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In This Issue ...
- 2021 Promises To Be A Fascinating Year
- Floral Media and Educational Tools Courtesy of CalFlowers And UBloom.com
- Transportation
- New Members
Upcoming Events:
June 2021
WF&FSA 2021 Floral Distribution Conference
June 7 - 9
The Doral, Miami, Florida
August 2021
CalFlowers Presents:
All About Flowers
August 25 - 28
Hotel del Coronado
Coronado, CA
Latest Legislation
Updates:
Click Here to read the latest Legislative updates.
CalFlowers
Social Media
Visit the CalFlowers Facebook page
Check in for news, upcoming events, photos, and topical items.
Find us on Instagram:
IG: @Calflowers_association
January
Flowers of The Month:
Carnation
The traditional January birth flowers are the carnation and the snowdrop.
The charismatic carnation comes in several different colors, which convey different meanings, much like roses.
For example, a pink carnation can mean simple affection, while a dark red carnation means deeper love.
Snowdrop
The solemn snowdrop used to be considered bad luck because it always seemed to grow in graveyards.
Nowadays, this delicate flower often one of the first to poke through the snow in late winter signifies hope and beauty.
CalFlowers
"New Member" Spotlights
To see all of our past "New Member" Spotlight stories Click Here.
Past CalFlowers Newsletters & COVID-19 Updates
Click Here to view past CalFlowers Past Newsletters and COVID-19 Updates, now available on our website.
CalFlowers News
Our goal is to communicate with our members and interested parties on a monthly basis about recent, past, and upcoming events, program updates, and general information about CalFlowers engagement in the industry on behalf of the membership.
If you have an announcement or story you think our members should see, contact Monnaie Pepin, Director of Member Relations and Events.
FREE
Social Media Spotlight Opportunity
For Members Only Access
Click Here for a quick reference guide on how to log into the members only site.
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2021 Promises To Be A Fascinating Year
A happy new year to all our members and affiliates! 2021 promises to be a fascinating year that we all hope is full of healing from the effects of the global pandemic. For our industry, we see potential for a serious surge in demand sometime this year as everything from weddings, to long-delayed funerals, to other events begin to come back online. And this will accompany what we recognize has been a repositioning of our product in the eyes of many consumers. Fresh flowers have found a new home in the self-care, healthful environment space. This unanticipated development presents an exciting opportunity to shift attitudes towards floral consumption in the U.S. marketplace, to refine retail presentations, and to develop new marketing channels.
CalFlowers will continue to actively seek opportunities to promote floral consumption across the country. In keeping with our aspirational goal of “More Americans enjoying more flowers more often”, we have affiliated ourselves with numerous initiatives that orient towards this goal. We look forward to not only continuing these efforts in 2021, but also seeking additional such opportunities. Our commitment to sponsoring Life in Bloom, our major market research project, our commitment to the Hugs and Smiles campaign, and our support of Slow Flowers are just a few of the ways in which we stay true to this important strategic goal.
The future indeed looks bright for our industry, and CalFlowers remains committed to the effort of ensuring a pipeline of talent and skill to meet future challenges. Our recent expansion of the CalFlowers Scholarship Fund through AFE as well as our educational support for numerous state floral associations, and a free UBloom.com subscription with each CalFlowers membership, are some of the ways we accomplish this. Each year, there is a future head grower or new flower farmer graduating from a University with CalFlowers’ help, and in states across America there are floral designers and presenters accessing educational tools made possible by the support of CalFlowers.
I want to take this opportunity to sincerely wish all of you a happy and prosperous new year. We have all been tested in unimaginable ways over the past 10 months, and I remain convinced our industry will emerge stronger than ever before. I am proud to participate in such a great industry with so many awesome people, and I look forward to seeing many of you once industry events are able to resume.
Steve Dionne
Steve Dionne
CalFlowers, Executive Director
Floral Media and Educational Tools Courtesy of CalFlowers And uBloom.com
You love flowers as much as we do, so we know you will love FREE access to:
- 800+ Flower Arranging and Design Tutorial videos
- Video Tours of 50+ Flower Farms
- Professional Resources
- Stream all Episodes of J Schwanke’s Life In Bloom and Bonus Content
CalFlowers and uBloom.com have partnered to bring this NEW benefit as part of your CalFlowers Membership.
You’ll have access to the entire uBloom Archives – more than 1,800 videos - searchable by content keywords!
