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In This Issue ...
- Memorial Day Flowers
- Fun 'N Sun 2017 Sponsorship
- Flower Growers Can Make A Difference
- Membership Dues
- CalFlowers Members Exhibit at WFE in Las Vegas
- ASFA Vendor Appreciation Mixer
- Featured New Members of the Month
- Transportation Updates
- New Members
Going Social ...
Members, please follow us on Instagram @CalifFlowers and hashtag #CalFlowers. Watch for event or news-specific hashtags. And we welcome your photos! Please share with Michael LoBue at [email protected].
Upcoming Events
AIFD 2017
July 1 -5, 2017
Seattle, WA
Fun 'N Sun
August 9 - 12, 2017
Park Hyatt Aviara
Carlsbad, CA
SAF Annual Convention
September 6 - 9, 2017
Palm Beach, FL
WF&FSA Floral Distribution Conference
October 18 - 20, 2017
Miami, FL
CalFlowers News
Our goal is to communicate on a monthly basis with the membership and interested parties about recent past and upcoming events, program updates, and general information about how CalFlowers is engaging in the industry on behalf of the membership.
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CalFlowers is pleased to once again be an official sponsor of Memorial Day Flowers. This project is growing nicely from its focal point at Arlington National Cemetery (ANC), where again this year Memorial Day Flowers Foundation is planning to place more than 150,000 stems on headstones, with the help of approximately 800 volunteers.
Read more about this important floral tribute for America's service men and women and their families. Also, learn how you can volunteer and/or donate by visiting the Memorial Day Flowers website.
Fun 'N Sun 2017 Sponsorship
The CalFlowers staff and the 2017 Convention Committee are in the final planning stages for the Fun 'N Sun Convention, which will be held at the Park Hyatt Aviara Resort in Carlsbad, California on August 9-12, 2017.
There are many sponsorship opportunities available. If you would like to be a sponsor and have your company name appear in our full-color brochure that will be sent out to over 1,500 attendees, please have your sponsorship form submitted no later than Tuesday, April 25.
Click Here for the complete list of sponsorship opportunities.
Some of the convention highlights this year include:
- The Golf Tournament at the Aviara Golf Club
- Grower Tour – Dramm & Echter and Kendall Farms
- Wednesday Welcome Reception Cocktail Party & Dinner
- Thursday Flower Fair Pre-Show Cocktail Party and Dinner, sponsored by FedEx
- Friday educational seminars, Flower Fair & Lunch
- Flower displays by the finest growers on the West Coast
- Saturday Educational Seminar: “The Impact of Marijuana Legalization on the California Floral Industry”
We hope that you will continue to support the convention as a sponsor like you have done in years past. With your sponsorship dollars, you
will gain exposure to the audience attending the event. As a company dedicated to the promotion of the California flower industry, you are an ideal partner for our convention.
Thank you for your continued partnership and support. Working together, we can make this year's convention better than ever.
To have your company name appear in our color brochure that will be mailed out to all guests and members, please reserve your
sponsorship no later than Tuesday, April 25th.
If you have questions about sponsorship, contact Monnaie Pepin at [email protected] or by calling (970) 460-9764.
Fun 'N Sun Registration information
will be coming out at the end of April
Keep your eye on your email for more information on how to register for Fun 'N Sun.
Flower Growers Can Make a Difference
 As reported in last month's newsletter, CalFlowers has commissioned a study to understand the potential impact of California's Adult Use of Marijuana Act. The success and value of this study rests upon one simple act: our grower members completing a short survey they are about to receive directly from the Agricultural Issues Center, based at the University of California Davis. This survey should not take more than 30 minutes to complete. At least one member of the Cannabis Study Task Force (a fellow grower) thought that it wouldn't take more than 15 minutes to complete with the right staff in the room.
