About E-Brief's New Look

This week's E-Brief shows off a new format designed for faster, easier navigation. Rather than include the text of every story in one big (sometimes slow-loading) e-mail, you'll now receive a shorter "Front Page" like this -- with articles organized under category headings and direct links to individual stories. The smaller size of the e-mail not only loads faster to your in-box, it also helps make sure you don't miss an issue because some of the story text triggered a SPAM filter. 
 
We hope you like it. Please tell us what you think. E-mail Shelley Estersohn at sestersohn@safnow.org.

 
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Headlines

Senate Debates Immigration Reform

The Senate introduced a bipartisan, comprehensive immigration reform bill, which is said to include language from AgJOBS, the bill SAF has long supported. The "Border Security and Immigration Reform Act of 2007" is "a vehicle for reform that agriculture should aggressively support" says Jeanne Ramsay, SAF's senior director of government relations.

"I am optimistic that they are working on [comprehensive reform] -- it's a step in the right direction," says Leo Roozen, AAF, former chairman of SAF's Government Relations Committee and president of Washington Bulb in Mt. Vernon, Wash. Roozen, however, is withholding final judgment on the effort, for now. "You can't take a position on something if you don't know what it's going to look like."

In a statement, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) noted that most of the provisions of AgJOBS are incorporated in the new compromise, including an improved guest-worker program and earned adjustment (Her staff has confirmed this, but some provisions are still under discussion.) Feinstein is a long-time supporter of AgJOBS.

"The situation is very fluid right now," says Ramsay. "Job No. 1 is to protect our AgJOBS provisions." 

Last Wednesday, SAF members Jim Rietkirk of Kallisto Greenhouses in Fontana, Calif., (representing the California Farm Bureau), and Bill Kluth of Tagawa Greenhouses in Brighton, Colo., (representing Green Industries of Colorado and the Colorado Nursery and Greenhouse Association) joined about 150 growers at the Agriculture Coalition for Immigration Reform's (ACIR) legislative "fly-in" to garner support for AgJOBS.

"It's important that we get legislation done -- so we can have a workforce we can count on," Rietkirk says. He hopes the bill retains the provision for an employment eligibility verification system with new anti-fraud measures.

"We have what appear to be the right papers on everybody," he says, "but with this we could make sure."

Don Darby of Darby Greenhouses in Jacksonville, Texas, however, is less optimistic about the compromise. "I don't think it's workable," he says, citing the $5,000 fine on immigrants who step forward and apply for a visa as one of the problems he sees with the bill.  "That isn't going to fly -- most Americans can't come up with $5,000."

At the same time, Janet Kister of Sunlet Nursery in Fallbrook, Calif., acknowledges that no one bill will please everyone, but "we have to work with what we have, or we are going to have nothing -- and the status quo is unacceptable."

The Senate is debating the bill through the end of the week. Senators will resume the debate in early June, after the Memorial Day recess.

SAF's Government Relations Department encourages all members to write to Congress and urge their senators to support the Border Security and Immigration Reform Act of 2007. For more information, contact Jeanne Ramsay at jramsay@safnow.org

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
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Issues Delay Marketing Initiative Movement

After receiving feedback from importers, the Floral Marketing Funding Initiative has decided to "suspend its activities" until after next Valentine's Day, according to Charles Kremp, the group's president, and Red Kennicott, AAF, the Initiative chairman.

The decision to postpone the group's efforts came after industry members, including John Amaya, president of Dole Fresh Flowers in Miami and chairman of the Association of Floral Importers of Florida, pointed out that outside issues, including the Free Trade Agreement, ATPDEA, instability of oil prices, and the devaluation of the dollar against the peso, need to be resolved before importers can lend support to the Initiative progress, Kremp and Kennicott say.

"Although I am very disappointed that we cannot continue at this time, it is important to be sensitive to the issues facing the importers and wait until the environment is more conducive to having a positive vote," Kennicott says.

Kremp agrees, adding that, if the importer issues were not in play, efforts would likely have moved forward as scheduled. "A few years ago, when the Initiative efforts first began, the importer community supported marketing more because, financially, they could take that leap of faith," he says. "Right now, all of these issues have eaten into their margins. There just isn't much of a cushion."

Kennicott adds: "I think [in the past year] we came to a promotion order in terms that could be supported and would have a real good chance of passing a referendum ...  [now,] because of the really serious issues, there's so much uncertainty, we thought the climate would be better in a few months, maybe a year, to restart the effort." 

