With a dig of their shovels, City Commissioners, City Staff, Chamber and Main Street Winter Haven representatives, engineers and contractors kicked off a long awaited project to revitalize (and make functional) South Central Park in downtown Winter Haven. This project has been in the works for over 10 years and has undergone two revisions in its design to accommodate the changing and bustling landscape of our downtown. This is an exciting project that will right-size dangerous streets and, once completed, will provide 38 more parking spaces than what exists today. Read below for more information on this project, timelines and features.
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Mulling Insurance Agency, a leading provider of consumer and commercial insurance in Polk County, today announced the recognition of the firm’s 60th Anniversary as a central Florida insurer. Located in the Downtown Auburndale Historic District, Mulling Insurance was founded in 1957 by J. Foister “Moon” Mulling when Foister began selling insurance from his downtown men’s clothing store. The firm has now grown to be among the largest and longest-tenured insurance agencies in Polk County and is recognized as one of the largest family-owned insurance firms in the state of Florida. Florida Trend magazine teamed up with the Best Companies Group of Harrisburg, Pa. to rank the state's top 100 employers. Companies named Best Companies to Work for in Florida for 2017, were divided into 26 large companies, 37 medium companies and 37 small companies by the number of people they employ in Florida. The ranking was based on employer inventory of practices and an anonymous survey of employees, who were asked to agree or disagree with dozens of statements about the firm, teamwork and their individual experience at the firm. For nine consecutive years, Edward Jones has ranked in the top ten Best Companies to Work for in Florida.
The Polk County Veterans Council and Cornerstone Hospice and Palliative Care invite area veterans who are physically unable to travel to Washington, D.C. for the Yellow Ribbon Flight to Honor, to participate in a virtual experience. The 2nd Annual Virtual Flight to Honor will be held on Saturday, October 7, 2017, at 10 a.m. at the American Legion, Post 8 in Winter Haven. The veterans will watch a video of a previous Flight to Honor, professionally shot from the veterans’ perspective, which tours the various military monuments in our nation’s capital. Additionally, the veterans will be honored with a Cornerstone SALUTES! and treated to a delicious lunch provided by Post 8.
EA Smiles, the orthodontic practice of Dr Ilan Abramowitz knows it’s great to be a Florida Gator. Just in time for football season, the practice is announcing the launch of collegiate-licensed “Gator Braces,” designer braces in the shape of the Florida Gators logo. “Gators fans are some of the most devoted and passionate fans in the country,” said Dr. Abramowitz. “They love to show their team spirt on their shirts, on their backpacks and in their home. So why not show your Gator pride in your smile!”
Polk State College and the University of Central Florida (“UCF”) are pleased to announce an exciting partnership between the two schools for students seeking admission to UCF Online undergraduate and graduate programs. Transfer Connect offers Polk State College students an opportunity to engage with UCF Online Student Success Coaches who will help students transfer into one of UCF’s fully online bachelor programs without having to travel to Orlando. Further, with articulated 2+2+2 pathways, an online master's degree is also achievable.
The agreement will be formalized at a ceremony on Friday, August 18 at 12:30 p.m. at the Polk Sate Lakeland campus, room LTB 1124. Members of the media and community are invited to attend. New Beginnings High School had a lot to celebrate today, as they accepted a $25,000 grant from AT&T for their new Automobile Academy. Founder and CEO of New Beginnings High School, Ashlee Wright, began the program by giving thanks to the community for coming to learn more about their new Automobile Academy. She introduced the instructor of the program Mr. Lockhart, the board of New Beginnings High School, members of the Polk County School Board, Matt with AT&T, Representative Sam Killebrew and also, County Commissioner, Todd Dantzler who were all there to show their support and excitement for the Automobile Academy.
Gessler Clinic, PA is proud to welcome Dr. Haldane W. Porteous, to the Gessler Clinic PA team. Dr. Porteous is Board Certified in Internal Medicine and a Board Certified Clinical Hypertension Specialist. Dr. Haldane has had extensive and comprehensive training in nephrology at John Hopkins Hospital, Baltimore Maryland, where he completed his fellowship. His professional affiliations include the Renal Physician Association, American Society of Nephrology, American Society of Hypertension and the American College of Physicians.
