Midwest florists had more things to worry about last weekend than getting Mother's Day orders out, as thunderstorms and deadly tornados made their way through parts of Kansas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas and Georgia.

When Forbes.com turned its attention to flower imports from Ecuador just before Mother's Day, the story highlighted the industry's efforts to be proactive and environmentally friendly.

While the wholesale value of floriculture crops grew modestly in 2007, bucking a previous downward trend, the total number of floriculture producers declined from 2006 to 2007. Those were just two of the trends the Floriculture Crops 2007 Summary identified in a USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) report published in April.

John DeRemer Shanklin, 91, formerly of Pinellas Gladiolus, Inc. in Fort Myers, Fla., and president of SAF from 1957-1959, passed away on Sunday, May 4 at Hope Hospice in Bonita Springs, Fla. Known to his family and friends as Jack, Shanklin's career centered on the expansion and diversification of Pinellas Gladiolus, Inc. to include potted plants and chrysanthemums. He went on to introduce and implement a variety of transportation and logistics concepts to the industry.

Keeping flowers and local florists on the forefront of consumers' minds this Mother's Day sums up the result of Teleflora's "America's Favorite Mom" months-long promotion, says Teleflora Chairman Tom Butler, AAF. The contest for moms captured numerous headlines in newspapers and magazines, not to mention five back-to-back spots on the Today show, and a primetime TV special on NBC.

Mother's Day is a prime time to score coverage in the local media. E-Brief editors sought out a few samples of floral businesses making headlines and followed up to find out how they got them.

With consumers so choosy with discretionary spending, it is vital for florists to focus marketing efforts on promotions reminding customers about shop services and the benefits of giving a floral gift. To help drive orders to your shop, turn to a new sales tool from SAF. SAF's 2008 Local Marketing Kit, packaged in a skinny, white, rectangular box, was mailed to members late last week. If you are serious about increasing sales, open the box and put the materials and advice to work.

Setting your operation apart from others is the topic driving this year's Seeley Conference, the annual event that tackles issues specific to floriculture and focuses on the future of the industry.

Florists have a chance to better connect with their customers who are either happy with their bouquet or upset about wilted flowers, with a new business service recently launched by Yelp.com.

About 30 funeral directors recently trekked through a snowstorm to attend a luncheon and design show put on by a Michigan flower shop.

Stay-at-home moms, first-time home buyers and eco-friendly consumers all use social media sites, but they log on for very different reasons, according to a new report from a consumer research company in New York, as reported by AdAge.com.

Spurred on by youth-friendly ads, "cool" gadgetry and increased functionality, workers from myriad fields are asking employers to ditch company PCs in favor of Macs, according to a recent Business Week story.

Procrastinating online again? Don't worry. New research suggests that, while it's impossible to completely erase bad habits, creating other, more productive habits is easier than you may think — and doing so can lead to new levels of creativity and innovation.

Don't bring your vices to work, especially if you're in the habit of dropping expletives often, according to findings from a recent survey of more than 2,000 employers — if you don't, it could mean your job.

What if... a hacker stole all of your customers' credit card numbers? It could happen in a moment if your business systems don't have the right protections in place — and when it does, lost customer trust will be just the beginning of your troubles.

• "Keys to Communication" by SAF's PFCI featuring Sharon McGukin, AAF, AIFD, PFCI: July 7, 2-3 p.m. in Chicago, in conjunction with the AIFD National Symposium.
• SAF Palm Beach 2008: Sept. 17-20, 2008, at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Fla.

With Mother's Day looming last week, it's no surprise that E-Brief's most-read story was our reminder that it's "Test Order Time for Mother's Day Flowers."

Market your business to consumers with SAF's Marketing Materials. Choose
from preprinted postcards, statement stuffers and posters featuring designs like "Daily Inspiration," "We Do It Fresh" and "Special. Delivery." Don't forget this month's coupon at the back of the 2007-2008 Resource Guide! Call today, mention the coupon and receive a free pack of coordinating statement stuffers for every selected preprinted postcard design you order. The 2008 Local Marketing Kit is now also available online.

 Memorial Day is the focus of a new post just added to the discussion boards.

Slightly more than 83 percent of respondents to last week's e-poll do not actively market to elementary-school age children.

Value in Thousands of Dollars of Ecuador's Fresh Flower Imports

Source: USDA/Foreign Agricultural Service, 2008

Has the flow of Ecuador's fresh flower imports to the U.S. peaked? It's certainly too early in the year to tell, but numbers for the first three months of the year provide an inkling. As shown in the chart, the trend in Ecuador's annual cut flower imports showed a three year rise through 2007, hitting more than $145.1 million in 2007. However, in the first quarter of '08, values decreased from $48.9 million in 2007 to $43.7 million this year. So far, the value of cut rose imports from January through March are down from $30.3 million last year to $26.4 million in 2008.