Posts filed under 'Success Stories'
Posted: November 27, 2007: 3:20 pm
If you could help a student become 46% less likely to begin using illegal drugs … would you do it? Consider for a moment a young person who meets with a mentor is…
- 27% less likely to begin drinking alcohol
- 52% less likely to skip school
- 33% less likely to engage in a fight
The Chamber Education Committee is asking you to consider becoming a mentor for a student who needs guidance and a caring adult in his or her life. You can partner with an associate which will allow a child to have the commitment of meeting with either you or your partner each week. Support of mentoring is a primary Chamber goal.
Learn more …
Sign up to take mentoring training on December 5, 2007 from 8 - 10 a.m. at State Farm Insurance on Cypress Gardens Boulevard. (Bring a photo ID to enter.)
Interested? Contact Jan Rooney at jan.rooney.hu2n@statefarm.com or phone 863-318-3339.
Some lucky student is depending on you.
| See other posts filed in: Chamber Events, Education, General Announcements, Perspective, Success Stories
Posted: November 21, 2007: 10:50 am
It is important to note that Alliance, Texas includes both a rail and air hub and the volume of consumer goods and automobiles it handles is three times that projected for the CSX intermodal center planned for Winter Haven. With that in mind the Alliance global hub generates impressive economic numbers … and if Winter Haven and Polk County see just one-third of the Alliance experience … solid, high quality economic growth is in store.
Offices of Hillwood, a Perot Company
Hillwood, the Perot Company development arm responsible for master planning the Alliance, Texas global logistics hub, presents a number of economic indicators as of December 31, 2006. Hillwood estimates that Alliance has had a $31.3 billion impact from 1990 through 2006 and a $2.77 billion impact for 2006 alone. Private investment accounts for 94.71% of the development - more than $6.2 billion.
Direct jobs created - more than 27,700
Indirect jobs created - more than 66,800
Number of Companies - more than 150
Number of Fortune 500, Global 500 and Forbes Top Private Companies - more than 65
You can review the complete Alliance economic impact statement here.
The rail intermodal portion accounts for approximately 300 employees. The true job growth occurs in the industries that locate facilities in the business park. The list of those companies features some of the world’s most successful including: AT&T; Bridgestone/Firestone; Coca-Cola; Con-way Freight; Hyundai; JC Penny; Kraft Foods; Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America; Motorola; Nestle; SC Johnson & Son and the list goes on. You’ll find a complete listing of Alliance corporate and retail businesses here.
Alliance, Texas is a model of how an intermodal facility and related business park can attract high quality corporate businesses and succeed in concert with retail and residential interests. Proper planning, building, landscaping and lighting controls as well as innovative thinking have created a powerful synergy just north of Ft. Worth. I have every reason to believe Winter Haven and East Polk can have the same experience.
| See other posts filed in: CSX - Winter Haven, Commercial Developments, Economic Development, Perspective, Success Stories, Transportation
Posted: November 13, 2007: 8:37 am
Michael Yon
The News Chief reported in this morning’s paper that Michael Yon, a 1982 graduate of Winter Haven High won the 2007 Weblog Award for Best Military Blog.
Yon’s blog is funded by readers and he writes, takes photos and creates video from scenes throughout Iraq. You can visit his site at www.michaelyon-online.com.
He won his award in what is described as the world’s largest blog competition. More than 525,000 votes were cast in the 2006 competition according to Weblog. There were 49 categories in the competition.
Congratulations to WHHS grad, Michael Yon.
| See other posts filed in: General Announcements, Success Stories
Posted: October 26, 2007: 2:39 pm
Citizens Bank and Trust Company and Bright House Networks were honored today at the East Polk Committee of 100 Annual Meeting as Small and Large winners respectively of the Gold Cup of Industry Awards for 2008. Both organizations were cited for their commitment to volunteerism and philanthropy within the communities they serve and throughout Polk County.
The EPC meeting also welcomed Jack Barnhart as its new Executive Director and honored outgoing executive Ron Morrow.
