Newsletter August 2023

As the dog days of summer fly by, we’d like to remind all CalFlowers members of our Member Appreciation Meeting in San Diego on Friday, August 18.

There is tremendous value in attending this fun and educational event, to be held at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront and continuing in Petco Park.

Join your fellow CalFlowers members from all industry segments for this great event which begins with a hearty Welcome lunch sponsored by That Flower Feeling.

I sincerely hope you and your team can join us for this great event as summer begins to wind down and we head towards the busy Fall selling season. See you in San Diego!

You will need your username and password to register for the event. If you need help with that, please contact Jordan Richardson at [email protected] or by calling (831) 217-3423.

Thank you to the following companies for their valued sponsorship of the 2023 Member Appreciation Meeting:

Your satisfaction is of the utmost importance to CalFlowers Staff and Board, and your feedback is essential for us to better understand your needs and strengthen the benefits available to you as members. Please share your recommendations by completing this 6-minute anonymous membership survey by September 1, 2023.

CalFlowers was a proud sponsor of the California State Fair, which took place in Sacramento on July 14-30. We’d like to thank the fabulous local florists for beautifying the flower booth and spreading #ThatFlowerFeeling. During the fair, CalFlowers and CSFA co-sponsored a full day of student and children’s floral design competitions. There were two rounds of student competitions and 3 awards distributed to both college and high school levels. Congratulations to all who shared their talents with us!

Pictured Above: Ann Quinn announces the winners of the competition as Wilton Lee prepares to hand out the ribbons.

Supporting education in the floral industry has a positive impact on

florists, floral designers, and other professionals that attended the Texas State Floral Expo last month. CalFlowers’ involvement helped TSFA provide valuable business knowledge, new floral trends and to showcase the creativity and talent of design presentations, along with resources that contribute to the attendee’s growth in their floral careers.

Kanetaro Domoto arrived in San Francisco in the 1880s from Wakayama Prefecture in Japan. After taking on different jobs, he and his brothers founded a profitable business of growing flowers in nurseries, which led them to become the first growers in Northern California to commercially produce imported camellias, azaleas, wisterias and lilies.

Pictured Above: Motonoshin Domoto in the sego palm greenhouse on 55th Avenue in Oakland in 1905. Japanese Immigrants were highly influential in expanding the San Francisco Bay Area’s flower industry. | Source:Courtesy California Historical Society.

Using Japanese agricultural techniques and seeds, the Domotos played a key role in founding San Francisco’s downtown wholesale flower market in 1912 and the SoMa market in 1924. Today, a relocated version remains part of the iconic San Francisco Flower Market at Sixth and Brannan streets, one of only five wholesale flower markets in the United States.

Pictured Above: Minoru Shinoda, left, a woman identified only as "Miss San Francisco," center, and Mayor George Christopher, right, on the opening day of the San Francisco Flower Terminal in September 1956. | Source:Courtesy California Historical Society.

In 2019, the records and photographs of the California Flower Market, as it was once known, were donated to the California Historical Society. The records include photographs, books, articles and other ephemera from the late 1800s to 2014, which together tell the history of the market and California’s flower industry. Now, the California Historical Society has put them together in an online exhibition.

Click Here to read the article.

We love our members and are always striving to provide support and value to floral businesses. FedEx Office is offering CalFlowers members significant discounts on printing and production projects, ranging from simple black and white copy jobs to signage and banners to better reach customers. Follow this link for more information.

Hortica, a brand of the Sentry Insurance Group, is solely focused on the horticultural industry and is a proven partner for business insurance, employee benefits, and safety services since 1887. They deliver comprehensive, cost-effective insurance solutions through personalized customer service, prompt claims handling, loss control expertise, and financial stability.

"We know your industry as well as we know insurance. Our customized coverages help protect:

Our Loss Control and Safety Services team can work with you to help keep your employees, customers, and business safe. We offer risk management, loss control, and safety programs featuring:

And, if you experience a loss and need to file a claim, we’ll help you restore your business quickly. When you choose us for your horticultural business insurance, you’re supported by a team of experienced claims professionals dedicated to serving you. Learn more about our specialized business insurance by visiting hortica.com or give us a call at 800-541-5082 to speak with one of our representatives."