CalFlowers and uBloom are dedicated to expanding your knowledge of the world of cut flowers with instruction, entertainment, and inspiration. Utilize the videos for staff training, flower production and design awareness, and personal enjoyment.
If you are a CalFlowers member and would like to request instructions on how you can take advantage of this new member benefit, please email: [email protected] and we will send you the sign up information. We hope you enjoy your FREE subscription that you can use from your Laptop, Tablet or Mobile Device.
Transportation
As many of you may know, the Overnight Carriers are still experiencing huge volumes during this COVID-19 pandemic. Our carriers are experiencing record volumes and are working hard to cope with the added stresses on their systems. With these conditions, it’s a good idea to look carefully at the service level you choose when evaluating delivery time options. Many have found that choosing a service that delivers earlier, helps to keep your customers expectations in line with the current environment.
FedEx Supplies:
Valentine’s Day Update - In case you missed your email, we sent out Valentine’s Day Schedules and shipping reminders this week. This information is important to note for the holiday. We ask shippers to please inform FedEx of any expected shipping volumes over and above what was shipped last year in advance of the holiday. For those shippers who have a FedEx Account Executive, please use that resource. For those who are new or need assistance with conveying volumes to FedEx, please contact me for help.
For the official FedEx Covid update click here: https://www.fedex.com/en-us/coronavirus.html
To all of our new members who are just starting with FedEx shipping, they have a nice “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 [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 qualifying members wanting to contact their local FedEx representative, feel free to contact me and I will put you in touch with the right person. It’s always a good idea to establish a relationship with your local FedEx field representatives who can help out when you need them or have questions.
As a reminder, the Money Back Guarantee (MBG) is still suspended until further notice due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the very large shipping volumes resulting from it. Also, bear in mind, when the MBG is reinstated, shippers must make the MBG request no later than 15 days from the invoice date. Requests after the 15 day time period will not be honored.
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.
For members who wish to move PALLETIZED freight on FedEx, CalFlowers can help direct you to customized solutions and pricing. FedEx Freight is an excellent option when your shipments call for pallets. Interested members should contact Chris Johnson at [email protected] for more information.
As mentioned above, the 2021 GLS shipping rates and program summary are now up on our website with all the details and changes for the new year. The CalFlowers GLS program is one of our fastest growing, most value-priced offerings, with discounts 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].
Corona Virus Update from GLS: https://go.gls-us.com/rs/841-ZVM-252/images/GLSUS-COVID19-Update.pdf
For members looking for the 2021 OnTrac program and rates, they are now available at www.cafgs.org. Our program this year features many reductions in various surcharges that offer great value to customers. Be sure to check out what’s new with OnTrac.
OnTrac Corona Virus Update: https://www.ontrac.com/coronavirus.asp
We know that OnTrac got their start in California and services every ZIP code within California, but did you know OnTrac also services seven other Western States? OnTrac has 2-day service into WA, OR, ID, NV, UT, AZ, and CO. And to help understand the service parameters, OnTrac has a very nice “Time and Transit Map” under Zip Tools on their website. This handy map loaded from YOUR zip code helps you understand OnTrac’s overnight commitment areas. To download your map, please visit: https://www.ontrac.com/servicesareas.asp.
Airlines:
In Airline news, for those members that missed our announcement, CalFlowers has put together a new program with JetBlue Cargo. JetBlue offers CalFlowers members exceptional express prices out of LAX to Boston, New York, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Puerto Rico and now NEWARK (EWR). These new rates are some of the best we’ve see in some time. For more information, please contact Chris Johnson at [email protected] or Mark Friedenthal at JetBlue Cargo (310) 490-2659.
For those members looking for airline service to Toronto, Montreal, Calgary, Vancouver and Edmonton out of LAX and SFO, consider Air Canada Cargo. Our discounted pricing offers good value and frequent service. For more information on these new rates from Air Canada, visit our website or contact me anytime at [email protected].
Recently we added Air Canada Cargo rates to our transportation portfolio. Our discounted pricing offers good value to Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Calgary and Edmonton out of LAX and SFO. For more information on these new rates from Air Canada, visit our website or contact me contact me anytime 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. 2021 offers rate reductions to many areas of the country from California, while adding a few new destinations as well. We are finalizing these new program improvements and expect to have available to members within days.
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.
New Members
We are pleased to welcome the following new CalFlowers members from December 15, 2020 - January 13, 2021:
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