In This Issue ...

1. The Passing of the Gavel
2. "New" That Flower Feeling Assets Have Dropped
3. 2022 All About Flowers Convention Room Block Is Now Open!
4. CalFlowers Brings That Flower Feeling to Life In Bloom
5. 2022-2023 Annual Membership Dues Set To Go Out April 1
6. CalFlowers "New Member" Spotlight
7. Transportation
8. Welcome New CalFlowers Members

Upcoming
2022 Events:

IFPA - The Floral Conference
March 29, 2022 Anaheim Marriott Anaheim, CA USA

International Floriculture Expo
June 7 - 9
Miami Beach Convention Center
Miami Beach, FL

 

Slow Flowers Summit 2022
"Inquire Inform Include Instigate Inspire"
June 26 - 28
Pocantico, NY

AIFD Symposium "Roots"
July 4 - 8
Caesars Forum Las Vegas Las Vegas, NV

Fun 'N Sun
"All About Flowers"
Aug. 29 - Sept. 1, 2022
Hotel del Coronado
Coronado, CA

Click Here to Rediscover the California legend - Hotel del Coronado.

SAF Orlando 2022
September 6-8
Orlando, FL

Latest Legislation
Updates:

Click Here to read the latest Legislative updates.

March Birth Flowers:

The Daffodil

In gardens and woodland areas, daffodils are readying themselves for their early spring appearance. So, it’s no surprise that the daffodil is linked to those born in March. Whether it’s your “birth” flower or not, learn more about the history, meaning, and symbolism of the daffodil!

The traditional daffodil is either yellow, white or a combination of the two, but newer varieties now include pink and orange. The classic daffodil flower is made up of six petals and a trumpet- or bell-shaped crown that is frilled at its edge.

Native to northern Europe, daffodils can be grown in most of North America, except in the hottest and wettest areas.

Daffodils are best known for a single bloom on each stem, but others in the daffodil family, like the jonquil, will produce multiple blooms per stem. There are thousands of registered cultivars of daffodils!

Daffodils also go by their Latin name, Narcissus, which is the plant’s genus. Interestingly, the term “daffodil” doesn’t refer to a singular species; many flowers in the Narcissus genus go by the name. Jonquils, for example, are included within Narcissus and are sometimes called rush daffodils. So, a good thing to remember: all jonquils are daffodils, but not all daffodils are jonquils!

It’s believed that the daffodils are named after Narcissus, the son of Cephissus, who was the river god in Greek mythology. According to legend, Narcissus fell in love with his own reflection in the water and when he died starring at himself, the daffodil bloomed where he died.

CalFlowers
Featured
"New Member" Spotlights

To see all of our past Featured "New Member" Spotlight stories Click Here.

If your company would like to be a featured "New Member", please contact Monnaie Pepin for more details.

Past CalFlowers Newsletters 

Click Here to view past CalFlowers Newsletters now available on our website.

CalFlowers News

The Passing of the Gavel

At our quarterly board meeting on March 16, board President Frank Biddle (left) ended his term and passed the gavel to Ivor Van Wingerden (right).

CalFlowers would like to offer a heartfelt “Thank you” to Frank for his efforts and accomplishments during his term.  Frank provided steady, focused leadership during one of the most dynamic and important periods in CalFlowers’ long history, including the launching of the That Flower Feeling brand, and the national consumer-direct marketing campaign ‘Flowers. Self care made easy’.  Through this important initiative, That Flower Feeling is influencing over 50 million consumers across numerous digital media channels to include fresh flowers in their daily/weekly self-care routines, promoting the concept of buying flowers for oneself.

Ivor Van Wingerden steps in as board President to continue the efforts around That Flower Feeling, as well as our upcoming Fun ‘N Sun convention, themed “All About Flowers”.  Ivor brings a wealth of experience, with an emphasis on California/domestic floral production, and we look forward to continuing our various membership/industry support initiatives under his leadership.

"New" That Flower Feeling Assets Have Dropped

To date, over 200 floral companies have accessed the first round of marketing assets on Thatflowerfeeling.org.  In addition, the website has received almost 5,000 unique visitors who engaged with our various social media campaigns and clicked through to learn more.

Recently, CalFlowers has added an entire second round of assets, including new social posts tailored for various formats, new film cuts/edits, and new Pinterest tiles. 

If you haven’t already done so, please log in to the Partner page on Thatflowerfeeling.org and download the newest additions.  Leverage these assets to grow your own business and to help amplify the importance of That Flower Feeling!

Click Here to visit the That Flower Feeling website and download your assets!

2022 All About Flowers Convention Room Block Is Now Open!

CalFlowers is excited to announce that the 2022 All About Flowers convention room block is now open.

Please use the link below to reserve your hotel rooms nights before our block sells out which we expect will happen quickly due to the holiday immediately following our event.  Here are a few highlighted perks we have negotiated for you: 

• $250 plus tax room rate (single/double)
• Resort fee waived (Normally $35 per room per night)
• Complimentary self parking (Normally $40 per car per day)
• Complimentary guest room internet (Normally $35 per room per night)

RESERVATIONS
You can make reservations directly to the Hotel by:

• Online: https://book.passkey.com/go/calfl22
• Reference Code When Calling: CALFL
• Toll Free Calling:  (800) HOTEL-DEL
  
• Phone: (619) 435-6611
• Check-in time:  4:00 p.m.
• Check-out time:  11:00 a.m.

