BARNEY BARNETT SCHOOL OF BUSINESS & FREE ENTERPRISE AT FLORIDA SOUTHERN COLLEGE TO HOST POLK REAL ESTATE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT UPDATE

LAKELAND, Fla., Oct. 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- The Barney Barnett School of Business & Free Enterprise at Florida Southern College is set to host the 8^th Polk Real Estate and Economic Update on Oct. 28, in the George W. Jenkins Field House. Gold sponsors for the event are SouthState Bank and SVN| Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate.

Tickets for the event must be purchased in advance on or before Oct. 21, at the following link: https://www.flsouthern.edu/events-center/conferences/polk-real-estate-conference.aspx

The event begins at 8 a.m. with continental breakfast, while the first panel begins promptly at 8:30 a.m. Lunch will also be provided.

The Barnett School of Business last hosted this event in 2018. The school regularly invites the county's leading real estate professionals, banking and financial experts, market analysts, and economic development professionals to share their insights on the continued economic growth and development in our region. Polk County is the fourth fastest growing metropolitan area in the United States, with 10 million consumers within 100 miles, four international airports within 60 miles, and three deep-water seaports within 75 miles. In the past 24 months, 11 companies have either expanded or found new homes in Polk County, making more than $600 million in capital investment and creating more than 3,500 jobs.

The four panel and discussion topics include capital, economic drivers, transportation, and real estate. Moderators will be Mr. James Farrell, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Finance and Economics at Florida Southern; Mr. Steve Scruggs, Lakeland Economic Development Council; Mr. H.D. "Jake" Polumbo, Two Blue Aces, Founding Partner and Senior Consultant, Major General USAF (ret.); and Mr. David Hungerford, CCIM, SVN | Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate.

Panelists will include Presidents and CEO's from many major corporations in Polk County, including SouthState Bank, MIDFLORIDA Credit Union, Publix Super Markets, Bonnet Springs Park, the Florida Department of Transportation, and SVN | Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate.

To conclude the event, FSC President Dr. Anne B. Kerr will present the Economic Development Award to Mr. Ernest S. "Ernie" Pinner, the Executive Chairman of SouthState Bank. A lifelong resident of Polk County, Pinner founded CenterState Bank in 1999 in Winter Haven, serving as Chairman, President, and CEO from 2004 through 2015. He served as Executive Chairman until 2020, when CenterState Bank acquired SouthState Bank.

Previous Economic Development Award winners include Mr. Todd Jones of Publix Super Markets in 2018, Mr. Bill Pou of W.S. Badcock Corporation in 2016, Mr. David P. Lyons of Saddle Creek Logistics in 2015, Mr. Joe P. Ruthven of the Ruthvens in 2014, and Mr. Garry Drummond of the Drummond Company in 2013.

Founded in 1883, Florida Southern College is the oldest private college in the state. The College maintains its commitment to academic excellence through 70+ undergraduate programs and distinctive graduate programs in business administration, education, nursing, and physical therapy. Florida Southern has a 14:1 student-to-faculty ratio, is an award-winning national leader in engaged learning, and boasts 30 NCAA Division II National Championships. Florida Southern is ranked at #8 among the "Best Regional Universities in the South" by U.S. News & World Report in its 2023 "Best Colleges" guide and is included in The Princeton Review's 2023 Best 388 Colleges guide and the "Fiske Guide to Colleges 2023." The 2022-2023 Colleges of Distinction guidebook praises Florida Southern's AACSB accredited Barney Barnett School of Business and Free Enterprise alongside the College's School of Education and its Ann Blanton Edwards School of Nursing and Health Sciences. Poets&Quants, U.S. News & World Report, Fortune, and The Princeton Review further laud the Barney Barnett School of Business and Free Enterprise and the Ann Blanton Edwards School of Nursing and Health Sciences as foremost programs in the nation for business and nursing education. Home to the world's largest single-site collection of Frank Lloyd Wright architecture, FSC has appeared on The Princeton Review's top 20 "Most Beautiful Campus" national listing for 13 consecutive years. Connect with Florida Southern College.

SOURCE Florida Southern College