News

Bartow Regional Medical Center Ranks High in Patient Satisfaction

December 22, 2016 Success Stories

When Phil Minden came to Polk County in January 2013 to oversee the operations of Bartow Regional Medical Center, he didn’t need to be convinced that the hospital should partner with the Central Florida Development Council. The convincing actually came during his previous post as an administrator at Pasco Regional Medical Center in Dade City. […]

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City of Lakeland Reports Explosive Job Growth

November 15, 2016 Success Stories

Real job growth is happening in Lakeland, as indicated by Polk County’s steadily falling unemployment rate, but pinning down the jobs number for Polk’s largest city involves “a lot of moving pieces,” says Jason Willey, the city of Lakeland’s business development manager. What animates Willey are the job numbers he can pin down — and […]

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Florida Power and Light Plans New Natural Gas Pipeline Project

October 2, 2016 News, Success Stories

Sometime in 2017, billions of cubic feet of natural gas will begin flowing from the middle of Alabama to southeast Florida, and the path with take it directly through Polk County in an underground, 600-foot-wide corridor. Polk is key in the construction of two major pipelines, costing about $3.5 billion combined that will supply the […]

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Winter Haven Experiencing Explosive Growth Powered by More than $100 Million in Economic Investment

September 28, 2016 News

Decisions both grand and seemingly small in business and government have positioned greater Winter Haven well for robust and diversified economic growth for many years to come. Once identified largely as the home of the world-famous Cypress Gardens attraction, Winter Haven is a major draw for family tourism again as the host community for the […]

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CNP Provides Effective Marketing for Top Area Firms

August 28, 2016 News

Anyone who traces the successful history of Clark/Nikdel/Powell back to its roots 25 years ago might quickly come to realize that the company has played an important role in local economic growth from the very beginning. “The very beginning” was about 22 years before the Winter Haven-based advertising agency became a financial investor with the […]

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Medline Bringing New Distribution Center and 100 New Jobs to Auburndale

August 8, 2016 News, Success Stories

Medline, the nation’s largest privately held manufacturer and distributor of medical supplies and clinical solutions, today announced its purchase of 51 acres of land for a new distribution center in Auburndale. The facility is expected to bring 100 new jobs to the city. Construction will begin this fall on the 830,000 square foot medical supplies […]

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City of Auburndale Planning for Major Growth Over the Next 20 Years

June 28, 2016 News

The pace of new commercial and residential construction in Auburndale has picked up considerably in recent months, but as robust as it is, it pales in comparison to the expectations city officials have for economic growth in the years just ahead. City leaders are pinning those expectations on two primary economic drivers — the Lake […]

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Port Tampa Bay commissions new post-Panamax container cranes

June 22, 2016 News

Port Tampa Bay today officially commissioned its two new, post-Panamax gantry cranes today, amid an enthusiastic crowd of dignitaries and port customers. Florida Gov. Rick Scott delivered remarks highlighting the significance of this enhanced capacity for Port Tampa Bay to serve Florida’s expanding international trade, as well as the importance of the state’s seaports and […]

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Central Florida Development Council Announces the Polk Global Trade Alliance

June 2, 2016 News

Polk County manufacturing and other companies that want to take an international route to market and business growth soon will have a new partner in their corner. The formation of the Polk Global Trade Alliance (PGTA), a new business-building organization, was a major announcement on May 20, 2016 during the second annual Polk Goes Global […]

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Six/Ten Nurtures Economic Growth Through Strategic Investment

April 15, 2016 News

Carl J. “Bud” Strang III knows a good investment when he sees — or even when he hears about it. As the chief executive officer of Six/Ten LLC in Winter Haven, Strang is principally involved in investing — in downtown commercial real estate and in a diverse number of innovative companies that are pitched well […]

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