Lakeland : Innovation + Job News

The Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy (CECP), which draws together corporate executives to address worldwide societal challenges, presented its 2013 Excellence Award in Corporate Philanthropy to Mosiac for providing sustainable farming education and assistance to developing countries.

The Mosaic Villages Project began in 2008 when concerned employees noticed how the global rise in food prices was affecting small-holder farmers.

"We felt that with our expertise and market presence, we could do something to help them," says Chris Lambe, director of social responsibility for Mosaic, a Minneapolis-based corporation that produces fertilizer from phosphate mined east and south of Tampa.

The project assists farmers in Guatemala, India and eight African countries break the cycle of poverty through skill development and sustainable farming practices. Mosaic’s agronomists and soil scientists visit villages to analyze the soil, build the nutrient base and teach simple modern farming techniques.  

The result is improved livelihood. Because the efforts are so concentrated, results literally occur within one planning season -- five to six months after the program begins.

"It's a difference between them not having enough food to eat, to actually having a food surplus," says Lambe. "They can not only feed their families, but also sell the food and have some income."

The program has had a tremendous success rate, with 90 percent of the farmers graduating from the 3-year program. Perhaps the most notable success is long-term societal change. The African villages have seen a 40 percent reduction in stunting (young kids not growing the correct height and weight because of malnutrition).

The program has also become self-replicable, with farmers in surrounding villages experiencing similar successes by observing.   

"Social change is occurring,'' says Lambe. "It's not just about the program anymore.''

Mosaic's employees in the Tampa Bay region are involved in the program in areas such as product production and quality, inventory management, shipping, logistics and the transportation of fertilizer from Florida to the African villages.

Writer: Megan Hendricks
Source: Chris Lambe, Mosaic

For the first time in Polk County's history, all regionally accredited public and private colleges and universities have come together with the common goal of increasing the number of students who finish their college degrees.

The presidents of Florida Southern College, Keiser University, Polk State College, Southeastern University, Warner University, Webster University and Webber International University signed a letter in recognition of their support. 

The initiative is led by Graduate Polk, a collaboration of businesses and higher education championed by Polk Vision.

In addition to the letter, Graduate Polk is offering a phone number -- 863.298.6855 -- for those looking to return to college. Staffed by employees at Polk State College, the informational line directs callers to the institution that best meets their needs.

"The economic benefit as people advance in their careers and move into jobs where they have more options to earn more directly benefits the community we live in," says Eileen Holden, president of Polk State College. "It also sets the course in motion for future generations that college is attainable and affordable."

Polk State College recently signed the Reverse Transfer Agreement with the University of South Florida, which allows students who completed some academic coursework at both colleges but didn’t finish a degree to apply credits toward an Associate in Arts Degree at Polk State and automatically graduate.

Polk area businesses involved in Graduate Polk include: DSM, Mosaic, Polk County Appraisers Office, Polk County School District and Publix.

The Lakeland-Winter Haven MSA is part of the Tampa Bay Partnership’s Graduate Tampa Bay initiative, which aims to increase overall degree attainment in the region by focusing on those who have started college but haven’t finished their degree. The MSA is also competing with over 50 other metropolitan areas in the national Talent Dividend Competition, which will award a $1 million prize to the area with the largest increase in college degrees by the end of 2013.

Writer: Megan Hendricks
Source: Eileen Holden, Polk State College; Sara Roberts, Polk Vision

24 straight hours of branding, marketing, strategizing, design and community service. That’s what Lakeland-based Madden Brand Agency is planning for its 2nd Annual Brandathon, November 8 at 8 am.

The company's entire team of eight employees will work through the night to provide pro bono services for selected nonprofit organizations in Polk County. Deliverables will include logo redesign, branded collateral, strategic development or advertising campaigns.

"We really have a culture here about giving back,'' says Michelle Ledford, director of client services for Madden Brand Agency. "We get requests for pro bono work quite often, and this gives us an opportunity to go all in with a focused effort.''
 
Fourteen projects were completed during last year's inaugural event, with overall donations valued at $54,000. Projects included a brochure design for Volunteers in Service to the Elderly (VISTE), which provides meals and visits to seniors, and a logo design for Achievement Academy, which assists children with special needs. They also developed a donor development strategy for SPCA Florida in Lakeland. 

