The new Hospitality and Marketing Academy at Davenport High School (DHS) is preparing students to enter the field with unique skills. Courses being offered at the new high school, which opened in August 2021, include multiple career programs in the fine arts, hospitality and hotel management, technology, computer modeling and gaming. That includes the first […]
As manufacturing continues to play a key role in diversifying Polk County’s economy, it’s clear that education is a vital component to ensuring a workforce that is trained to handle jobs that have changed considerably in the last 20 years. Florida Polytechnic University, Polk State College, Florida Southern College and Southeastern University are all important […]
Advanced manufacturing and tech-enabled companies help students, researchers and professors, while propelling Polk County’s economy. Ridvan Gedik, associate professor of Supply Chain Management at Florida Southern College’s Barney Barnett School of Business and Free Enterprise said Polk County’s institutions of higher learning understand that manufacturing new and better technology is what companies strive for to […]
Polk County’s leaders were well represented in Florida Trend’s Florida 500, a comprehensive list the magazine develops of the state’s most influential business leaders. This year, 15 people from Polk County landed on the list. Florida Trend develops the list “using broad economic categories from the U.S. Department of Commerce, with the number of influentials […]
The aerospace world has changed dramatically since NASA stopped using the space shuttle to ferry astronauts, supplies and satellites to orbit in July 2011. Companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin are now filling the void, but NASA remains active as it plans to send the first Artemis mission to the moon and launch a new […]
Incoming Central Florida Development Council Chairman of the Board Bart Allen brings a new perspective to the organization, one that he hopes will keep the CFDC building upon the successes of the past few years and moving forward. Allen is a lawyer specializing in land use and environmental law at Peterson & Myers in Lakeland. […]
With a focus on high-skill, high-wage jobs along the critical Interstate 4 corridor in Central Florida, advanced manufacturers are finding their way to Polk County. And many more are inquiring about locating here. So far this year, the Central Florida Development Council has closed seven projects, four of which are manufacturing. In addition, advanced manufacturing […]
Polk County Newcomer Nucor Steel Florida and 34-year staple Springer Construction received the Central Florida Development Council’s most prestigious awards at its annual meeting on September 30. The county’s economic development agency also honored nine-year Florida Senator Kelli Stargel for her work promoting businesses in Central Florida. Springer Construction is the winner of the Jim […]
As the coronavirus pandemic continues to grip the world, affecting business and industry as much as health and welfare, economic resiliency is the term that defines Angela Garcia Falconetti’s year as chairwoman of the Central Florida Development Council board of directors. “When you look at how much has occurred and how many accomplishments have been […]
One company provides electricity to a large swath of Polk County, while another helps keep our residents healthy. Two others produce steel and provide planning and design services. All four contribute to the economic success of Polk County, employing hundreds, paying taxes and giving back. On Sept. 30, the Central Florida Development Council will award […]