At a little over a year old, the Advanced Mobility Institute at Florida Polytechnic University is garnering attention, partnerships and money that will further its work on autonomous vehicles and its role in the Central Florida Innovation District. The National Science Foundation recently awarded the AMI a $350,000 grant for equipment. “NSF grants are very […]
One man was so well-respected, so instrumental, so admired when the county began emulating the state Department of Commerce’s initiatives nearly 35 years ago that the Central Florida Development Council has named its small-business award in his honor. Addressing Jim Brantley, the first director of the agency that has since been renamed the Central Florida […]
The Lunz Group and Draken International are the winners of the Central Florida Development Council’s 2019 Success in Business — Economic Development awards, the highest honors the agency awards yearly. The Lunz Group won the 2019 Jim Brantley Economic Development Award – Success in Small Business, while Draken — the 18th fastest-growing private company in […]
When you think of manufacturing in Polk County, you should think beyond citrus and phosphate, two industries that paved the way for the county to become a manufacturing hub. Patti Gander, director of the Manufacturing and Supply Chain Alliance of Mid Florida (formerly the Polk County Manufacturing Association), said manufacturing is often defined as a […]
In September, after 20 years as the Southern Strategy Group, Florida’s largest lobbying firm changed its name to The Southern Group Inc. to better reflect its mission for the next decade. “The Southern Group signals our firm’s further evolution in the influence business,” said Seth McKeel, managing partner of the Tampa office. “We pride ourselves […]
Quantifying the impact and value of local parks now a tool for municipalities and communities to use in their evaluation for investment. The Florida Recreation and Park Association started talking about ways to provide quantifiable value to area parks and recreation facilities a decade ago, and now, with a lot of help from the City […]
The Lunz Group is an honoree in GrowFL’s 50 Florida Companies to Watch, a recognition that highlights the full-service architectural firm’s growth in the past few years. It is the only Polk County business to be recognized. The Lunz Group is an architectural firm in Lakeland that specializes in working with clients to design projects […]
Retired United States Air Force General Lori Robinson thinks it’s important that parents pay attention to their children and where their natural tendencies lie, especially if those might be in a STEM-related field. Speaking anecdotally, the guest speaker at the Central Florida Development Council’s October 16th Annual Meeting said she hears about students who come […]
Another student is using valuable lessons from Polk County Public Schools and taking them to higher education, this time to Stanford. Mulberry High School biology teacher Stace Alcala played a major role in Brenda Alvarez-Lagunas’ love of science, challenging her in such a way that the 2019 valedictorian is now attending Stanford University in California […]
Polk County and the cities of Lakeland and Auburndale have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to work together with the Central Florida Development Council to develop a vision for the Central Florida Innovation District (CFID). “Collaboration and coordination are key to both the establishment of a vision for the Innovation District and the realization […]