It's Happenin' In the Haven

On Episode 61 - Disaster Relief and The American Red Cross, Tina Sweeten, Executive Director of The American Red Cross of Mid-Florida, shares about the mission of the American Red Cross and the many resources and services they provide to make our community prepared and resilient in the face of disaster. This podcast is recorded at Dolphin Image Studios and made possible through the support of Adve...

On Episode 60 - Safeguarding Your Business & Home , Jon Robert, retired detective, joins us to talk about his new book "Burglary: A Very Personal Crime." In this interview, Jon shares tips on safeguarding your business and home, as well as real-life examples of the impact of preparedness. This podcast is recorded at Dolphin Image Studios and made possible through the support of AdventHealth, C...

On Episode 59 - The Future of Bok Tower Gardens , David Price, President of Bok Tower Gardens joins us to talk about the history and future of the gardens and how this past year was their busiest year in 40 years! We also hear from Jacob Burton with Relay for Life to share more about this year's event and the impact that it has on those who have been affected by cancer. This podcast is recorded at...

On Episode 58 - Everything Is Awesome In Winter Haven Rex Jackson, President of LEGOLAND Florida Resort, shares his experience leading his team through one of the hardest years in Florida tourism history, but he's optimistic about the year to come as LEGOLAND celebrates its 10th birthday. This podcast is recorded at Dolphin Image Studios and made possible through the support of AdventHealth, Citiz...

On Episode 57 - The Growth of Our Hometown Hospital , Steve Nierman, President of BayCare's Winter Haven Hospital joins us to talk about the growth of the hospital, his experience in a leadership role through the pandemic and much more. This podcast is recorded at Dolphin Image Studios and made possible through the support of AdventHealth, Citizens Bank & Trust, Dodge Chrysler Jeep RAM of Wint...

On Episode 56 - Winter Haven's Greatest Challenges & Opportunities we speak with City of Winter Haven Commissioner Tracy Mercer about her journey to Winter Haven and what she views as our community's greatest challenges and opportunities today and in our future. This podcast is recorded at Dolphin Image Studios and made possible through the support of AdventHealth, Citizens Bank & Trust, D...

On Episode 55 - Powering Winter Haven we speak with Nick Plott, Polk County Regional Manager of External Affairs for Tampa Electric Company to speak about his career path at Tampa Electric and the investments they are making in solar and other forms of energy to ensure their customers have reliable and consistent power. This podcast is recorded at Dolphin Image Studios and made possible through th...

On Episode 54 - Growing with the City we speak to the City's new Parks, Recreation and Culture Director, Julie Adams about her background, why she decided to make the move back to Winter Haven and what exciting quality of life projects are on the docket for the City. This podcast is recorded at Dolphin Image Studios and made possible through the support of AdventHealth, Citizens Bank & Trust,...

On Episode 53 - Birds and The Bees , we speak with Andrew Wagner , Mann Lake-Stromberg Chicks and Game Birds , one of the countries largest suppliers of bee-keeping and poultry supplies. You'll hear about the impact this industry has on our local community, but also how it impacts us every day as consumers of produce. This podcast is recorded at Dolphin Image Studios and made possible through spon...

On Episode 52 - Taking Flight, we speak to Alex Vacha, the energetic director of the Winter Haven Regional Airport .  You'll hear him speak about how much the airport has grown and what plans are in place for the future. We also speak to Lisa M. Peto, APRN, FNP-C, a family nurse practitioner with AdventHealth Lake Wales Medical Group about the importance of establishing with a primary care pr...

On Episode 51 - Freeze, Disease & Tangerine Trees, we speak to Quentin Roe , President of Noble Citrus/W G Roe & Sons , a company that has been investing in and reimagining Winter Haven's citrus industry since 1927. We also speak to Tommie Wofford , a 17-year-old student with Theatre Winter Haven 's Performing Arts Academy who will be debuting his original musical he began writing at age 1...

On Episode 50 - New Beginning, New Accomplishments we speak to the Chamber 's newest team member, Ana Saavedra , Membership and Sponsorship Development Manager. We also speak to Dr. Paul Williams , breast surgical oncologist with AdventHealth Heart of Florida and his colleague Dr. Swati Pathak, medical oncologist with Florida Cancer Specialists to discuss the Breast Cancer Program's recent accredi...

