ElevatePolk Podcast

What happens when education, business, and opportunity truly connect?

In this episode of Elevate Polk, Chrissanne Long and Dan Thumberg sit down with Polk County Public Schools Superintendent Fred Heid to talk about the future of education and workforce development in Polk County.

The conversation explores how PCPS is creating stronger connections between students and the real world through career and technical education, workforce partnerships, 3DE, mentorship, entrepreneurship, and exposure to opportunities beyond the traditional college pathway.

Fred also shares why partnerships with local businesses matter, how employers can play a role in preparing the next generation, and why helping students understand the opportunities available right here in Polk County is critical to our community’s future.

We talk about:

If Polk County wants to become a true land of opportunity, it starts with making sure the next generation can see the possibilities — and has a pathway to reach them.

🎙️ ElevatePolk is hosted by Chrissanne Long and Dan Thumberg and explores the people, ideas, challenges, and opportunities shaping the future of Polk County, Florida.

The Central Florida Business Expo is more than a trade show—it’s a chance to see just how much business opportunity already exists right here in Polk County and throughout Central Florida.

In this episode of ElevatePolk, Chrissanne takes Dan inside the vision for the 2026 Central Florida Business Expo and answers the question every business owner is really asking: What’s in it for me?

They talk about why Polk County deserves the kind of large-scale business experience we often travel to Tampa, Orlando or other major markets to find—and how the Expo is creating a place where business owners, professionals, entrepreneurs and community leaders can discover new resources, build strategic relationships and invest in what’s next.

Chrissanne and Dan also dig into the realities of networking—especially for people who don’t naturally love walking into a room full of strangers—and why approaching the Expo with intention can turn one day into meaningful conversations and opportunities long after the event is over.

Plus, there’s a lot more happening than booths and business cards:

✓ A large-scale Expo Hall filled with businesses and resource partners

At its heart, the Expo is about putting a flag in the ground and saying: Look at what already exists here. Look at who we are in Polk County, We are the Heart of Central Florida.

The 2026 Central Florida Business Expo takes place September 30 at the RP Funding Center in Lakeland, with a VIP, sponsor and exhibitor Welcome Reception on September 29.

Learn more, get tickets and explore ways to participate at https://CFLBE.com

Are you working toward progress—or quietly standing in your own way?

In Episode 11 of the Elevate Polk Podcast, Chrissanne Long and Dan Thumberg get honest about perfectionism, analysis paralysis and the hidden cost of refusing to “ship” something until it feels flawless.

They explore how business owners become their own bottleneck by fixating on details that may never change the outcome, continuing to carry water in a leaky bucket and spending valuable time perfecting work that was already good enough to serve a customer.

In this episode:

✔️ Why fear often disguises itself as preparation, refinement or another reasonable excuse

✔️ How to identify the work that actually moves your business forward

✔️ Why you cannot build Version 2 until you release Version 1

✔️ The connection between the 80/20 principle and Chrissanne’s emerging 4% Growth System

✔️ How clear goals and measurable outcomes help define “good enough”

✔️ Why outside perspective can help you see the bottlenecks you have normalized

✔️ A practical way to improve your visibility in AI-generated search results

Your challenge: ➜ Identify three to five questions customers repeatedly ask about your business. Answer them clearly on your website, publish the page and let the real-world response guide your next version.

Perfection isn’t progress if it keeps you standing still. Define the goal, complete the work, ship it—and improve it with evidence.

Subscribe to the ElevatePolk Podcast on YouTube, follow Elevate Polk on Facebook and listen wherever you get your podcasts.

AI is everywhere — but is it actually helping your business, or just creating more noise?

In this episode of the Elevate Polk Podcast, Chrissanne Long and Dan Thumberg dive into the real-world use of AI for business owners, leaders, and operators who are trying to figure out what’s useful, what’s hype, and what needs a serious “trust but verify” approach.

From ChatGPT and Claude to AI hallucinations, deterministic workflows, business bottlenecks, and the rise of “AI slop,” this conversation is not about guru buzzwords or magic-button promises. It’s about how to think more clearly, use AI more intentionally, and avoid handing your business over to a machine that still needs context, direction, and quality control.

In this episode, we talk about:

If you’re a business owner, entrepreneur, marketer, or leader trying to make sense of AI without falling for the hype, this episode is for you.

Chapters:

Subscribe to Elevate Polk for more conversations about business, leadership, community, technology, and what it really takes to grow in Polk County and beyond.

Brought to you by: 

#ElevatePolk #ArtificialIntelligence #AIForBusiness #BusinessGrowth #SmallBusinessLeadership #ChatGPT #ClaudeAI #BusinessStrategy #PolkCounty #LakelandFL

What happens when a community suddenly wakes up to a public process that has technically been available all along?

