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Craig Speaks Out on Immigration Reform
The terrorist attacks on Sept. 11 changed the issue of immigration in the United States virtually "overnight," said Sen. Larry Craig (R-Idaho) during SAF's Congressional Action Days in Washington, D.C. During his speech at the SAFPAC Gold Club Lunch on March 13, Craig, a champion of the SAF-supported AgJOBS bill, went on to classify some post-9/11 immigration decisions as public policy "run amok," with the U.S. populace losing confidence in the government's abilities to control the borders.
"We have a great history of assimilation," Craig said. "We are a country of immigrants. We need to recognize the character of who we are, who we were, and who we will become."
For Craig, a crucial step toward that recognition is the passage of AgJOBS, a comprehensive bill that would fix the country's broken guest-worker program, providing a way for current illegal workers to earn the right to remain in the United States. The bill, however, does not offer illegal workers amnesty -- a point Craig emphasized.
"Nobody is offering citizenship in any of this," he said. "It is offering [undocumented immigrants] a chance to become legal workers ... we need them, and they need to be treated fairly."
And, while AgJOBs does include border and employment security provisions, Craig cautioned that focusing solely on those issues is not an effective solution.
"We are building a fence in selected areas along the border ... but if all you do is build a fence (without reforming our current immigration laws) they will find other ways to get in," he said. "Local communities see illegals as a problem. There is still a good deal of racism in this country."
In the end, Craig seemed cautiously optimistic about the bill's chances of moving forward.
"Can we get there this year? I don't know," he said. "It appears the Judiciary Committee is moving. Will the House move? We think they probably will."
-- Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org
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Kennicotts Organize Clothes Drive
In the next few months, Katie and Red Kennicott, AAF, of Kennicott Brothers in Chicago will be rekindling a philanthropic movement they first initiated nearly a decade ago.
With the help of the International Floral Distributors, a marketing association owned by 25 floral wholesaler distributors, and Fundaflor, a Colombian charitable organization, Kennicott Brothers will spearhead a clothes drive for Colombian farm workers. Fundaflor will distribute the clothes, mostly to workers in Medellin and Bogota. IFD will make marketing materials available to members and will encourage them to volunteer to be drop-off points for donations, says Jeff Lanman of IFD.
Katie Kennicott says she hopes to start collecting clothes in August, and she expects the clothes to reach Colombia in October. If the couple's previous efforts are any indication, the final result could be substantial: Seven years ago, Kennicott Brothers collected 10 tons of clothing from customers, which were shipped to Colombia and then distributed to farm workers.
"We were in South America for a floral endowment meeting in January, and we had a chance to visit the farms," says Katie of the motivation behind the current drive. "Though the farms are doing everything they can, the people are still in desperate shape. We thought it would be a good time to do another [clothes drive]."
During the first clothing drive, the Kennicotts distributed fliers to their customers and posted notices in their branch operations. Customers dropped off the clothes, which were then packaged in Kennicott warehouses, shipped to Miami and then flown to Colombia, free of charge, thanks to the generosity of industry partners who will help the Kennicotts again for their second clothes drive.
"The truckers and the airlines are the ones absorbing the cost," Katie says, "They are the heroes in this."
The clothes were then distributed by a church in Medellin, with the help of companies such as Uniflor.
For more information or to get involved contact red_katie@sbcglobal.net.
-- Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org
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Update: Weather in Colombia
Pre-Valentine's Day freezes in Colombia have had some long-term effects on flower availability in the United States, according to wholesalers and importers.
"The availability of roses has been pretty tight in the market," says Randy Schenauer of The Elite Flower in Miami. "The freezes in Colombia certainly pushed back production a couple of days. In addition, when you pinch a large portion of your production in November to harvest in February for Valentine's, it takes a while to get back into that routine, weekly production."
Former SAF president Red Kennicott, AAF, of Kennicott Brothers in Chicago agrees. "Colombia is still suffering from the effects of last month's freeze," he says. "Good quality flowers of most cultivars are in short supply. This is expected to continue through Easter shipping."
Field-grown, soft flowers, including alstroemeria, were "really affected by the freeze," Schenauer says, adding that alstroemeria production "should be back on track in the next two weeks."
Look for additional updates on spring holiday floral supplies from growing regions around the world in upcoming issues of E-Brief.
-- Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org
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Giant Converts Floral Departments to Self-Service
Citing slow sales, Giant supermarket recently announced plans to convert floral departments in 62 stores in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and Washington, D.C., to self-service formats, according to the Baltimore Sun.
