It's Happenin' In the Haven

On Episode 86: Winter Haven's Newest Theme Park, we speak with the Head of Marketing & Communications at LEGOLAND Florida Resort, Kelly Hornick. Kelly gives us an exciting sneak peek into the first-ever Peppa Pig Theme Park! We talk about attractions, characters, aspects that make the park unique for children with special needs, the Grand Opening and much more.

On Episode 85: Community Banking with Heart, we have the opportunity to speak with Greg Littleton, Bonnie Parker and Marianne George with Citizens Bank & Trust. Citizens Bank & Trust has been in business for over 100 years and has made it their mission to be a bank that has a heart for people, Polk County and Winter Haven as a whole. Tune into this episode to hear more about their core val...

On Episode 84: Empowering & Informing Polk County Elder Care , we speak to Liz Craven, Owner and Founder of Polk Elder Care and ProAd Media. Liz talks to us about her journey to Polk County, the "why" behind creating the Polk Elder Guide, as well as sharing more about the resources and tools available for those caring for the elderly. Liz Craven's Contact Information: 863-604-0690 PolkElderCar...

On Episode 83: Winter Haven's Music Education History , we speak to everyone's favorite band director, Jim Parker. Jim shares about his decades of experience conducting bands in Polk County, the benefits of kids being involved in a band and many fun stories that include participating in the Grand Opening of Walt Disney World and so much more.

On Episode 82: Whole Person Health , Katie Worthington Decker, President of the Chamber, speaks to Dr. Mazvita Simoyi, a board-certified general surgeon at AdventHealth Lake Wales. Dr. Simoyi shares her incredible story of growing up in Zimbabwe, how her love for medicine began, how she came to Winter Haven, her desire to help patients pursue holistic health and more.

On Episode 81: Drive, Determination & Dodge - The Story of the Mahalak Auto Group , Katie Worthington Decker, President of the Chamber, gets the opportunity to speak with Ralph, Mike and Alex Mahalak. The Mahalak Auto Group recently announced their 30th Anniversary in Winter Haven! While we have had the privilege of having this incredible business in Winter Haven for 30 years, the Mahalak Auto...

On episode 80 of It's Happenin' In the Haven Podcast, we take a trip down memory lane with President and CEO of the Winter Haven Chamber, Katie Worthington Decker. In December, Katie announced her transition to becoming the Senior VP of the Lakeland Economic Development Council. While we are all sad to see her go, we are also excited for her as she begins this new adventure. Before she goes, we th...

On Episode 79: The Sweetest Polk County Legacy , we speak with Thomas Davidson, Owner of Davidson of Dundee. Davidson of Dundee has been featured on The Food Network, Southern Living Magazine, Washington Post and more. This Polk County gem has been delighting our taste buds for over 50 years. Tom tells us all about the history of Davidson Dundee, the incredible stories that have come from this bus...

On Episode 78: Sparkling Into 2022 , we speak with the Executive Director of Main Street Winter Haven, Anita Strang. Main Street has a lot going on in downtown over the next month and into 2022 so we wanted to share all that is going on so you can set your calendar.

On Episode 77: Making Winter Haven A Better Place , we speak with Pastor David Berry, Executive Director of the Mission of Winter Haven about his journey to the Mission, the services they provide and the impact they are having on the entire Winter Haven community. This podcast is recorded at Dolphin Image Studios and made possible through sponsorships from Citizens Bank & Trust , Mahalak...

On Episode 76, Unlikely Citizen Advocacy in Winter Haven , we speak to Robbie Loftus and Jessie Skubna, two familiar entrepreneurs in the downtown community who have left a lasting impact on the Winter Haven community for many years to come. We speak about the backstory of their three businesses, their unlikely foray into citizen advocacy and what the future holds for their business enterpris...

On this episode, we speak with the President of the Lakeland Magic, Hans Steinbrenner about his journey becoming the leader of an NBA developmental basketball team, the experience in the NBA 'bubble', how the Magic uses Winter Haven's AdventHealth Fieldhouse, their new head coach and the excitement for the start of their season in November. This podcast is made possible through the support of Adve...

On Episode 74: Revitalizing Downtown Winter Haven , we have the pleasure to speak with CEO of Six/Ten LLC Bud Strang and Six/Ten investor, Rick Baker. Bud and Rick share more about the history of Six/Ten, how it has been vital to the revitalization of downtown Winter Haven, some projects that are on the horizon and how Winter Haven continues to be the best place for people stay, play, work and liv...

