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In This Issue ...
- CalFlowers Announces Dates and Location of The 2024 Fun 'N Sun Floral Convention
- Renew Your CalFlowers Membership by May 31!
- The Illinois State Florists’ Association is back and better than ever!
- Show That You Are A Proud Member of CalFlowers!
- 2023 Member Appreciation Meeting
- Submission for the Florists' Review BEST IN BLOOMS July 2023 Contest
- "New" Member Spotlights
- 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
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
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CalFlowers Announces Dates and Location of The 2024 Fun 'N Sun Floral Convention
CalFlowers is excited to announce the dates and location of the 2024 CalFlowers Fun 'N Sun Floral Convention!
Spend the end of your summer in Carlsbad, enjoying the Fun 'N Sun Floral Convention at the iconic Omni La Costa Resort & Spa. Click Here to learn more.
Fun ‘N Sun is a floral industry convention like no other. Join colleagues from around the country and experience firsthand the farms that grow your California flowers – along with informative programs and quality networking opportunities.
Flower Farm Tours • Flower Fair • Industry Education •
Golf Tournament
For questions please contact: Monnaie Pepin at (831) 610-4826.
Renew Your CalFlowers Membership by May 31!
There are only a couple weeks left to renew your CalFlowers membership! CalFlowers’ member benefits include discounted transportation rates from FedEx, GLS, and select airlines, discounted professional services, your company’s listing in the online and printed Membership directory, an invitation to the biennial Fun 'N Sun convention, networking opportunities within the floral community, and much more.
Please make payment before May 31, 2023, to retain your member benefits and a chance to win That Flower Feeling swag and a $50 Visa, Starbucks, or Amazon gift card.
So far, our raffle winners include:
- Nicewicz Family Farm
- Robertson's Flowers & Events
- Allied Cut Flower Company
- FST Wholesale
- My Garden Over Floweth
If you have not received your dues renewal via email or have any questions or concerns, please contact Jordan Richardson at info@cafgs.org or (831) 217-3423. The membership renewal email has a link and instructions on how to pay your dues invoice online using your credit card.
If paying by check make payment to:
California Association of Flower Growers & Shippers
1588 South Mission Road, Suite 100
Fallbrook, CA 92028
Note: To ensure that you receive the dues renewal notification emails from CalFlowers, you can whitelist cafgs@memberclicks-mail.net by adding it to your list of Safe Senders. If you are not sure how to do this, please contact your company's technical support team.
The Illinois State Florists’ Association is back and better than ever!
After a long hiatus due to the pandemic, ISFA held their first event of its kind, an Immersive Educational Retreat Weekend at the beautiful Walker’s Bluff Winery in southern Illinois. Floral educators from 5 states and 4 countries came together to work one-on-one with students in a truly unique educational experience.
Florists from all experience levels converged from 11 states to take classes with Gregor Lersch assisted by Mike Boerma IMF, Hitomi Gilliam AIFD sponsored by Teleflora, Francoise Weeks, Jackie Lacey AIFD sponsored by BloomNet and the Floriology Institute, Helen Miller AIFD sponsored by Syndicate Sales, Bill McKinley, Carolyn Minutillo AIFD sponsored by North Central AIFD, and Courtney Turner AIFD.
 The weekend kicked off with a meet and greet Thursday night to welcome designers and competitors that would begin competing Friday morning in the Judi Borah Land of Lincoln Cup, Lotus Cup, and Designer of the Year Competitions. Foundational and advanced hands-on classes ran Friday afternoon followed by a full weekend of hands-on design classes. There was something for everyone, whether you’re new to the industry or a seasoned pro.
This was an amazing event filled with fun, friendship, flowers, and education! We want to thank the ISFA board of their hard work and dedication, Walker’s Bluff for hosting us, the educators for sharing their invaluable knowledge, the students for investing in their education, and above all the amazing sponsors, including CalFlowers for their generous and continued support of floral education that makes these events possible. We can’t wait for next year!
Click Here to learn more about ISFA.
 
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
Member Appreciation Meeting registration will open mid June to late June.
Submission for the Florists' Review BEST IN BLOOMS July 2023 Contest
Sponsored by Certified American Grown
 Enter our next round of the Best in Blooms Design Contest today!
Submit your entry below to become a semi-finalist in our Best in Blooms July 2023 American Grown contest.
Enter for your chance to win a Florist Spotlight feature in Florists' Review magazine AND win a $500 credit for beautiful American Grown Flowers provided by our sponsors.
Four semi-finalists will be chosen to compete in the finals, celebrating American Grown Flowers and Foliage.
Please submit 3-4 photos of your original floral designs to be chosen as a semi-finalist contestant in our BEST IN BLOOMS contest, and tell us a little about yourself in the description box. Also tell us about your passion for American Grown flowers.
The deadline for submission is May 17th, 2023
Click Here to learn more and sign up.
New Member Spotlights
 Carl Pongs, of Greenbelt Growers, Inc., has been involved in the California nursery business for over 25 years. When first opening, Greenbelt offered a wide variety of ornamental plants for landscape professionals and enthusiast. Since then, they have specialized in ornamental meadow species and strive to provide the best, locally adapted flowers, herbaceous plants, and grasses for their customers. They take tremendous pride in growing and testing specimens from their own stock and valued partners to provide the industry with tried-and-true products!
Click Here to learn more about Greenbelt Growers Nursery.
Instagram | Facebook
Pictured above from left to right: Benjamin Salazar, George Nunez, Carl Pongs, Nancy Flores
 Anne and Brent Hilton planted their first peony roots in the fall of 2019. The California Peony Company cultivates 10 acres of popular and specialty peony varieties for cut flower production in the remote mountain town of Callahan, CA. They sell their stems to wholesalers, florists, and directly to customers in the US. Their peonies are typically available at the end of May through the beginning of June. Click Here to learn more about CPC.
Instagram | Facebook
 Pictured above: Anne Hilton
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.
It has been called to our attention that members using FedEx’s Ship Manager Software have seen rates that appear to be significantly higher than expected when booking. After some research, it was determined that after a routine FedEx overnight software update, a glitch occurred somehow showing incorrect pricing. The “FIX” we are told is to simply UPDATE your software. This action should reset your rates to actual expected pricing. It should be noted that even though the rates did appear incorrect, your actual invoice will be show and bill your actual correct rates. If you still need help, we recommend calling FedEx Tech Support at (877) 339-277 or contact me 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 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 to the 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 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.
For shippers shipping volumes significantly over and above your normal, we ask that you inform your driver or terminal of your expectations. Members shipping GLS can also notify me directly with those volume counts and I will pass on the information: chris@cafgs.org.
There are a couple of areas that we have been working on to improve our popular GLS Door to Door program and we are pleased to report the following:
- 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:
For the latest in Alaska Cargo News, check this out: https://www.alaskaaircargoconnections.com/.
The latest in Alaska Air Cargo news is that they are adding new lane segments and increasing frequency from:
New Lane Segments:
- SAN to IAD in August
- SAN to TPA and EUG in October
Added Frequency to:
- LAX – SFO
- FAT to SAN
- SAN to SFO
- SAN to STS
- SFO to SNA
- SNA to STS
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.
Welcome New CalFlowers Members
We are pleased to welcome the following new CalFlowers members from April 12 - May 15, 2023:
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