Members Visit 150 Congressional Offices

Dave Mitchell of Mitchell's Orland Park & Frankfort Flower Shop in Orland Park, Ill. talks with Rep. Judy Biggert outside her office.

When SAF members arrived on Capitol Hill Tuesday morning, they were distinguished from the rest of the visitors only by boutonnieres they wore. By the time they finished their March 13 appointments, however, they had firmly established themselves as powerful advocates for floriculture.

Members from 24 states, representing all segments of the industry, visited nearly 150 congressional offices as part of SAF's 27th Annual Congressional Action Days, held March 12 to 13.

SAF staff tagged along with one of the event's most experienced delegations -- the members from Illinois -- to better understand how the meetings on the Hill went. Here is a snapshot of their day.

The Issues. One issue members lobbied for during Congressional Action Days was an increase of $2.25 million to the $6.25 million the industry receives annually for floriculture and nursery research. A major selling point for the increased funding is that while the floriculture and nursery industry is the third biggest segment of crop agriculture in the United States, behind only corn and soybeans, it receives less than one-third of one percent of the USDA's annual budget. That discrepancy surprised staffers and lawmakers alike whom SAF members visited.

 "Wow, that is fascinating," said Alison Myers of Rep Ray LaHood's (R-18-Ill.) office, who also stated that " [LaHood is] a friend of ag. He takes it very seriously -- he knows it's the biggest industry in his district."

Former Speaker of the House Rep. Dennis Hastert (R-14-Ill.) even had some advice for the SAF Illinois delegation on how to get the funding issue moving faster: "To make something happen," talk to Chairperson of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture Rosa DeLauro (D-3-Conn.) and Ranking Minority Member on Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture Jack Kingston (R-1-Ga.), he said.

The other issue attendees discussed with members of Congress and their staffs was the industry's need for continued support on the AgJOBS bill, which would fix the broken guest-worker program. The Illinois delegation got across its point on the bill's merits by relaying personal experiences to staff members.

"We have been waiting for [immigration reform] for over a decade, and we are starting to hurt," said Marvin Miller, Ph.D., of Ball Horticultural Company in West Chicago, Ill. to Nandi Chhabra in Sen. Barrack Obama's (D-Ill.) office.

Katie Kennicott of Kennicott Brothers in Chicago also shared a personal story with many staff members about how she lost an entire field of peonies in Arkansas because the company couldn't get workers to harvest them.

Stories like these seemed to resonate with Reema Dodin, Sen. Richard Durbin's (D-Ill.) legislative assistant. Durbin is co-sponsor of the AgJOBS bill.

"It's awful, on a human level, to have to turn those people down," she said of workers without legal paperwork.

Myers of LaHood's office also assured the delegation that the representative supports comprehensive immigration reform, "He favors a guest-worker program," she said. "Even though some of our constituents don't agree with us."

Facing Opposition. Some offices, however, were more hesitant to offer whole-hearted support for some of the issues SAF members lobbied. Hastert, for instance, says he wants to improve the guest-worker program and provide a path to "normalcy" for illegal immigrants, but he also stressed the need for improved border security first, as did Rep. Judy Biggert (R-13-Ill.) and Elizabeth Jurinka, legislative assistant for Rep. Melissa Bean (D-8-Ill.). 

And, although Rachel Latta of Rep. Donald Manzullo's (R-16-Ill.) office expressed support for an improved guest-worker program, she said Manzullo "is not willing to grant any sort of amnesty and feels strongly about anything that smacks of amnesty." While SAF maintains the AgJOBS bill is not amnesty, that was a perception SAF members ran into throughout the day, said Kennicott: "Border security and amnesty are the two buzzwords."

Sweet Successes. At the end of the day, SAF members gathered together at Washington D.C.'s Fairmont hotel to reflect on the day's events and share stories. Most members ended their day of lobbying feeling confident about the responses they got.  Both Tim Farrell, AAF, AIFD, PFCI of Farrell's Florist in Drexel Hill, Pa. and Dottie Pannepacker of Penny's Flowers in Glenside, Pa., were especially pleased by their the reception from Sen. Bob Casey's (D-Pa.) office.

"(The legislative assistant) was extremely supportive," said Pannepacker.  "She gave us hope for the AgJOBS bill."

 "It was really great ... and really exciting." said Larry Kramer, AIFD, of Big Sky Floral and Design in Big Sky, Mont., of the experience.  Kramer was one of more than 25 first-time attendees at the event.

"It's good to get everybody together," adds Farrell, "It's nice to know we are on the same team."

Mark your calendar now for next year's event: March 17 to 18, 2008. Look for more coverage in the May issue of Floral Management magazine.

