HEADLINES

SAF Urges Members to Fight SAVE Act

Republican leadership in the House of Representatives is mounting a strong effort to force a floor vote on the "SAVE" Act (H.R. 4088). SAF has called the passage of the SAVE Act an "act of war" against agriculture. SAF is urging members to e-mail or call your Representative to urge that he or she not sign the "Discharge Petition" to bring the SAVE Act to the floor.

SAF Senior Director of Government Relations, Lin Schmale says that the SAVE Act addresses only one part of our immigration crisis — the enforcement part. "As 'enforcement only,'" Schmale points out, "it would deprive agriculture (and other industries) of workers without giving them a way to address the labor shortage and without addressing our overall immigration problem."

Schmale adds that the SAVE Act would require employers to use the unproven electronic verification system to verify the Social Security numbers of all current workers as well as of new hires. "SAF does not believe the electronic verification system is ready for that load, which will leave you, as an employer, in jeopardy," Schmale says.

On Tuesday, Republicans filed a "Discharge Petition," which is available on the House floor for all House members to sign. Once the Discharge Petition receives 217 signatures (a majority of the House membership), House rules require that it be brought to the floor for an up-or-down vote.

Schmale says this strategy is dangerous for supporters of immigration reform, in that it could force members to vote "for" the bill or appear to be "against" enforcement. "But enforcement is just one of the three essential components of immigration reform — finding a way to retain the estimated 1.2 million agriculture workers here without proper documentation, and reforming the current unusable H-2A program are not included in the SAVE Act, nor will they likely be addressed separately in the current Congressional session," Schmale says. SAF's position is that immigration reform must include all three components: earned legalization, reform of the H-2A program, and reasonable and practical enforcement mechanisms.

The SAVE Act currently has 141 cosponsors, including several conservative Democrats. "It is important that you contact your representative now to voice your opposition to the SAVE Act," Schmale says, by going to www.safnow.org and clicking on "Write to Congress" for a letter that can be modified and personalized and then e-mailed to your Representative.

For additional information, contact Lin Schmale, lschmale@safnow.org, or Brian Freedman, bfreedman@safnow.org.

 
--Drew Gruenburg
dgruenburg@safnow.org

 
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Silicon Gets People Talking at Pest Management Conference

Silicon was a hot topic among growers in attendance at SAF's 24th annual conference on Pest and Disease Management in Ornamentals in Atlanta, held late in February.

There was a lot of interest "in the potential role of silicon in the management of bugs and insects," presenter James Locke, Ph.D. USDA/ARS Greenhouse Production Research Group, told E-Brief editors. According to Locke, at least five of the speakers, including himself in his presentation "Current, Short-term, Future, and Star Wars Research Projects for Ornamental Crops," identified the silicon topic as needing further research, because it has only recently been recognized as a beneficial element and its role in plant chemistry still needs to be examined.

Growers seeking the latest ways to fight pests and disease soaked in three days worth of information, Feb. 28 through March 1, in 16 seminars and workshops. SAF Director of Meetings and Conventions, Laura Weaver says this year's conference was rated by attendees as one of the best-ever, based on the quality of the speakers and the relevance of the topics presented.

The conference was organized by Colleen Warfield, Ph.D., University of California-Davis, and Ray Cloyd, Ph.D., Kansas State University, and it offered presentations by some of floriculture's most outstanding researchers, many of whom are funded in part by the Floriculture & Nursery Research Initiative and/or the American Floral Endowment. 

The increasing rate of invasive pests over the past few years was discussed in "Thrown Off Balance: What to Do When a New or Resistant Pest Shows Up." The presenters, Lance Osborne, Ph.D., University of Florida, with Joe Chamberlin, Ph.D., Valent Corporation, and Cindy McKenzie, Ph.D., USDA-ARS cited a study that documents one new arthropod species becoming established in the state of Florida each month.

Conference Co-Chairman Ray Cloyd presented three programs, one on dealing with pest control by using plant essential oils, another on employing pest control methods that don't simultaneously harm biological controls and a third on how to use tank mixtures properly when applying chemicals.

