LAKELAND, Fla. — A recent study shows Lakeland continues to be the top city in the country for women in the workforce.
Business is blooming for Bloom Shakalaka, since it first opened in 2020. The woman-owned floral company has won Best of Lakeland for three years straight.
"When I first got started there were so many people willing to pour and help me get connected in Lakeland. It's such a unique community. I was a part of Catapult for a number of years, and that entrepreneurial focus was so helpful for my career,” said Laura Shannon, owner of Bloom Shakalaka.
WATCH Lakeland ranked No. 1 city in US for working women
Shannon has hired 10 women full-time and four freelancers. Fostering an environment where women can flourish is important to her.
"We've had a lot of girls go on maternity leave, and the rest of the teams absorb that role while she's out. That, to me, feels like such a beautiful example of what a team could look like," Shannon said.
Lakeland is once again proving to be the best city for women in the workforce, according to a recent report by Checkr, a background-checking company. Lakeland first earned the title in 2023.
The company crunched the numbers using data sourced from the US Census Bureau.
The study examined several factors across the 100 largest US cities. Key factors were the number of women in the workforce, their salaries, the wage gap between women and men, unemployment rate for women and women in management positions.
"I have so many women in my life who have very elevated managerial and leadership positions within Polk County and Lakeland. I think a lot of it does come to your community, having somebody that you can lean on, having a mentor," said Jennifer Landback, manager at Bloom Shakalaka.
It's no surprise to Shannon that Lakeland continues to stand out for providing strong career opportunities for women.
"Some of my very best friends are other females who started other companies here in Lakeland and we've just had such similar paths,” Shannon said.
“The bottom line is this: if we don't see better pricing, we're all going out of business”
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