In Episode 49: Breaking the Chain of Lakes Myths we speak to Bob Gernert , volunteer curator at the Museum of Winter Haven History on the truth behind how the Chain of Lakes came to be. We also have a guest segment from Patrice Williams of Amonie Jo's Coffee on what it was like learning she was a 'dreamer' as a teenager and how that has impacted her life. This podcast is recorded at Dolphin Image...

In Episode 48: Unleashing Your Boss Brain we speak to Tra Williams , speaker, entrepreneur, and nationally recognized expert in entrepreneurship and business strategy. The significant decline of entrepreneurship in America inspired his mission to rescue 1 million entrepreneurs from traditional employment. Tra’s new book, Boss Brain, reveals a scientifically-proven system that unlocks readers’ true...

On Episode 47, Born and Raised on Ave Q, we speak to Winter Haven Mayor Pro Tem Nathaniel Birdsong about his life growing up in Winter Haven in a family of 12, how he ended up going from teacher to business executive at Coca-Cola and why dedicating the last 19 years of his life to civil service has been important to him. This podcast is recorded at Dolphin Image Studios and made possible through s...

On Episode 46 we speak to Bob Schade, owner of the management company for Cypresswood Golf & Country Club about growing up working on the course he now operates. February is American Heart Month so we check in with Shelly Moore, Polk Market Director for Imaging and Cardiology at AdventHealth’s Heart Success Center . Shelly talks about the importance of recognizing the signs and symptoms of a h...

In Episode 45 - Where George Jenkins' Dream Began we speak to Bob Gernert, volunteer curator of the Museum of Winter Haven History about how the 2020 World's Most Admired grocer's story began right in downtown Winter Haven. The founder of Publix, George Jenkins, is a story every entrepreneur needs to hear! This podcast is recorded at Dolphin Image Studios and made possible through sponsorships fro...

In Episode 44 - Reinvention we interview Katina Campbell, owner of Campbell's Landing Assisted Living Facility. Katina shares how decisions she made in her late teens and early twenties could have led her down a very different life path. But from prison to promise, Katina explains how she reinvented herself and set her life on a positive trajectory. Her story is raw, emotional and incredibly inspi...

In Episode 43 - Stories from an Unexpected Life, we interview Tom Oldt, owner of Thomas R Oldt Investment Services . But today's conversation is not about investment advice. If you could believe it, we span the topics of growing up in a segregated Winter Haven to working for the Washington Post to Vietnam, to the early days of Andy Thornals to Gene Leedy napkin sketches to Polk County serial kille...

In this premiere episode of Season 2 we interview M.J. Carnevale, Public Works Director for the City of Winter Haven who discusses how the City is using data to drive its decision making on ways to improve our lives every day.  This podcast is recorded at Dolphin Image Studios and made possible through sponsorships from Citizens Bank & Trust , Mahalak Auto Group/Winter Haven Dodge Chrysle...

On Episode 41 - From Haven to Hollywood we take a deep dive into the history of Cypress Gardens with Bob Gernert, volunteer curator for the Museum of Winter Haven History. Bob shares stories of how Dick Pope's incomparable skill for garnering publicity for his attraction brought international attention and visitors to Winter Haven and paved the way for LEGOLAND Florida Resort as we know it today....

On Episode 40 - How Will We Grow, we speak to Bruce Lyon, President of the Winter Haven Economic Development Council about the results of his new strategic planning process and what types of development activity are dominating the Winter Haven landscape right now. This podcast is recorded at Dolphin Image Studios and made possible through sponsorships from Fred Simons Insurance Agency – Farmers In...

On Episode 39 - Starlight Nights we speak to Anita Strang, Executive Director of Main Street Winter Haven , about how her organization has had to pivot through the pandemic into two new endeavors - a new holiday event called Starlight Nights (Nov. 25- January 6) and taking over programming and management at The Ritz Theatre .  This podcast is recorded at Dolphin Image Studios and made possibl...

On Episode 38 - The Bond That Ties Us, we speak to Dr. Panagiotis Iakovidis, CEO of Bond Clinic P.A. While we chat about Bond Clinic and his career as a thoracic surgeon, this interview is part of a series of interviews focused on getting to know local physicians around the community outside of their medical career. Dr. Iakovidis is a lifelong entrepreneur owning multiple businesses in Winter Have...

On Episode 37 - Pursuit of Excellence we speak to Mike Herr, City Manager for the City of Winter Haven on how his journey led him to our City, what it is like to manage in a council-manager form of government and how the team at the City are constantly focused on improving the citizen's experience. We also speak to Dr. Paul Williams , surgical oncologist for AdventHealth on the importance of getti...