Catapult Lakeland hosted its 3rd Annual Lakeland Entrepreneur Awards last night. With a keynote address given by Jeff Vinik, the current owner of the Tampa Bay Lightning, the coworking space known for launching Lakeland’s startups honored local entrepreneurial movers and shakers in four categories.
Entrepreneur + Tampa Bay Lightning owner, Jeff Vinik | Photo via LALtoday team
🏆 Entrepreneur Champion — Chrisanne Long, Maximize Digital Media
- This award goes to a person or company from the Lakeland community who has intentionally taken the time to invest in the development of entrepreneurs. They have provided mentorship, support, and guidance to entrepreneurs navigating a business start-up.
Other nominees: Todd Baylis of Qgiv, Wesley Beck of Aspyre Properties + Larry Mitchell of New Life Outreach.
🏆 Catapulter of the Year — Rut Patel, Voyager Industries
- This award goes to a Catapult member in their first few years of operating who has already experienced significant success. This person has proven to be a visionary and strategic leader in how they have begun to scale their business. They have demonstrated humility and willingness to learn.
Other nominees: Rima Shillinger of Vegetation Plant Food, Nathaniel Kendrick and Mike Mitchell of Mike and Mike Desserts + Taylor Ard of East of These.
Chrissane Long, Rut Patel, Cory + Bobby Holton, and Jon Bucklew | Photo via LALtoday team
🏆 People's Choice — Cory & Bobby Holton, Nautical Offroad
- The People’s Choice Award winner is a Lakeland entrepreneur nominated by their community. Catapult conducted an open call, and five business owners emerged as finalists. Lakelanders voted to choose the 2022 awardee.
Other nominees: Prima Burney of Open Door Wellness, Dorcas Crumbley of Essential Catering Solutions, Christina Needham of Pressed LKLD + Jason Kellis, Corey Ripley, and Conn O’Leary of Cob & Pen
🏆 David Lyons' Entrepreneur of the Year — Jon Bucklew, The Joinery
- This award goes to a previous or present Catapult Member who successfully manages a business and exhibits strong entrepreneurialism, creativity, innovation, passion, perseverance, and risk-taking. This person is a trailblazer in their field and is committed to pouring back into the Lakeland community.
Other nominees: Zach Eikenberry of Hook Security and Wendy Johnson + AJ Jackson of Krazy Kombucha.
Celebrate these local leaders by sharing their wins with your inner circle using a button below.
Today
- Lakeland Food Truck Rally | Thurs., Jan. 13 | 6-9 p.m. | Munn Park | Free | Head downtown + sample a variety of dishes from 20+ vendors like Breaking Bad BBQ, The Chief’s Cantina, and Jimmy’s Famous Seafood. 🍴
- Comedy Charcuterie & Cocktails | Thurs., Jan. 13 | 6-8:30 p.m. | Cypresswood Country Club, 842 Eagle Pond Dr. | $25+ | Laugh along with the improv troupe Out of the Box while snacking on charcuterie + sipping BOGO beer, wine, and cocktails.
Friday
- Silverback Live | Fri., Jan. 14 | 7-10 p.m. | Swan Brewing | Free | Rock and roll with the band Silverback while munching on food from Smokin' Chanchos. 🦍
Saturday
- Tuscan Steakhouse | Sat., Jan. 15 | 6:30 p.m. | Publix Aprons Cooking School | $65 | Taste wine while eating Tuscan-style food prepared by Publix Aprons Cooking School chefs.
Sunday
- Central Florida Comic Con | Sun., Jan. 16 | 10-6 p.m. | RP Funding Center | $20+ | Fly, teleport, or smash your way into a weekend of comics, collectibles, tv shows, movies, and cosplay. 💥
Monday
- MLK Holiday Camp! | Mon., Jan. 17 | 9 a.m.-2 p.m. | What’s Cooking Lakeland | $85 | Kids will learn to make Dr. King’s favorites like southern grits and eggs, macaroni and cheese, salisbury steak, and pecan pie.
