June 2023 Newsletter

June 21, 2023

Posted By: Monnaie C. Pepin in CalFlowers Newsletters,

More Americans enjoying more flowers more often...

June 2023

In This Issue ...

2023 Member Appreciation Meeting Registration Opens July 6
That Flower Feeling Welcomes First Staff Member
California Flower Day At The State Fair
Thank You For Being A CalFlowers Member!
Partner Spotlight: Memorial Day Flowers
Connect With Your Peers
Be Mindful: Florabundance embodies ‘That Flower Feeling’
"New" Member Spotlight
Transportation Updates
Welcome New CalFlowers Members

2023 Events

Texas Floral Expo 2023 - "Emersion"
June 23 - 25, 2023
Sheraton Austin Georgetown Hotel and Conference Center

Slow Flowers Summit
June 26 - 27, 2023
Bellevue Botanical Garden Bellevue, WA

AIFD - "Grow"
Hilton Chicago
July 1 - 5, 2023
Chicago, IL

DevX
August 2 - 4, 2023
Hilton Niagara
Falls/Fallsview
Niagara Falls, ON, Canada

CalFlowers "Member Appreciation" Meeting
Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel
August 18, 2023
San Diego, CA

SAF "Phoenix 2023"
The Westin Kierland
Resort & Spa
September 6 - 9, 2023
Phoenix, AZ

2024
Save The Dates

2024 Fun 'N Sun Floral Convention
Omni La Costa Resort & Spa
September 4 - 7
Carlsbad, CA

Latest Legislation
Updates:

Click Here to read the latest Legislative updates.

Is a cooperative effort to get more Americans enjoying more flowers, more often. From upscale florists, farmers markets or grocery stores — as long as people are bringing home flowers regularly, that’s good enough for us.

We want everyone to experience the impact of flowers on a daily basis. They’re a beautiful, natural dose of feel-good, so why should they be reserved for special occasions?

Even the most modest bouquet of flowers can have all sorts of positive short and long term effects on how we feel — in other words, it’s that flower feeling.

Click Here and request access to all of the FREE Assets That Flower Feeling has to offer.

FLOWERS.
SELF CARE MADE EASY.

Self care has become a lot of work. You gotta pamper, practice mindfulness, balance life and work, and be awesome at all of them. Flowers on the other hand are self care made easy. They won't replace working out or eating well. But they're a spiritual tune-up. So treat yourself to a little off-the-shelf self care.

CalFlowers Featured
"New Member" Spotlights

To see all of our past Featured "New Member" Spotlight stories Click Here.

If your company would like to be a featured "New Member", please contact Monnaie Pepin for more details.

Past CalFlowers Newsletters

Click Here to view past CalFlowers Newsletters now available on our website.

CalFlowers News

Our goal is to communicate with our members and interested parties on a monthly basis about recent, past, and upcoming events, program updates, and general information about CalFlowers engagement in the industry on behalf of the membership.

If you have an announcement or story you think our members should see, contact Monnaie Pepin, Director of Communications, Events and Administration.

2023 - 2024
Membership Directory Available Online

To purchase additional printed copies of the 2023 - 2024 Membership Directory please Contact Jordan Richardson.

For Members Only Access

Click Here for a quick reference guide on how to log into the members only site.

CalFlowers
Social Media

Show That You Are A Proud Member of CalFlowers!

CalFlowers Members in good standing are now welcome and encouraged to use the CalFlowers logo to show that they are proud members of the Association. Read the full logo policy, suggested uses, and download the logo by visiting the CalFlowers membership portal and selecting “Marketing Tools” on the dropdown menu:
https://cafgs.memberclicks.
net/marketing-tools

2023 Member Appreciation Meeting Registration Opens July 6

The Board and Staff of CalFlowers are excited to have you joinus on Friday, August 18, at the San Diego Hilton Bayfront, for a series of presentations outlining the Association’s most important industry support initiatives, along with round table discussions!

