In This Issue ...

1. A Message From
   Our New Executive Director
2. FedEx Office Discounts For CalFlowers Members
3. Last Chance - 2021 CalFlowers Membership Directory Updates
4. Save The Date
5. Featured New Member
6. Transportation
7. New Members 

Upcoming Events:

February 2021
WF&FSA 2021 Floral Distribution Conference
February 22 - 24
The Doral, Miami, Florida

July 2021
AIFD Symposium - "DNA"
July 1 - 6
Hilton
Chicago, IL

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.  

November
Flower of The Month:
chrysanthemum

November’s birth flower, the chrysanthemum, recalls the vibrant colors of autumn leaves. Learn about the meaning and symbolism of chrysanthemums.

The November birth flowers, chrysanthemums, are often nicknamed “mums.”  The word, “chrysanthemum,” comes from the Greek prefix chrys- meaning golden and -anthemion, meaning flower.  Its original colors were golden hues, though mums now come in many colors.

CHRYSANTHEMUM
MEANING

• A red chrysanthemum means “I love you.”
• A white chrysanthemum means innocence, purity, and pure love. 
• A yellow chrysanthemum means slighted love. 

GARDENING WITH
MUMS

Chrysanthemums are perennials. After they finish blooming in the fall, mulch them with several inches of straw to protect them from the cold.

For Members Only Access

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

A Message From Our Executive Director

Dear CalFlowers Member,

It is with great enthusiasm that I step into the position of Executive Director of CalFlowers.

I have genuine respect for the California floral industry, having worked within it for the past 26 years.  I count many of you among my friends, and mentors, and I have always been inspired by the grit and competitiveness I have seen from my industry colleagues.

Traveling the country and the globe on various flower missions, I have grown to recognize that passion runs deep in our Floriculture Industry worldwide.  I have visited farms, distributors, air and ground carriers, and flower shops in 19 countries across 5 continents these past few years, and the hard work at each level of the floral supply chain is apparent in all these visits. The rewards of the work come in the form of smiles, greetings, and warmth not only amongst the tight-knit companies we buy and sell from, but right down the chain to the end floral consumer.  Our great industry traffics in positive emotions, and sheer enjoyability.

CalFlowers, originally nicknamed NorCal, was founded in 1941 as a coalition of flower farmers needing to get their boxes efficiently to SFO airport, and to leverage their shipping volumes to secure better airline rates.    Today’s California floral industry echoes that group of community-minded, friendly competitors.  Today and onward, we plan to maintain our community spirit and, as my fellow CalFlowers directors have often heard me say, “Leverage our resources for the benefit of our members.”   CalFlowers’ founders would be proud to see how the Association now supports so many industry stakeholders including television programming, Memorial Day flowers, AFE research, student scholarships, state and national floral associations, and market research initiatives.  We host the ever-popular California Floral Convention (Fun ‘N Sun).  We have close to a thousand members across 48 states.  We will continue to provide support for our numerous affiliates and enthusiastically seek opportunities to collaborate on important industry issues such as with the Floral Industry Summit exploring how to increase consumption in the United States.

I want to thank the CalFlowers board and its members for trusting me with this position, and I want to let all CalFlowers stakeholders know that we are going to exert our efforts and resources to helping all segments of our great industry thrive.

Together, let’s roll up our shirtsleeves and work to ensure that more Americans enjoy more flowers more often.

Steve Dionne
Executive Director 

FedEx Office Discounts For CalFlowers Members

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.

Click Here to get the Account Code and start saving today!

FedEx Office discounts and benefits available to members:

• Over 81% discount off black and white copies *
• Over 53% discount off color copies *
• 15% off all other services related to print
• Access to 2,000 FedEx Offices nationwide
• Free local delivery for most print projects $25 or more within 30 miles of the production center

Last Chance - 2021 CalFlowers Membership Directory Updates

We are pleased to announce we will be starting our production and updates for the new 2021 Membership Directory. With the excitement behind that, we will need your KEY CONTACT to log into the Members Only side of www.cafgs.org and confirm & update all information for your organization. 

CLICK HERE to download the instructions.