There were also presentations given on the identification of the often difficult-to-identify "Diseases You Hope Your Plants Won't Get." Loren Oki, Ph.D., University of California-Davis, described sand filtration methods to treat irrigation runoff during his seminar.

The conference included a tour of Rambo Nursery and Southland Greenhouse, both in Acworth, Georgia. A "mini-trade-show" featured manufacturers' new and recommended products. A copy of the conference proceedings, including the papers presented (both hard copy and on CD) is available for purchase through the SAF Market.

Keep checking the SAF Web site for the dates of next year's Pest Management Conference.

--Morgan Schimminger
mschimminger@safnow.org

 
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Flowering the World Over

Flowers and culture became the centerpiece of a celebration to commemorate International Women's Day. The Ohio-based Great Lakes Consortium and an Ohio florist teamed up to produce the 7th annual multicultural celebration that featured a silent auction, design contest for vocational school students, ethnic floral show, networking, and more.

Photo credit: Christine J. Weisfelder WHAT A DAY Women from all walks of life came together to celebrate International Women's Day with the Great Lakes Consortium on  March 1. The event featured an array of floral displays and floral tributes related to the customs of many countries.

Elizabeth Balint, project manager for the Great Lakes Consortium for International Training and Development (an organization committed to working with needs of the world community), says the event was a huge success — about 300 people participated in the celebration. "We had a special focus on the floriculture sector in northwest Ohio and around the world. We invited participants from the growers, the florists and teachers and students from floriculture vocational programs," she says. The students also created the centerpieces for each of the tables at the luncheon celebration, which would later be judged for the first-ever International Women's Day floral design contest.

Ohio florist Jean Emery, AAF,  served as the head judge for the floral design contest. She, and a team of other professional florist judges, selected the winners — there were 29 entries and they were from five schools — of the unique flower creations. The students entered their arrangements in either one of two categories: 1) Ohio — which required students incorporate red carnations into their design, and 2) International — which had students choose the colors of a country's flag to work into their overall design.

Ohio competition winners were Hannah Culley of Penta Career Center, Perrysburg; Kelly Gibson of Four County Vocational, Archbold; and Veronica Seibert of Four County Vocational, Archbold.
 
International competition winners were Kayle Zahniser of Sylvania Schools; Connor Walter of Sylvania Schools; and Jessica Colt of Clay High School (Oregon).

And the People's Choice award went to Ashley Davis of Sylvania Schools.

The day's festivities also included an international fashion show about floral traditions from across the globe called "Blossoming in the World — Celebrating Women Everywhere." The event featured 20 women (from 17 different countries) who modeled ethnic clothing and flowers customary to their respective country. A model from the Netherlands wore a traditional cotton Dutch bonnet and carried tulips; a model representing Mongolia was dressed in authentic Asian garb and adorned with delphinium.

--Cassandra P. Foster
cfoster@safnow.org

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NEWSMAKERS

Ullrich Receives WF&FSA's LTK Award

A 30-year career in the floral industry that began by selling flowers out of a tiny MGB was celebrated during last week's WF&FSA Convention, when Peter Ullrich was named the 2008 WF&FSA Leland T. Kintzele (LTK) Distinguished Service Award recipient, WF&FSA's highest honor.

SMALL BEGINNINGS LTK Award recipient Peter Ullrich's 30-year floral industry career began as a third job, selling flowers out of the back of a tiny MGB, to supplement his income.

The LTK award annually recognizes a member who has made significant, long-term contributions to the floral industry and has displayed integrity, fairness, perseverance and decisiveness during his or her career. A visibly surprised Ullrich listened, as the presentation of the award included a retrospective of his floral industry career.