Board President Ivor Van Wingerden will kick the meeting off with commentary on CalFlowers’ current activities, and our positioning in the ever-changing floriculture industry.

J Schwanke will update you on the tremendous growth of Life In Bloom television show and explain what’s next for this exciting project.

And Executive Director Steve Dionne, will provide an update on the That Flower Feeling consumer marketing campaign.

Presentations will be followed by round table discussions on important industry topics.

Don’t miss this exciting event, full of great information and the awesome networking you experience at all CalFlowers events. After the meeting and the industry happy hour, we will walk across the pedestrian bridge to Petco Park where we have reserved a suite in the Western Metal Building to show our appreciation for YOU!

Registration will open on Thursday, July 6 along with the baseball game tickets (San Diego Padres vs. Arizona Diamondbacks) and room block at the San Diego Hilton Bayfront. We will send out an email on July 5, the day before registration opens as a reminder.

You will need your username and password to register for the event. If you need help with that, please contact Jordan Richardson at jordan@cafgs.org or by calling (831) 217-3423.

For more information visit the 2023 Member Appreciation Meeting page on our website.

That Flower Feeling Welcomes First Staff Member

CalFlowers is happy to announce exciting news regarding the That Flower Feeling Foundation. Vanessa Leite has joined the team as the foundation’s Community Building and Development Specialist. In her role, Vanessa will develop strategies for the foundation, engage the industry and consumers along with fund development to sustain the marketing initiative.

Prior to joining the That Flower Feeling initiative, Vanessa spent over twenty years in the nonprofit sector. Her experience includes nonprofit resource development, community engagement and public relations and outreach. She is looking forward to applying her talents and skillsets in her newly developed role while expanding her knowledge base of the floral sector and connecting the community with beautiful flowers!

Vanessa currently resides in Boston, Massachusetts where she enjoys spending time with her family and her son, Marcus. She is actively involved with several local nonprofit organizations and enjoys serving on various boards and committees. In her free time, you can find Vanessa actively participating in one of her favorite pastimes, singing at her favorite karaoke establishments.

Please join us in welcoming Vanessa, she may be reached at vanessa@thatflowerfeeling.org or by phone at (831) 304-4212.

California Flower Day At The State Fair

The California State Floral Association and CalFlowers (That Flower Feeling) are partnering on a booth at the California State Fair.

The Fair has named Sunday, July 23^rd as California Flower Day at the Fair. Students and professional floral designers will compete in qualifying competitions throughout the day.

In partnership with California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom, California Flower Day will also feature a children’s floral design showcase.

CSFA has been asked to provide flowers and supplies for the Floral Shop throughout the fair and on California Flower Day, July 23. We would truly appreciate your sponsorship of beautiful flowers. Flora Fresh Inc. will be the receiving site and will be contacting you for shipping dates and special needs.

Your consideration and support will be greatly appreciated.

Thank You For Being A CalFlowers Member!

Thank you for renewing your CalFlowers membership! We have a wide range of floral stakeholders that make up our incredible community and we are thrilled to continue to build our programs to better serve you! Keep your eye out for a member survey in the coming months because we want to hear from you.

If you have yet to renew your membership, please do so immediately. Contact Membership Coordinator, Jordan Richardson, if you need a new invoice by calling (831) 217-3423 or emailing jordan@cafgs.org.

Partner Spotlight: Memorial Day Flowers

The Day Flowers Foundation brought a record-breaking 250,000 flowers to the Arlington National Cemetery, which was enough to honor ~70% of the gravesites.

“We are so grateful to the American public and the generosity of our floral importers, who are literally donating thousands of flowers by the pallet, to ensure our fallen military heroes are honored this year,” said Ramiro Penaherrera, the executive director of the Foundation. “This outpouring of support shows the patriotic spirit of so many Americans”. Learn more by visiting the Memorial Day Flowers Foundation website.