The company will provide a live feed with a web cam on their website and will also be posting updates to their blog and Facebook page to keep people up to date during the event.

Interested nonprofit organizations can submit an application by Wednesday, October 17, at 5 pm. Organizations must be a 501(c)3 located in Polk County and have an active Board of Directors who meets on a quarterly basis.
For more information or to submit an application, visit: http://brandmadden.com/brandathon

Writer: Megan Hendricks
Source: Michelle Ledford, Madden Brand Agency

Polk State College in Winter Haven is increasing the number of degrees awarded, as motivated by the Graduate Tampa Bay initiative.

The Lakeland-Winter Haven MSA is one of three in Tampa Bay competing with over 50 other metropolitan areas in the national Talent Dividend Competition. A $1 million prize will be awarded to the area that sees the largest increase in college degrees by the year 2013.

Led by the Tampa Bay Partnership, Graduate Tampa Bay focuses on people who have started college but haven't finished their degree. 

"Getting their foot back in the door is a scary thing,'' says Naomi Boyer, associate VP for strategic initiatives at Polk State College. The College is making it less scary with some innovative ways to help former students finish school.

For example, they are removing barriers by graduating students who received enough credits but have not completed certain administrative steps required to graduate. They are also creating a "fast track'' online option for general education courses to help those who have completed some courses.

Another possibility being considered is reverse degree completion. Some students take courses at the College and then transfer to a four-year institution for the additional classes. These courses can be reversed back to Polk State College's system to show that the degrees were completed, providing students with the credential they earned.

The College is also reaching out to local businesses to provide services tailored to their employees, such as on-site advising. College reps  recently participated in a community event hosted by Polk Vision, where this idea, among other things, was explored with local businesses and other universities.

"We're dialoging with the businesses to help them conceptualize what's even possible within their scope of reference,'' says Boyer. The group plans to continue meeting on a monthly basis to explore other creative ways to increase college attainment.

Writer: Megan Hendricks
Source: Naomi Boyer, Polk State College

MosierData, a web development company in Lakeland, picked a Tampa nonprofit as the winner of its 2012 Pro Bono Outreach Package. The winner receives a website designed by MosierData, and a social media branding package.

TampaBay-Job-Links, an organization that helps those seeking employment, was selected as the recipient for the outreach package. According to MosierData CEO Jim Mosier, the Tampa-based nonprofit stuck out from the other applicants.

"First and foremost, we were impressed by the application package they submitted, which included a ton of literature and full background on the organization and its board of directors,'' says Mosier. "Secondly, they already had a good idea of what they were looking for from us, and had the internal staff willing to do the day-to-day operations and maintenance, including an infrastructure in IT to support the site.''

The current economic and unemployment situation also played a part in his decision, Mosier says.

"When we looked at the three finalists, one of the considerations we took into account was determining the impact we could make in the community,'' he says. ''There are a lot of people looking for work and the fact that this organization was founded to help people help themselves really struck a chord with us.''

Mosier and his team have already planned their kick-off meeting and are excited to get started. MosierData will supply TampaBay-Job-Links with a new website, branding for their social media platforms and email campaigns.

"It is more of a higher-end site than we initially planned on including, but we are dedicated to this and are giving them the system they need,'' Mosier says. "We are excited about how this will impact the people in the community looking for work.''

Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Source: Jim Mosier, MosierData

xpedx, a business-to-business distribution company with offices in Tampa and Lakeland, plans to hire more than 300 people in the next three to five years. The company recently opened a new 200,000-square-feet distribution center in Lakeland.

“We wanted to upgrade our distribution network in Florida, and move to a more modern facility to better service our customers,” says Mike Natale, division manager of logistics, sales and operations at xpedx. “Lakeland is geographically in the center of our customer demand area, serving customers in Orlando, Tampa and northern Florida.”

xpedx distributes a variety of packaging, facility solutions and print supplies and equipment to printers, manufacturers, retailers and commercial facilities across the U.S. The larger space in Lakeland allows the company to offer a greater selection of inventory to its customers. With more room to grow at the distribution center, Natale says the company plans to do quite a bit of hiring.