If you attended the event and haven't returned your comments yet, please do so.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
[return to top]

Brides Choose Eco Chic, Feasts

Say good-bye to Bridezilla and hello to her hybrid-driving, free-range poultry eating, organic wine drinking little sister. The watchword of wedding trends for 2007 is green -- as in the color and the environmental movement, says Maria McBride, wedding style director of Brides magazine and author of several wedding-planning books.

"Couples are choosing to celebrate as they live, with conscientious decisions that help protect and sustain the earth," McBride says. "Organic fibers set tables, recycled wine bottles are used as vases, green plants or grasses for decor, soy candles for lighting and seasonal, local foods are served for meals with organic wines and spirits for cocktails, and, finally, the couples depart via hybrid limo services."

Couples' quests for environmentally friendly weddings are in step with some broader consumer trends. For instance, The National Association of Home Builders and McGraw-Hill Construction told the Nashua (N.H.) Telegraph that it predicts "a rise in green building to 10 percent of homes by 2010 from 2 percent today." Read the story here.

Even brides who don't make an environmental statement at their weddings are choosing green hues for the big event, says McBride, calling green "the hot color for every season." Learn how three flower shops are using the Web to bring in local wedding sales in the March issue of Floral Management.

--Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org

 
[return to top]

Florist Promotes Employee Appreciation Week

Clay Atchison III used art from SAF to create this banner ad promoting Employee Appreciation Week.

Tired of trying to define "administrative professionals" and worried that the term "secretary" sounded too dated, Clay Atchison III of McAdams Floral in Victoria, Texas, took a different approach last week in a promotion geared toward employers who want to heap accolades on their employees.

While researching online about a month ago, Atchison stumbled upon a reference to "Employee Appreciation Week." He liked the idea and decided to launch a campaign to coincide with the dates listed on the Web site.

"Since Secretary's Week has been diluted because of a name change, along with the business environment changes of job positions and names, I personally feel that Employee Appreciation Week should replace Secretaries Week," now known as Administrative Professionals Week (APW), which takes place April 22-28, 2007, Atchison says. "I think it has potential."

Using a photo from SAF, Atchison created a banner ad promoting the weeklong event for his Web site. He also ran several newspaper ads, capitalizing on a credit he already had with the Victoria Advocate. The result? Atchison says the campaign brought in about 15 orders, a number he thinks would have been higher if he'd had more time to get organized. Still, Atchison says he's satisfied with the results.

"I count this as top of mind awareness advertising," he says. "I didn't expect people to pick up the phone and say, I want something for Employee Appreciation Week, but I think it's very important to keep your name out there. And, if you're a corporate type of florist, this could work."

Atchison also used the opportunity to thank his own employees: He handed out $15 Texas Road House Steakhouse gift certificates to his 15 full- and part-time staff members and ordered a fruit tray for the shop. (Atchison kept that cost in check by doing a trade with the restaurant for the gift cards.)

"My employees always joke about, "What about an Employees' Week?' when they give me my Bosses' Week gift," he says. "They appreciated it more than anything."

Have an APW promotion that you're planning or a tried-and-true event from last year? We want to hear about it. E-mail your ideas to mwestbrook@safnow.org.

--Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org

 
[return to top]

Member of Highland Supply Family Dies

Dona Abbott

Dona Abbott, a director of Highland Supply Corporation and an internationally recognized artist, died March 2 in Boulder, Colo., after a five-year battle with cancer. Abbott, who retired in 2000 as vice president of advertising, handled advertising and design for Highland Supply for 37 years. A life-long artist, her work was regularly featured in national art exhibitions and magazines, and she authored two art books, "Watercolor Filled With Bright Colors" and "Captured Moments."

Dona is survived by her husband Bill Ervin, a son and daughter, three step-children and nine grandchildren. She is also survived by a brother, Donald Weder, and three sisters, Mary Kay Foley, Wanda Weder and Janet Weder.

To honor her legacy, her family is establishing a Dona Abbott Endowment for the Arts, and a Dona Weder Abbott Memorial Fund has also been established with the American Floral Endowment. Get more information on making donations in Abbott's memory.

--Kate Penn
kpenn@safnow.org

 
[return to top]

Online, All the Time

If your customers fall into a new category of Americans who have "relentless connectivity" to the Internet, they could be going online faster and more often than you ever imagined.

According to new survey results from the Pew Research Center, "one-third of Internet users, either with a laptop computer, a handheld personal digital assistant (PDA), or cell phone, have surfed the Internet or checked e-mail using means such as WiFi broadband or cell phone networks."