Tonight, nearly 300 people came to see who would win the 2017 Polk Emerging Leaders Awards at the Bartow Civic Center. This collaborative event between young professional groups Endeavor, Emerge and Engage recognized 29 young professionals who were nominated for this award. The Winter Have Chamber Foundation founded this event in 2011.
The winners for the 7th annual Polk Emerging Leaders Awards were Derek Oxford, Merissa Green, Chad Tagtow, Ronald Shell and Alice Koehler. (Read more about the winners below.) CenterState Banks, Inc. (Nasdaq-GS: CSFL), the parent company of CenterState Bank, N.A., announced today the concurrent signing of two separate definitive merger agreements: under one agreement, CenterState will acquire HCBF Holding Company, Inc. (“Harbor”), the parent company of Harbor Community Bank, Ft. Pierce Florida; and under the other agreement, CenterState will acquire Sunshine Bancorp, Inc. (“Sunshine”), the parent company of Sunshine Bank, Plant City, Florida. Upon completion of each merger, the subsidiary bank of each Harbor and Sunshine will merge in CenterState Bank.
The Lakeland Magic have just named Anthony Parker General Manager and Stan Heath Head Coach of their team! General manager, Anthony Parker, played for the Lakeland Magic previously and also was a scout for the team. Head coach, Stan Heath, worked with USF, leading them to two 20-win seasons. Both are a great addition to the Lakeland Magic team. Along with the exciting news of new additions to the team, the Lakeland Magic also held their first youth camp at The Simpson Park Community Center. At this camp, Anthony and Stan were both able to inspire young campers to work hard and dream big. Many individuals and companies from across Polk County helped Achievement Academy this summer. While children were out of school playing and enjoying their summer vacation, volunteers pitched in behind the scenes to make a huge difference at all three of our campuses. Gator Giles, owner of Gator Pressure Cleaning & Custom Painting, Inc. of Winter Haven gave Achievement Academy’s Winter Haven campus a complete makeover. They donated all supplies and labor to give the school fresh paint, a trimmed oak tree on the playground and made the campus ready for children to return to school.
Champions Gate and surrounding residents now have access to quality healthcare with the opening of a new Specialty Care Office. Heart of Florida Physician Group is expanding into Champions Gate beginning Monday, August 7, 2017. This new office allows numerous specialties to come together in one place and provide the area with specialty healthcare close to home.
Leaders of Knights of Columbus councils based in Lakeland and Winter Haven participated in a Florida K of C leadership training program on Saturday July 29 at headquarters of St. Joseph Council 2505 in Lakeland. The session was hosted by District 31 Deputy Joseph Grates of Lakeland, a member of the host council, on behalf of Region 3 Director Robert Rasch of Altamonte Springs, FL.
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded Excelsior College over $864,846 in grant funding to ensure workforce readiness. Excelsior has partnered with Polk State College to prepare technicians for skilled positions in the energy and manufacturing industries. Excelsior and Polk State College will develop simulations to teach and then assess key skills in power generation and advanced manufacturing to improve the pipeline of technicians into key economic sectors. When completed, these open education resources can be used by colleges and industry throughout the nation.
U.S. Representative Darren Soto (FL-09) announced today that the Polk County Fire Rescue will receive a $4 million federal grant to strengthen its operations by hiring additional firefighters and the recruitment and retention of volunteer firefighters. The competitive Staffing for Adequate Fire and Emergency Response (SAFER) grant, administered by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), aims to more effectively protect the health and safety of the public with respect to fire and all other hazards.