“Our hope is to double our workforce at the distribution center in Lakeland,” Natale says. “We currently have 75 people working there now, but we will be hiring logistics employees moving forward.”

 In addition to its distribution center in Lakeland, xpedx has sales and customer service centers in Tampa and Orlando, which will be growing as well.

“We plan to hire additional sales and customer service staff in our Tampa and Orlando offices,” Natale says. “We currently have approximately 75 employees in Tampa and 25 employees in Orlando; we will most likely grow by 50 percent in staff at those locations.”

Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Source: Mike Natale, xpedx

MosierData, a web design firm in Lakeland, is offering a complete identity website and social media branding package to one Tampa Bay area nonprofit organization. The 2012 Pro Bono Outreach Award, which is valued at up to $6,400, is open to nonprofit organizations in Polk, Hillsborough and Orange counties.

Jim Mosier, CEO of MosierData says interested nonprofit organizations need to submit a consideration package, which can be a letter, a short video or slideshow.

“Obviously, the organization needs to be a 501(c)3 organization, and we're restricting the contest to Hillsborough, Polk and Orange counties because we want them to be here in Central Florida,” Mosier says. “Other than that, we're looking for an organization that submits a consideration package to us that really inspires us to get behind their cause. If they can do that, we can help them take their message and spread it online at a whole new level.”

Giving back to the community is not new for Mosier, who founded MosierData in 2005. A few years back, his company partnered with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Lakeland Mulberry to start a program called “Computers for Kids.” Mosier's company went out into the business community collecting used computers and then refurbished them for the Boys & Girls Club.

“It's good to support your community,” Mosier says. “I have a passion for what I do, just as the folks that lead nonprofits have a passion for their causes.”

Nonprofit organizations that are interested in the 2012 Pro Bono Outreach Award need to register by May 31^st. The winner will be announced June 8^th.

Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Source: Jim Mosier, MosierData

In a January opinion piece in TechCrunch, entrepreneur Jon Bischke suggested the most successful urban leaders are those who view cities like startups.

CEOs for Cities, a national network of urban leaders dedicated to creating next generation cities, will examine that premise at its 2012 Spring National Meeting: The City As a Startup -- Creating Demand, Attracting Talent, Taking Risks and Going to Scale.

The meeting is set for May 17-18 at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati and is made possible with support from The Carol Ann and Ralph V. Haile Jr./U.S. Bank Foundation. Former AOL Chairman and CEO Steve Case will deliver the morning keynote and also sit on a panel conservation about Startup America.

CEOs for Cities will also release its latest City Vitals report, a framework for measuring the success of cities. Other panels include considering Songdo, South Korea as the planet's smartest city and using the collective impact approach to catalyze social change. There will also be opportunities to tour Cincinnati attractions and examples of success.
 
Register by clicking here. View a draft agenda here.

Writer: Joe Petrucci
Source: CEOS for Cities

Lakeland, already a hub for food manufacturing and distribution, is adding a new ingredient to its business palette: Mission Foods.

Mission Foods, maker of chips, wraps, taco shells and other tortilla products, is expanding its manufacturing and distribution operations to a facility in Lakeland, and adding 133 jobs.

According to Claudia Tritton, business development director for Lakeland's Economic Development Council, Mission is in the process of retrofitting part of a 168,000-square-foot warehouse at 2125 Interstate Drive with manufacturing equipment and aims to be ready to produce by August 1, 2012. Tritton says distribution activities are already underway in a portion of the facility. Mission Foods could not be reached for comment.

"We love manufacturers because of the capital they offer," says Tritton. "They come in and add equipment. Once they put that equipment in, they don’t generally move it again. Mission is doing distribution from this location now. There are people there working already, just not manufacturing yet." 

Tritton says Mission has 20 other manufacturing facilities around the country, including one in Georgia. Lakeland competed with Georgia for Mission's commercial business. Lakeland was Mission's final decision.

"We competed with Georgia for the project," says Tritton. "Mission has a facility there but they eventually decided on Lakeland. So we’re very fortunate to have them. The state of Florida gave them quick response training dollars -- $1,500 per job.

"Mission's been great to work with. They’ve hit the ground running. We have Publix, Pepperidge Farm and Flowers Foods here already. So we’re really happy to add Mission to the mix."