"Users of wireless access show deeper engagement with cyberspace -- at least when focusing on two basic online activities, e-mail and news," according to a center report  summarizing the survey's findings. "The boundaries between checking e-mail on a portable device for work or personal purposes can be very blurry; having such work-driven access may foster greater frequency of personal e-mailing or other kinds of online activities."

Other findings include:

•72 percent of wireless users check e-mail on a typical day, compared to 63 percent of home broadband users and 54 percent of all Internet users.

•46 percent get news online on a typical day, compared to 38 percent of home broadband users and 31 percent of all Internet users.

Not surprisingly, the Pew Center found that wireless Internet users "tend to be younger [30 and under] than Internet users in general. Still, the 30-to-49 age range also shows a predilection to use wireless access, particularly with respect to devices that are often adjuncts to people's jobs."

--Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org

 
[return to top]

Starbucks Chief Against 'Brand Dilution'

Bigger isn't always better. And, if you're the head of a multi-national company, private venting is almost always preferable to a public display. Just ask Howard Schultz, chairman of Starbucks.

Late last month, an internal memo penned by Schultz appeared on Starbucksgossip.com, a third-party blog not associated with the company. The 800-word document was so blunt, many site visitors assumed it was a fake until Starbucks confirmed its authenticity several days later.

In the memo, Schultz, who joined Starbucks in 1982 and is credited with creating the company's Italian espresso bar atmosphere, decried Starbucks' rapid expansion, saying the increase from 1,000 to 13,000 stores in a decade has "diluted the brand." (At one point, the company had announced plans to open as many as 40,000 U.S. locations.)

"We desperately need to look into the mirror and ... make the changes necessary to evoke the heritage, the tradition and the passion that we all have for the true Starbucks experience," he wrote. "I am not sure people today even know we are roasting coffee."

Potentially adding to Schultz's woes: At around the time the memo showed up online, a Consumer Reports survey showed that consumers rate the taste of McDonald's coffee higher than that of Starbucks.

Still, while the company's stock dropped 8 percent immediately after  the Feb. 23 publication of the memo, experts and bloggers aren't ready to write off the coffee giant.

"I don't think that Starbucks has all that much to worry about," Howard Simons, a strategist for Bianco Research, said to ABC News. "The person who's looking to treat themselves isn't looking to go to McDonald's to treat themselves or Dunkin' Donuts to treat themselves. Those don't have the caché."

Dan Geiman, an analyst at McAdams Wright Ragen, agrees.

"I think [the memo] is why the stock is down, but I don't think it will have much impact on the company and their growth and what they're doing financially," Geiman said to Reuters.

--Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org

 
[return to top]

Reader Feedback: E-mail a Day Scares Customers Away?

From BJ Dyer, AAF, AIFD, Bouquets, Denver:
I enjoyed reading about the analyst's take on the e-mail marketing campaigns of large retail companies ("High Notes of Retailers' E-mails Exposed," March 7, 2007). Particularly of personal interest was the one about Neiman Marcus. I used to get their e-mails and thought they were fantastic. Despite being so well done, I unsubscribed because they came almost every day. It was just too much information and became pesky. It reminded me of meeting someone whom you think is a perfect match as a friend, and you completely enjoy their company, and then they call you 10 times a day until you figure out how to completely cut off the relationship.  So although McCloskey brags on Neiman's robust program, I am proof that you can overdo it and make people leave a great program from too many e-mails.  Don't be TOO good a friend. A good balance is better, in my opinion.


[return to top]

Product Spotlight: Custom Print Marketing Center

SAF makes direct mail marketing a snap with its Custom Print Marketing Center. Simply choose one of our attractive postcard designs, customize it with your information, decide who it's going to, and place your order. The process takes minutes, and your postcards will be in the mail within a few days. For more information, visit the Custom Print Marketing Center Web site.

 --Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
[return to top]

Talk on the Forums

One member is looking for ideas on formal contract or information sheets for weddings. Weigh in.

Also on the Forums:

Energy-efficient coolers

New programs

Start your own discussion.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
[return to top]

Members Writing to Congress

Almost 80 percent of readers responding to last week's e-poll say they never write to Congress. About 13 percent say they write two to four times a year; 5 percent say they write once a year; 1 percent say they write about once a month; and another 1 percent say they write only during an election season.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
[return to top]

Stores Open Sunday Before Valentine's

Of stores usually closed on Sunday, just over half (55%) were open, at
least part of the day, the Sunday before Valentine's. Eighteen percent were
open all day, 36 percent for limited hours and two percent for longer
than their normal hours. Forty-five percent were closed on Sunday as
usual.

Source: SAF Zoomerang Online Survey of retail florists with email addresses. Based on 511 responses (response rate 14.5%).

--Ira Silvergleit
isilvergleit@safnow.org

 
[return to top]