WF&FSA 2016 Emerging Leaders Road Trip / Management Institute

Danna Avsec, Smithers-Oasis North America

I had the great privilege of attending my first WF&FSA Management Institute last week in Rosemont, IL. Attending this event was a terrific experience – one that was enjoyable, impactful and extremely insightful.

The program got underway on Wednesday morning with a Road Trip through the streets of Chicago. I sat two rows behind Harrison “Red” Kennicott III, as he told us about his experience in the floral industry. His commentary was extremely insightful and enjoyable. At the young age of 12, Red began working in the floral industry in 1949. Red shared moving stories about the evolution of the floral industry. For instance, I never knew that the code for Chicago O’Hare, “ORD”, is indicative of an apple orchard that once stood on the land before the airport was built. Or, during the Great Depression, people still bought flowers. Red’s father was a cut flower salesman during this time period. Even at much lower prices, everyone in the floral industry was able to survive during the Great Depression; information that I found fascinating.

We began our trip at Mariano’s, a high-end supermarket. It was very interesting to learn that they put expiration dates on all flowers. We then ventured to a highly sophisticated wholesale operation at Kennicott Brothers. Gowder Designs, our next stop, was extremely impressive as well. It was very interesting to see how everything is designed and ultimately comes together prior to a large event, such as a wedding. Our final stop was at Everflora Chicago – a 100,000 square foot facility! I learned a tremendous amount from looking at the floral industry from these various perspectives – mass market, wholesale and event planning. Additionally, it was so beneficial for me to network with others in the industry. This included growers, other manufacturers and wholesalers. Some of the wholesalers in attendance are customers that I interact with regularly on the phone and via e-mail. It was so nice to have the opportunity to spend time with them in person at such a tremendous industry event.

Thursday and Friday were also extremely beneficial to me as the conference got underway. All of the speakers were superb and certainly provided me with valuable information to take back home. Al Bates, Jerome Raska and Robbin Yelveton from Blumz by JR Design, Nancye Combs and Paul Reilly were clearly all experts on the subject matters which they spoke. Everything from driving profits and running a florist operation, to closing a sale were all topics that were impactful to me and my career. One topic that seemed consistent among all talks was that nothing is static in this industry and that we must be open and adaptable to change. Red himself has been in the industry for more than half a century, but indicated that he has seen many changes as the floral industry has evolved throughout the years.

I would highly recommend this program to anyone in the floral industry. It was truly an experience that I will never forget. Not only did I get to see how the floral industry is impacted in many facets, but I also had the chance to interact with so many other great people in the industry. It was also an extremely enjoyable experience – we each got to make our own bouquets on Thursday evening under the direction of Tom Bowling, AIFD!

I took home so much valuable information from these three days. It was an unforgettable experience that I will continue to take with me in my career. I am so grateful to be a part of such a remarkable industry.