The meeting featured a presentation by officials from the Tampa Port Authority on its vision for Port growth including containerized consumer goods and intermodal related transport. A capacity crowd was in attendance at Lake Ashton Ballroom.
| See other posts filed in: Economic Development, General Announcements, Success Stories, Transportation
Posted: October 22, 2007: 3:36 pm
Rex R. Yentes, President of Webber International University in Babson Park, today announced his intention to retire. In his seventeen year tenure, Yentes changed the face of the quiet lakeside campus, offering its first MBA degree and more than doubling the size of its student body. Celebrating its 80th year of operation, the University was the first private college chartered as a not-for-profit school under Florida’s then new educational and charitable laws. A women’s college until 1971, the University now boasts men and women from some 37 different countries.
When Yentes took over the University in 1990, it had only 219 students and was struggling. Yentes added men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s track and field, baseball, softball, and football to recruit students and enhance student activities and development. He also added an MBA program, added three major scholarship programs, and built most of the campus’ major buildings.
Yentes will remain the University’s President through October 31st, 2008. This will allow him to oversee the completion of the University’s two new student housing buildings as well as to launch the largest capital campaign in the University’s history. Both in honor of his contributions to the University and their desire for a smooth transition, the Board of Trustees has asked Yentes, and he has consented, to assume the position of President Emeritus after his retirement.
Yentes said the search for a successor would begin immediately. He did not provide further details about this process but stated that information regarding the search would appear on the University’s web site (www.webber.edu) by the end of the week.
In addition to his role as president of Webber International, Yentes was involved in economic development activities as well as serving on the Tourist Development Council of the Central Florida Development Council.
| See other posts filed in: Education, General Announcements, Success Stories
Posted: September 27, 2007: 1:52 pm
This morning in Tallahassee the State University System’s Board of Governors approved the SUS PECO list including $35 million for the campus on I-4 in Lakeland.
The action fulfills the only stipulation in the $5 million gift the university received this week from the Central Florida Development Council following County Commission action. This will clear the way for the university’s application for a $5 million matching grant from the state.
Big news and big week for Polk’s new USF Campus. Congratulations!
| See other posts filed in: Education, General Announcements, Success Stories
Posted: September 18, 2007: 7:49 am
Polk Community College was recognized with the George W. Harris Jr. Award for promoting free enterprise, community service, economic stability and quality growth. PCC President Dr. Eileen Holden accepted the award crediting it to the college faculty and staff.
PCC was recognized for its impact on the local economy (estimated at $120 million in the past year). David Touchton, chairman of the NCT Group, CPAs noted that “Economic Development starts with education.” He also noted the school has received a $12 million gift in addition to 20 acres that will help PCC create a Center for Advanced Global Manufacturing Technology College in Bartow.
Florida Southern College received the Dick Pope Sr Award for tourism in recognition of the tourists, educators and students of architecture that visit its unique collection of Frank Lloyd Wright buildings. Accepting the Award from Fantasy of Flight’s Jessie Douthit, a surprised FSC President Ann Kerr said the award was totally unexpected.
The CFDC Annual Meeting was held in Sykes Hall at the Lakeland Center. More than 300 people from across Polk County attended the event.
| See other posts filed in: Economic Development, Education, General Announcements, Success Stories, Tourism
Posted: September 13, 2007: 2:42 pm
Tanners Pub located at 325 West Central Avenue will close on Monday, September 24 to completely renovate existing space as well as allow structural reinforcement necessary for the future leasing of second level in the building. The popular bar and restaurant will reopen in late October.
Debbie and John Tennick are taking the opportunity to make significant changes in floor plans. The Tennicks opened their first restaurant downtown in 1995 (Thyme Square Bistro in the Time Square building) moving to their present location and expanded space in 2002. They attribute their success in part to the beautifully renovated downtown area and credit the City, Main Street and Chamber for the vision that helped revitalize downtown and attract private investment.