In this episode of ElevatePolk, Chrissanne Long and Dan Thumberg unpack the conversation surrounding proposed data centers in Lakeland and Polk County, but this episode is not really about data centers.

It is about engagement.

It is about how local government works, why public process can feel hidden even when it is technically public, and what happens when citizens only become engaged after a headline, a controversy, or a crisis grabs their attention.

Chrissanne and Dan talk through civic apathy, public trust, social contracts, economic development, private investment, community responsibility, and the tension between “I didn’t know” and “the information was available.”

They also explore how artificial intelligence, public communication, social media, and local leadership are changing the way people receive, process, and respond to information.

This is a real, off-the-cuff conversation about what it means to stay engaged before the machine is already moving.

In this episode:

✔️ Why public process matters, even before a project becomes “real”

Watch, listen, and join the conversation.

What would help you feel more informed and engaged in local decisions before they become hot-button issues?

Subscribe to Elevate Polk for conversations about small business, entrepreneurship, economic development, and the future of Polk County.

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Brought to you by:

#ElevatePolk #LakelandFL #PolkCountyFL #CityOfLakeland #EconomicDevelopment #SmallBusiness #Entrepreneurship #LakelandBusiness #PolkCountyBusiness #CentralFloridaBusiness #Infrastructure #LocalGovernment #CommunityDevelopment

Lakeland is growing, and the decisions being made today will shape what it feels like to live, work, build, and do business here for years to come.

In this episode of Elevate Polk,  @ChrissanneLong   and Dan @thumberg  sit down with Shawn Sherrouse, City Manager for the City of Lakeland, for a deeper conversation about the 2026 State of the City, Lakeland’s strategic priorities, and how city planning connects to small business, infrastructure, public safety, quality of life, and economic development.

Shawn walks through the realities of managing a growing city, including aging water and wastewater infrastructure, major road and corridor projects, public safety investments, community survey results, city services, and the balancing act between keeping costs competitive and preparing for future growth.

The conversation also shifts into the economic development lens: how local businesses can engage with the city, why city purchasing matters, how events like the Central Florida Business Expo support business connection, and why Lakeland’s cost of doing business may be one of its most important untold stories.

This episode is a candid look at the work happening behind the scenes in Lakeland — and why business owners, entrepreneurs, and community leaders should be paying attention.

In this episode:

✔️ What a city manager actually does

Lakeland’s future is being shaped right now. This conversation helps connect the dots between city government, local business, infrastructure, and the broader economic future of Polk County.

Subscribe to Elevate Polk for conversations about small business, entrepreneurship, economic development, and the future of Polk County.

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In this episode of Elevate Polk,  ⁨Chrissanne Long⁩  and Dan Thumberg⁩ sit down with Omar Arroyo, a Polk County entrepreneur, construction business owner, Haines City public servant, husband, and father whose story reaches far beyond a title.

Omar shares his journey from Mexico to Texas and eventually to Haines City, where what began as a short-term work opportunity became the place he chose to build his life. From learning the trades and starting his own crew without speaking English, to building a business with his brothers and stepping into local leadership, Omar’s story is one of work ethic, resilience, humility, and purpose.

This conversation explores the power of skilled trades, the barriers that can exist for first-generation and minority entrepreneurs, the importance of relationships and networking, and why opening doors for the next generation matters. Omar also reflects on representation, becoming the first Hispanic elected commissioner in Haines City, and how personal experiences, including his family’s journey navigating autism resources, have shaped the way he sees service and community.

This is not a campaign interview. It is a story about building a life, building a business, and helping shape a Polk County where more people can find the path, the support, and the opportunity they need to move forward.

In this episode, we talk about:

✔️ Omar’s journey from Mexico to Haines City

Like, subscribe, and follow ElevatePolk for more honest conversations about business, leadership, economic development, and the future of Polk County.

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In this episode of the ElevatePolk Podcast Dan Thumberg and Chrissanne Long dig into a difficult but important question for Polk County’s business and civic community:

Are we building relationships that are truly mutually beneficial, or have too many small businesses been pulled into a “pay to play” culture where visibility, access, and opportunity come with unclear expectations and little real reciprocity?

What starts with a conversation about generosity, collaboration, and small business involvement turns into a deeper discussion about extraction, innovation, community leadership, and why entrepreneurs often feel invited into the room but not always valued once they get there.

Dan and Chrissanne explore the tension between giving back and being drained, the difference between true collaboration and one-sided participation, and why small businesses should be seen not just as sponsors, volunteers, or donors, but as essential innovators in the local economy.

This episode is an honest conversation about what it will take to build a healthier, more collaborative business ecosystem in Polk County — one where the goal is not just a win-win, but a win-win-win: good for the organization, good for the business, and good for the community.