Writer: Missy Kavanaugh
Source: Claudia Tritton, Lakeland Economic Development Council

When Marcus Meyer opened Gator Janitorial Services in 2004 it was a one-man operation. 

His company has expanded its services and staff, and changed its name to reflect its broader range. Gator Cleaning Solutions provides commercial cleaning services, including floor care, windows and construction cleanup in addition to general cleaning. And Meyer and his wife and partner, Erin, recently hired a quality assurance specialist and plan to add more sales staff.

"Up until now, it’s been myself and our first hire making cold calls, etc.," says Marcus. "Hopefully we’ll bring on our first sales rep soon. And if growth goes as we plan, we want to bring on another one. As the sales team brings in new business, we can then add another QA specialist as well as an account manager. So we're anticipating 20 to 25 new hires. full-time, part-time and contracted cleaners."

Marcus attributes the growth to word-of-mouth and a consistent commitment to personal service.

"Through the years of having the company, it’s always been the personal touch," he says. We get a large amount of referral business. I still have clients I had as an individual from the very beginning. We get a large amount of referral business. Even through the down economy, we’ve enjoyed a 35 percent growth rate."

Adds Erin: "We pride ourselves in our constant research of products and services. We use state-of-the-art equipment and eco-friendly products. With our healthcare and education clients, we strive for high satisfaction scores and low infection rates. For our business clients, its about their image. We help create and maintain that."

Marcus says he has noticed more demand for services recently, which may be indicative of an improved economy.

"I do feel that the economy is improving," he says. "I can tell because our clients are asking for more frequent cleanings again. For a while there, they'd gone down to two or three a week. Now they're asking for five times a week again. They’re reinvesting in their image, which is what we help them do."
 
Writer: Missy Kavanaugh
Sources: Marcus and Erin Meyer, Gator Cleaning Solutions

With all of the uproar over proposed banking fees, many people are exploring their options to move their money from big banks to credit unions. GTE Federal Credit Union (FCU), a member-owned credit union serving Tampa Bay, reports an increase in new member applications. Over the past month, the credit union has experienced a 31 percent increase in applications.

“Consumers are looking at banking in a different way now,” says Brian Best, senior VP of member solutions and chief lending officer at GTE FCU. “It’s important for individuals to know that credit unions were designed to help and benefit the member, which is the owner. Banks are designed to benefit shareholders. ”

Due to bank customer anger over fees and the movement of Occupy Wall Street, protesters declared Nov. 5 “Bank Transfer Day” and encourage those who hold accounts at banks to move their money to credit unions. GTE FCU sweetened the deal by offering $5 a month to new members for a 12-month period.

“Credit Unions have been around since the great depression and were formed to help people,” says Best. “With the recent economy, the thing that provides more momentum towards credit unions is that they have always been around to help people during tough times. ”

Best goes on to say that credit unions do not have to charge fees to customers like banks do because of the way credit unions are set up.

We are designed as a not-for-profit, therefore we don’t have to meet significant plateaus of earnings and profits,” he says. “This means we don’t have to charge the fees that banks have to in order to meet a certain profit.”

Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Source: Brian Best, GTE Federal Credit Union

The U.S. Treasury recently announced that it would provide federal funding to eight Florida community banks. The funding from the government is to be used by the banks to lend to small businesses in hopes that business owners can use the funds to expand and create jobs. The money, which totals $70.8 million, was given as part of the Small Business Lending Fund (SBLF). The SBLF is part of the Small Business Jobs Act, which was signed into law by President Obama, and aims to create jobs through lending to small businesses.

Of the eight Florida community banks chosen to receive the funding, nearly half of them are in the greater Tampa Bay region. These banks include Florida Business BancGroup, Inc. in Tampa, Platinum Bank in Brandon and Community Southern Bank in Lakeland.

“We go through a thorough review process through regulators when selecting which banks will receive funding,” says Matt Anderson of the U.S. Treasury Department. “We work to ensure that taxpayers' investment is going to help the institutions to pay dividends back to taxpayers. ”

It is estimated that small businesses employ approximately half of all Americans and create 60 percent of new jobs. The Obama administration's goal is help create jobs by providing funding to small businesses through the SBLF.