It's important to stress that all data sent to the Agricultural Issues Center will NOT be shared with anyone outside of their research team. None of the individual farm data will be shared with CalFlowers staff or members of the Board of Directors. CalFlowers will pay $100 to each farm submitting a completed survey – we'll either send a check to the farm or make a donation to the farm's selected charity in the farm's name. In addition, questionnaire respondents will have the opportunity to view early drafts of AIC’s analysis and offer feedback on project outcomes.
Questions about this important project can be directed to Michael LoBue at (415) 561-6111 or [email protected].
2017 Membership Dues Have Been Emailed
 Keep an eye on your email as membership dues renewal notifications were sent out on April 1. Make payment when you can to retain your member benefits, which include discounted transportation rates from FedEx, GSO, and OnTrac; your company being listed in our online member directory; notification of our biennial Fun 'N Sun convention; networking opportunities within the floral community; and much more. Look for your membership renewal email that will provide you with a link to pay your dues invoice online.
This is also a great time to update your organization's Lines of Business (LOBs) online. On May 31, we will hold a drawing for one (1) complimentary Fun ’N Sun full registration ($649 value). All member organizations with LOBs entered by April 30, 2017 will get two (2) chances in the drawing. Member organizations who enter their LOBs on or after May 1, 2017 will get one chance in the drawing.
If you do not receive your dues renewal email, have problems logging in to our website, or have any questions or concerns, please contact Linda Long, CalFlowers Membership Manager, at (831) 479-4912 or via email at [email protected].
(Note: To ensure that you receive the dues renewal notification emails from CalFlowers, you can whitelist the email address "[email protected]" by adding it to your list of Safe Senders. If you are not sure how to do this, please contact your company's technical support team.)
CalFlower Members Exhibit at WFE in Las Vegas
Lani Conklin, Diego Estrada, Mike Mooney
When we first announced that World Floral Expo (WFE) 2017 would be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, we had no idea what the attendance would be like. We were very pleased to see that the number of attendees that came out to WFE was well over 700. The show was very well attended with lots of buyers walking the show floor and interacting with exhibitors. According to HPP, more than 90% of all exhibiting companies were flower growers, which is an all-time high for this event.
CalFlowers gave away one GoPro camera each day for the three days of the show, as well as one free full registration to a lucky winner to attend Fun ‘N Sun 2017.
Kelly Blank, J Schwanke, Michael LoBue
HPP Exhibitions, the show's organizers, held hands-on floral design workshops that featured California flowers donated by CalFlowers members. Attendees were able to pick from classes such as table and funeral decorations, hand-tied bouquets, wedding decorations, and experimental designs.
In addition to the hands-on classes at WFE, J Schwanke of U-Bloom was in attendance again this year and did a presentation titled, "What are the Current Trends in Flowers and Flower Design for Today?" Schwanke discussed trends that are driving sales and appealing to customers.
Cristina Alvarez, Santiago Cock, Karla Carmona
Events like WFE 2017 help grow U.S. consumption patterns through information and knowledge sharing and through meeting and collaborating with individuals and companies working to nurture a robust and competitive floral industry in the U.S.
Due to the popularity and location of WFE 2017, World Floral Expo will be held again next year on March 7-9 in Pavilion 2 of the World Market Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Arizona State Florists Association Vendor Appreciation Mixer
On behalf of the Arizona State Florists Association, I would like to invite you to our Vendor Appreciation Mixer! Sunday morning April 30th, 2017 at Amazing Flowers, 4745 N Central Ave Phoenix, just south of Camelback, at 11am. Enjoy light brunch hors d'oeuvres and mimosas with other supportive local vendors, while sharing ideas with the ASFA board members about how we can support your company!
Click here to find out how you can be a sponsor at our annual EXPO!
See you soon!
Thank you,
Reneé Potter
ASFA Vice President
(602) 920-3896
Featured New Members of the Month
Sunny Meadows Flower Farm
Steve and Gretel Adams
Steve and Gretel Adams started Sunny Meadows Flower Farm in 2007 when they both found they had a deep passion for farming and a strong drive to make their business the best it could be. Being first generation farmers, finding experienced growers to learn from has become an important part of how they have built Sunny Meadows Flower Farm. Once they began growing, they immediately fell in love with spreading the joy of flowers. Steve and Gretel started off selling straight bunches of flowers until they began making bouquets, and that’s when the obsession with flower artistry really began. They both realized they could create a botanical adventure by using what's seasonally in bloom, making their weekly bouquets ever changing.