In this episode:

✔️ Why “mutually beneficial, not extractive” hit so hard

✔️ The hidden cost of asking small businesses to keep giving without clear value in return

✔️ How small businesses drive innovation, jobs, and community growth

✔️ The difference between collaboration and simply being “included”

✔️ Why entrepreneurs opt out when the pathway is unclear

✔️ How Polk County can create a more connected, solutions-focused ecosystem

✔️ Why "feeding the whole network" matters more than protecting individual silos

Small businesses matter. Entrepreneurs matter. And if Polk County wants to grow in a healthy, sustainable way, the people who are building, solving, risking, and innovating every day need to be part of the conversation.

Like, subscribe, and follow ElevatePolk for more honest conversations about business, leadership, economic development, and the future of Polk County.

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Brought to you by:

It’s 3PM | https://Its3PM.io

What does public transit have to do with economic development, workforce access, infrastructure, local government budgets, and the future of Polk County?

More than most people realize.

In this episode of Elevate Polk, Dan Thumberg and Chrissanne Long sit down with Tom Phillips, CEO of Citrus Connection, for a candid conversation about the role public transportation plays in helping people get to work, supporting local businesses, and connecting communities across Polk County.

Tom breaks down how Citrus Connection is funded, why transit is more than “just buses,” and what happens when public services are expected to grow while funding stays flat or disappears altogether.

The conversation also tackles a much bigger issue: the potential elimination of homesteaded property taxes in Florida. While the idea may sound appealing on the surface, Tom helps explain what property taxes actually fund and what communities may have to give up if replacement revenue is not clearly defined.

From Skittles to chicken nuggets, this episode uses real-world analogies to make complicated funding and infrastructure conversations easier to understand.

This episode is about more than transit. It is about the bill that eventually comes due when communities want growth, quality of life, mobility, public safety, parks, infrastructure, and economic opportunity, but are not always willing to talk honestly about how those things are paid for.

In this episode:

✔️ What Citrus Connection does across Polk County

✔️ Why public transportation matters to the workforce

✔️ How transit funding actually works

✔️ The connection between transportation and economic development

✔️ Why service cuts have real consequences

✔️ What property taxes currently fund in local government

✔️ The potential impact of eliminating homesteaded property taxes

✔️ Why the business community needs to pay attention and show up

Learn more about Citrus Connection | https://ridecitrus.com

Listen to "Another One Rides the Bus" Episode 17 | https://elevatepolk.com/episodes/another-one-rides-the-bus

Follow Elevate Polk on Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/ElevatePolk

Learn more about our sponsors:

Central Florida Business Expo | https://cflbe.com

It's 3PM | https://its3pm.io

In this episode of Elevate Polk, Chrissanne Long and Dan Thumberg dig into the phrase “No Man’s Land” and what it reveals about Polk County’s identity, reputation, and small business ecosystem.

The conversation begins with a personal reflection on growing up in Polk County and the assumptions people have carried about the area for decades. From outdated stereotypes to the way Polk is often described as being “between Tampa and Orlando,” Chrissanne and Dan explore how those perceptions still influence the way people outside the county view our talent, businesses, and opportunities.

The episode then shifts into the real issue: Polk County is not lacking resources, talent, ambition, or entrepreneurial energy. The problem is that those resources can be difficult to find, difficult to navigate, and not always organized in a way that helps business owners know where to turn next.

Chrissanne and Dan discuss how surrounding communities have created more unified access points for entrepreneurs, while Polk often sits in the middle of larger regional systems. That can leave local business owners unsure whether they belong in the Tampa Bay resource network, the Central Florida resource network, or somewhere else entirely.

A major theme of the episode is the need to move beyond accidental connections. Business owners should not have to rely on luck, networking events, or being in the right room at the right time to find the support they need. Polk County has an opportunity to build a more intentional, visible, and connected entrepreneurial ecosystem.

The episode also references the 2023 resource mapping work done in Lakeland with SourceLink and local entrepreneurial resource partners. That process revealed that entrepreneurs are not the only ones struggling with visibility. Resource organizations themselves often face the same challenges around funding, labor, awareness, and connection.

Ultimately, this episode is a call to stop accepting “No Man’s Land” as Polk County’s identity. Instead, Chrissanne and Dan challenge listeners to think about what it would take to create a clearer front door for entrepreneurs, stronger collaboration among resource providers, and a countywide system that helps small businesses find their way.

You can link to these in the show notes:

It’s 3PM

It’s 3PM / MySpace

Central Florida Business Expo

Beyond Collisions: How to Build Your Entrepreneurial Infrastructure

2023 Lakeland Entrepreneurial Ecosystem / Resource Mapping Report