WFFSA CC v2  
In This Issue 1-21-14
WF&FSA 2014 Calendar - Check Out These Events

  

  

  

October 22-24, 2014

Doral Trump Resort, Miami, FL

Advertise in netWORK 

and reach over 2,000 WF&FSA members and prospects!

Click here for more information. 

 

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WF&FSA and Fuelman can help you simplify the process of controlling fuel and maintenance purchases. Fuelman makes it easy to monitor spending and identify hidden costs, such as unauthorized fueling. The savings can quickly add up -- with average annual savings of 10%.

There is no application fee and no annual fee. In addition, as a member of the Wholesale Florist & Florist Supplier Association you will receive a two-cent ($0.02) discount off of the posted retail price for all fuel purchases. There are no weekly or monthly fees! You'll only pay for authorized fuel purchases. Upon approval, Fuelman will help you set up purchasing controls for your vehicles and drivers, as well as provide training and assistance to help your company get started quickly. Read more. 

 WF&FSA's President is Tom Figueroa, Nordlie Inc., Warren, MI

WF&FSA's Executive Vice President is Trish Lilly

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 info@wffsa.org. 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! 

 

For more information on WF&FSA Events & Programs, visit  www.wffsa.org

 

newsWF&FSA PRESIDENT TOM FIGUEROA APPEARS IN THE PRODUCE NEWS!

 

President Tom Figueroa, Nordlie, Inc., notes that he sees 2014 as the year when many wholesalers will take a hard look at their business models and focus their business on specific market segments.  What else did he say?  Find out here!

ethiopiaFLORAL PRODUCTION IN ETHIOPIA

Reprinted PMA Smart Brief, January 14, 2014

  

Today, cut flowers are Ethiopia's third largest exported commodity by value and represent 13% of all exports. Learn more about the industry that employs about 85,000 workers in the region.

afeNEWS FROM AMERICAN FLORAL ENDOWMENT

 

 

AFE's Tips For Vibrant Valentine's Day Flowers 

 

Millions of people celebrate Valentine's Day with flowers, and the American Floral Endowment (AFE) has some expert industry tips to keep blooms looking radiant for as long as possible.  

 

According to Terril Nell, Ph.D., professor emeritus at the University of Florida, for healthy roses, wholesalers should keep roses at 35 degrees and use commercial hydration solutions.  

 

"And it should go without saying, but wholesalers should always follow the first-in, first-out method with their inventory," he said. "It really is important to pay close attention to that."

 

To read the full story and tips for retail florists, growers and wholesalers, click here. 

internScholarship Winner Shares International Horticultural Internship Experiences 

 

Brooke Gasteyer, a University of Wisconsin-River Falls senior, long dreamed of traveling to Europe for a horticulture internship. Her dream became a reality when she was awarded the 2013 Markham-Colegrave International Scholarship, funded by the American Floral Endowment (AFE) and the David. Read about Brooke's experience here.
studentDo You Know Any Eligible Floriculture Students?
AFE's Paid Floriculture Internships Applications Due By March 1, 2014
 

The deadline for online applications for the American Floral Endowment (AFE) Program is March 1.

 

Completing one of AFE's two floriculture and horticulture internship programs allows students to:

 

  • Train at the industry's top facilities
  • Develop critical skills, potentially improving employment opportunities
  • Get diverse, hands-on paid experience
  • Apply classroom knowledge to real and practical situations

 

Read about the eligibility requirements here.

uidUID REGISTRATION CLOSING IN ON 500  ATTENDEES!

March 9-12, 2014   

JW Marriott Indianapolis Hotel 

Indianapolis, Indiana

 

Don't miss the distribution educational training event of spring 2014! Sponsored by WF&FSA and other leading distribution associations (try to forget the use of the word "industrial," this is truly a distribution-based curriculum which will meet your needs). The University of Industrial Distribution is a concentrated educational program focused on the unique needs of the industrial wholesale distribution industry. Learn more here. 

 

Will you be among the students participating this year?

careCARE, HANDLING, AND MARKETING RECOMMENDATIONS FOR FLORAL CROPS

New E-Manual Available From Dr. George Staby

                         

A new eManual entitled Care, Handling, and Marketing Recommendations for Floral Crops is now available via e-mail that can be used on your PC, Mac, tablet, e-book reader, smartphone, and the like.
 
Prepared by longtime floral industry researcher and educator Dr. George Staby, it contains detailed production, harvest, postharvest, and marketing information related to improving the performance and sale of floral crops including cut flowers, flowering plants, foliage plants, greens, and bedding plants. Some of the content highlights are: 

  • Specific flower and/or plant processing procedures for wholesalers, florists (traditional and mass-market), fulfillment centers, and bouquet manufacturers.
  • Production, harvest, and postharvest treatment recommendations for growers
  • Over 900 hyperlinks to relevant articles, companies, and floral experts worldwide
  • Research-based marketing strategies to improve floral crop sales to consumers
  • The world's largest floral postharvest and marketing searchable databases
  • Care and handling recommendations for over 450 floral crops
  • Free services including consultations, programs, visitations, and webinars
The eManual is available in three versions to ensure its content can be properly displayed and easily read on a wide variety of devices that are compatible with Kindle, Windows, OS X, Barnes and Nobel Nook, and/or Android (Nexus, Sony, Samsung Galaxy, etc.).
 
Click here to learn more about (and how to obtain) your eManual copy of the Care, Handling, and Marketing Recommendations for Floral Crops as well as guidelines to help you select the best eManual version for your use.

tipTIP: UNDERSTAND WHAT DRIVES MILLENNIALS

MDM Staff 

Human Resources in Wholesale Distribution 

  

Younger workers entering the distribution industry often have a set of expectations that is very different from the expectations many of today's leaders had when entering the industry, according to distributors interviewed for Generational Shift Drives Changes in Technology, Customer Expectations .  "If we treated young folks new to the business today the same way that I was treated 35 years ago, then we wouldn't be able to keep any of them," Mike Rowlett, CEO of fluid power distributor Womack Machine Supply, said.

tick3 WAYS TO TICK OFF A CUSTOMER
By Tom Reilly, author Value-Added Selling (McGraw-Hill, 2010)

This past week, my wife and I stopped by for coffee and tendered our gift card. The employee working the register said the card was never activated. Therefore, she could not apply it to our purchase. I explained how I acquired it. She knew all about the promotion but still would not honor it. "The register will not recognize it," she said. She theorized that the manager failed to "charge" the card when he gave it to me. She apologized but rejected the card. We are not talking a lot of money here-two cups of coffee. For the price of two cups of coffee, an employee decided to do nothing to serve a frequent and loyal customer. There are three lessons to draw from this experience.

 

First, apply the DIRT principle-do it right today. The manager failed to complete the transaction by not activating the card. It was chaotic that day, and he dropped the ball. The logic of the DIRT principle is sound: If there is not enough time to do it right the first time, how will there be enough time to do it over again? Slow down and do the job right. The quality goes in before the name goes on something.

 

Read the full article here.  

netWORK is published by WF&FSA  

105 Eastern Avenue, Suite 104, Annapolis, MD  21403 Call 888-289-3372 or 410-940-6580