In This Issue ...

1. Memorial Day Flowers 2018
2. Arne Thirup
3. 2018/2019 Dues
4. Featured New Members of the Month
5. Transportation
6. 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: 

2018 World Floral Expo
March 20 - 22, 2018
Chicago (Rosemont), IL

2018 AIFD National Symposium "Discover"
June 30 - July 4, 2018
Washington D.C.

2018 CalFlowers Member Meeting
September 11, 2018
Rancho Mirage, CA

SAF Palm Springs
September 12 - 15, 2018
Rancho Mirage, CA

SAVE THE DATE:

2019 Fun 'N Sun Convention
July 24 - 27, 2019
Santa Barbara, CA

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.

Memorial Day Flowers 2018

CalFlowers will once again sponsor this important event that pays tribute to America's veterans who have sacrificed so much, along with the sacrifices their families have made over many generations.

Along with TD Bank and Asocolflores, CalFlowers is a Platinum Sponsor at Arlington National Cemetery.  At the Welcome Center, 25,000 visitors will receive a Californian focal flower to place at the gravesite of a loved one. Holland America Flowers is also donating 700 bouquets for the T.A.P.S. children. 

CalFlowers is the event organizer at Miramar and San Francisco National Cemeteries. At SFNC, Mt. Eden is supplying logistic support, and Recology has sponsored the placement of 26,404 flowers - every headstone at SFNC!  Recology has invited employees from LinkedIn and Facebook to help place flowers and welcomes all those wishing to pay tribute on Memorial Day.

At Miramar, Mike Mooney and Chris Johnson will make sure all 12,000+ headstones will be honored with flowers. 

CalFlowers' sponsorship will also support the following cemeteries, providing a total of 14,000 focal flowers:

• Ft. Snelling National Cemetery (Minnesota)
• Houston National Cemetery
• Sacramento Valley National Cemetery
• Greenwood Cemetery (Florida)
• National Memorial Cemetery (Arizona)

Arne M. Thirup

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Arne M. Thirup, the former President of Pajaro Valley Greenhouses, Inc. Arne died peacefully on February 21, 2018 at the age of 90, surrounded by his loving family. 

Arne was born and raised in Denmark, one of six children of a greenhouse operator. He was educated in the field of horticulture, came to the United States in 1953 for an internship program in Indiana, and eventually made his way to San Francisco. It was there that he met Pauline, a recent German immigrant and they married shortly thereafter. They worked their day jobs, he as a gardener and she as a nanny, while the evenings were spent tending to their one-acre flower parcel. It is from these humble beginnings that they were able to build a successful flower growing business that included locations in Watsonville, Nipomo and Vista, California as well as floral wholesale outlets in Atlanta, Knoxville and Nashville.

Click Here to read Mr. Thirup's Obituary.

2018/2019 Dues Renewal 

Keep an eye on your email as membership dues renewal notifications will be sent out on April 1.  Make payment before June 1 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 convenient link and instructions on how to pay your dues invoice using your credit card.

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 [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.)

 Featured New Members of the Month

Alaska Flower Girls 

While most of the US is enjoying local peonies on Mother’s Day, Alaska Flower Girls plants are still nestled under the last of the season’s snow.   But when they do emerge from the cool Alaskan soil and encounter the warming rays of the midnight sun, they make the wait worthwhile producing exceptionally large and intensely colored peony buds. During July, August, and September, Alaska Flower Girls are harvesting, processing and shipping buds throughout the United States. They ship FedEx overnight, so flowers ordered early one day are delivered the following day.  Nearly half of their inventory is white peonies that arrive just in time for mid-late summer weddings. 

The love of peonies and family bring the Flower Girls back to the farm every summer.  Favorite childhood memories from their grandparent’s farm are relived each harvest season as they work hard, laugh hard, and share with pride the beautiful blooms they have grown. 

Click Here to visit Alaska Flower Girls website. 

Alaska Peony Broker 

Alaska Peony Broker (APB) was created to connect Alaska Peony Producers, with buyers in the larger domestic and international floral industry. APB offers Wholesale Buyers a one-stop, "farm-direct," on-line purchasing-solution, backed by a 100% Product Satisfaction Guarantee, and standards assuring product quality, consistency and uniformity across its network of production partners. 

APB supports its growers with supply-side education, resources and tools; negotiates access to industry products and services at scale, and maximizes member exposure and competitiveness through market-analysis and targeted production consultation.

Click Here to view Alaska Peony Broker's website.

Floral Design Institute

The name Floral Design Institute is synonymous with excellence in floral design education. Founded in 1969 and purchased by Leanne Kesler AIFD and David Kesler AIFD in 1988, Floral Design Institute has grown into one of the leading floral design schools in the world.  Through their classroom and online certification programs plus advanced seminars and workshops, they now train hundreds of students each year. Their online floral design training videos and live broadcasts are viewed by over two million viewers each year.

Both Leanne and David (pictured left), have been active designers, speakers, educators and floral business consultants for over 30 years. They have created and maintain a wonderful learning atmosphere where both the complete beginner and the most advanced floral designers feel comfortable and are able to develop their individual skills and talents to the maximum potential. Floral Design Institute is licensed to conduct a private vocational school by the Oregon Department of Education. Floral Design Institute is a member of the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD) Educational Partners and is an Approved Educational Pathway to AIFD Certification and Accreditation.

Click Here to visit Floral Design Institute's website.

Good Pasture Farm & Gardens

Good Pasture Farm and Gardens is a small family owned and operated farm situated in the interior of Alaska. They grow hay and produce but specialize in glorious peonies. The hot interior temperatures and the extended hours of daylight create a peony bloom time unique to the world–July and August! The growing season may be small, but their peonies are huge! 

At Good Pasture Farm, the goal is to grow and harvest the highest quality blooms and share their beauty with customers.  Good Pasture Farm and Gardens is an off-grid enterprise, employing sustainable growing practices where possible and preserving their resources for generations to come. Their agricultural mission is to teach their children the value of work, the magnificence of nature and the skills of cultivation. 

Click Here to visit Good Pasture Farm & Garden's website.

Transportation  

As a reminder, new shipping rates and program information for 2018 is up on the CalFlowers website.  Rates on FedEx, GSO and OnTrac can all be found.  Members using their log-ins can access this information anytime.For questions or comments on any of our programs, please contact Chris Johnson for assistance – [email protected] or by phone (760) 533-5580.

FedEx: 

For those members who need to ship palletized cargo on FedEx, we are able to offer members customized, high-discount Freight rates on a case by case basis.  Just let us know of your FedEx Freight needs, and we will have a FedEx rep contact you get you set up to ship.

GSO:

Just a reminder that GSO services 7 Western States.  Whether it be Washington, Oregon, Idaho, California, Nevada, Arizona or New Mexico, GSO can get it there.  Many transit times are overnight, depending of course, on your location.

If you want to know how quickly GSO can deliver your package just visit the GSO website for a handy tool that will show a time-in-transit map.  Visit www.gso.com/shipping/transitmaps for more details.  If you have any questions, please contact Chris Johnson directly at [email protected].

OnTrac: 

OnTrac has improved their tracking system to give shippers more up-to-date information and visibility.  To learn more about these improvements, visit www.ontrac.com/servicesTracking.asp for all the details.

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 February 2018, we were pleased to welcome the following new CalFlowers members:

1500 41st Avenue, Suite 240 Capitola, CA 95010 | www.cafgs.org 

Ph. 831-479-4912 | Fax 831-479-4914