Ullrich was one of the first growers to establish a presence in Latin America and capitalize on the year-round climate there for growing flowers. His career began in the late '60s, when he supplemented the income from two other jobs by selling flowers. He'd drive to the Miami airport twice a week and load up his MGB with flowers and sell them from store to store. In 1971, he opened a wholesale operation in Queens, N.Y., and imported flowers from South America. That path led him to partnering with and eventually buying a fledgling farm in South America. Despite the fact that he knew nothing about growing flowers, he eventually turned it around, selling his flowers through CFX in Miami and later started the Condor Farms Marketing arm, which became Esmeralda Farms.

In the early 1990s, Ullrich added breeding to his repertoire and today has as many as 25,000 different seedlings being tested for commercial viability. Esmeralda Farms employs more than 5,000 people, with farms spanning over 1,000 acres.

"Yes, I started with a little MGB, it sure was a lot easier selling flowers then," Ullrich said, chuckling, as he accepted the award. "We work a lot more now ... the floral industry is a wonderful industry."

--Kate F. Penn
kpenn@safnow.org

 

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Florists Named Washington 'Favorites'

It's good to be considered a "favorite" anything, but to be labeled "favorite florist" and talked about in a major Metropolitan newspaper, well, that's another story. That's the case for five florists named the "FiveFaves: Places to Get Flowers" by The Seattle Times.

Three of the five Washington florists are SAF members: The Box Social Florist in Kent, Wash.; Bee's Florist & Décor in Covington; and Cugini Florists and Fine Gifts in Renton.

Since the article was published, Anita Russell, owner of The Box Social Florist, says that she's noticed an up tick in new and regular customers at her "off the beaten track" location. She says new customers are saying things like, "I've driven by and saw your sign, and never stopped in, but now after the article I had to."

Getting covered by The Seattle Times isn't new for Amy Ganter, owner of Bee's Florist & Décor, whose Times debut was in an article tied-in to the release of DreamWorks' Bee Movie in November 2007. The buzz was about the similarity between the "Bee" names, the movie's premise about a florist, and it was also set to coincide with the new ownership of the flower shop. Ganter says if the impact of this latest coverage is anything like the previous, in about a week she'll see some new customers trickle in.

Store regulars also buzzed about the newspaper coverage to William Gaw, owner of Cugini Florist and Fine Gifts. He says the customers brought the newspaper clippings into the shop to show him the write-up on his store. Word-of-mouth is everything, Gaw says about the publicity, and getting a mention in The Times is "great."

According to the favorite florists, other florists nominated each shop for the write-up.

To read more about other winning florists who've been voted "best of" in their cities, and how they did it, look to the October 2006 issue of Floral Management magazine.

--Cassandra P. Foster
cfoster@safnow.org

 
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Florist Set to Serve Country in Iraq

A New Jersey florist is all set to do double duty, quite literally, as he prepares to temporarily hand the reins of his shop to his staff before leaving to serve the country in Iraq this summer.

Growing up in Haddonfield, N.J., D.W. Janszky, owner of Haddonfield Floral Co. had long thought about joining the service.

"My father was in the Marine Corps, his father was in the Army Air Corps," Janszky explains.  "I wasn't really raised to go into the military, it was just something I always considered. After college, it never really left my mind. So I got to a day, where I literally said 'I can't do this anymore.'"

So Janszky joined the National Guard in August 2005 and, about two years later, found out he will ship out to Iraq with the Army National Guard's 42d Infantry Division.

Until it's time to leave, Janszky says he'll be busy preparing his staff to run the store without him for the next year.

"It's really administrative, I'm not a designer," Janszky says.  "I just need to make sure that in all of the books, all the t's are crossed and the i's are dotted," so his staff has easy access to the information they'll need.

Both of his designers have a notebook detailing their area of responsibility during his absence. With access to e-mail, text messaging and the occasional phone call, Janszky is confident his designer, Kathy Dallman, who has run the store during other bouts of leave, can handle the job. 

"We've done this before, not for a year's worth of time, but we've done this before," Janszky says.  "(Kathy's) quite adept and experienced at managing the affairs of the business while I'm gone."