Still, Kremp and Kennicott remain optimistic that the Initiative will move forward. 

"The goal of the Initiative was to find a way," Kremp says. "That has been accomplished. The next step is to gain industry acceptance. We have seen significant support grow on the domestic producer side and now need to wait for the importer position to improve so they too will embrace what is being proposed."

Once the industry approves the effort, Kremp estimates an order could be implemented in about a year.  "The groundwork is finished," he says, adding that industry members may contact him if they'd like additional information, charles@kremp.com.

See additional background information on the Initiative from previous issues of E-Brief. 

--Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org

   
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SAF Helps Florists Reach Out to Funeral Directors

SAF's Consumer Marketing Committee is hoping to minimize the use of the "in lieu of flowers" phrase and bolster sympathy floral sales by encouraging relationships between funeral directors and florists.

SAF distributed a press release last week to major funeral industry trade publications, including American Funeral Director and the National Funeral Director Association's The Director magazine, to promote the role of sympathy flowers in the bereavement process. The release cites the Home Ecology of Flowers study, which found that flowers have positive effects on people's emotional well-being. The release also discusses the continuing use of the "in lieu of flowers" phrase in obituaries, and it provides tips on how florists and funeral directors can work together to minimize the use of the phrase.

"This is a great step toward getting these important issues in front of the funeral director audience," says Dwight Larimer, AAF, chairman of SAF's Consumer Marketing Committee. "But perhaps the most important element of this process is for SAF members to make one-on-one efforts to establish and maintain a positive relationship with local funeral directors."

SAF provides members with free, new tools and advice, including: A sample letter to local funeral directors; SAF's sympathy flowers, a press release and alternative phrases to "in lieu of flowers." Also available is a checklist that can help your shop evaluate its sympathy business.

The Home Ecology Study is a result of the strategic alliance between SAF and the Flower Promotion Organization (FPO). The sympathy flowers outreach program is supported by the SAF Fund for Nationwide Public Relations. Get more information on the PR Fund.

Read about how the Texas State Floral Association is reaching out to Texas funeral directors in June in next week's E-Brief.

-- Jennifer Sparks
jsparks@safnow.org

 
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Parenting Advice: Choose Flowers

One of the country's popular family magazines has a flower-friendly message in its June issue: "It's no secret that flowers make us feel good... And research shows that they even increase life satisfaction."

Parenting magazine reports on Flower Therapy -- SAF's nationwide public relations program

Parenting magazine is the latest media outlet to pick up on an SAF PR program.

that educates consumers on how flowers in different color combinations can enhance or adjust feelings and combines SAF's university research on the emotional benefits of flowers.
 
The article quotes international color expert and SAF's Flower Therapy spokeswoman, Leatrice Eiseman: "Certain combinations of flowers and colors give us sensory cues that can trigger specific emotions." Use cool colors, the article suggests, to awaken feelings of serenity, and bold reds and yellows to boost energy.
 
"Given the fact that we launched Flower Therapy in 2004, this premier editorial coverage is a great example of how SAF's public relations programs are 'evergreen' and continue to capture the attention of editors and consumers," says Jennifer Sparks, SAF's vice president of marketing. "SAF worked hard to pitch different story ideas to editors from our many different programs."
 
The Parenting piece generated nearly 7 million consumer impressions (the number of times people are exposed to the message). It is a direct result of the SAF PR Fund, which has generated nearly 760 million consumer impressions since its 2001 inception.
 
Members can capture the attention of consumers and local media with Flower Therapy tools.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
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Dedicated Industry Leader Dies

Louis "Lou" Brand, AAF, former president of the John Henry Company, died April 18. He was 84 years old.

Louis Brand, AAF.

Born April 25, 1922, in Grand Rapids, Mich., Brand entered Michigan State College on a football scholarship. He left the school in 1941 to join the Army's 10th mountain division as a ski trooper during World War II. After earning a silver star and two bronze stars for his service, Brand returned to Michigan State to finish his studies, demonstrating a sense of commitment, even at a young age, that would be a pattern throughout his life and career, friends say.

"When he made up his mind about something, he would always go ahead and do it," says Bob Shockey, director of product management/development at John Henry. 

