I love to help people and bring my heart to everything that I do. I came to Lakeland three years ago, very reluctantly, and have since fallen in love with it and never want to leave. I am so grateful for this community and am glad to be a part of it.

I love to build businesses. That's my passion. I grew up in Lakeland since I was 7 after moving from Los Angeles. I went to Florida State University and headed back to LA for pursue marketing and funding in entertainment. Since I have come back and started a business that caters to the local and regional businesses and community.

Kyle is a bilingual CPA that loves traveling. He has been a tutor for the past 12 years, whether it be for English, math, or the CPA exams. He has combined his experience tutoring with his accounting knowledge to launch Maxwell CPA Review, LLC, an online exam prep company that helps students pass the CPA accounting exams.

My name is Emma Bairo, and I am from Louisville, Kentucky. Though I was born and raised there, I am happy to now call Lakeland home. I have been here for the last three and half years attending Florida Southern College, but as I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration, I wasn't ready to leave this city I had grown to love. For four months, I have interned with The Take Heart Project everywhere from workspaces in Catapult to villages in Kenya. I am grateful that in the coming weeks, we will return from Kenya, and I will continue to complete my master's degree in Business Administration, as well as continue working with this incredible organization.

As a professional actress, I quickly found that marketing was a large part of the industry that wasn't taught in my college theatre classes. I self-taught branding, marketing, and basic business as I hustled as a professional actress launched a photography business, wrote and produced live theatre, and currently apply all I learned to my current work at a non-profit as a communications director. I came to Lakeland to attend Southeastern University, married my college sweetheart, and stayed in this city because we love it. I'm an entrepreneur at heart, a mom of 4 kids by lifestyle, and deeply love to laugh with friends, all things ethical fashion, and living a slow life with my husband of 16 years and children.

Recently relocated to Lakeland (from Texas) to be near family/in-laws. This is my wife's home town and an area I lived in (Bartow) as a teenager, with multiple visits over the years. Fortunate to be a remote worker for a Texas-based national non-profit in the education/civic participation lane. Not much spare time with five children, but outside of work, I am an occasional vocal/theatrical performer and avid soccer fan.

Jarrett and Michelle are the owners of Cult Legume, a vegan food company that aims to eliminate the obstacles to healthy eating that are so common these days: confusion about what constitutes healthy ingredients, lack of time to prepare quality meals, and the myth of high costs associated with plant ingredients. They believe that health-promoting plant foods can be familiar, tasty, and easy to prepare.

My name is Chris Blackwell. I graduated from Auburn University with a degree in Construction Management. I started working with Brasfield and Gorrie (B&G) soon after graduating and have been with them for the last 12 years. My current position within the company is Senior Project Manager. I am in Lakeland because B&G recently won a bid to construct a new commercial office space in Lakeland, FL, and I have been assigned primary Project Manager.

StreamAlign equips businesses to make a lasting impact on their customers and their community.

We understand how hard it is to gain traction with your most important goals when you are buried in the urgent demands of the business.

StreamAlign guides businesses through a process to transform their systems. Those systems create an engaged workforce, aligned to a clear vision; compelling the organization to exceed the expectations of its customers.

We want to help you achieve SUCCESS through happy customers, engaged employees, sustainable & ever-improving business, a culture aligned for impact and reduced cost & increased revenue.

Nicole Bradham owns Mindset Marketing & Consulting, a full-service marketing agency partnering with businesses across a variety of industries. She also recently launched an influencer management agency called HotMod Agency.

Nicole is passionate about working with small businesses and promoting Lakeland. On a normal day, you will find her working at her desk at Catapult Lakeland, meeting with clients and filming videos for social media. As a board member for the Junior League of Greater Lakeland, she takes serving the community to heart. To keep up with all things social media, follow Nicole on Instagram @mindsetmarketinglakeland and @hotmodagency.

Dippidi Employee

Loud Life Productions helps businesses be seen and heard through the power of strong messaging and engaging video visuals.

Digital Marketing services, SSM, Social Ads, Website, Coaching, etc.

A full-service catering company, dedicated to creating your best experience, offering personalized event services with soulful cuisine.