--Kori Kamradt
kkamradt@safnow.org

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LIFE AT WORK

Shinoda Foundations Announces New Scholarship

The Joseph Shinoda Memorial Scholarship Foundation, named for the late president of San Lorenzo Nursery in Oakland, Calif., has announced a new scholarship for floral design students.

The scholarship, Shinoda Design Center Floral Design Scholarship, will be given to two students working toward a degree (associate's or bachelor's degrees) in either floral design or floral management. The scholarships are $500 each, and the recipients must be enrolled at institutions in either of the following California locales: Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Diego counties. Further eligibility requirements detail that the student should be a rising sophomore (or entering their second year) with an "established career intent" in the floral industry. To apply for the scholarship, download the form by clicking here.

--Cassandra P. Foster
cfoster@safnow.org

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Offensive Talk Is Common While on the Job

Despite anti-discrimination and sexual harassment laws, off-color comments in the workplace aren't a thing of the past; in fact, they're more common now than ever, according to a recent survey.

WorkforceWeek reports on the increase in popularity of sexually offensive or racist comments at work.

Novations Group, a Boston consultancy group specializing in work issues, conducted a telephone survey of female and male employees, which focused on the types of conversation they heard in the workplace. The report states, "38 percent of women heard colleagues utter sexually demeaning comments, up from 22 percent in 2006." Men (45 percent) agreed and said they overheard the same comments.

Racial and ethnic slurs are also popular in the workplace, with men (44 percent) and women (24 percent) saying they've overheard those types of talk.

Looking for ways to curb this kind of talk at your shop (and avoid the potential for discrimination and sexual harassment issues)? Turn to previous issues of E-Brief for tips in articles such as "Work Place Kissy Face?" and "Discrimination Charges Up in 2006, Feds Say."

--Cassandra P. Foster
cfoster@safnow.org

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TRENDS AND TIPS

A Growing Phenomenon: Cultural Wedding Flowers

More and more, today's brides- and grooms-to-be in the United States are looking for ways to incorporate their heritage into their weddings — and, not only can florists help, they can capitalize on this market with some insight into each culture.

The article, "Choosing flowers for ethnic weddings," as reported in the Virginia Gazette in Williamsburg, Va., details the many ways florists can incorporate flowers specific to a certain culture into a wedding.

The writer provides flower examples from florists across the country for several demographics including Mexican-American, Jewish-American, Chinese-American and African-American. Popular looks for ethnic weddings include white flowers and pink colors for Mexican-American weddings; chuppahs adorned with flowers such as tulips and roses for Jewish-American; red flowers dominate the looks of Chinese-American ceremonies; and bright floral hues, characteristic of Afrocentric clothing, are a must with African-American weddings.

Floral Management explores the popularity of ethnic weddings in the United States, and how florists have been able to appeal to that market, in the cover story of its March issue, "Multicultural Nuptials."

--Cassandra P. Foster
cfoster@safnow.org

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BELIEVE IT OR NOT

Runaway Brides, Grooms: Pay Up

Brides- and grooms-to-be in Mexico may re-think taking action on the cold feet they get at the altar. A proposed law would make a betrothed who skips out on the wedding pony up some cash to the one they left behind.

The new law in Mexico City is being proposed to "offer engaged couples a legal contract outlining how much a man or woman can recoup if he or she is jilted at the altar," according to a recent article by The Associated Press.

Jose Zepeda, a divorce lawyer and now-politician, discusses the reasons behind the proposed legislation that hopes to deter runaway brides and grooms. "What we want is to protect the person who is being hurt, not only emotionally but also economically ... Whoever rents a wedding hall, pays for the church, for the cake, has the right to be reimbursed."

Following in the same vein of Mexican weddings, multicultural nuptials — which, according to recent U.S. statistics, are on the rise — take center stage in the March issue of Floral Management magazine.