“The community banks have received the funding and can immediately put it to work,” Anderson says. “We believe that this funding is going to provide a powerful incentive for new lending, which is going to help expand and create new jobs. ”

Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Source: Matt Anderson, U.S. Department of Treasury

USF Polytechnic (USFP) in Lakeland is working with the biopharmaceutical company Cephalon, Inc. to improve production of a cancer pain medication. To improve production of the medication, USFP is working to implement a new technology known as track-and-trace serialization.
 
"The track-and-trace technology gives each package a unique item specification number, which will help manage the supply chain," says Dr. Ismail Uysal of USFP who oversees the project. "With this technology you can tell where a package originated from, what factory it was manufactured in and what countries it was in during distribution."

According to Uysal, the track-and-trace technology will protect against counterfeit medication. "Once you have a unique serial ID, it will be much more difficult to replace products in a supply chain that are counterfeit," he says.

As part of the implementation process, the USFP team has recreated a packaging production line in the College of Technology and Innovation's research laboratory. Uysal says that his team has been working with Cephalon for the past six months. Starting in 2015, states like California and Florida will require pharmaceutical companies to use track-and-trace technology on all medication packaging.

In addition to helping pharmaceutical companies, Uysal says there are many other uses for the technology. "We are also using this technology in a project with the Department of Defense where we track food rations," Uysal says. "With the track-and-trace technology you can tell what the temperature of the package is, and what the shelf life will be after the distribution of these products."

Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Source: Dr. Ismail Uysal, USF Polytechnic

In honor of National Small Business Week, May 16-20, the Florida Small Business Development Center (SBDC) will hold its second annual growth expo. The free day-long event provides small businesses with information regarding sales strategies, available funding and how social media can boost marketing campaigns.

The expo hosted by the SBDC at USF will be held throughout the week at various locations in Hillsborough, Polk, Pinellas, Highlands, Pasco, DeSoto, Hernando, Manatee, Sarasota and Hardee counties.

"We had 200 people at last year's conference," says Jim Parrish assistant director of the growth conference. "This year we will have similar workshops, but have also added a town hall meeting component, where we hope to have government representatives on hand to answer attendee's questions regarding legislation which will affect small business."

Parrish says the event will include various workshops including Certifications for Growth, where minority business owners can learn how to become government certified, and Growing Globally, which will provide business owners information on new markets and executing trade plans, as well as a workshop on how to use social media to acquire customers and promote products and services.

While the growth conference is open to the public, Parrish says the event is geared more toward those who are already in business.

"Our target audience for the conference are those who are in small business looking to grow," Parrish says. "This conference is not for people wanting to start a business. Small business owners who are interested in attending the growth conference can register via our website."

Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Source: Jim Parrish, SBDC at USF

Increased enrollment and growth at USF's Polytechnic campus in Lakeland is resulting in about 40 staff members moving into a new building at 439 S. Florida Ave. The move is to be completed by May.

"We are moving our back office operations to the new building to vacate space for faculty," says Alice Murray, USF's regional vice chancellor of campus planning. "In this academic year, we are hiring 36 new faculty members and we need to have space for them on campus."

USF Polytech will add 55 positions this academic year, Murray says. "We are currently in the recruitment process for many of the positions we are hiring for," Murray says. "In addition to the faculty positions, we are hiring in the areas of marketing, development, support staff, student services and finance."

USF Polytech is Florida's only post-secondary polytechnic school, and enrollment numbers have been growing since it opened three years ago.

"Our main focus is building the whole polytechnic model, which is a very different from a traditional model," says Murray. "Applied polytechnic model is interdisciplinary in nature and involves experiential learning. It is not just studying theory like students would do in a traditional environment; it involves the students being actively engaged in problem solving, working hands-on and building relationships with businesses to prepare students to enter their respective career fields."

Currently USF Polytech serves juniors, seniors and graduate students only, however, Murray says that will soon change.

"We want to expand our campus and its programs to freshmen and sophomores," she says. "We are currently in the accreditation process and hope that by fall 2012, we can open the campus up to those students as well."

Writer: Kimberly Patterson
Source: Alice Murray, USF Polytech