By: The Ledger

The trains are coming. And Winter Haven hasn’t seen anything like it.

After years of controversy and patience, Winter Haven’s CSX rail terminal, the Central Florida Intermodal Logistics Center, opens in early April.

Construction is complete at the site off State Road 60 in Winter Haven, near Lake Wales. Workers there are going through the final phases of training on three massive cranes before the facility starts using them to move containers from the additional trains traveling through Polk County – and the commerce that comes with it.

Soon, the most technologically advanced intermodal terminal in the country will unload trains directly onto trucks — and trucks on to trains — in the most environmentally friendly, most efficient way possible with today’s technology, CSX officials say.

This terminal and others like it — that make shipping easier by being able to use multiple means of transport for one container — are becoming an important part of the rail business.
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“Intermodal is the future here and now,” CSX spokesman Gary Sease said, “and Winter Haven is certainly on the vanguard of that.”
It’s also on the precipice of an economic development revolution, local business leaders say.

By: The Ledger

Winter Haven, FL, February 11, 2014 – The delectable world of Artisan cheeses has reached Winter Haven’s charming downtown. The Cheese Room, LLC is a retail store offering artisan cheeses and specialty foods, inspired by the boutique shops in New York City. The store is located in the historic Arcade Building, owned by Six/Ten, LLC, at 254 West Central Avenue in Suite B, across from the Ritz Theater.
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The new store is owned and operated by Sherry and Michael Summers, who have called Winter Haven home for over twenty five years. The store currently offers a selection of 50 cheeses, and specialty foods typically paired with cheese. The store is supported by the entire Summers family with the Summers’ sixteen-year-old son, Colby, providing counter services after school, and nineteen-year-old daughter, Carly, helping with special interior design projects. The Cheese Room is open Tuesday from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. and Wednesday through Friday from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Sherry Summers says the staff focuses on providing high quality products and exceptional service. The concept of Artisan means hand crafted in small batches using traditional methods. Shop patrons are invited to sample any cheese before purchasing and receive careful assistance from staff for choosing the right cheese for their needs.

“The founding of our Cheese Shop is a direct result of several trips to New York City. We loved dipping into small markets and cheese shops to sample hand crafted cheeses, nibble on small production charcuterie, and drink delicious wine,” said Sherry Summers. “We enjoyed learning from the wise cheesemongers in Greenwich Village about the amazing and delicious world of Artisan cheeses. It remains our guilty pleasure and an experience we want to share with everyone in Winter Haven.”