~ CARE MEAL DELIVERY

Rather than flowers, send a meal.

Full meal delivery to your funeral repast or family gathering

~ OUR FOOD

Picture perfect memories and complete satisfaction

Herbs and spices & mouth-watering flavors.

Culturally & ethnic cuisine offerings

~ OUR VAST NETWORK

An experienced team of chefs, bakers, event planners, publicists, designers, media specialists, travel agents, entertainment artists & more.

~ HOW WE DO IT

NO COOKIE CUTTER MENUS OR PRICING. IT'S ALL PERSONALIZED JUST FOR YOU.

I am a research professor at USF Morsani College of Medicine with a high interest in developing and testing technologies that can improve human health and performance.

I have been working on developing the ideal ketone supplement in the last 3 years, based on the scientific research I conduct at USF. Recently, I started incorporating the ketone molecules into food products and experimenting with formulations for sales through e.g. vending machines.

Before creating her business, The Interesting Conversations Company®️, Deedre spent nearly two decades at GEICO, where she rose through the ranks from call center sales associate to head of the Affinity Marketing division. Her team was responsible for the marketing strategy to millions of members belonging to more than 800 organizations. Those associations and businesses had multiple networking events and conferences each year, and attending those made Deedre officially a “paid professional schmoozer.”(She was on the road so much she amassed more than 1,200 nights at Marriott hotels!) She noticed most people struggled to have interesting conversations at these networking events - and pretty much anywhere in general. This increasing inability to connect inspired her to write a training class called “How to be More Interesting Than a Cell Phone®️.” People loved the seminar and frequently asked for ways to practice what they learned in her class. This led Deedre to invent “The Very Interesting Game™️“which is for sale on Amazon. You may also order an autographed copy directly from her. With the arrival of COVID-19, the demand for conference speakers and in-person corporate trainers instantly dried up. So she modified her game to be played remotely using Zoom and other similar platforms. She is also creating an on-line course and writing a book. She has another passion: a 501(c)(3) she founded in January 2019 called, The Big Fat Tip™️. It enlists the help of volunteers to surprise those working in the service industry with unusually large gratuities of $1,000. They have given out $13,000 (thirteen $1,000 surprise tips) and are looking for appropriate ways to fundraise and distribute more tips under the latest pandemic/circumstances.Deedre is a graduate of Florida Southern College and lives in Lakeland, Florida, with her husband, Robert, her active imagination, and eventually a puppy.

My name is Caroline Davis and I am the owner of 8.28 Boutique! I was born and raised in Lakeland and then lived in Birmingham, Alabama for 7 years. I just moved back to Lakeland in May with my husband. I love to travel, read, play with my 4 nephews, go to the beach, and dream of companies to start with my husband!

I’m a “family man” with a burning passion for business and people. I’ve lived in Lakeland since high school and went to FSC for college. My wife and I love Lakeland, it’s close to everything and has a “small-town feel” with the opportunity and culture of a larger city. With two young children, there isn’t much time for hobbies but we love listening to live music and having dinner with friends. I am happiest when managing chaos and making a difference.

Sherrita is a wife, mother, small business consultant, planner, and Southeastern University doctoral student. Although she has an extensive history in the social service and non-profit industries, her real passion is event planning and entertaining. Sherrita and her husband, Antonio, were born and raised in the Bartow/Lakeland area. Their combined love of food, travel, and people fuel their entrepreneurial creativity and desire to bring new ideas and concepts to Lakeland, FL.

As a freelance 3D rendering artist l provide high-quality image synthesis to my clients locally and worldwide.

Computer graphics are time-proven technology that empower us to turn rough ideas into images that are indistinguishable from reality.

I have the privilege to work with a diverse range of clients; from video producers, motion designers, and video game developers, to architecture, food service, engineering, and aerospace.

I'm a lifelong learner operating in the zone between art and science. I'm continuously trying to master skills and find ways of leveraging new technology to solve problems in simple, cost-effective ways.