You MUST be listed in the online database as the Key Contact for your company to have access to make changes to the Organization Profile. If you are not able to gain access, or need this updated, email [email protected] or Call (831) 479-4912 ext. 2

Items to make sure to take a look at :

• Organization Email
• Organization Phone #
• Company Description
• Line of Business
• Company Website
• Owner Name & Email
• Upload your Organization Logo

Once these updates are completed, we will be sending Ad Space options out to all Key Contacts. This is a fabulous way to get in front of 880+ CalFlowers Members. 

Please don’t hesitate to reach out as we are here to help!

Your updates will need to be FINALIZED no later than November 22, 2020.  Once production starts, what is listed for your organization will be what is printed in the 2021 directory.

Thank you for your participation.

Save The Date: 

Featured New Member

Founded and developed by Corrine Heck, (pictured below) in 2015, a florist who created hundreds of events during her 20-year career in flowers, Details Flowers Software (www.detailsflowers.com) is a platform specifically designed for florists to help them book more events and earn more money. This all-in-one platform is helping the world’s best designers grow their bottom line through professional proposals and confident pricing. Not only can artists easily create stunning proposals to send to their clients, but they can use features like e-signature, recipe portfolios, stem-counting, automatic order generation, invoicing, as well as the ability to share client’s visions through the use of gorgeous visuals. Details Flowers Software also partners with first-class suppliers to get the most incredible flowers into the hands of their artists. With a click of a button, florists can get pricing quotes from around the world - locally, regionally, or nationally.

Transportation

As many of you may know, the Overnight Carriers are experiencing huge volumes during this COVID-19 pandemic.  Many are operating at record volumes and are working hard to cope with the added stresses on their systems.  With these volumes, and with the Christmas Holiday nearing, 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 expectations and your customers in line with the current environment.

As a reminder, current shipping rates and program information is on the CalFlowers Members' Only website.  Members using their log-ins can access this information anytime.  Rates on FedEx, GLS, OnTrac, and airlines can all be found, as well as other handy information.  For questions or comments on any of our programs, please contact Chris Johnson for assistance at (760) 533-5580 or [email protected].

Also, I will be sending out updated information in December to all members regarding our 2021 rates and program summaries for our carriers.  As we know, these changes take place after the first of the year.  Currently we are putting together the changes and will have them ready as soon as possible.

FedEx Supplies:

THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY - For members who order shipping supplies from FedEx, the last day to order is November 16. There will be no supplies delivered Nov 23 and 24.

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY -   Please order supplies by December 1 to ensure delivery prior to the holiday hold. No supplies will be shipped from December 11 through December 25.  We recommend getting your orders in early as possible.

Here is a link to Holiday Schedules from FedEx: https://www.fedex.com/en-us/service-guide/holiday-schedule.html

For the official FedEx Covid update click here: https://www.fedex.com/content/dam/fedex/us-united-states/Service-Alerts/images/2021/q1/2019_nCoV_Service_Impacts_October_22.pdf

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 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 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.

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.gso.com/rs/841-ZVM-252/images/GLSUS-COVID19-Update.pdf

GLS has made some changes to their overall surcharge fee structure resulting in some increases taking effect October 1.  CalFlowers has negotiated special discounts off of these general fees for members, resulting in significant savings.  Fees such as Address Correction Fee, Adult Signature Required Fee and Residential Delivery Fee to name a few.  These changes can be found at www.gso.com.

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 Blue 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 anytime at [email protected].

If you haven’t yet heard about the new CalFlowers/Alaska Airlines shipping program, this exclusive offer is now available for CalFlowers members.

Beginning immediately, Alaska Airlines has lowered the minimum charge from $75 to $50 per waybill.  This improvement should significantly add more value to this already value packed shipping program.

The new Priority Rates are the best we have seen in years and with the Virgin merger completed, Alaska Airlines has an extensive network, servicing major popular destinations all across the U.S. Our program works outbound and inbound out of SAN, LAX, and SFO.  To take advantage of this exceptional program, interested members must sign up.  Please contact Chris Johnson to get started 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.

New Members

We are pleased to welcome the following new CalFlowers members from October 7 - November 4:

www.cafgs.org 

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