SAF in Action BY JENNIFER MCNALLY


INDUSTRY LEADERS, EXPERTS SHARE IDEAS AT SAF REINVENTION SUMMIT


> At press time, the Society of American Florists was gearing up to hold its first virtual summit July 27-31, an event centered on reinvention and dedicated to helping floral industry members nav- igate the new landscape created by the global pandemic. “SAF is committed to adapting


its focus to deliver the best possible information and value to its members — and the July Reinvention Summit is a dynamic, multi-day affair that’s tailored to the key issues and challenges florists are facing today,” said SAF President Chris Drummond, AAF, PFCI, of Penny’s by Plaza Flowers in Philadelphia. The all-virtual Reinvention Summit


was planned to give participants a chance to engage more deeply with big picture trends and concepts than a typical audience-style event. Spread across five days, each day featured a keynote presentation, followed by a question and answer session, after


which attendees could choose among various small group sessions to dig into topics even further with their peers. “This highly interactive format allows


attendees to engage in several ways: lis- tening and absorbing what the keynote presenter shares, asking questions, and then really rolling up our sleeves with peers to talk about what the issue means to us in our business,” said Drummond. The Reinvention Summit was orga-


nized to tackle big picture issues such as how to understand and adapt to con- sumer behavior in a post-COVID world, tactics florists can use to re-engineer their web presence, ways to leverage your “local” brand, and ideas on how to lead your team through crisis and difficult times. Registered attendees have access


to the recorded programming through Sept. 1. Look for more coverage of the Reinvention Summit in future issues and at safnow.org.


MEMBERS TO ELECT NEW LEADERS


>Members of the Society of American Florists will vote for three new members to its Board of Directors during SAF’s virtual annual business meeting on Sept. 30 at 2 p.m. ET. “SAF depends on the expertise and


feedback of our volunteer leaders — having this group to turn to for advice and insight is critical to our work as an association laser-focused on meeting the needs of our members,” said Kate Penn, SAF’s CEO. “We’re lucky to have such a strong group of volunteer leaders serving our membership already and to have such excellent candidates this year.” Members will be able to vote by


attending SAF’s virtual annual business meeting on Sept. 30, and results will be announced via SAF’s website on Oct. 1. Once elected, the new members of SAF’s Board of Directors will serve three- year terms beginning after the virtual annual meeting. To cast an absentee ballot, the


voting member must submit a written request on company stationery to SAF


10


by Aug. 30 via mail to Amanda Roberts (aroberts@safnow.org) or fax (703) 836-8705. Completed absentee ballots must be received at SAF headquarters by Sept. 20.


The candidates for the Board of Directors are: Growers: Austin Bryant, Heart of Florida Greenhouses Inc., Zolfo, Florida


Retailers: Cheryl Denham, AAF, AzMF, Arizona Family Florist, Phoenix, Arizona


Stacie Lee Banks, AAF, Lee’s Flower& Card Shop, Washington, D.C.


Wholesalers: David Armellini, Armellini Logistics, Palm City, Florida


Candidates for councils are: Retailers Council: East


Jordan Prosser, Botanical International Décor & Design, Tampa, Florida


FLORAL MANAGEMENT | July/August 2020 | WWW.SAFNOW.ORG


Danny Sanchez, South Florals, Miami Central Heather Waits, Bloomtastic Florist, Columbus, Ohio


Cameron Pappas, Norton’s Florist, Birmingham, Alabama


West Brennan Rigler, Albuquerque Florist, Inc., Albuquerque, New Mexico


Andy Fiannaca, Sparks Florist, Sparks, Nevada


Wholesalers Council: Ryan Alders, Alders Wholesale Florist, Inc., Campbell Hall, New York


John Richards, DVFlora, Galloway, New Jersey


Melanie Spilbeler, Syndicate Sales Inc., Kokomo, Indiana


Growers Council: Farai Madziva, Kitayama Brothers Inc., Watsonville, California


Juan David Leucona, Deliflor, Miami, Florida


FJ Trzuskowski, Continental Floral Greens, Belfair, Washington


Jim Dion, Dion Co.


Charlie Hall, Ph.D., Texas A&M University


Joe Don Zetzsche, H-E-B


Kate Penn, SAF


Stacie Lee Banks, AAF and Kristie Lee, Lee’s Flower and Card Shop


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52