest Lakeland Regional Health project is a $25 million freestanding emergency department that will have 17 beds and three triage rooms. The building will be constructed on 2.2 acres at […]
As Polk County continues to grow, keeping up with infrastructure, maintaining it and planning for the future are critical components to ensure economic development thrives here. But the county can’t do it alone, which is why the state sometimes helps. ICYMI: Thanks to support and requests from the Polk Legislative Delegation, Polk County will receive […]
When successful Florida businessmen saw a need to build public facilities at less than the price school systems and municipalities were paying, on time and efficiently, they founded their own company – and taxpayers are benefiting. Public School Development Solutions Inc. (PSDS) was founded in 2021 “as an innovative turnkey school building solution to benefit […]
AdventHealth, which moved into Polk County in September 2019 when it bought two hospitals in the area, is gaining attention as it just broke ground on a new emergency room in Winter Haven – shortly after receiving a top recognition. The 20,000-square-foot, 24-bed emergency room is the first of a multi-phase construction plan that eventually […]