Adriana is the 3rd generation of entrepreneurs of her family and the Founder of Yummi Foods! Born and raised in Colombia, South America. She started cooking when she was a little girl with her grandma and her mom, who exposed her to the exotic flavors of the tropics and taught her how to cook with a Latino twist. Her love for her mom, passion for food and healing with nutrition, inspired her to create delicious and nutritious recipes that nurtured her mother back to health. And now she is on the mission to do the same for others! She created baked goods, cooking, and baking mixes that are gluten-free, diabetic, keto and paleo-friendly, low carb, and grain-free. The story of Yummi Foods is still being written and there are more products to come and make more people smile while enjoying her food. Eat Yummi, Live Healthy!

We’re a done-for-you social media advertising company for real estate brokerages, teams, and agents.

To keep it NOT so nerdy here 😂 - clients hire us and we become an extension to their team to take custom social media advertising and hyper-local website content creation off their plate.

The biggest thing to note is that we are highly custom, communicative, and very hands-on. We work 1:1 with each of our clients to take their specific input and then create unique ads, targeting, and strategies that match their team’s goals each and every quarter. We also help develop our clients quarterly content marketing plans where we create unique blog content and upload/manage it to/on their website too.

👇 This is a good video overview too:

https://youtu.be/uGszBjDq_vQ

Here are some more links too:

- https://www.dippidi.com/why-choose-us
- https://www.dippidi.com/our-work
- https://www.dippidi.com/case-studies
- https://dippidi.dubb.com/v/ZaDUCY

Mark is an experienced business coach, keynote speaker and a TEDx speaker. He holds graduate degrees in Business Management and Finance.

In 2015 at Las Vegas, Nevada- Mark reached the semi-finals of the world’s largest speech contest sponsored by Toastmasters International. As a business coach, Mark has over 15 years of business and sales experience in various industries from residential construction to banking and executive coaching.

Mark works with business leaders to help implement superior leadership development and sales training. His popular leadership podcast called “Speak Brave” has a Five Star rating on iTunes and reaches international audiences with messages of inspiration and encouragement.

Peter is on chapter two of his career.  After spending 25+ years leading Product Development and R&D teams for some of the biggest restaurant companies in the country, he and his wife, Minta opened Catalyst Culinary, LLC in 2020.  Armed with a "Golden Rolodex" and a career's worth of experience, Catalyst is focused on providing services to food manufacturers, restaurants, and retailers in three key areas:  Business Development, Strategic sales representation, and customized product development.

Critical thinker who wants to make the world a more rational place. But more relevantly, who wants to change the way airline pilots use their iPads to stay current on emergency procedures. That's the business drive. Personally, I love flying (paramotors, jets, helicopters), having fun (who doesn't), music (piano mostly), cool computer programs (writing them), and playing in the dirt. What brought to Lakeland? A big blue jet. Seriously, LOVE LOVE the weather. Sorry, the people rock, but you can find awesome people anywhere if you're sufficiently awesome back. And Lakeland is a cool mid-sized town to locate our (hopefully) soon-to-grow business.

Dena Goldfine founder of Higher Heights Group, started out in the vitamin and wellness department working as a team member. Her work background has predominately been in the health food industry Now she sells products to Health Food Stores.

Maximiliano Gomez is someone trying to find his place in the world. He may not be the smartest, tallest, or anything but he sure does give his 110% in what he believes in. Not native to Lakeland, Max moved here when he was 9 years old. 15 years later & Max has embraced Lakeland & is wanting to give back to his community with Boba. Mk Boba is here to bring high-quality flavorful teas with delicious boba pearls!

I am currently a student at Florida Southern College. I attended a tour at Catapult recently and thought it would be an amazing opportunity for my business. I currently run a small business with an online presence focusing on custom signage, apparel, etc. I used to outsource my products, however, I love figuring out how to do as much as I can by myself and have bought a good amount of equipment to be able to do so.

The Purple Panda works with making new, Asian-Infused ice cream flavors.

Grace City's mission is to lead people into a life-transforming relationship with Jesus Christ.

I arrived in Lakeland in 2005 as a Music Education major at Southeastern University. Little did I know that I would end up falling in love with this town and staying rather than returning to Michigan to be a music teacher. I've been developing my skills in marketing, graphic design, web design and more since 2005.

