The Central Florida Development Council hosted the Polk Goes Global VI webinar on May 5, 2021. With a focus on Global Talent and International Education, this webinar highlighted the significance of global education to companies recruiting talent, Polk County graduates who are now involved with international business and shared information about Polk State College’s collaboration […]
The innovative minds at Citrus Connection have come up with a plan to ease constraints on downtown parking in a new pilot program called “The Squeeze,” offering certainty and consistency. Erin Killebrew, director of external affairs, said the program is a fresh alternative to public transportation. “It’s not a bus, so we don’t want people […]
Opened May 3, 2021 The Restaurant Revitalization Fund (RRF) provides emergency assistance for eligible restaurants, bars, and other qualifying businesses impacted by COVID-19, from $1,000 and up to $10 million per entity (or associated businesses), or $5 million per physical location. Recipients are not required to repay the funding as long as funds are used for eligible […]
Originally published in the April 2021 Edition of Polk FWD Magazine As the Polk County population continues to grow, so does the number of businesses that want to relocate and expand here, bringing jobs, benefits and, in many cases, money to give back to the community. As Polk County’s economic development partnership, the Central Florida Development Council’s mission is to attract […]
When Madrid Engineering Group (MEG) merged with Cribb, Philbeck, Weaver Group (CPWG) in November 2019, the company’s owner, Larry Madrid, knew good things were ahead. MEG immediately became 30% owner of a third company, Pavement Management Group, and grew his company from 45 to 100 employees. Madrid CPWG is now a full-service, one-stop-shop, competing with […]
The Central Florida Development Council is hosting Polk Goes Global VI virtually this year, emphasizing the importance of building international business efforts and global talent. “Employers have identified the availability of qualified labor as the most important or one of the critical issues in making relocation decisions,” said Javier Marin, senior director of business resiliency […]
Influence of Foreign Trade on Global Education Originally published in Viva Polk! Magazine By Javier Marin, Senior Director of Business Resiliency & Global Trade Entering international markets has proven to be a very good bet for companies in the United States. In fact, it is estimated that of the 32 million companies in the U.S., […]
Eight of the nine counties that touch Polk County lost 140,000 jobs during the pandemic; the other, Hardee, gained 297. Polk County gained 1,559 jobs at the same time, reducing its pandemic high of 20% unemployment to 5.5% in less than a year. The county’s job growth, predicted to increase to 42.5% in the next […]
Dean Saunders has earned the title of highest-producing land broker in the nation for 2020. His secret to closing a deal? When both the seller’s and the buyer’s needs are met. Saunders, the founder, managing director and senior adviser of SVN | Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate in Lakeland, received the Realtors Land Institute (RLI) […]
As the world moves beyond boundaries and becomes more and more global, educating our students to do business internationally is a key component in college classes. Educating Spanish-speaking residents is just as important. That’s why Teresa Martinez, executive editor of Viva Polk magazine and member of the Polk State College District Board of Trustees, asked […]