The change is part of a larger strategy at Giant, which includes plans to convert fish departments in 190 regional stores into self-service systems. (Giant is Baltimore's largest grocery chain but faces competition from high-end stores including Whole Foods.)
"The product will be just as fresh," Barry Scher, a Giant spokesman, said to the Sun. "Many other [chains] have moved to the self-service approach. It's something happening in the competitive world."
Still, some customers told the Sun they were disappointed by the announcement. Stacey Rubin said the change would make the store seem less "high-end."
"They're taking away service," she said. "They [workers] give it a real market feeling and it'll be strange to be in a store without them. It's surprising because Giant had always had that more upscale feeling."
No workers will be laid off as changes are made, Scher told the Sun; however about 170 employees will be moved to another department or another store or given part-time work.
-- Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org
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Fair Trade, Organic Boom in Great Britain
Fair-trade groceries, organic foods and sustainably farmed produce have gone from "the margins to mainstream" in Great Britain, according to a recent story in the Christian Science Monitor.
"It's part of a whole change of mood around the way we want to live our lives," Helen Browning, food and farming director of the Soil Association, said to the newspaper. "There's a recognition that the consumer society and values of the 1980s have worn thin, and people are looking for something more real."
Oxfam, a non-governmental charity, recently found that two-thirds of British shoppers have "refused to buy something because its producer was associated with unethical practices" and sales of organic foods are growing at 30 percent a year in England.
"The tipping point came when we started getting retailers doing 100-percent [fair trade] for certain products," said Barbara Crowther of the Fairtrade Foundation. "In terms of volume and range of product available to the consumer, the UK is the world's leader. Fair trade can help farmers who can see they can get even more value from their crop. It can give them a stability of income."
And, according to the story, the organic and fair-trade movements aren't, as some critics charge, limited to affluent shoppers in search of the latest status symbol.
"The 'counterculture' movement has a long history, as does a concern for the social and economic local well-being," Elizabeth Dowler, a food expert at Warwick University, said to the newspaper. "The food-retailing sector argues that affluence plays a part -- people have the leisure and capacity to indulge in that which is not 'essential.' I think this is too limited a view."
In the United States, people working within natural food segments are optimistic about similar growth. "While many of the mass market grocery retailers have been reporting a loss in revenue in the past year, specialty organic and natural foods chains are reporting steady growth and increased profit," Jeff Canner, vice president of marketing at Ian's Natural Foods, told BusinessWeek last April. "Industry experts predict this growth will continue at a steady rate as consumer demand increases, and [until] mainstream retailers respond with increased organic and all-natural offerings on their shelves."
Time magazine recently devoted several stories to the organic movement, including controversies over organic labeling and certification. (Find out more at www.time.com.)
Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org
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Prom Tips and Trends
To boost your prom business, get organized, let your creative juices flow and market directly to teens. That's just some of the advice veteran florists shared with Floral Management editors in the magazine's April issue. Other tips include:
- Take advantage of new resources. Suppliers are constantly updating their prom-related wares, says Sharon McGukin, AIFD, PFCI, of Designer's Touch in Carrollton, Ga. "With the introduction of Smithers-Oasis decorative wire products, for instance, and the use of trendy costume jewelry, a lot of the bases of the floral accessories can be made and sold in advance," she says. "Fresh flowers can be quickly glued into place days before the prom."
- Reach out to teens. Why wait for them to come to you when you can get to them first, asks Ardith Beveridge, AAF, AIFD, PFCI, of Koehler & Dramm Institute of Floristry in Minneapolis. "When the prom queen candidates are announced, send a new creation to the candidates, along with a congratulations note," she says. "Those girls will sell it for you."
- Use events to market. The "Echo Boom" generation responds to in-house events. "Advertise a prom party weeks ahead on a couple of weekday evenings." McGukin says. "Kids can drop by on their way home to grab a coke and a piece of pizza and place their orders in advance. Have an area set up with all the decorative accessories that they can choose from to create their own design."
- Don't rush the introduction. Prom may not be the best time to lure in teens for the initial visit. Instead, make yourself known to that demographic earlier, Beveridge recommends. "Try specials during the year for that population so their first visits to the shop are not so stressful," she says.
Have a story idea that you'd like to share with Floral Management editors? We want to hear it. E-mail your ideas to kpenn@safnow.org.
-- Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org
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Obituary: Jane Carithers
Long-time floral industry member Jane Carithers, AAF, age 65, died Wednesday, March 21, 2007, at her home in Marietta, Ga., of complications from heart problems.
Jane and her husband Larry, who died in 2003, opened Carithers Flowers in 1974, a one-shop operation, which they eventually expanded into multiple retail sites in Metro Atlanta and grew to become one of the top 20 largest flower shops in the country. Jane's son, Charles Carithers, is president of the company.
