WF&FSA PRESIDENT ROB SHIBATA SPEECH TO MEMBERS AT WF&FSA ANNUAL MEETING

October 22, 2015

Good Morning!

I’m honored to have been selected to represent and lead our association as President for 2016.

I want to say thank you to Dave Garcia for bringing me into the association in 2007 to serve on the Education Committee; to Nick Fronduto for asking me to become a board member; to Pat Dahlson for asking me to be First Vice President.  One of the reasons I decided to take the path to being President was because I had the opportunity to come behind Alan Tanouye and work with him.  I consider Alan to be one of the best and the brightest in our industry and I couldn’t pass up the chance to work with Alan in the association together.

Thanks also to my managers.  They have taken on more responsibilities which allows me time to travel.  And thank you to my wife who has supported me in my business and association work all these years.

I asked past president Pete Garcia if he had any advice for me about being WF&FSA President.  He said “When I became WF&FSA President, I asked your father the same thing.  And I’m going to tell you what he told me:  “Be inclusive.””  Include everyone in the process and decision making because this is an industry association, not like running your own business.

Yes my dad was WF&FSA president 43 years ago.  I’m privileged to be in a small group of people who have been father-son presidents of the association. 

WF&FSA had just become an independent trade association at that time.  As a young man, I recall him telling me many stories about the issues and challenges that the association was having. 

• The wholesale industry was fragmented.
• They needed more members.
• They needed education and programs specific to the distributors
• They needed to get the next generation involved in the business

All those things were true then and appear to be true today.

• The organization had, literally, NO money and didn’t know how to pay for the programs that they wanted to provide for the members. 

We’re much better off than WF&FSA was in those days, but we need more resources.  We need to grow the revenue so that we can put on all the types of programs we want for all of you in the future.   

So those are some of the things that haven’t changed, but as we all know, many things have changed in the last 43 years. 

• In our own company, we went from being owned and operated by three families to one family. 
• We used to produce 160,000 stems of roses per day.  Today we don’t grow one rose. 
• We’ve gone through two generations of managers while I’ve been at the company.
• And Floral Supplies has become a core business. 

Fortunately – Our company has been able to survive all those changes and we’re still here.

How about the Industry at large?  There has been even greater change.

• Entire production centers have emerged while others have disappeared.
• Logistics and transportation companies needed to adjust as production centers moved to different continents.

But we’re all still here.

• Some companies didn’t change and aren’t here anymore. 
• Other companies did change, and their not here either because they made the wrong change.

But we’re all still here

• Some businesses adjusted and survived.
• Other businesses adjusted and have thrived.
• Some companies planned for ownership succession and are well into the next generation. 
• Others planned for succession and aren’t here anymore.

But we’re all still here.

• The great recession of 2008
• Currency exchange fluctuations
• Customers have changed
• The decline of entire customers groups have disappeared.
• Other customer groups have emerged that we needed to learn to serve.

But we’re all still here.

• Boom and bust economic regions
• Channel conflict
• Competitors that are yo yo’s

But we are all still here.

We work in an industry with beautiful products.  But sometimes the business environment we work in isn’t always so beautiful.

We work in an industry with some of the friendliest and most hospitable people I’ve ever met, but events and circumstances are not always the friendliest and hospitable to us.

Well, here’s the thing . . . As a group, we are a tough, resilient, innovative, hard working, adaptable, industry.    We’ve had to change as business people . . . and we’ve had to change as an industry.

And do you know what?   We’re all still here.  And not only are we still here, but we are moving into the future as companies.  The companies that I know are pushing into the future.

As a trade association, WF&FSA needs to keep up with the changes that are going on in our businesses.

WF&FSA, itself, almost went off a cliff in 2010 drawing only 120 people to the convention.  The registration as of today is 766. 

Just like its membership, all of us, WF&FSA had to change in order to survive. I want you to know that the organization is moving into the future just like all of your companies are doing.

Many of you may think of WF&FSA as an old trade organization.  I want to tell you today that WF&FSA has become a young trade organization again.

Anyone who thinks WF&FSA is sitting back, resting on the success of the Conference is mistaken.  Our trade organization is working hard to provide services, products, information, and ways to communicate that are relevant to the floral industry today.  How?

• The executive committee made up of the past president, president, the first VP, and executive vice president, are now taking a team approach to running the organization.  It is difficult to complete initiatives within one year.  By taking a team approach, we can take on multi-year initiatives to help our members and pass those initiatives on from president to president.

• The Executive Committee and WF&FSA staff has modified the organizational structure so we have better communication between the Education Committee and the Marketing Committee and between the board and the committees themselves.  In short, we want the entire organization on the same page with the same message.

• We want that message communicated more clearly to the members which is the task of the marketing committee.  As part of that effort, the marketing committee is going to launch a WF&FSA blog early next year to talk about relevant seasonal and industry topics. 

We want you, the members, to know and understand what the association is doing.  If there is something we are doing that you like, you can let us know about it.  If there is something that you don’t like, or if there is something you want us to do, we want to hear about it.  We want to be in synch with the members. 

• The Education committee is creating programs specifically for the Emerging Leaders (the under 40 yr old crowd) for networking, education, and gaining experience. 

How about road trips to different cities around the country to see and learn about flower production and distribution?  How about internships where we can send young people to non-competing companies to work, and experience, and learn what other companies are doing in the industry.

• We are asking the committees to focus on strategic issues rather than only working on tasks.  

• The Executive Committee and board are working on committee and board selections much further in advance to have the best selection of people to serve.

• We are setting up guidelines to help the board and committees decide what topics, issues, and information are relevant to the members and what is not.

• We are collaborating with other trade organizations to consider how to promote more flowers in our channel.

Yes, the environment has changed since my dad was WF&FSA president.  Your companies have changed.  And I want you to know that your trade organization is also changing to stay relevant.  And we’re not only changing, but WF&FSA, like you and your companies, is here to move into the future with you as your trade organization.