Posted by Josh Hallett on July 17, 2008 at 08:15 PM
Starbucks has posted the entire list of store closings and it appears the only store in Polk County to be closing is the Lakeland Square Mall location.
Earlier this month I had wondered if any local stores would be closing, now we know.
It also appears that many of the closings in the Central Florida market are mall locations. Many of those were inherited when they bought Barnie's. What's ironic is one of the reasons for buying Barnie's was to get into the malls. Guess that didn't pan out :-)
Posted by Josh Hallett on July 10, 2008 at 10:51 AM
Registration is now open for the 2008 edition of BlogOrlando. So go do your thing:
http://blogorlando.com/register/
Posted by Josh Hallett on July 9, 2008 at 08:55 AM
A week or two ago when driving out of our neighborhood (Valencia Woods) I spotted some tell-tale orange-topped poles in the ground.....fiber!!!!!
The next day I spotted the work crew and stopped to ask the obvious question, "FiOS?" I received the answer I wanted, "Yep". Talking a bit more with the crew they said it was the primary line for the neighborhood. Once installed it typically takes Verizon 3-6 months to connect directly to homes and roll-out the FiOS service.
I've been waiting for FiOS for a while, especially since my Verizon DSL is soooooo sllllooooowwww. My Sprint EVDO card give me better access.
Can't wait!
Posted by Josh Hallett on July 8, 2008 at 09:33 AM
One of the anchor units at Towne Center (in front of Cypress Gardens) is undergoing some construction. Currently the windows are taped over and plenty of work is going on inside.
I asked one of the staff at Tijuana Flats if they knew what was going in. The answer, "A sushi restaurant from Lakeland." I asked if it was Gosh, they didn't know. Anybody else know?
I always thought that space would be perfect for Starbucks, but then again they're not in a growth mode right now.
Posted by Josh Hallett on July 8, 2008 at 09:24 AM
You may have read that Starbucks will be closing close to 600 stores. Will any of the stores in Polk County close? Officially Starbucks has declined to list the stores, but the Seattle Times has created an interactive map listing stores that *might* be closing. The info comes from employees and other sources.
As of now, there are no closings listed in Florida, but I assume that will change. Do any local employees know???
Posted by Josh Hallett on July 7, 2008 at 09:01 AM
Cross posted to BlogOrlando.com
The dates for the 2008 edition of BlogOrlando have been set, Sept 25-27th. Of course the big change is the main event is moving to a Saturday.
In the past I always debated about the Friday/Saturday thing, but this year we have some external forces....mainly the venue....we're just too big :-) In order to accommodate close to 300 people (like we had last year) we need to hold the event on Saturday.
Registration will be open shortly and we'll start to fill in the session leaders and schedule as well.
As I referenced in my previous post there will an invite only event on Thursday the 25th. The main event will kick-off Friday night with a reception and the full un-con and happy hour on Saturday.
If you're traveling in, then you can look to arrive on Friday and head back out on Sunday.
Of course we're always looking for sponsors to keep the event FREE. If you're interested let me know.
More to come....
Posted by Josh Hallett on June 24, 2008 at 10:51 AM
This morning at the National Retail Federation's Loss Prevention Conference in Orlando, two 'locals' received national recognition: Detective Jim Ostojic with the Polk County Sheriff's Office (above) and Ron Averette from Publix (below).
From the NRF's release:
The National Retail Federation announced today the recipients of the distinguished Loss Prevention Retail Partnership Award at its annual Loss Prevention Conference and EXPO at the Orange County Convention Center in Orlando. NRF also announced new additions to its Ring of Excellence and the 2008 Loss Prevention Case of the Year winner.
2008 NRF Law Enforcement Retail Partnership Award
NRF’s Law Enforcement Retail Partnership Award is given each year to individuals in the law enforcement industry who have gone above and beyond the call of duty to support the retail industry in its fight against retail fraud, organized retail crime and other major incidents that affect the retail industry. NRF presented this year’s award to Detective Jim Ostojic with the Polk County (FL) Sheriff’s Office and Special Agent Telly Sands with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
In June 2007, Detective Ostojic uncovered an organized retail crime group in central Florida he believed to be responsible for several thefts at local retailers. He presented the case to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida State Attorney’s Office. A task force was put together consisting of agents from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and detectives from local agencies, with Special Agent Telly Sands assigned as the lead investigator. Over the course of the next seven months, Detective Ostojic and Agent Sands identified 18 suspects involved in the crime ring.
On January 24, 2008, they arrested the 18 suspects, with five search warrants being served. All of the suspects were charged under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. Through their investigation the task force determined the crime ring was responsible for the loss of up to $100 million to local retailers. This case scored national recognition and brought a renewed attention to the problem of organized retail crime.
Loss Prevention Case of the Year
Publix SuperMarkets’ Loss Prevention Manager, Distribution, Ron Averette was awarded the 2008 Loss Prevention Case of the Year. In June, 2007, Averette began amassing evidence that suggested a major organized retail crime group was operating in the central Florida area. Detective Jim Ostojic of the Polk County Sheriff’s Office contacted Ron to compare the details of a specific arrest with other arrests at Publix stores and they quickly linked the suspect to several other pending cases. With Detective Ostojic’s help, Averette approached Florida Department of Law Enforcement Special Agent Telly Sands to present their findings. A task force was quickly established and over the next seven months, Averette worked hand in hand with law enforcement to uncover the crime ring. The sting operation uncovered the largest (in dollar losses) organized retail crime ring to date and has been a topic of conversation throughout the retail loss prevention community since the arrests were made in January 2008.
