It's Happenin' In the Haven Podcast

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All Episodes Season 2 (from newest to oldest) 
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 enterprises.

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On Episode 75: Polk County's G League Champions, 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.
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 live.
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.
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, the famous people it has brought to town and so much more. 
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. Todd Prochnow, an orthopedic surgeon who gives us advice on an array of musculoskeletal issues including shoulder issues, carpal tunnel, arthritis and more.
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 Rotary and more. 
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. 
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 sourced gifts, they also have become leaders in using social media to grow your small business.
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 growing up through the early days of our community as well as the secret to how he has lived such a long life.
This podcast is recorded at Dolphin Image Studios and made possible through sponsorships from Citizens Bank & Trust, Mahalak Auto Group/Winter Haven Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram and AdventHealth.
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.
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We also hear from Dr. Arriaga Oneillis, Polk Market Director of Emergency Services for AdventHealth, talk about the ways we can protect ourselves from heat stroke, sunburn and other common aliments we are exposed too while enjoying summer fun.
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.
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 donor.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. 
Episode 54 - Growing with the City is for all of you Leslie Knope fans out there! 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. ​
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.
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 provider for your long-term health. ​
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 14 this May.
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 accreditation with the National Accreditation Program for Breast Centers (NAPBC) and what that means for our community. ​
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.
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 potential and unleashes their entrepreneurial instincts so they can leave traditional employment forever. That’s the real American Dream! Tra is also the owner of Fleet Force Truck Driving School located in Winter Haven.
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, traveling with the NBA, why dedicating the last 19 years of his life to civil service has been important to him and so many stories in-between.
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 heart attack and other cardiovascular events. ​
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!
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 inspiring.
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 killers and saving the Historic Ritz Theatre. Suffice it to say Tom's life in Winter Haven and beyond has been an interesting one and I think you'll enjoy learning as much about him as I did.
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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.