WF&FSA netWORK, 11-20-12 Issue

To find the 2013 Mayesh Design Star winner, it takes almost 2 whole months from the time Mayesh starts accepting video submissions. Mayesh has now announced both their Grand Prize winner and runner up.

Our runner up prize winner will take home a $500.00 gift certificate for their choice of product from UCI, a generous supporter of Mayesh Design Star.

The runner up for our MDS2013 contest is Jerome Raska AIFD, PFCI, AAF, CF of Blumz ... by JRDesigns!! Congratulations Jerome! Jerome was recently a featured presenter at the WF&FSA Annual Conference.

The Grand Prize winner will become the next Mayesh Design Star, but also receive Unlimited Containers,Inc. vessels for each month of shooting, their own page on our website, and a choice between 2 trips - the WAFA World Flower Show in Ireland OR the Chelsea Flower Show in London. This is a great way to reach out and give back to our industry. With just 9 full months of videos under their belts, "The Art of Flowers" series has already gained well over 70,000 views!

The Mayesh Design Star winner is Jodi Duncan AIFD! Congratulations Jodi! Jodi hails from Harrisburg, Illinoisthat has a population somewhere between 9,000-10,000. If you take a look at Jodi's website you'll see that just because she lives in a small town doesn't mean that she thinks small! website.

Curious as to why Jodi entered the contest? Read her own words, here.

B&H Flowers Emerges from Chapter 11

It is with great pleasure that Hans and Esther Brand, Owners of B&H Flowers in Carpinteria, CA, announce that B&H has officially emerged from Chapter 11 Bankruptcy. After 18 months of reorganizing and streamlining, on November 8, 2012 the court approved B&H's plan of reorganization. Hans had the following comments to share, "First of all I want to thank my employees for standing with us during this difficult time. They never wavered away from our goals, they stood strong and always believed in the success of B&H. I also want to thank our many loyal customers that stood by us throughout this process. It was their support that allowed us to continue to do business. And thank you to all the new customers that have joined us or come back to us these past 18 months. Finally to our vendors, most of who stood by us and continued to support us, you have our loyalty for many, many years to come! This has been a very humbling time for us, our family and our business and we are happy we were able to save approximately 80 jobs and a great company. Again thank you all from the bottom of our hearts."

A Quarter of Shops at Pre-Recession Levels
Reprinted Courtesy of SAF, Wednesday E-Brief, November 14, 2012

Almost five years after the recession officially began, a quarter of business owners say sales have bounced back, with nearly half of those indicating that their sales now exceed pre-recession sales numbers. Six in 10 florists report shop sales have yet to return to pre-recession levels. The results are from SAF's Economic Outlook Survey for Q3 of 2012, based on the responses of more than 300 retailers.

Shops whose sales now exceed pre-recession levels were more likely to have increased their Internet sales and marketing efforts, incorporated social media, increased their customer base, hired more qualified staff and picked up assets of competitors' defunct shops. They were also more likely to have better tracked their COGS and sales forecasts during the recession than those whose sales have not yet caught up with pre-recession levels. These same shops who are back at pre-recession sales levels were less likely to have reduced speculation on product during the recessionary period, deferred building repairs or modifications, dropped customers for late payments, taken on additional debt or needed plans to repay existing debt. Read entire article by Ira Silvergleit

Check out what WF&FSA 2012 Conference Attendees are Saying

Meet WF&FSA's new President, Pat Dahlson of Mayesh Wholesale Florist, Inc. and others who spoke about their experience at the Conference and their WF&FSA membership. These short interviews offer a personal look at what WF&FSA means to some of our members. Visit www.wffsa.org and you will find these interviews right on the home page.

There is also a great slide show from the Conference. You can get a good feel for the Conference just through these pictures!

WF&FSA 2013 Calendar - Check Out These Events!

University of Industrial Distribution - REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!

As attendees learned at the Floral Distribution Conference, the University of Industrial Distribution will be held March 10-13, 2013 in Indianapolis, Indiana. Despite the fact that "Industrial" appears in the title, we urge you to consider this program since it is not focused on Industrial Distribution.

Since 1994, the University of Industrial Distribution (UID) has offered the very best value for professional continuing education for the wholesale/distribution industry.

Offered each March, the four-day program offers over 30 full-day and half-day courses, delivered by the nation's leading faculty, distribution consultants and industry experts. Students choose their daily courses, based upon their needs and interests. Over 6,000 students worldwide have attended UID; with many attending multiple times.