Connect With Your Peers

Did you know that CalFlowers has a members-only Facebook group? CalFlowers members are in all 50 states, and we aim to facilitate opportunities to build connections across the floral sector. In the spirit of collaboration and community building, we encourage new and existing CalFlowers members to utilize the private forum to ask questions and share information, support colleagues, and connect with like-minded members. Join the group by visiting: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1403684573137064/

Be Mindful: Florabundance embodies ‘That Flower Feeling’

New Member Spotlight

Crespell is a cut flower farm in Upstate New York. They are located ~150 miles from NYC, tucked into the Catskill Mountains which helps to keep their flowers cooler for longer periods of time. The owner, Anne Hall, laments, "We will never be the first to market, but we will always be the last".

Crespell is committed to principles of permaculture and regenerative farming. Anne and team are creating a sustainable farm at every level, from team building and financial success, to the environmental impact they have on their land, community, and flower industry as a whole.

Crespell offers a wide variety of floral options, including u-pick, wholesale, workshops, and events and weddings. They ship ranunculus, narcissus, and anemones April-May, peonies June -July, and lisianthus, delphinium, and dahlias August- October. Learn more about Crespell by visiting their website and Instagram.

Transportation

With Mother’s Day holiday period now over, I want to pass on a few post-Mother’s Day shipping items.

NEW IMPROVED FEDEX PRICING – Now that the dust has settled following Mother’s Day, we wanted to remind members that we now have lower FedEx Express rates! We were able to negotiate a modest reduction in pricing on Priority and Standard Overnight that took effect May 20. As of now, our overall discount on Priority and Standard Overnight rises to 73.7%. Additionally, our GROUND Dim factor improves from 166 to 200. All other discounts and surcharge fee waivers remain unchanged. For questions or comments, please contact Chris Johnson directly at chris@cafgs.org.

For our FedEx Shippers, I strongly recommend checking the “Service Alerts” section of the FedEx website each morning for the latest. Here is the link: https://www.fedex.com/en-us/service-alerts.html. Here you will find the most current alerts and service disruption alerts updated each day.

A few other reminders:

FedEx has reinstated the Money Back Guarantee (MBG) for CalFlowers members for Priority and Standard Overnight only. However, keep in mind, delays due to hazardous or disruptive weather are not eligible for shipping credits. Remember also that the MBG is not automatic. You need to request it within 14 days via the website www.fedex.com.
As of late, and different from the software glitch mentioned above, we have seen a rise in incorrect invoicing. Much of this is due lack of box dims being listed on the waybill. As a best practice, be sure to indicate the box dimensions on your booking/waybill as this will help if there is a dispute regarding the size of your box and ultimately your invoice.
I have also seen an increase in incorrect billing mainly due to scanning errors creating incorrect box sizes and/or logging incorrect weights making the invoice typically higher than expected. To inquire, contact the FedEx billing dept (800-622-1147) and have them open a file/case. They will investigate and be in touch. If you need help, your local FedEx rep can help. See #4 below.
For those wanting to know who your FedEx representative is, or if you want to be contacted by FedEx, please email me your FedEx account number and I will respond with information on your FedEx contact. It’s always a good practice, if possible, to establish a relationship with your FedEx representative. They can be a valuable asset when needed.
Remember also that you can have your shipments held at your nearby FedEx Office instead being delivered to your door. Having shipments held at your local FedEx office can help with temperature management because your boxes will be stored in a temperature-controlled office rather riding in a truck all morning. It’s also true that you can drop off your shipments at your local FedEx office. This can be an advantage for some parts of the country where having your packages standing by in FedEx office is preferable to being in a truck for hours.
For members needed guidance on filing a claim. Click HERE for information from FedEx on filing claims
As we know, keeping an eye on the weather, nationally as well as locally is important, and a great way of doing that is by routinely checking the “Service Alerts” section of the FedEx website each morning for the latest. Here is the link: https://www.fedex.com/en-us/service-alerts.html. Here you will find the most current alerts and service disruption alerts updated each day.
For those looking for the very latest news from FedEx. This site is recommended, https://newsroom.fedex.com/.