Jane had twice been named the Atlanta Florist Association Retailer of the Year. She served on SAF's former American Floral Marketing Council (AFMC) as well as the SAF Retail Council from 1988-1991. An avid supporter of her local community, Cobb County, she was inducted into SAF's American Academy of Floriculture in 1991. Jane also was on the floral décor team for presidential inaugurations in 1989, 1993, 2001 and 2005.
Ramon Garcia, AAF, of The Pete Garcia Company in Atlanta, attended services held on March 24 for Jane and said, "The flowers were befitting this lady who deeply loved the floral industry."
Outside of the floral industry, Jane was a board member of the Georgia Department of Human Resources and was a former Cobb County Citizen of the Year. She was a member of the Marietta Metro Rotary, a member of Leadership Cobb and was on the Board of Directors at Westside Bank. She is survived by her husband Ted Floyd; son, Charles; four daughters Lori A. Farlowe, Melinda C. Shepherd, Andrea C. Jeniski and Darla C. Howieson; and six grandchildren.
-- Kate Penn
kpenn@safnow.org
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Obituary: Maria Van Wingerden van den Ende
A matriarch of the well-known Van Wingerden family of cut flower growers in Carpinteria, Calif., Maria Van Wingerden van den Ende, died earlier this month. The following is excerpted from an obituary released by the California Association of Flower Growers and Shippers:
Maria Van Wingerden van den Ende (83) passed away suddenly and unexpectedly, several days after having a stroke on March 11, 2007.
Maria was born on September 2, 1923 in s'Gravenzande, the Netherlands, the 10th of twelve children. In 1949, she married her sweetheart, Johnny, and together they lovingly raised five children. To assure a better future for their children, the family emigrated to Carpinteria in 1967, along with John's brothers Case, Hank, and Bill, and his sister Annie and their spouses and children. Maria was always extremely supportive of the family flower-growing business John started in the Carpinteria valley with his brothers and when he branched out on his own and started Maximum Nursery. She loved her adopted country and especially Carpinteria.
Maria is survived by her husband of 57 years, John, their children Els (Andy), Carla (Leslie), Yoze (Larry), Winfried (Dinah), Eduard (Nadia); and her grandchildren Sebastian, Vanessa, Naomi, Madison, Sofia, Eva, Florica, Claudia, Ivan and Anastasia.
-- Kate Penn
kpenn@safnow.org
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Most Carried St. Paddy's Day Items
Nearly three-quarters (73 percent) of readers responding to last week's e-poll said they carried special holiday products for St. Patrick's Day this year. Only 27 percent said they did not carry them.
-- Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org
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Talk on the Forums
On the Designer Forum, a member is having mechanical trouble creating wedding centerpieces that are supposed to look like trees with lanterns in them. He also can't find the right lights -- and time is running out. If you can help with ideas or information chime in.
Also, on the forums:
Do you know that you can be notified when someone responds to a forum post? When you post a comment check the box at the bottom requesting notification of replies.
-- Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org
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Product Spotlight: Ultimate Floral Industry Supply Guide -- now with Desktop Search!
 Searching online for the products you need is faster than ever with the Ultimate Floral Industry Supply Guide's Desktop Search tool.
No need to open a browser with this small, moveable window on your desktop. Just type in what you're looking for and click to search instantly for products, services and information, using the richest floral industry supplier database in the world.
The Desktop Search tool is free, fast to download, easy to install, and, as with all SAF online tools, it includes no spyware or adware. Simplify your product searches. Try the Desktop Search tool today.
-- Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org
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Trends: Fresh Product Sales for Easter/Passover
According to retail florists, fresh flower sales are the fresh product segment with the biggest increase for the Easter and Passover holidays. Forty-six percent of florists said cut flower sales were increasing, compared to 30 percent who said sales of flowering and green houseplants were increasing and 20 percent who responded it was bedding and garden plants. On the downside, almost a third of florists agreed that sales of flowering and green houseplants were decreasing for these holidays.
When asked which potted plants had become less popular for Easter, the overwhelming majority of florists responded with Easter lilies or lilies. On the flipside, most said that hydrangeas were the potted plant gaining most in popularity. Other top-voted plants were tulips, azaleas, callas, hyacinths, orchids, bulb gardens and Euro/Dutch gardens.
Source: SAF 2006 Zoomerang Survey; based on 374 responses of retail florists with email addresses. (Response rate = 10 percent.)
-- Ira Silvergleit
isilvergleit@safnow.org
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