Posted by Josh Hallett on June 23, 2008 at 10:47 PM
While in town for BlogPotomac I spent some time snapping some shots of the DC-usuals. You know the drill....photoset is here.
Posted by Josh Hallett on June 23, 2008 at 09:44 AM
I mentioned in the previous post that Polk Sheriff Grady Judd was speaking at the NRF conference in Orlando today. Here's a photo and a quick write-up.
Posted by Josh Hallett on June 16, 2008 at 07:30 AM
One of the speakers at next week's National Retail Federation Loss & Prevention conference in Orlando will be our own Grady Judd. Why? Remember that major organized retail bust the Polk County Sheriff's office made a while back? A bust like that is a big deal to the NRF, especially their Loss & Prevention folks.
As luck would have it, I'll be helping out the NRF with some live-blog coverage of their event. I'll post a link to my recap of Grady's session next week.
Posted by Josh Hallett on June 14, 2008 at 09:36 PM
I was in Washington DC on Friday for a conference and word spread quickly that Tim Russert had passed away. A colleague at Reagan National said everybody was glued to the TVs.
Tim Russert was one of my favorite TV news anchors. He'll be missed.
This past October I saw Tim speak at the PRSA International Conference and was able to get quite a few shots of him.
Posted by Josh Hallett on June 14, 2008 at 09:27 PM
An article in the News Chief talks about the recent growth in restaurants in Winter Haven. There was even a 'study' done about it. According to the article the study was completed by Mainsail Development Group, the builders of Cypress Station. Yes, there has been some growth, but also some closings, Quizno's & Atlanta Bread.
What I found funny was the quote from Mike Byrum of Mainsail on why they conducted the study:
Byrum and others at Mainsail Development Group did the study "because it was interesting," Byrum said.
Hmmm, it doesn't have anything to do with drumming up interest in the large, empty retail space they own?
Posted by Josh Hallett on June 11, 2008 at 11:20 AM
When you visit the News Chief's web site you'll notice one thing...or perhaps you won't, since it's not there: Business.
I guess there is no business news in Winter Haven :-)
Oh wait, yes there is.
Posted by Josh Hallett on June 11, 2008 at 11:17 AM
I've heard that Pizza Central in Winter Haven might get a name/owner change soon? Who? Remember this 'pizza' name?
Update: There is now a Floridino's Italian Kitchen sign in the window at Pizza Central.
Posted by Josh Hallett on June 3, 2008 at 08:48 AM
In a previous post a commenter mentioned the need to 'support our small businesses'. That got me thinking....yes our area has a good share of chains, but here is a list of the locally-owned restaurants I frequent:
- Mama Dilos, Winter Haven
- Cafe Latte, Winter Haven
- Richard's Coffee, Winter Haven
- Mitchell's Coffee House, Lakeland
- Black & Brew, Lakeland
- Cafe Roti, Lakeland
- Peebles, Auburndale
Then you enter the gray area of franchises. Sure they're a 'chain' but they're usually owned by a local resident, so are you supporting local business? I think so, but a small % does go to the parent company.
What are the local restaurants/coffee shops you frequent?
Posted by Josh Hallett on June 1, 2008 at 09:52 AM
Driving by Atlanta Bread Company this morning I noticed an empty parking lot...pulling up there is a sign on the door which says, "This Location is No Longer Open". The store is also removed from the ABC web site. That's too bad, since the closing of one restaurant chain might spook others from opening.
You may have also noticed that the Quizno's near Tijuana Flats and Cypress Gardens has closed....however I would just chalk that up to Quizno's.
Posted by Adam Weeks on May 31, 2008 at 10:15 PM
We had a chance to check out the new playground in Auburndale. I had been by a few months ago while they were re-doing it and never got around to going to see the finished product. All I can say is "WOW!" They did a spectacular job and it looks fantastic.
There are a few more pictures of the park in my photostream.
Posted by Josh Hallett on May 30, 2008 at 03:55 PM
Sebring, FL now has a Starbucks, Winter Haven does not.
I mean come on.
Posted by Josh Hallett on May 19, 2008 at 12:53 AM
I was in downtown Lakeland on Sunday for another event and happened upon the Florida Criterium Championships. Luckily I had my camera and was able to take a few shots. The full photoset is here.
Posted by Meredith Spresser on May 15, 2008 at 03:42 PM
It's like this: Nicholas Negroponte head of MIT's Media Lab, declared in 1998 that the digital revolution was over. If that's the case, what's up with all this "digital" media around us? How is it shaping the way artists create work? The answer is, in surprising ways!
Polk Museum of Art decided it wanted to find out how artists in the state of Florida were taking advantage of technology, so it created a juried competition that was open to instructors and professors at Florida's public and private universities and colleges. They got the typical digital photography and films, but they also got paintings, prints, and (...get this!...) ceramics!
The show is called Digital Art in the Post-Digital Age: Works by Florida Faculty and it opens for viewing on Saturday, May 24. Don't worry, though. You don't have to rush over to see it THAT DAY. It'll be up through September 7.
Oh, and don't miss the reception on May 30. It's for this show and Karsh, Leonard, and Bagert: A Photographic Legacy. Herman Leonard and Jenny Bagert, two of the artists in that exhibition, will talk about their work at 6:00pm, and then the reception will begin at about 7. Stetson University's Mobile Performance Group will be doing their thing a couple of times before the whole thing ends at 8:30. $10 gets you in the door and it's a cash bar. I know I'll be there!
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A hyperlocal blog about Imperial Polk County, Florida. It is written by local residents that wish to provide an alternative to traditional media sources. The focus is commentary and open discussion of the issues that face Polk County, FL.
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