Jeff Hogan is the founder and president of Hogan Fine Jewelry. His previous pharmaceutical career brought him and his wife, Trish to Lakeland in 1993. Jeff loves to exercise, listen to records, do woodwork, paint, and create. He and Trish love spending time with their 5 daughters, 3 sons-in-law, and grandson who all live in the area.

Helping businesses strategically create marketing materials that allow them to continue growing their businesses - and look good doing it.

I served in Iraq for 15 months and Afghanistan for 12 months as a combat infantryman. I came very close to becoming a statistic and ending my own life in 2013 while on active duty. Now I stand in the gap and provide services to veterans, military and first responders that end PTSD, thus saving lives, ask me how you can help.

My name is Austin. I’ve lived in Lakeland for my entire life, excluding my stay in Orlando for college at UCF.

I have a passion for people and enjoy finding ways to help people. I love golf, my wife, family, finance, content creation, and implementing my creativity.

I was brought to Lakeland from a stork and dropped off at my parent’s house. At least that’s what they told me when I asked.

I am a talented Design Mogul, Fine Artist, Branding Innovator, Mentor, and Business Woman that provides simplistic, sophisticated visual branding. I'm the minimalist, Graphic Designer that is well versed in taking a simple approach to a good idea and helping my clients turn that into a living, breathing entity, from concept to execution. Known to many as the "Branding Genius" my business' motto goes hand in hand, "#GreatBrandsGreatDesigns!" Early on achieving my Bachelors of Fine Arts in both Graphic Design and another in Fine Arts Drawing, I'm a creativepreneur has acquired a keen skillset for captivating the eye through design. I have aligned my passion for art and mixed it with my purpose for giving and helping others through my business. For me, it's not just about creating a visual, its about creating the right visual for the right need. Design has afforded me the opportunity to collaborate with many aspiring new brands/entrepreneurs with their brand identity and development. My design knowledge and aesthetics are helping me pave my way in my industry, in which is also a valuable asset to helping others pave their ways in their respective industries as well.

Dory Joseph, originally from Puerto Rico, has called Lakeland her home for 22 years. She is the broker of her own business, DRJ Real Estate, and has been in the real estate business for 18 years. Her background as a dual bachelor’s degree holder in Architectural Design and Accounting allows her to provide her clients with a different perspective as they go through their journey to being homeowners. However, being a real estate broker is only one of the many hats she wears. She is also a wife and a mother. She and her husband, James Joseph, have been married for twelve wonderful years and together they have a beautiful 6-year-old daughter, Nanishy Joseph. To top it all off, Dory also co-pastors a house church called Corridor Church Network and serves as a co-director at a para-church ministry called United City.

I am originally from West Virginia and moved to Florida after reading the book Disney Wars and wanted to see what it was all about. I have a lot of great hobbies... I am into adventure sports that include being a Master Diver, Toyama Ryu ranked swordsman, Mountain biker, paddle boarder, land border, kayaker, woodworker, photographer, spelunking, and mountain climber. I even went on an expedition to look for Noah's ark. These hobbies started the seed to another hobby that I am turning into a business.

Nathaniel comes from a very structured background. His father was a math teacher for 30 years and a minister for nearly 15. During Nathaniel’s sophomore year of college, his father died unexpectantly, leaving Nathaniel to reevaluate his purpose and priorities. After graduation, he worked in accounting but quickly recognized that it was not where he wanted to be. With this in mind, Nathaniel launched a digital marketing company in 2016. He worked with local real estate firms, small businesses, and churches. With all of the experience Nathaniel gained from venturing out on his own, he pivoted from marketing a digital product to a physical product and launched his second company, YF LLC. Nathaniel also leverages his business expertise to consult start-ups in launching, branding and building their businesses.

Lisa Kirk, founder of Blended Family Foundation, loves to laugh and loves to help people overcome adversity. Live music, silence, and the beach are my self-care resources. We came to Lakeland because my husband kept his promise that once we retired as deputy or police chief, he would bring me "home", so here we are!

