Many people think of airports as places where planes take off and land. But there’s much more that happens at Polk County’s four local airports, all of which support aviation and the Polk County economy. For instance, Gulf Coast Avionics sells, installs and repairs aircraft electronics. “We bring in customers from all over the world […]
Yaliana Garcia, 19, moved to Polk County from Puerto Rico at the end of her junior year of high school. Even with such a short time here, she looks back at Bartow High School and its teachers as the reason she’s pursuing her dream to become a doctor. “I did not have the opportunity to […]
“I like Haines City and Polk County,” says Garrett Kenny. “There are tremendous growth opportunities here. Going back 15-16 years, I saw a lot of growth in the Interstate 4 and U.S. 27 corridors. Looking forward another 20 years, I see Polk County expanding a lot.” Garrett Kenny was at home in Ireland when he […]
Nucor Steel, prides itself on empowering its employees to solve problems. When the company was having difficulty finding qualified electricians, their maintenance managers decided to work together to find a solution. Six years later, one of those solutions has been implemented locally and is helping one local teen prepare for his first full-time job at […]
Leaders who use data often lead companies that excel, making it one of the most critical pieces of information for those in the top spots of companies around the world. The “Global Leadership Forecast 2018” found that leaders who use data to run their companies are: Nine times more likely to have closely integrated talent […]
Polk County has seen fast growth in the last few years. In fact, Lakeland-Winter Haven ranked No. 4 on the U.S. Census’s Top 10 Metropolitan Areas in Percentage Growth list, with a 3.2% annual population increase from 2017 to 2018. According to the World Population Review, Polk County was home to more than 708,000 residents […]
Florida Polytechnic University’s dominance on the world autonomous vehicle stage continues to grow, a status that enhances all of Polk County. Dr. Rahul Razdan, senior director of special projects at Florida Poly and head of the university’s Advanced Mobility Institute (where AV technology is tested and validated), has been appointed to lead a new project […]
Polk County student finds career in Central Florida’s Creative Industry following studies at Polk State College and Southeastern University and service in the Marine Corps. Alan Langdale thought he had his life planned out after he graduated from Mulberry High School in 2008. He enrolled at Tallahassee Community College, where he expected to earn a […]
“It’s always exciting to be recognized, and I think it’s a recognition of the team effort,” said Managing Principal Tim Hoeft. “As our team continues to grow and build relationships with clients and partners on projects, that experience just continues to feed on itself — to take the next project to the next level.” Straughn […]
As County Manager Jim Freeman prepares to retire, he quietly reflects on his accomplishments — rather, his team’s accomplishments; the future of Polk County; and his own plans, post-retirement. He says other people say he will be remembered for guiding the county through the Great Recession of 2008. “It was challenging,” Freeman said. “It took […]