ElevatePolk Podcast

AI is everywhere — but is it actually helping your business, or just creating more noise? In this episode of the Elevate Polk Podcast, Chrissanne Long and Dan Thumberg dive into the real-world use of AI for business owners, leaders, and operators who are trying to figure out what’s useful, what’s hype, and what needs a serious “trust but verify” approach. From ChatGPT and Claude to AI hallucinatio...

What happens when a community suddenly wakes up to a public process that has technically been available all along? In this episode of ElevatePolk, Chrissanne Long and Dan Thumberg unpack the conversation surrounding proposed data centers in Lakeland and Polk County, but this episode is not really about data centers. It is about engagement. It is about how local government works, why public process...

Lakeland is growing, and the decisions being made today will shape what it feels like to live, work, build, and do business here for years to come. In this episode of Elevate Polk,  @ChrissanneLong   and Dan @thumberg  sit down with Shawn Sherrouse, City Manager for the City of Lakeland, for a deeper conversation about the 2026 State of the City, Lakeland’s strategic priorities, and how city plann...

In this episode of Elevate Polk,  ⁨Chrissanne Long⁩  and Dan Thumberg⁩ sit down with Omar Arroyo, a Polk County entrepreneur, construction business owner, Haines City public servant, husband, and father whose story reaches far beyond a title. Omar shares his journey from Mexico to Texas and eventually to Haines City, where what began as a short-term work opportunity became the place he chose to bu...

In this episode of the ElevatePolk Podcast Dan Thumberg and Chrissanne Long dig into a difficult but important question for Polk County’s business and civic community: Are we building relationships that are truly mutually beneficial, or have too many small businesses been pulled into a “pay to play” culture where visibility, access, and opportunity come with unclear expectations and little real re...

Episode Notes: Episode 5, “The Bill Comes Due” What does public transit have to do with economic development, workforce access, infrastructure, local government budgets, and the future of Polk County? More than most people realize. In this episode of Elevate Polk, Dan Thumberg and Chrissanne Long sit down with Tom Phillips, CEO of Citrus Connection, for a candid conversation about the role public...

Episode Notes: Episode 4, “No Man’s Land” In this episode of Elevate Polk , Chrissanne Long and Dan Thumberg dig into the phrase “No Man’s Land” and what it reveals about Polk County’s identity, reputation, and small business ecosystem. The conversation begins with a personal reflection on growing up in Polk County and the assumptions people have carried about the area for decades. From outdated s...

In this episode of the ElevatePolk Podcast , we sit down with Shauna Dykes of Junior Achievement of Polk County to explore how students are being prepared for the real world through hands-on learning, business exposure, mentorship, and entrepreneurial thinking. Shauna shares how Junior Achievement is helping bridge the gap between the classroom and the workforce by giving young people practical ex...

Topics discussed in this episode: Why the phrase “Our Greatest Export” became the framing for the episode and what it suggests about local talent loss. Polk County’s Innovation Intelligence Index data, including the gap between Human Capital and Economic Well-Being. Peer county comparisons with Pasco, Marion, and Lee. Labor shed and commuter data showing how many Polk residents leave the county fo...

After a long hiatus, ElevatePolk is back. In this relaunch episode, Chrissanne Long and Dan Thumberg pull back the curtain on how the podcast started, why it went quiet, and why now feels like the right time to bring it back. They talk honestly about growth, frustration, big vision, entrepreneurship, and what has changed in Polk County since the original show. This is a real conversation about wha...

On this episode of Elevate Polk, Chrissanne and Nate talk with the founder of Help(Her), Teresa O’Brien, and enjoy listening to her incredible story. Teresa is a mother of three adopted children, all the same age. She wanted to find the middle-ground between being a stay-at-home mother for her family but wanting to feel fulfilled and impact others. After making the decision to quit her dream job t...

On this episode of Elevate Polk, Chrissanne and Nate talk with Clarke Freed about entrepreneurial growth coaching and the aspects of both having a coach and being a coach to others. Clarke, having been Chrissanne’s coach for years, tells listeners his story of how he became a coach to others. Initially working in the Navy and leading young men and women in their day-to-day life, Clarke was encoura...