Big news for Chamber member CenterState Bank! Chick-fil-A executive, David G. Salyers, has joined CenterState Bank as their newest board member! David, according to the Tampa Bay Business Journal, has been working in Chick-fil-A for 36 years and currently works in branding and marketing for the company and is also an established author. Check out this article in the Tampa Bay Business Journal to learn more about CenterState Bank's newest addition to their board. Acclaimed Marketing Veteran Succeeds Adrian Jones as Leader of Multi-Day Vacation Destination #BuiltForKidsRex Jackson, an award-winning marketing and sales executive who helped lead LEGOLAND® Florida Resort from a single theme park into a multi-day vacation destination, has been named the resort’s general manager, UK parent company Merlin Entertainments Group announced today. Jackson joined the resort in 2014 as vice president of marketing and sales and will begin his new role August 1, succeeding Adrian Jones. Jackson inherits responsibility for the day-to-day operation and strategic direction of the sprawling vacation resort, which has drawn millions of visitors from around the globe since it opened in 2011. Guest Blogger: MJ Carnevale, City of Winter Haven Natural Resource Division and Devon Moore, City of Winter Haven environmental scientist.
It looks like our May rain dance was successful! June was a very wet month this year with the Winter Haven area receiving a whopping 10.12 inches of rainfall. This was also the 1st month in 2017 that the amount of gross rainfall significantly surpassed the recorded total evapotranspiration (ET), netting 5.83 inches. Please find below the hydrologic update through the month of June: written by Brianna Dingess, Chamber Marketing Coordinator On Monday, July 17, the Chamber of Commerce hosted a ribbon cutting for Winter Haven Hospital's Emergency Department building. With a new facility and brand new, state-of-the-art equipment, Winter Haven Hospital has adopted a mantra of improved speed and efficiency. During the opening remarks, President of Winter Haven Hospital, Steve Nierman, shared with the crowd that this new building has doubled capacity of the Emergency Department, which will now have 63 private rooms. The Winter Haven Hospital Emergency Department treats approximately 60,000 patients annually. Of course, this expansion is just the first step. Once the Emergency Department has relocated, the existing ER will be renovated to add 14 rooms to observe emergency chest-pain/cardiac patients, 12 rooms for emergency psychiatric patients and an expanded sterilization processing center.
Jerry Melnitzke of Winter Haven Accorded Lifetime Membership in Knights of Columbus Fourth Degree7/17/2017 Jerry Melnitzke of Winter Haven has achieved lifetime membership in the Knights of Columbus Fourth Degree. Melnitzke was presented with a lifetime Fourth Degree membership card issued by the K of C Supreme Council during a meeting of the Frank J. Durbin Fourth Degree Assembly 2608 in downtown Winter Haven. Sal Porta, faithful navigator of the local assembly, made the presentation.
During the Commission meeting on Monday, the funding for the highly talked about Field House was finally pinned down. A bank loan with chamber member CenterState Bank has been approved by the Commission to begin funding the first part of this massive project. CenterState Bank presented two different bid choices, along with bids coming in from five other banks.
Theatre Winter Haven, Florida's most honored community theatre, won and was nominated for several awards at the AACTFest! Here are the awards that Theatre Winter Haven won and the awards they were nominated for!
Congrats to everyone involved in this production! Retired flight attendant Laurie Quigley has spent much of her life making sure other people are comfortable. So, when the Winter Haven resident took an early retirement from the airline about four years ago, she decided she would volunteer to help provide comfort and companionship to hospice patients.
As a Cornerstone Hospice and Palliative Care volunteer, Quigley will sometimes walk a patient’s dog or provide respite care by sitting with a patient while the caretaker takes a break. However, Quigley says she receives her greatest reward when she is a “vigil volunteer,” tending to a patient who is in the last hours of life. Polk State College Partners with Florida Southern College To Strengthen Education Workforce7/10/2017 Polk State College and Florida Southern College have established an articulation agreement that allows eligible Polk State graduates to seamlessly enroll in a Florida Southern School of Education master’s degree program.
The agreement, signed last month and effective immediately, enables Polk State College graduates with Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education (K-6) and Early Childhood Education (Pre-K to 3) degrees to enroll in the Master of Education in Collaborative Teaching and Learning (M.Ed.) and Master of Education in Educational Leadership (M.Ed.L.) programs. This agreement will produce highly qualified teachers and administrators, enhancing the quality of teaching and learning in Central Florida. |
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