What’s New


You can hardly drive a block without noticing something new in and around Haines City. We will attempt to keep you up to date with the latest!

What’s New Around Town

ALDI FOODS GROUNDBREAKING:ALDI, a discount grocer that offers customers a smart alternative for select, quality items, broke ground for the company’s Florida headquarters and first Florida distribution center on January 31. The $40 million, 500,000-square-foot distribution center will support 25 new stores opening in central Florida in the fall of 2008 and will initially employ about 100 people. Within the next 24 months, over 300 people will be hired as store employees and distribution center staff. Employees will earn an average wage of more than 125 percent of a typical Polk County-area job. ALDI is able to save consumers up to 50 percent on 90 percent of their everyday purchases through business practices, such as having customers bring or purchase recyclable bags as well as “rent” their carts while shopping.

Chamber Members are Best Places to Work
February 7, 2008, Polk Works Workforce 2020 and United Way Success By 6 recognized the following Chamber members as Best Places to Work and Spirit of the Family award winners.

Best Places to Work and Spirit of the Family dual award winners:
Polk County Sheriff’s Office
State Farm Insurance

Best Places to Work and Spirit of the Family finalist
Bright House Networks
Heart of Florida Regional Medical Center
Polk County Board of County Commissioners
Technology Research Consultants, Inc.
W. S. Badcock Corp.
Winter Haven Hospital

Businesses are recognized for their ability to motivate and retain employees and to implement family-friendly policies. Congratulations. We are proud to have you in our Chamber family.

Radiology Consultants Receives Accreditation
Winter Haven’s Radiology Consultants Imaging Center (RCIC) has been awarded accreditation in Computed Tomography (CT) by the American College of Radiology (ACR).

RCIC is the only outpatient radiology facility in Winter Haven to hold ACR accreditation in five separate areas: in addition to CT, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Positron Emission Tomography (PET), Ultrasound and Mammography.

Personnel qualifications and adequacy of facility equipment are assessed by expert board-certified physicians and medical physicists. The ACR awards accreditation to facilities for achievement of high practice standards after this peer-review evaluation. Congratulations to RCIC on your achievement.

Blue Cross/Blue Shield NHIA is looking for licensed Health & Life Sales Agents in the State of Florida. For more information or to send resume please contact Gene Stracener or Calvin Martin at 866-689-6442!

New Department Store Arrives: Belk celebrated its grand opening March 12 with a ribbon cutting at its new department store 5500 Grandview Parkway in Davenport. This new member of our business community is also one of our newest Chamber members and sponsor of March’s Membership Luncheon. Welcome!

South Industrial Park Activity: Metromont Corporation announced its intention to build a 50,000 (eventually 125,000) sq ft pre-stressed concrete manufacturing facility on 83 acres in Haines City’s Industrial Park. Their $3.5 million investment will create up to 100 new jobs making concrete walls for regional building projects such as schools and parking garages.

Commercial Development: In addition to several residential developments, Feltrim Development currently has three projects underway in Haines City: the $2 million Haines City Office Plaza, a two-story office/retail mixed use building near Winn Dixie on Highway 27; Haines City Enterprise Center, 90,000 sq ft of commercial and light industrial development at the corner of 30th Street and Hwy 544; Haines City Commerce Center, a 38-acre industrial, distribution and business park on Highway 544.

Hospital Expansions: North on Highway 27 Heart of Florida Regional Medical Center is moving ahead with plans to add 4th and 5th floors. Just south of the Hospital, Civix Corporation is breaking ground on a $200 million medical office complex. Across Highway 27, Publix is building a new store. The long awaited stop light should be up and working by press time!

Kudos Corner:
1. Haines City design firm ranks top 500 in the US: Engineering News- ranked McKim & Creed number 192 of 500 firms in the United States. McKim & Creed provides engineering and surveying to public and private sector clients. The firm began as a two person operation in 1978 and has grown to more than 500 employees in 17 offices throughout the southeast, including a surveying office in Haines City.