As costs rise for our carriers, surcharges have risen as well across the board, especially FUEL. For those members wanting to reference the latest FedEx Surcharges and Fees click HERE. Remember, CalFlowers members have many significant discounts on these surcharges which add excellent value to our program. For a list our surcharge discounts, please refer to the FedEx Program Summary on our website.

For members looking for the latest Program Summary and Rates for 2023, they can be found posted up on our website with all our other shipping program. Please visit www.cafgs.org.

To all our new members who are just starting with FedEx shipping, they have a helpful “Customer Training” service that is available upon request. This service offers shippers direct one-on-one assistance from FedEx covering many of the questions new shippers may have. If you are interested in signing up, please contact Chris Johnson chris@cafgs.org. FedEx also has some excellent information for new shippers on their website. Visit: https://www.fedex.com/en-us/get-started.html for a good summary of what FedEx offers.

For members needing FedEx Tech Support, this phone number takes your right into the department (877) 339-2774. They can help with many tech-related issues including guidance regarding on-line shipping platforms.

We would also like to remind members to stay current with their FedEx Express shipping invoices. FedEx payment terms are 15 days. All members shipping on FedEx Express are expected to stay within the FedEx payment terms. To obtain your invoice details and payment options, please contact FedEx Customer Service.

The CalFlowers GLS program is one of our popular, most value-priced offerings, with discounts well over 70% off standard rates. GLS offers later pick-ups and earlier deliveries while providing express door-to-door services covering CA, AZ, NV, OR, WA, NM, UT and ID. Members who want to ship on GLS must sign up in advance. It’s easy and just takes a few minutes. Please contact Chris Johnson for more details at (760) 533-5580 or chris@cafgs.org.

GLS has been very receptive to our requests for program improvements. They have added the following features to our program for members to utilize.

GLS will now honor product claims. Yes, if GLS is at fault (acts of God, not included) and the product arrives damaged, significantly late, or just missing, members now can file a claim. We highly recommend member shippers to indicate the correct Declared Value to be covered.
GLS will credit (100%) of the shipping costs if your shipment is not delivered on the day promised. Again, bad weather is excluded. Members will need to request this within 48 hours at customerservice@gls-us.com.
GLS has given our account access to a special premium team of Customer Service agents. This high-level group was designed for fast response and problem solving. Please contact Chris Johnson for access to this important resource.
GLS also has a new revamped website. Check it out at https://www.gls-us.com. Additionally, I recommend trying this handy Delivery Rates & Times Calculator to view delivery dates and estimated time of arrival.

Airlines:

Did you know Alaska Airlines is the largest airline operator out of San Diego. They have 67 daily flights to 33 non-stop destinations. Newly added lane segments from Alaska Airlines are:

SAN to IAD in August
SAN to TPA and EUG in October

Alaska Airlines has also added frequency to these lane segments:

LAX – SFO
FAT to SAN
SAN to SFO
SAN to STS
SFO to SNA
SNA to STS

We will be rolling out new and additional information on our popular Alaska Air Cargo program. Look for details soon.

For the latest in Alaska Cargo News, Check out this https://www.alaskaaircargoconnections.com/.

For those that missed the news, Mike Narowski is our new Alaska Air Cargo Account Executive. Mike comes with a vast amount of industry experience, and we are happy to have him. Mike can be reached at mike.narowski@alaskaair.com.

If you have been taking advantage of our new CalFlowers/Alaska Airlines shipping program, you know this offering really delivers when it comes to value. Our program offers EXCELLENT pricing to many areas of the country from California, while adding a few new destinations such as Seattle, Portland, and Anchorage. Check out all the program details on our website. To sign-up, contact Chris Johnson at chris@cafgs.org.

NOTE: Transportation Rate information and documents are viewable/downloadable as PDFs on the CalFlowers Members Only site. Please note that these documents are considered sensitive material and are available to the primary contacts for Ag Buddy, Associate Floral, Associate Grower, and Floral members.