Wednesday
- Trivia Night | Wed., Jan 19 | 7-9 p.m. | Union Taproom | Free | Pour your own beers at Union Taproom while competing in a round of trivia. 🍺
We have a monthly guide filled with events + activities you can plan for in advance. Click the button below to bookmark ideas for upcoming date nights, family outings, and time with friends.
Weather
- 71º | Partly cloudy | 66% chance of rain
Development
- A 20-acre development was approved by the Polk County Planning Commission. The project, located north of Lakeland and south of Banana Road, includes 68 single-family lots. Open space will take up 26.9% of the land. 🏠 (The Ledger)
Featured
- Polk County was recognized by Business Observer FL for its civic + economic growth. In addition to the Lakeland-Winter Haven Metro Area being the second fastest growing area in the country, the cities saw billions invested in development, millions of square feet of industrial space built, and thousands of jobs created. (Business Observer FL)
Number
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$1.8 million. That’s how much Polk County is pitching in over the next five years in an extended marketing deal with Legoland. In addition to yearly support for worldwide marketing materials, the county is also providing $99,500 for a new visitor station. (The Ledger)
- $1 million. That’s how much the Polk State College Foundation awards to students annually via scholarships. Applications for 2022-2023 scholarships will open at 8 a.m. on Tues., Feb. 1 and will close at 5 p.m. on Mon., Feb. 28. Read more information here.
History
- Bartow Resident Charles Warren wanted the community to know more about 19th-century businessman L.B. Brown of the historic L.B. Brown House. His book, “From Slavery to Community Builder,” tells the story of L.B. Brown and can now be purchased here. (The Ledger)
Eat
- The Juice Box introduced a new dish to its menu, Sushi Me Rollin’. The bowl includes rice, carrots, avocado, liquid aminos, and vegan spicy mayo. Try it out today from 8 a.m.-6 p.m.
Drink
- Dissent Craft Brewing has a new Berliner Weisse to add to the draft list, called The Juice is Loose. This smooth but tart beer features blackberries, raspberries, and limes. The drink will be coming to the Lakeland location soon. 🍺
Watch
- If you never got to see the Lakeland-made documentary all about Swan City, “The People Who Live There,” catch it at the Central Florida Film Festival on Sat., Jan. 22 at 6:50 p.m. Tickets for the festival cost $10, and can be purchased here. 🎬
Sports
- Calling all Lakeland Magic fans. InnerAct Alliance, a local nonprofit organization, is partnering with the team to auction off an autographed game-worn '90s themed Lakeland Magic jersey. You can see the available jerseys + bid now through Jan. 18.
Tech
- Coca-Cola + the University of South Florida partnered up to bring reverse vending machines to USF campuses. Students deposit aluminum cans and plastic bottles, which are sorted, crushed, and prepared for reuse. Now, here’s the question: would you like to see this in Lakeland? Tell us where. ♻️ (Fox 13 News)
Feel Good
- Missed out on Catapult’s 11th Launch Pitch Event? Here’s the tea: Judges decided to present all 5 participants with a $10,000 grant to use for their pitched item. Having all participants win launch grants at Pitch Night is rare + made the night extra special. 💵*
Giveaway
- Want $1,000, just because? So do we — which is why we’ve partnered with Lakeside Village to give away four $250 gift cards to DayDreams Day Spa & Medical Esthetics, Francesca's, Paint Nail Bar Lakeland + Versona. Enter to win on our website — we’ll randomly select + announce a winner on Mon., Jan. 24. 🛍️*
*This paid content, brought to you by our advertising partners, helps make this newsletter free.
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Editor’s pick: I want to read more books in 2022, so I decided to start with “The Midnight Library” by Matt Haig (I can hardly put it down). If you want to join me, you can pick up a copy at Pressed Lakeland. If you’ve read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts. 📖
Missed yesterday’s newsletter? We talked about the only competition for Lakeland’s namesake: the white pelican, here.
LALtoday Team
Editorial: Katelyn, Rilee, Kaylee
Sales: Kailey
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