On Episode 73: Winter Haven's Collaborative Spirit , we are joined by the Deputy City Manager for the City of Winter Haven, T. Michael Stavres. T. Michael shares more about his history in Winter Haven, the "secret sauce" to a collaborative and growing city, the opportunities and challenges for our community, keeping our local feel and much more.

On Episode 72: Winter Haven's Foodie Culture , we are joined by the owner of Winter Haven Food tours, Amada Anderson. Amada shares more about her experience being a tour guide in New York City and how that has influenced her tours here in Winter Haven. Amada knows that Winter Haven's foodie culture is strong and doesn't need to be kept a secret.

On Episode 71: Winter Haven's Highest Honor , we talk to Volunteer Curator at the Museum of Winter Haven History and Mr. Winter Haven himself, Bob Gernert. With Annual Meeting upon us, Bob is excited to share the history of the Bankers Cup Award and its past recipients. This podcast is recorded at Dolphin Image Studios and made possible through sponsorships from Citizens Bank & Trust , Mahalak...

On Episode 70: Winter Haven's Seaplane Legacy, we talk to the owner of Jack Brown's Seaplane Base, Ben Shipps. Ben is the 3rd generation family owner of Brown’s Seaplane Base. He has a true passion for aviation, training and continuing Winter Haven’s legacy as the best place to learn how to fly a seaplane. On this episode, you'll learn more about the seaplane base, how it has changed Winter Haven,...

On Episode 69: Behind Winter Haven's "One Arch" McDonalds, we hear from Gary Moulton, who has been the owner and operator of the McDonalds on the corner of US 17 and Ave D northwest for over 3 decades. Gary and his wife Kim have witnessed so many changes to the industry over the years and he shares more about that and his entrepreneurial journey on this episode. We also welcome AdventhHealth's Dr....

On Episode 68: Making Winter Haven a Smart City, we speak with Steve Elias, Municipal Division Manager at Pennoni, a national engineering firm. Steve is known for his passion for planning, but even more than that his drive to help city’s and people reach their full potential. He shares more about Winter Haven's development, community master planning and championing our children's future through Ro...

On episode 67, Teaching the Leaders of Tomorrow, we speak with Polk County Public School's School-Based Employee of the Year, Lisa Gill. Lisa shares her story of the good work being done for the benefit of the students and citizens of Polk County. We also speak to AdventHealth's Dr. Changoor about the state-of-the-art robotic surgery available right here in Polk County.  This podcast is recor...

On Episode 66, How to Grow With Your Growing Business,  we speak to the dynamic duo of Amy Lanpher and her daughter Ashley Cretcher of Amy’s Party Store. They talk about building their small business from a small 500 sq ft garage to their large retail store on Cypress Gardens Blvd and a growing online business. Not only have they become the go-to store for party supplies and locally sour...

On Episode 65, Almost a Century in Winter Haven, we welcome Dr. Howard C. Lucas. Dr. Lucas' family came to the Winter Haven area in 1917 and has remained one of the foundational families of the business community ever since. Dr. Lucas opened Winter Haven’s first ophthalmology and optometrist practice and just retired from active practice at the age of 95. You will love to listen to his stories of...

On Episode 64, Winter Haven's First Coffee Roaster, Jon Lane, Owner of Haven Coffee Roasters, shares with us his surprise path to entrepreneurship as a result of the pandemic and about his mission to work with the other coffee entrepreneurs throughout the city to take Winter Haven’s coffee culture to the next level. We also hear from Dr. Arriaga Oneillis, Polk Market Director of Emergency Services...

On Episode 63 - The Future of Florida's Sweetest Spot , Mark Jackson, Director of Polk County Tourism and Sports Marketing, joins us to talk about his career, the history of tourism and sports marketing in Polk County and what the future holds for Florida's Sweetest Spot. This podcast is recorded at Dolphin Image Studios and made possible through the support of AdventHealth, Citizens Bank &am...

On Episode 62 - Feeding the Homebound & Finding a Kidney Donor , Susan Eldridge and Marc Hutek join us. Susan Eldrige, the Executive Director for Meals on Wheels Polk County, tells us more about Meals on Wheels' services and what it means to serve the homebound. Also, Marc Hutek, the CEO of the Early Learning Coalition of Polk County, shares with us his unexpected journey to find a kidney dono...