Ken Krause is the Global Lead for HCL Domino Volt. He is an innovative Career Technologist with over 25 years’ experience delivering creative, client-centric tools, with value-driven solutions. Proven leadership experience ranging from evaluating technology to discovered niche solutions for customers and partners.

Highly data-driven creationist committed to designing coherent enterprise engagement platforms with a wide range of technical domain expertise and business acumen.

Working on a few websites on my own while I work remotely for Step Up on Second. Step Up on Second is located in CA, FL GA, and the company's focus is to house Mentally Ill Homeless. They provide a Housing first approach to Homelessness

FAQMedia.com will be a Video blog/podcast about Current events
Sidemoola.com is intended to be a blog on ways to make a little extra cash

Chrissanne Long is the CEO and Co-Owner of Maximize Digital Media, a full-service digital marketing agency, specializing in Website Design, Social Media and Digital Advertising for various business industries and sizes.  She and her husband, Craig Hosking, who is the COO of Maximize have spent the last 12 years growing their business in Lakeland, FL together.

There is one thing that has remained constant for Chrissanne as she and Craig have grown their business: Their primary focus is always placed on developing authentic value through measurable digital marketing and advertising strategies that help their clients increase their bottom line. Each campaign they build is designed and executed with people at the forefront, because, as Chrissanne frequently reminds the team and her clients:

“Marketing, no matter whether it’s being done digitally or with more traditional channels, is about people. If we forget the people, we might as well forget marketing. If you want to stay relevant for a long time, don’t let your bottomline become more important than the customers you serve.

Chrissanne holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English (Creative Writing) from Florida State University (Go Noles!) and a Master of Science Degree in Internet Marketing from Full Sail University.

She is a graduate of Leadership Lakeland, Class 30 and Leadership Polk Class 11. She is currently a member of the 2020-2021 Leadership Lakeland Alumni Association Board of Directors.

She is a past board member of the Learning Resource Center, the Lakeland Chamber of Commerce and Lakeland Vision.

Carambola Consulting brings the thinking, best practices, and proven marketing and communications strategies of successful brands to help both companies and non-profits tell their stories more effectively to drive results. Maybe a company or organization hasn’t had a CMO, in-house marketing, or communications expertise before. Maybe it just needs some fresh thinking and an outside perspective. Or, maybe they don't know what they need, they just know what has been done before won’t get them where they want to go. This is where Carambola Consulting comes in.

Shrunga Mangalvedkar enjoys being in the real estate world and helping with Homes for Heroes because she loves getting to meet different people, hear their stories, and help them see their dreams come true. She appreciates the work culture of DRJ Real Estate. Her colleagues all have a heart for the people, a desire to serve their community, and a commitment to doing everything they can to see that their clients have the best possible experience. She says that working with the Homes for Heroes program is the cherry on top, and that is very rewarding to work with people that are passionate about honoring the men and women in our community that serve us every day. Shungra has lived in Lakeland for almost her entire life, and comes from a very close-knit family. She is also engaged to a wonderful man and is looking forward to spending the rest of her life with him. When life gets a bit chaotic, her go-to stress relievers are praying, dancing, writing, and reading.

After finding success in opening Black & Brew Coffeehouse and Bistro, Chris began wondering how he could continue to make Lakeland a cool place to live. So, he attended roasting school, purchased a roaster, and started Patriot Coffee in 2015. Since then, he has raised over $16,500, purchased a 5 kilo US Roaster Corp drum roaster, moved into his own space, and continues to provide high-quality coffee to the residents of his beloved hometown of Lakeland and is a featured product at Lakeland’s very own hometown grocery store chain of Publix.

I love to create things that people can enjoy. What brought me to the Lakeland area well job opportunity. I live in Bartow but spend a lot of time in Lakeland because of all the different family things to do there.

CLAC is going to be the Authority and identity representative for the lake lifestyle. If you live on, visit, or identify and/or most importantly, love the lifestyle that happens on the chain of lakes or any area like it around the world then this brand is catering to you. Pontoons, kayaks, paddle boarding, restaurants on the water, rope swings, and sand bars. Memories of good times and the feeling of something unique will create loyalty and connection. In short, what we’ll provide is a representation for those who love to live life to the fullest.