Known worldwide for excellence in education, UID is developed, managed and delivered by 33 leading distribution associations throughout North America (including WF&FSA) , in partnership with Purdue University. Working together, these groups take great pride in providing a superior learning experience, tailored to the latest industry trends, at the lowest possible cost. Classes are focused on the unique needs of the wholesale distribution industry. To see the full program, click here. WF&FSA members can save $100 off each registration if delegates register by January 11, 2013.

Registration is now open for the 2013 University of Industrial Distribution, to be held at the JW Marriott Indianapolis Hotel on March 10 through 13. Attendance is limited - many UID sessions and classes sell out. Complete details are available on the WF&FSA website.

WF&FSA Management Institute

March 15-16, 2013

Charlotte, North Carolina

See Jim Pancero's quick video telling you what you will learn at the 2013 Management Institute!

WF&FSA Floral Distribution Conference

October 23-25, 2013

Doral Trump Resort, Miami, Florida

Remember to Download Your Social Media Guide for Retailers and Wholesalers - Yours for FREE from AFE!

The American Floral Endowment (AFE) recently released a Social Media Guide for Floral Retailers and Wholesalers. This guide was developed by Dr. Charlie Hall of Texas A & M, and was recently presented during the WF&FSA Conference.

This FREE guide is your one-stop destination for all things social media! Whether you want to brush up on your social media knowledge or you are brand new to social media and don't know where to begin - this information is a must-have! From written guidelines to videos, your social media presence will benefit from these resources! Visit www.floralmarketingresearchfund.org and register with the site to gain access to the Guide.

Nominations Coming In for 2013 Retail Florist of the Year! Nominate Your Customer Today!

Nominations are being received for the 2013 Retail Florist of the Year. Wholesalers - do you work with a florist you feel is deserving of consideration for this recognition? To help you decide, qualified applicants for "Retail Florist of the Year' will be judged on:

Visual merchandising and display, store design, and image
Advertising, marketing and promotional efforts
Customer service policies and programs
Employee benefits and training
Fresh flower selection and quality
Community and industry involvement
Overall business achievement

To submit your nomination, just click here for the Wholesaler Nomination Form and return it to WF&FSA. We'll take care of the rest.

Keep in mind - if your florist is selected as the recipient, your company is profiled as well in Florist's Review!

Direct2Florist.com Introduces New Magazine

Direct2Florist.com has introduced a new magazine, Florist Manager. Take a peek here: http://floristmanager.com/magazine/. Dedicated to providing news, design inspiration, business building articles and membership information, as well as showcasing the florists who make Direct2Florist what it is, Florist Manager will be a useful tool for you in your businesses. Available in page turning digital format or as a PDF download for you to print out and keep, the magazine will be published every other month. In this first issue we have plenty of interesting features.

Florist Manager is designed to connect the global Direct2florist network, which is why we would love to hear from you. Do you have an interesting story about you and your shop that you think your fellow members around the world would benefit from reading about? Is there a question you would like answered? Have you implemented a business boosting idea or scheme that you would like to share? Have you created a fabulous window display to celebrate a big occasion? Have you or a member of staff won an award? Whatever your story, we would love to hear from you! Wherever you are in the world - this is a magazine for the global network; get in touch by emailing [email protected].

Direct2Florist.com, in partnership with WF&FSA, offers consumers a unique way to order, direct from florists worldwide, without paying a 25% commission to one, two or even three middlemen. 100% of the money consumers pay for flowers goes to the florist, which means they can deliver much more impressive bouquets to your loved ones.

Wholesalers are encouraged to visit the D2F site:

www.direct2florist.com and share this with their retail customers. By linking this to your site, we can help raise the visibility of this site on google searches, creating more orders for florists signed on to this program.

We have shared with you the growth in sales since D2F's introduction in recent newsletters and we continue to watch the numbers grow. These increases are directly related to the D2F database functioning as designed (reminder notices to previous orderers, monthly newsletters to users, etc.)

To learn more about D2F, just click here.

So, What's New With You?

We'd like to know what's new with you and your company. Do you have any organizational changes? Have you changed your address? Added a new product line? Introduced a new product? Just send your information into WF&FSA at [email protected]. If you like, to simply the process, you may use the attached form. Or, just add us to your press release list. Email your press release to the email address above or send it to WF&FSA, 105 Eastern Avenue, Suite 104, Annapolis, MD 21403. We look forward to hearing from you!

1.037914691943128

WF&FSA Members Save on Shipping With FedEx

Whether you're an active member or thinking of joining, you should know that WF&FSA members saved an average of $6,318 last year when they shipped with FedEx. It's the FedEx Advantage--another great advantage for members of WF&FSA. For more information, click here.