Testimonial: From Jim Gibson, owner, Timbuk Farms
“They work with you. The relationships are strong, and you have people that understand your business. You’re not talking to an adjustor that’s never done a claim before. You’re talking to someone that’s done it for 20, 30 years and knows our industry. That’s huge.”

Learn more by visiting hortica.com.

If you are a CalFlowers member and would like to be featured in a future member spotlight, please fill out this form and send it to [email protected].

This month we’d like to pass on some basic, but helpful information on filing product claims and surcharges. Although these two documents, created by FedEx, came out earlier in the year, they are an excellent resource. This first resource offers information regarding surcharges and fees. Keep in mind that the CalFlowers program offers members MANY surcharge and fee reductions that are significantly lower than these standard surcharges, however it’s still a good reference point and has some clear definitions on what each fee/surcharge is. If you would like a summary of your program surcharge / fee discounts and waivers, please check our website or email Chris Johnson ([email protected]) for a copy.

The second resource is very helpful when you need to file a claim for damaged or lost product. Keep in mind, a product claim is different from our Money Back Guarantee, which applies to shipping charges and is handled differently. Product claims are more involved and can be confusing, but this resource helps navigate the process.

One more valuable resource has to do with any current Service Alerts. We suggest that you check this daily update each morning before shipping.

For members looking for the latest Program Summary and Rates for 2023, they can be found posted up on our website with all our other shipping program. Please visit www.cafgs.org.

To all our new members who are just starting with FedEx shipping, they have a helpful “Customer Training” service that is available upon request. This service offers shippers direct one-on-one assistance from FedEx covering many of the questions new shippers may have. If you are interested in signing up, please contact Chris Johnson via email: [email protected]. FedEx also has some excellent information for new shippers on their website. Visit: https://www.fedex.com/en-us/get-started.html for a good summary of what FedEx offers.

For members needing FedEx Tech Support, this phone number takes your right into the department (877) 339-2774. They can help with many tech-related issues including guidance regarding on-line shipping platforms.

We would also like to remind members to stay current with their FedEx Express shipping invoices. FedEx payment terms are 15 days. All members shipping on FedEx Express are expected to stay within the FedEx payment terms. To obtain your invoice details and payment options, please contact FedEx Customer Service.

The CalFlowers GLS program is one of our popular, most value-priced offerings, with discounts well over 70% off standard rates. GLS offers later pick-ups and earlier deliveries while providing express door-to-door services covering CA, AZ, NV, OR, WA, NM, UT, and ID. Members who want to ship on GLS must sign up in advance. It’s easy and just takes a few minutes. Please contact Chris Johnson for more details at (760) 533-5580 or [email protected].

GLS has been very receptive to our requests for program improvements. They have added the following features to our program for members to utilize.

Breaking News: For our members shipping cargo on airlines, just last week we had a significant update to our Alaska Air Cargo program. We are pleased to add the state of Alaska to our discounts! Now members in Alaska can ship OUTBOUND nationwide, from any major airport in Alaska (serviced by Alaska Airlines), for super discounted Express rates. Member shippers just need a CID number and to sign up with us.

Additionally, just this week, we added SEA and PDX to our program. Now the Pacific Northwest can ship to California at our highly discounted Express rates. Again, members just need a CID number and to sign-up.

Did you know Alaska Airlines is the largest airline operator out of San Diego. They have 67 daily flights to 33 non-stop destinations.

For members wanting to get in touch with our Alaska Air Cargo Regional Sales Manager, California, Mike Narowski can be reached at [email protected].

If you have been taking advantage of our new CalFlowers/Alaska Airlines shipping program, you know this offering really delivers when it comes to value. Our program offers EXCELLENT pricing to many areas of the country from California, Portland, Seattle and now Alaska. Check out all the program details on our website. To sign-up, contact Chris Johnson at [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.

We are pleased to welcome the following new CalFlowers members from July 10 - August 2, 2023:

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