Ramp Systems is an Enterprise Software and Services Company dedicated to providing complete Solutions exclusively to the Logistics Industry. Software and services offered include Warehouse Management, Supply Chain Execution, EDI, eCommerce and Application Integration.

Rapid growth as a result of widespread adoption of Ramp Systems advanced solutions offering has resulted in approximately 350 customers in 10 countries using Ramp technology and services each day.

Nelpro offers services tailored to provide expert project management/scheduling services for industrial facilities during their most time-limited and critical turnaround/outage projects. When a power plant or chemical plant shuts down for any reason, they lose thousands of dollars an hour on loss generation or product. On top of the lost time of producing their product, they are executing complex repair or improvement projects during this time. Nelpro's goal is to provide their clients with a detailed plan on how to complete their desired projects in the most effective way possible.

State of the Spark trains and equips entrepreneurs launch quickly and effectively. We help others spark vision, ignite success, explode significance, and radiate purpose by offerings tools and training entrepreneurs need.

Spark SITES delivers: Professional Mobile Websites | Content Marketing & Support | Business Management Dashboard | Free Website Updates | www.SparkMySite.com

Grant is a trainer that helps entrepreneurs achieve more while making a meaningful impact. Grant has spent the last 19 years training individuals and teams to expand their client base and grow their passion-filled vision.

Adam is an Art Director, Graphic Designer, marketing expert and professional photographer of 20+ years. Adam beholds a unique skill set of technical knowledge combined with an artistic eye and a creative mind. Adam has been the CEO of Drone Elevations, LLC since 2016 and the CEO of NOVAK Brand Design, Inc. since 2007. Adam has flown for the following industries: construction, agriculture, aerial golf course management, roof inspection, advertising, video production and real estate ~ photographing over 600 homes!

• FAA Part 107 Certified Commercial Drone Pilot
• Licensed and Insured.
• Professional Photographer
• Member of AMA
• Member of PPA
• Member of SEN
• Business affiliate of LAR
• Bachelor of Fine Arts with an emphasis in Graphic Design - Kansas State University

dp Creative Studio is a design collective specializing in branding, video marketing, and user experience design. After 14 years in Brooklyn, NY, the studio lead, Dave Pappas, migrated south to call Lakeland it's new home base. Dave and team now travel nationwide to meet clients for hands-on workshops, design team assessments, project reviews and big idea discussions.

Richard “Dick”Pelligrini, is the president and founder of Pilgrim associates. He earned a Humanities degree from the University of Vermont followed by graduate study in business operations at Clark University and strategic marketing at Harvard University. He holds long-standing memberships in American Management Assoc., American Marketing Assoc., Turnaround Management Assoc., American Society of CEOs and Vistage. Dick also serves on several Boards of Directors in the business and community sectors. He generously facilitates Catapult's Catwalk program and comes alongside entrepreneurs as they are trying to scale and grow their businesses to the next level.

Epic North is a software development consulting company. We provide custom software solutions across multiple technologies and for many different company sizes from startup to enterprise.

My name is Garrett Poorbaugh. I am currently a college student working towards a BAS in Management and Supervision with a focus on Information Technology. I have two jobs, one as a security architect and the other as an MSP. I am looking for a space that encourages learning and productivity. I look forward to using this area to further my work goals and career aspirations.

I love helping great people do great things by designing affordable logos and websites for leaders in every industry. I also am passionate about anything creative and love learning. I love running, biking, hiking and spending time with friends and family.

Ricardo, owner of Dynamics Security of Fl., arrived in Lakeland in October 2015 and after about a month he knew this is where he would be staying for the long haul; something about the town just felt right. A few months later he joined Catapult and this community made him feel confident in his decision. He was inspired by reading an interview in The Lakelander Magazine with Tim Rice, the senior pastor of Trinity Presbyterian, describing how God spoke to him about the importance of planting roots. I instantly knew this was confirmation I had heard from God and landing in Lakeland was no coincidence. Ricardo said, “the Bible tells us in James that we are to rejoice for the steps of a righteous man are ordered by God. I continually pray that I will seek after God’s righteousness, especially in business affairs, so that He will continue to order my steps. I wake up every morning with purpose and renewed vigor, excited to see what’s in store as I continue to build this business.”