Brand joined John Henry in 1948 as the company's first art director. Earning that post required both tenacity and humility: initially, the company told Brand they couldn't afford to hire him.

"[Brand] said, 'Oh, yes you can -- because I am going to work for free until you really can afford it,'" Shockey says.

Brand rose rapidly through the company; he became its president in 1972 and chairman of the board in 1998. He retired in 2005, leaving behind a hands-on reputation.

"He was very people-oriented," Shockey says. "It was said he knew everyone in the building."

Brand was a member of SAF and sat on SAF's former American Floral Marketing Council. He is survived by his wife, Marina; sister Catherine Blain; son James Brand; daughter Merrilee Brand; stepson Mick A. Nylander; brothers-in-law Hector and Manuel Chiunti; seven grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
 

Donations to the Lou Brand Scholarship can be sent to:
The Lou Brand Scholarship Fund
c/o John Henry Company
5800 W. Grand River Ave.
Lansing, MI 48906

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

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Newsmakers

SAF Lobbyists Featured in D.C. Newspaper

Thanks to a recent article in The Politico, a Capitol Hill publication that launched in January, Washington, D.C., political insiders got the word that there is more to the floral industry than roses and potting soil.

The May 9 article, "Immigration Blossoms into Issue," profiled Jeanne Ramsay and Lin Schmale, SAF's senior directors of government relations. It focused on the pair's work lobbying for issues such as immigration reform, health-care reform, permanent estate-tax repeal and increased funding for agriculture research. 

The story "generated tremendous visibility for SAF and the industry among readers of The Politico," including members of Congress, congressional staff members, federal officials and other lobbyists, says SAF's Chief Operating Officer Drew Gruenburg.

"This is great for SAF," Ramsay agrees. "It really highlights our role on the Hill, our role in coalitions and our members' participation at a grassroots level."

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
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Florida Wholesaler Shines in News Story

When a reporter from the Orlando Sentinel called Jim Van Namen, a general manager of Carlstedt's Wholesale Florist, for a Mother's Day story, the veteran wholesaler didn't shy away from tough topics. In fact, he brought them up.

"At the end of the interview, she asked me if there was anything else I wanted to add," he says. "I brought up the holiday price increase issue because I wanted to explain the situation correctly and factually. I've been around for a long time, and I've seen the question handled poorly before." (Van Namen's family owns Vans, a chain of wholesale floral distribution centers in the Midwest, and he began working part-time in the industry at age 12.) 

In the story, which ran on the front page of the newspaper's business section just before Mother's Day, Van Namen explained holiday price increases as a function of many factors. "There are several reasons," he said, "one of them being the cost of fuel and transportation ..... Another one is that the growers ... when the demand is not there, have to sell their flowers for a loss. And what they're doing is they are trying to average their prices for the year. So it fluctuates. Another reason is very, very basic supply and demand."

Response to the story has been positive, says Van Namen, who had about a day to prepare for the phone interview.

"I had no idea how many people read the Sentinel," he says. "I even got a call from two of my competitors, who actually thanked me for getting the message across."

Need some advice on how to work with the media? Visit the Handling the Media section on SAF's Web site, www.safnow.org.

-- Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org

 
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Tips and Tools

Wedding Show Searches for Florists

Trying to tap into a more affluent wedding market? Want a place to showcase your design talent and market to the most discerning of brides-to-be? The Wedding Salon, a luxury bridal event in four states, is looking for florists.

"Floral design is always a big part of the show -- you never see a wedding without flowers," says Sheenah Parker, marketing manager of The Wedding Salon.

The show will take place June 27 in Somerset Park, N.J.,  and is also held in Los Angeles (in September), Miami (November) and New York (April).  The events are open to "national and big local florists," Parker says.

The Wedding Salon is "run like an actual wedding," with ceremony and reception areas where brides can view table designs featuring different flatware and floral decorations, Parker says. The high-end shows attract well-known wedding brands such as Tiffany, Monique Luillier, Harry Winston and Rolls Royce.

At the New Jersey event, Parker expects 700 to 1,000 brides, 200 wedding planners and about 100 members of the press -- giving florists, as well as brides, a chance to network.

"It's a huge marketing tool," Parker says.

SAF is providing The Wedding Salon with wedding postcards for their giveaway bags to attendees. The postcards encourage brides-to-be to contact their local professional florist for their wedding needs and visit the Florist Directory on aboutflowers.com. The Florist Directory will also be featured on The Wedding Salon's Web site and promotional materials, to reach an even larger bridal audience.