The Tennicks thank all who have supported them as their business evolved and promise an all NEW Tanners Restaurant and Lounge at their Grand Re-Opening. Watch this space for further details. Wish them luck here, leave a comment.
| See other posts filed in: Commercial Renovations, Dining, General Announcements, Success Stories
Posted: June 27, 2007: 3:18 pm
I’m not sure if “emerging” is the best word to describe Winter Haven’s technology-based businesses but there is a growing concentration and sophistication in this sector. It’s not new … thinking back 10 to 15 years to Ingram Leedy’s “iThink” dial-up, Josh Hallett’s “webcode” (that designed our first Web site) and Mike Kingham’s “Datalink” off-site data back up service — computer and internet entrepreneurs have been calling Winter Haven home for two decades.
More recently downtown has become the “digital interchange” for a number of major fiber optic network providers including: FPL Fibernet, Level 3 Communications; Time Warner Telecom and Verizon (who are all those people outside my window?!!).
As a result, this resource has attracted companies such as Amstec, CertaData, cnp_studio, ColoFlorida, LLC (Leedy), Cyberlink1, Doculex, Inc., Hyku, Inc. (Hallett), Kingham Software, Inc. (Kingham), Lebhar Friedman, Inc., Nuvox, Prism Technology Solutions, Sprint Nextel and techIT Solutions. (The names in parentheses are those original technology folks mentioned earlier.)
In addition to strong local and statewide client networks, Winter Haven technology companies are bringing their expertise to national brands. We asked our technology members for insight into their client base and you may be surprised by the variety. For example, techIt Solutions/Global Enterprise Solutions has brought their expertise to clients such as The Walt Disney Company, Apple Computers, Nike and the Cork School of Music in Cork, Ireland. Hyku, Inc. has served such enterprises as Yahoo, Sony, Unisys, Sea World, DOW and General Motors. cnp_studio has provided web development for Sea World, Prudential Tropical Realty, Sony and the University of Florida.
And when we asked the sector what they considered their greatest challenges several said, “overcoming the belief that the expertise is not available locally.”
All of this seems likely to be complemented by the potential focus of the new campus planned for Polk County that appears will be named USF-Polytechnic.
That has a nice ring to it.
| See other posts filed in: Perspective, Success Stories, Technology
Posted: April 2, 2007: 11:08 am
Lake Alfred Boy Gets PCC Scholarship Prize Egg
Cypress Gardens welcomed more than 9,700 people (most of whom were younger than 14) to the World’s Largest Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday, April 1, 2007. Park President and C.E.O. Kent Buescher kicked off the event by accepting the award from Guinness World Records’ adjudicator, Marco Frigatti, for hiding 510,000 candy-filled eggs.
Cypress Gardens has a long history of holding world records, mainly in the area of water skiing. The World’s Largest Easter Egg Hunt is the first world record achieved since the park reopened in 2004. It took less than an hour for the more than half-million eggs to be collected by excited park guests.
Some 1,000 eggs held special prizes donated by local businesses. The Grand Prize egg
containing a two-year scholarship to Polk Community College was discovered by six-year old Jonathon O’Neill of Lake Alfred (seen at right with PCC President, Dr. Eileen Holden).
Park officials have learned that the record is to be included in Guinness World Record’s next published book, which will be available in August of 2008.
It was a beautiful Florida day and an event to rank among the best in the park’s history. When it was mentioned that the Worlds Largest Egg Hunt was an event in the tradition of park founder, Dick Pope, Buesher commented, “I’ve got his play book and I understand it.”
While the Egg Hunt goes on in background, Guinness Adjudicator Marco Frigatti presents Cypress Gardens CEO Kent Buescher with official certification for the World’s Largest Easter Egg Hunt. (Left to right) US Representative Adam Putnam, County Commissioner Bob English, Winter Haven Mayor Nat Birdsong, Frigatti, Buescher, Cypress Gardens Mayor Banana George Blair and Bob Gernert, Winter Haven Chamber. Completing the photo are beautiful Cypress Gardens Belles.
| See other posts filed in: Success Stories
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