Alumni of Southeastern University, worked at several local churches and in the travel industry. Now I work at The Crossing Church Tampa and freelance in Lakeland. Also, love to podcast.

We are three sisters who took a lively conversation over some yummy Jalapeño Lime Margaritas; used the cocktail in a favorite scone recipe; made more scones with more cocktail flavors, and then had the audacity to think others might love the outcome as much as ourselves. Before long we found ourselves members of this wonderful world called Catapult 2.0 that allows us to explore our love of flavors and gives us a chance to bake our hearts out for Saturday morning Farmer's Market here in Downtown Lakeland. With our cocktail-infused scones, it’s Happy Hour all day long! Cheers!

Angie was born and raised in North Carolina, but eventually found her way down to Lakeland. For nearly two decades, she has worked for other food manufacturers, filling senior roles in finance, sales + marketing, and serving as the Plant Manager and VP of Operations. Her entire professional career has been spent in manufacturing and after a long stint of serving as an employee, she decided it was time to run the show herself. Angie is a passionate maker– and who doesn’t love to make food? When she isn’t handling operations at Compass Blending, she is a mother to her four children, and an accomplished runner, having completed a number of marathons and half-marathons..

I am a biomedical executive interested in developing life science solutions for unmet needs. I relocated to Lakeland for open new businesses.

My grandmom was an incredible cook and encouraged me to experiment in the kitchen alongside her. I remember she fake-liked a pot of soup I made from carrots boiled in salty milk (aka creamy carrot soup) and led me to believe there was hope for my culinary success. My love of cooking joined my desire to prevent heart disease and promote optimal health in my own family. Since 2016 I’ve been loving a plant-based diet and having fun creating delicious, beautiful, and healthy food to share.

I’m cooking up plant-based meals for you to enjoy at home or work. Whether you’re eating more plants because it’s good for you, good for the environment, or good for the animals I want to send some delicious food your way. It’s my hope that my meals will energize you, inspire you to create plant-based meals of your own, and to eat like you love yourself.

I was born and raised here. I’m starting a new venture and would love to be able to build it out from my hometown. I want the opportunity to help people especially entrepreneurs to take their business and personal lives to the next level. I love the facility and collaborative atmosphere at Catapult.

Jon wants to live in a world filled with people who value art and its process, a place where unicorns thrive and Jesus is wearing angel wings and is sitting front row at a Journey concert holding a $20 artisan bagel.

Originally a native of New York City, he is an independent art director and graphic designer with more than 10 years of experience. He has partnered with many companies such as Greenstar Panels, Allen & Company of Florida Inc., Free Life, Spano & Company, Eventrics, Ag America, Northway, along with many others. All the while, earning a Bachelors Degree at Southeastern University.

When he’s not creating, he’s still creating. As a lover of all mediums of Art, he also enjoys the occasional opportunity as a private chef. As a chef, he holds the honor of being chosen as Top 100 finalist of Season 5 of Masterchef on Fox. In addition to that, he has had a decade of experience as a Music Director and has also recently began a road toward holding a reputable name in the Fine Arts world. All the while, helping create 3 little girls with his, also very artistic, wife, Lindsey.

He is currently operating as Art Director for several projects and is searching for an opportunity in modern Street Art movement, along with continuing to hold the dream of owning an original restaurant concept.

Joel Sierra owns Jed's Tech, an information technology company. His focus is on people, meeting them at the places where they actually intersect with technology. He is passionate about how technology affects our daily life and its effects on our productivity.

Born and raised in Lakeland, I often bring the family downtown and just meander around. I feel connected to the city, and I want to contribute to it's growth in a meaningful way.