To get more information, visit the Web site or contact the company at (212) 631-7777.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
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Strong Sales, Happy Employees?

Want to keep your employees happy? Flexible schedules, bonuses and non-monetary perks are well and good, but the best strategy may be to simply sell more flowers. At least, that's a take-away message of a new longitudinal study from the University of Maryland.

The study draws a connection between employee satisfaction and the overall performance of a business or organization using research gathered from 35 companies during an eight-year period.

"Studies like these provide preliminary evidence that aggregated employee attitudes are related to organizational performance," according to the study's researchers, who found that, contrary to past studies that often painted positive company performance as a result of satisfied employees, the relationship between organizational performance and employee satisfaction is often a reciprocal one -- with businesses benefiting from happy employees and employees benefiting from thriving businesses.
 
"In general, people in both the business community and the academic world appear to believe that there is a positive relationship between morale and organizational performance," the researchers explain.

The researchers' full explanation of their study recently appeared in the Journal of Applied Psychology.

--Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org

 
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Trendwatch

Climate Change Shifts Growing Zones

Palm trees in New York? Could be. Some experts are now saying that climate change “has already nudged up large swaths of the country by one or more plant-hardiness zones, (creating) a longer growing season and a more robust selection,” according to a recent story in The New York Times.

"There is clear evidence that the living world is responding to this change already," said David W. Wolfe, a professor of plant ecology at Cornell University, who spoke at a recent symposium at the New York Botanical Garden called "Gardening in a Changing Climate."

The shift could have implications on how –- and what -- consumers plant in their gardens and yards. The National Wildlife Federation is predicting that by the end of the century, the climate will no longer be favorable for the official state tree or flower in 28 states. Warmer temperatures could also make toxic plants, such as poison ivy, more dangerous and increase pollen production.

Tara Dillard, a landscape designer and garden writer in Atlanta, told the Times she now “steers clients away from longtime favorites.”

"I'm writing a column about rhododendrons right now," Dillard said. "And I think my conclusion is going to have to be not to plant rhododendrons. We have heated out of the rhododendron zone."

In December, the National Arbor Day Foundation released an updated version of the United States Department of Agriculture's Hardiness Zone Map, which is used by gardeners to determine which plants can survive in their yards. Using data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Arbor Day map indicates that many bands of the country are a full zone warmer, and a few spots are two zones warmer, than they were in 1990, when the map was last updated, according to the Times. The Agriculture Department also is in the process of redoing the map.

-- Mary Westbrook
mwestbrook@safnow.org

 
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Reader Feedback

Mother's Day

In last week's e-brief we asked florists to write and tell us how their Mother's Day went -- view comments from readers here.

 
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Regular Features

Product Spotlight: Digital Local Area Marketing Kit Materials

SAF's 2007 Local Area Marketing Kit has gone digital! Now you can access all of the Kit's valuble marketing tools and advice, radio scripts, print ads, Home Ecology fliers and brochures, press releases, photographs and more.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

 
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Talk on the Forums

One member says that while she processes her roses correctly, customers often call, saying that the flowers' heads are hanging down within a day of the purchase.  Weigh in.

Also on the Forums:

Buying flowers direct

Delivery vehicle graphics

Start your own discussion.

 
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Florists Believe Mother's Day Sales Improved This Year

Sixty-one percent of readers responding to last week's e-poll said that, based on a preliminary assesment, they believed their sales to be up over last year's. About 32 percent said their sales were below last year's.
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Fresh Flowers Dominate Mother's Day Floral Gifts

A national poll of American consumers reveals fresh flowers were the most popular floral gift purchased for Mother's Day. More than two thirds of gift givers (67.8 percent) who purchased Mother's Day presents of flowers or plants choose to buy fresh flowers. Half as many purchased outdoor bedding/garden plants (32.1 percent) and a quarter purchased flowering houseplants (24.9 percent). One in ten floral consumers chose green houseplants (10 percent) or another type of flower or plant (11.5%) to give as a Mother's Day gift. Respondents were allowed to give more than one answer.

Source: The results are based on an SAF online eNation survey of 1,000 adults by Synovate. Survey ran the week following Mother's Day.

--Ira Silvergleit
isilvergleit@safnow.org

 
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