 Steve and Gretel focus on creating a healthy environment for their plants by growing sustainably and resiliently with organic practices in mind. They strive for responsible land stewardship, with fairly treated employees, supporting a healthy community. Sunny Meadows flowers will arouse feelings of nostalgia, creating a botanical journey through seasonality and plant diversity. Steve and Gretel’s passion drives their growth to supply more people with more flowers that are locally grown. They hope to cultivate a greater connection to where your flowers come from, historically influenced by small-scale floriculture.
Click Here to learn more about Sunny Meadows Flower Farm.
Green Valley Flowers & Wholesale
 Green Valley Flowers & Wholesale has been serving the greater San Diego region for over 15 years and has a background in the industry of over 35 years. They consider themselves very fortunate to be in a place where the weather and landscape pair to make the perfect conditions for growing a large variety of floral greens. Green Valley Flowers & Wholesale loves what they do and they continue to work hard, knowing that the final destination of their product will be in someone’s home or special occasion.
“Every aspect of our job revolves around our commitment to give the very best of ourselves and to provide our clients with the highest quality of service and product; we consider the efforts that are made from beginning to end. The smallest of details are what can make the difference and we acknowledge that,” says Luis Enriquez of Green Valley Flowers & Wholesale.
Transportation
- In preparation for Mother’s Day, FedEx is asking our shipping members for expected box counts during the very busy Mother’s Day shipping period. These projections / data that FedEx receives helps them to plan operationally for any additional equipment and manpower needs. It’s very important for shippers expecting larger than normal volumes to be in contact with FedEx. Marni Serlin, our Sr. FedEx Account Representative, will be reaching out to members for this information, and we strongly encourage our members to be as accurate as possible regarding this request. If you have any questions, please call Marni at 650-387-9112 or via email at [email protected].
- As a reminder to our OnTrac shippers, CalFlowers is no longer invoicing members for shipments on this program. As of April 1, 2017, OnTrac will take over billing of this program directly to members. If member shippers have any questions or comments regarding invoices, we recommend contacting OnTrac directly at 877-227-5139.
- We wanted to remind our West Coast members that we have a newly launched D2D program on Golden State Overnight (GSO). This new program offers outstanding overnight service and prices that have to be seen to be believed. GSO services NV, AZ, NM and every ZIP code in California. Program info is available on our website, or you can contact Chris Johnson directly for additional program details.
- As you may have seen, CalFlowers has launched the FedEx International Priority Distribution (IPD) program. This program is tailored to our wholesale/ecommerce members and allows fast 3-day airport-to-door import of product from Colombia and Ecuador. Our program offers excellent rates and a special two-box minimum. Other special waivers apply, and members just need to contact Chris Johnson at 760-533-5580 or [email protected] to inquire.
- For those members using our commercial air carriers, we want to remind you that we have a full complement of excellent shipping rates on many of our passenger airlines - carriers such as Air Canada, American, Delta, Hawaiian, Southwest, and United. Many of these rates are exclusive to CalFlowers members, and all offer excellent value. For more information, please visit our website www.cafgs.org or contact Chris Johnson for assistance at 760-533-5580 or [email protected].
NOTE: Transportation Rate information and documents are viewable/downloadable (as PDFs) on the CalFlowers Members Only site. Please note that these documents are considered sensitive material and are available to the primary contacts for Ag Buddy, Associate Floral, Associate Grower, and Floral members only.
To access the Members Only site, simply login using the Member Login button in the top-right corner of our website.
Click Here if you don't know or don't remember your username and/or password. This document will help you login.
New Members
In March 2017, we were pleased to welcome the following new CalFlowers member:
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