Carambola Consulting brings proven marketing and communications strategies of successful brands to companies and non-profits to help them reach their goals. Gillian has more than 20 years of experience with big companies and non-profits, including Burger King, Coca-Cola, LEGOLAND, and Teach For America. Her numerous accolades include being named an “Online All-Star” by MediaPost and a “Woman to Watch” by Advertising Age. She has won numerous awards, including Cannes Golden Lions, Effies, Association of National Advertisers Multicultural, Forrester Groundswell and Rosoff Awards for Diversity, Best Viral Advertising (Wall Street Journal), The One Show, Golden Marble Awards for Best Children’s Advertising, and even Best Campaign of the Century (according to The New York Times).

Remote Worker

I work for Drone Launch Academy as a marketing & communications associate. I help write content, emails, social posts, etc.

I was born and raised in Lakeland. I went to Duke, married my college sweetheart, who became a USAF test pilot and traveled the world with him. When we were finally able to choose where we wanted to live, we came back to Lakeland. I love this town and have served on many volunteer boards including Temple Emanuel, NGA, the Imperial Symphony Orchestra, and public and private schools. I have a lot of family here, too. I love to play tennis, mahjong, and get out on the water. I have two pit bulls, and am a big advocate for them.

Creative lifestyle photographer

Food is my passion. I've been working in the food industry for over 10 years. I was a chef but now am excited and keen on using my skill set and passion to start my own spice business. I've grown up with spices and love how they not only are delicious and healthy but also healing.

I grew up in Lakeland, graduated from Lakeland High School and attended The University of Florida | School of Architecture - Go Gators! I am here now to be closer to my elderly parents. My two grown sons live in Atlanta. They are both SMART & HANDSOME!

My goal in life is to leave everything better than I found it! With passions for God, Family, Community, Education and Design; I actively advocate for women and animal welfare issues.

I am an Honest Advisor, trusted and responsible. A Facilitator who confronts disorder, and a Designer who loves to create balance for my clients by creating peaceful & functional spaces that enhance their daily lives.

Gabriella is the chef and owner of Vicky G's, a catering company that serves up a funky, fresh alternative to the traditional catering experience. The Caribbean-inspired menu stems from Gabriella's love of old-school Miami diners as well as her experience working as a chef and baker in Brooklyn. Gabriella hopes to eventually turn Vicky G's into a brick-and-mortar location where she can continue catering while also serving up coffee and her signature empanadas to the Lakeland community.

Steve Webster, founder of SW gApps LLC, has been solving problems and making improvements in the IT field for over 25 years, including 13 years at Marriott International as a Project Manager and Sr Developer. His Google experience includes being a Google Vendor, where he helped with the original Google Partner Connect website, which at the time became Google’s largest extranet site that securely connected 10,000+ partners around the world. Google has awarded him Product Expert status in Google Apps Script, Drive, and Docs. He has been a guest blogger for the G Suite Developers Blog, BetterCloud Monitor, conference speaker.

SW gApps specializes in custom software services, support, training and product development for Google's G Suite productivity software, as well as, stand-alone apps.

Sean Wilson, a founder of Sean Wilson Piano LLC, loves teaching mathematics as a professor at Polk State College and HCC. Although he has a Bachelor's Degree in Mathematics Ed, with a Master's Degree in Education Administration, his real love is inspiring upcoming musicians and showing them how to improvise on the piano

David Young is the founder and CEO of Drone Launch Academy, LLC, a commercial drone training company that has trained over 13,000 pilots. Prior to starting Drone Launch Academy, David spent eight years with the FBI as a forensic accountant and financial analyst. While at the FBI, David also worked as a consultant for companies, such as Google and others, assisting with finance, accounting, and data analytics. David has a Masters in Finance from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelors in Finance and Accounting from Florida State University. David holds a Private Pilot Certificate, Remote Pilot Certificate, and Advanced Ground Instructor Certificate with the FAA. He is also a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE), and is Certified in Financial Forensics (CFF).

The Up App, from Up Training Solutions, is a new mobile platform for sales training that builds and enforces productive habits, provides sales teams with on-demand, micro-module training content, and helps to strengthen communication and culture. The Up application for IOS and Android features a Patented, fully customizable KPI tracking feature that promotes engagement and teamwork through competitive tracking of daily productive activities for sales teams via a real-time leader board. After 9 months of development, the app was officially launched in March 2021.