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In This Issue ...
- CaliFlora 2021 - One Dynamic Day With Flowers
- New Member Spotlights
- Transportation
- Welcome New CalFlowers Members
Upcoming Events:
September 2021
SAF Orlando
September 21-23
Loews Royal Pacific Resort
Orlando, FL
November 2021
California State Floral Association Presents:
CaliFlora 2021
November 6 & 7
Carlsbad Floral Trade Center
Carlsbad, CA
2022 SAVE THE DATE
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.
World Floral Expo 2022
TBD
New York, NY
Latest Legislation
Updates:
Click Here to read the latest Legislative updates.
September
Flowers of The Month:
THE ASTER AND THE MORNING GLORY
In the late summer, as the air cools, there are still many beautiful flowers to enjoy and give. Learn about the two September birth flowers.
THE ASTER
Asters are mainly symbols of powerful love. Perhaps because of their positive symbolism, according to folklore they were once burned to ward off serpents.
Asters add a punch of color to the late summer and early fall landscape and require minimal care.
THE MORNING GLORY
The other September flower is the morning glory. Morning glories are simple symbols of affection.
Those who rise early may be able to watch their lovely blooms open. Morning glory flowers generally curl closed later in the day, hence their name!
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
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 Communications, Events and Administration.
2021 - 2022
Membership Directory Available Online
To purchase additional printed copies of the 2021 - 2022 Membership Directory please Contact Lani Conklin.
For Members Only Access
Click Here for a quick reference guide on how to log into the members only site.
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
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CaliFlora 2021 – One Dynamic Day With Flowers
CaliFlora is the annual convention of CSFA. On Saturday, November 6, the morning events will take place at the Pavilion at the Flower Fields and the afternoon segment will be held at the International Floral Trade Center in Carlsbad. Please see program below.
We are so very excited to have flower growers as a component to this year's convention, Meet the Farmers! This will be an opportunity for the growers to showcase a sampling of their products and talk a bit about their flower farm/ranches.
Immediately following the Growers Mingle will be a demonstration and hands-on workshop by/with Joyce Mason-Monheim AIFD, AAF, PFCI, AzMF.
The event will then move to the International Floral Trade Center in Carlsbad for lunch and a demonstration and hands-on workshop by/with Donald Yim AIFD, PFCI. The day will also feature a Social Media presentation – Getting Social with Ariana Medley CCF and Picture This – Interactive Photography Session with Kay Wolff AIFD, CCF.
All attendees are invited to participate in a surprise Celebration at the end of the day!
REGISTER NOW!
 
"New Member" Spotlight
Flowers2Go is a new fresh-cut flowers and greens supplier, located in Miami, FL. They operate as an importer getting the best fresh-cut flowers, greens and supplies directly from their farms in Colombia. Flowers2Go can also offer different types of services, from boxed flower shipments to DIY bouquets packages. Flowers2Go wants fresh flower buying to be easy with reliable sources for their clients to receive the freshest flowers with the best delivery all around United States.
With amazing, blooming, colorful products of the best quality, Flowers2Go wants to be the one you choose!
Click Here to learn more about Flowers2Go.
  
In 1971 Dean Labadie completed his BA in Landscape Architecture and moved to Davis to pursue a master’s degree in Environmental Horticulture at UCD when a friend suggested he should sell flowers. At that time florists only sold arrangements, not bunches and supermarkets had not started selling flowers yet. Dean opened the local newspaper and saw buckets were on sale, so with $50 in the bank he bought some buckets and a few flowers and set up on a sidewalk near the University.
Dean’s friend invited him to the San Francisco Flower Market, so he drove to San Francisco at 2 a.m. in his Volkswagen, bought flowers from the growers at the market and started Strelitzia Flower Company. The name came from a missed question on a Landscape Contractors test. A few years later he added J & D Wholesale to supply other florists in the area.
Today they are the leading shop in the greater Sacramento region with a 5500 square feet retail shop in Davis that supplies shops all through the Greater Sacramento region with wet truck routes. Strelitzia is a leader in providing floral arrangements for weddings and events as well as everyday needs. They employ over 30 dedicated staff that make it all possible.
J & D Wholesale makes a weekly overnight buying trip to the Watsonville, Aromas and Salinas area to pick up product direct from local farms and often going to the San Francisco Flower Market and Half Moon Bay for plants and product. They also import Carnations, fillers and hydrangea from Columbia, roses from Ecuador and ship flowers in from growers throughout California. This October J & D Wholesale will celebrate 50 years in business.
Click Here to learn more about J & D Wholesale.
Transportation
Folks let’s face it, logistics across the U.S. is not pretty right now. Carriers over all segments are under increasing pressure from many sources. Our overnight carriers, like other segments, are struggling greatly with labor issues. When you combine that challenge with record volumes being shipped into their systems, it becomes understandable that consistency is suffering. Unfortunately, these challenging times are expected to continue into the near-term future. With that, we recommend having patience and looking carefully at the service level you choose when evaluating delivery time options with our carriers. We strongly suggest choosing the highest priority service available as this will give your shipment the highest level of service available that delivers earlier, as this helps to keep your customers expectations in line with the current environment.
FedEx has released a statement outlining the steps they are taking to help alleviate the backlog and delays in their system.
Click Here for more information.
As is normally the case in September, hot weather can be an issue. We recommend checking with FedEx for any Service Alerts that can affect shipping: https://www.fedex.com/en-us/service-alerts.html. These Service Alerts are issued daily and can be helpful in managing your expectations during inclement weather
As a reminder, CalFlowers members have access to the FedEx Money Back Guarantee (MBG). This MBG currently applies to Priority Overnight (P1) and Standard Overnight (SO) only. The CalFlowers / FedEx version of the MBG states that if your package is delivered later that 1 hour after the normal scheduled delivery time for the service chosen, P1 or SO, members can request via on-line, a 100% shipping cost credit. For more details or questions, please contact Chris Johnson at [email protected].
For those members wanting to reference the latest Surcharges and Fees for 2021, we have posted this information on our website or members can CLICK HERE. You will find a handy summary of what to expect for the year. 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 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.
GLS is also reporting very strong member volumes at this time which can affect consistency with on-time deliveries in some areas. With the heat of summer with us, using extra cooling measures in your boxes is a good idea and we highly recommend doing so.
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.
Regarding claims on product (inside the box), Generally speaking, 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.
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.
Changes to Our Service Guarantee
The Money-Back Service Guarantee on OnTrac is still suspended.
For more information on OnTrac, please contact Chris Johnson at [email protected].
Airlines:
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.
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].
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 August 25 through September 15, 2021:
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