On this episode of Elevate Polk, Chrissanne talks with business owners Jeanna and Mark Parker about the growth of their business as not just a mindset, but what they refer to as a "heartset". Six years after opening Bella Visage Medical & Aesthetic Rejuvenation, Jeanna and Mark have come an incredible way from living off welfare to running the fastest growing spa in Central Florida. Through their...

On this episode of Elevate Polk, Chrissanne and bestselling author Peter Kageyama meet for Elevate Polk’s first-ever remote podcast. 🖥 Chrissanne and Peter discuss the importance of not only acknowledging, but thanking and expressing our gratitude to the incredible entrepreneurs and “co-creators” in Lakeland. It’s through their work they pour into the community that makes us proud of our city! Lak...

In this episode of Elevate Polk, Chrissanne and Nate talk about looking at marketing from the angle of prioritizing data, because the facts are that numbers never lie. In marketing, one of the big components of strategically helping businesses grow is in helping them build systems that help them track and measure their success. While using third-party companies to jumpstart can help, Chrissanne ex...

On this episode of Elevate Polk, Chrissanne and Nate talk to TJ Zimmerman from Concord Coffee about how they became one of Lakeland’s favorite local coffee shops. TJ dives into the dream behind Concord - we bet you didn’t know the original concept envisioned for the coffee shop that meets hot dogs and shaved ice! With the desire to create something to bring the community together, TJ tells Chrissa...

Hello Polk County! On this episode of Elevate Polk, Chrissanne and Nate talk about the importance of understanding when it is (or isn’t) time to scale your business. No matter how big or small your business starts, the ultimate goal is to grow your business as far as you want it to. But in order to do so, you have to figure out the processes that must be built on the backend of your business in or...

On this episode of Elevate Polk, Chrissanne and Nate talk about entrepreneurship’s platform for making a difference, and its effect on employers and their businesses. This pandemic and its negative effects have been on full display, with “Apply here” signs scattered down every main road and businesses struggling to keep up with fewer employees willing to work. Workers are less likely to take on th...

Nate's New Business Venture: Mike and Mike's Desserts Chrissanne's New Strategic Growth Coaching 3-Day Challenge to help your business reach its full potential! PS Join our hosts at the Buena Market Block Party this Saturday, July 17th, 2021!

This week on the Elevate Polk Podcast, Chrissanne and Nate host Emerson Bamaca, owner of Bar 61 in Downtown Lakeland’s popular restaurant, 1961. Emerson tells his story of immigrating from Guatemala to the United States. He shares some of the personal experiences he had moving to San Francisco, where he worked doubles on top of schooling to pay his family back and find success in the US. Starting...

This week on the Elevate Polk podcast, Chrissanne and Nate chat with one of "the coolest cats in Polk County!" He's a serial entrepreneur, born in China and learned from his hardworking parents what it takes to create and maintain a successful business, then he took what he learned and created 2 more of his own! If you haven't already guessed who this week's guest is, you will definitely want to l...

Welcome, Adriana AKA Drica, AKA Coffee Lady to the ElevatePolk Podcast!  On this show, you'll learn about Drica and discover some interesting details!  For example, did you know she was born in Brazil? That she always knew she wanted to open her own coffee shop and she learned a lot about running a coffee business by working in New York for one of the most well-known coffee chains on the planet? ...

On this episode of Elevate Polk, Chrissanne and Nate sit across the podcast table from a power couple named Eddie and Tia Crockett who run Authentic You Empowerment! They aim to reach people where they are and encourage them to not be anyone else. Everyone has a role to play in this world and Eddie and Tia believe that you are a product of your environment. They all dive into the beginnings of the...

In this week's episode, Chrissanne and Nate sit down with Stephanie Bernal Gregg, the founder of a growing movement for makers in the community - the Buena Market! They discuss their ideas that will make Polk County more inclusive, especially for our entrepreneurs. Stephanie shares her story about how she became a Polk County resident and what her intentions were when first starting the Buena Mark...

This episode is all heart. Join Nate and Chrissanne in a conversation about barley, hops water, and yeast, better known as beer! Polk County is adding Florida-grown breweries to its list of amenities and Dan Thumberg, the owner of Swan Brewing, is part of that growing movement.  In this episode, Dan talks about where things started and how they have evolved from homebrews and t-shirts to a well-kn...