--Cassandra P. Foster
cfoster@safnow.org

 
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MARK YOUR CALENDAR

The Breakers Awaits SAF's 124th Convention

SAF members who've had the chance to attend one of our conventions at The Breakers in Palm Beach, Fla., know why our meetings there are always among the best-attended SAF events.  The recently renovated, but still iconic, Florida facility offers the perfect environment for four days of learning, information-sharing, making business connections and enjoying the company of new and old friends. Mark your calendars for SAF Palm Beach 2008, Sept. 17-20, and watch for registration materials later this spring. For more information contact Laura Weaver, CMP, 800-336-4743.

 
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On the Horizon

• "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.

 
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REGULAR FEATURES

Real Simple Prices Too Low

On Feb. 20, E-Brief editors reported that Real Simple magazine ran an article giving readers advice how to best arrange cut flowers and elongate their vase life.
 
Reader Regina Cannon Treml, of Belladonna Florist in Eden Prairie, Minn., writes that, while she appreciates that Real Simple, one of her favorite magazines, tells readers when to "turn it over to a pro," she spotted a problem in a recent wedding article that lists a number of different flowers costing less than $2 a stem.

 
"I don't know about the rest of the country but my suppliers sold me alstroemeria at $10.99bu, Freesia at $11.99bu, (and) Snaps and Stock at $9.99bu... before delivery charges," Cannon Treml writes. "That puts retail in roughly the $4.35-$3.65 range per stem. Now a national publication promoting florists makes me appear to be more than twice the 'market' price."

Treml reiterates that she still loves the magazine, because it encourages flower use in the home, but that it is "way off base" with this article.

--Kori Kamradt
kkamradt@safnow.org

 
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Product Spotlight: Wedding Flower Calculator

Planning a wedding can be a stressful time for your customers. Help your brides-to-be plan their flower allowance by downloading the Wedding Flower Calculator from SAF's Web site. This easy-to-use tool allows customers to calculate their wedding budget. Just download the calculator, and enter your shop's information and flower prices. They can enter what they need and it will calculate approximately how much they can expect to spend. (Requires Microsoft Word and Excel.)

Don't forget about the March 2008 coupon located at the back of the 2007-2008 Resource Guide. Order SAF'S "Relax: We Make All The Arrangements" wedding postcard and receive the corresponding poster absolutely free!

Disscusion Forums

Discussions abounded on the forum this past week. A response was posted to a member's request for recommendations and personal experiences regarding offering simple floral classes in her shop. The post suggested checking with the insurance company to see if rates would increase by holding the classes. The other important recommendation involved making sure "you have the right person to teach" the floral classes. Want to share your experience with in-shop floral classes?

There's a new request up on the boards wanting to know if members have seen an improvement in revenue due to their Web sites. The curious poster also wants some information on how those sites that do successfully bring in business accomplish such a feat. She posted a couple specific questions regarding Web site setup. Click here to see if you can help her with the answers.

Or start your own discussion.

--Morgan Schimminger
mschimminger@safnow.org

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Tattoos and Piercings Not Work Appropriate

An overwhelming 61 percent of respondents to last week's e-poll only allow employees to wear earrings on earlobes while on the job. Only a little less than 24 percent had no policy in place regarding visible tattoos and piercings. Almost 15 percent permit employees to freely display tattoos and piercings.

 --Morgan Schimminger  
mschimminger@safnow.org

 
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Easter Sales in 2007 by Size of Business

Of the 35 percent of florists who reported Easter sales increases in 2007 over 2006, about 40 percent were in the $1 million and above annual sales category. Sales increases at mid-sized shops were less likely; however, more than a third of the smaller shops, defined as those with less than $300,000 in annual sales, also reported increases. The most prevalent report was from shops in the $300,000 to $500,000 annual sales level — more than 40 percent reported decreases compared to 35 percent of the shops overall. Less than 30 percent of all shops reported sales about the same as the year before, with the exception of those in the $500,000 to $1 million sales category, in which more than 37 percent of shops found sales for those two years running to be a wash.

Easter Sales in 2007 by Size of Business
Source: SAF Post-Easter Online Survey of Retail Florists. Based on 217 responses (response rate = 6.4 percent).

 
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