If you have questions regarding the hotel room block please email: Kristin Perry - [email protected].

CONVENTION REGISTRATION OPENING IN APRIL:

The convention committee is busy putting the finishing touches on the programming for this event.  Convention registration information will be sent out in April.  

Click Here to learn more about the convention.

CalFlowers Brings That Flower Feeling to Life In Bloom

CalFlowers has expanded their commitment to J Schwanke’s Life In Bloom with a 30-second video at the opening and closing of all episodes of Season 4 which reflects a different take on ‘That Flower Feeling.’ The new season will debut on public television stations across the country beginning in April of 2022. Calflowers, along with Albertsons Companies, Dollar Tree, and closed caption underwriter Holland America Flowers are returning as Season 4 underwriters.

"Calflowers is immensely proud of Life In Bloom's continued success, and we eagerly look forward to the Season 4 premiere. Cheers to J and thank you for making the enjoyment of flowers more accessible to everyone across the country,” noted CalFlowers President, Ivor Van Wingerden, of Ocean Breeze International.

“CalFlowers has supported Life In Bloom all along as an underwriter of the first three seasons, but this season they’ve really stepped up, becoming a Major Underwriter and I am very thankful,” notes host J Schwanke. “And it’s exciting to share their 30-second video which shares ‘That Flower Feeling’ with Life in Bloom viewers.”

Click Here to read the full story.

The CalFlowers message can be previewed at the link - www.ubloom.com/tff

2022-2023 Membership Dues Set To Go Out April 1

Your 2022 - 2023 membership dues renewal notification will be emailed on April 1. Make payment before June 1 to retain your member benefits, which include discounted transportation rates from FedEx, GLS, and OnTrac; your company listing in our online member directory; an invitation to the biennial Fun 'N Sun convention; networking opportunities within the floral community, and much more.  Look for your membership renewal email with a convenient link and instructions for how to pay your dues invoice using your credit card. 

Dues Payment Address Change:
If Paying by Check Make Payment to:
California Association of Flower Growers & Shippers
Attn:  Ken Rosin
6505 Rosemead Blvd., Suite #306
Pico Rivera, CA 90660

If you do not receive your dues renewal email on April 1 or have any questions or concerns, please contact Lani Conklin at (831) 479-4912 ext. 2 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.)

CalFlowers New Member Spotlight

As the labor market continues to be problematic, logistics overall is still challenging but showing improvement.   Let’s hope things get progressively better as we approach Mother’s Day.

For our FedEx shippers, I strongly recommend checking the “Service Alerts” section of the FedEx website each morning for the latest.  Here is the link: https://www.fedex.com/en-us/service-alerts.html.  Here you will find the most current alerts and service disruption news updated each day.   

These Service Alerts are issued daily and can be helpful in managing your expectations during inclement weather.  

As a reminder, FedEx has reinstated the Money Back Guarantee (MBG) for CalFlowers members, however, keep in mind, delays due to hazardous or disruptive weather are not eligible for shipping credits.

As costs rise for our carriers, surcharges have risen as well across the board.  For those members wanting to reference the latest FedEx Surcharges and Fees Click Here.

Remember, CalFlowers members have many significant discounts off of these surcharges which add excellent value to our program.  For a list our surcharge discounts, please refer to the FedEx Program Summary on our website.

For members looking for the latest Program Summary and Rates for 2022, we now have them posted up on our website for review.

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.  

To all 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 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 have not downloaded the GLS 2022 Program Summary and Pricing, we have it available on our website.  This year we negotiated a modest 3% increase vs the 5.9% increase that went into effect for 2022.   

Also, GLS is reporting record volumes at this time.  Combine this with weather and labor shortages causing operational challenges, on-time deliveries in some areas can be affected.

The good news here is that even though GLS has not officially re-instated their Money Back Guarantee (shipping costs), they HAVE amended that policy for CalFlowers members.  Our agreement with GLS now states that they will credit shipping costs to member shippers if the shipment is not delivered on the scheduled day of delivery.  Members will need to request this within 48 hours by contacting customer service by sending an email to: [email protected].  Include your account number, tracking number and explanation.  Let them know you are seeking shipping charges credited.

Regarding claims on product (inside the box) GLS will entertain a claim if the box is missing / lost, or damage is present on the exterior of the package.  GLS will not generally process a claim simply if a box is delivered late.  For complete details, please visit www.gls-us.com.

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].   

Please use the Delivery Rates & Times Calculator to view delivery dates and estimated.

Airlines: 

We have just learned that Michael Yu, our longtime Alaska Airlines Account Manager has accepted a new promotion within the company and will no longer be our Alaska contact.  He will certainly be missed.  However, we have new Account Manager in Mike Narowski.  Mike comes to us with a wide variety of air carrier experience and 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, while adding a few new destinations such as Seattle, Portland, and Anchorage. Check out all the program details on our website.

As a reminder, JetBlue offers CalFlowers members exceptional express prices out of LAX / SFO to Boston, New York, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Puerto Rico and now NEWARK (EWR). 

These new rates are some of the best that 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.

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.

Welcome New CalFlowers Members

We are pleased to welcome the following new CalFlowers members from February 16 - March 22, 2022:

www.cafgs.org 

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