mnsfa.org

SAF Speaks for and Responds for MNSFA Members.

mnsfa — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 18:24:26 +0000

Concerning a recent article in St Paul Pioneer Press Sunday, July 11, 2010; Coumsumers on budget are directed to the local Farmers Market for their Wedding Flowers. ” Customers pay about 20% of what the same flower arrangements cost at a florist” Said Scott Bairball of Market Flowers.

MNSFA sent a letter to editor and contacted SAF’s Negative publicty Department both sent responses.

President, Kym Erickson responded with the following:

July 21, 2010
Letter to the Editor,

Flowers are everywhere, and they play a role in our everyday lives. Not only do they make us feel better, they help us convey how we feel about each other, they beautify our surroundings and they help us celebrate. Whether it is when we are born, when we are recognized for an accomplishment, when we celebrate any major (or even minor) event in our lives or even when we die, flowers are woven into the fabric of everyday life.

The article in Sunday July 11, 2010 “Brides on Budget” does not accurately portray the role that a professional florist can play in making a bride’s wedding day special. As the president of the Minnesota State Florist’s Association (MNSFA, localmnflorist.com) and a professional florist of 30 years, I’d like to speak on behalf of MN florists, and fill your readers in on the value that a professional florist can provide when commissioned to create the flowers for a wedding.

The readers of Ms O’Connor’s article are led to believe that flowers purchased at the farmers market will somehow magically find their way into vases, or will artfully tape themselves together into corsages and boutonnieres- all ready to be pinned on. I can tell you numerous stories about brides that have come into our store who previously held to the grand illusion that they were going to arrange their own wedding flowers. They were fortunate enough to realize in advance that arranging flowers not only requires a degree of talent; it is also hard work, time-consuming and requires significant amounts of practice. Wedding flowers purchased at your local florist will include the little things that are often overlooked such as vases, ribbons, bouquet holders, corsage and boutonniere pins, professional design, personal consultation and service, proper care and handling of the flowers, delivery, installation, and a satisfaction guarantee; each of which add value.

I often sit down with brides to find that they haven’t the first clue of what they want their wedding to say about themselves let alone what they want for flowers. After sitting down and getting to know a bride, a local florist can provide her with the ideas and knowledge to make her day reflect her personality, her style and even her relationship- all at no charge. Not to mention, a bride that loves peonies but has chosen a wedding date in February will not find a farmers market that can guarantee she will have them on her wedding day but her local florist has the resources to do so. A florist often becomes a de facto wedding planner, as flowers are the glue that interacts with all facets of the event, pulling everything together while portraying the style and tastes of the bride. Does it seem possible to achieve similar results while standing around a couple buckets of day old flowers at the farmers market?

Finally, is it fair to compare the price of a top round steak purchased at grocer to the steak purchased and prepared by the chefs at Murray’s? One could spend days searching the internet for recipes, instructions and how-to videos, but for the average person, a steak made at home will never taste as good as the one prepared by a professional. The same is true in flowers, sure- a bride can drag her bridal party to the market the morning of her wedding and hope that flowers of the right variety and color are available, are fresh or are even there at all. She can cut, wire, tape and arrange them and even make plans to get them transported to the site of the wedding. Will she spend fewer dollars? Probably, but at what cost? Will she be available to visit with family and friends who have traveled from out of town for her special day? Will she have the time to make it to her appointments for hair, nails, or perhaps an emergency dress alteration and still make it to the wedding on time? Will she be able to relax and simply enjoy her day?

Engaging the services of a professional florist may not be the perfect route for everyone who is getting married, but it will go a long way toward reducing the stress and work that must be completed by the bride, her family and her friends, allowing the day to be focused on the special union that is to take place, rather than the logistics of flowers and decorations.
Kym Erickson

President
Minnesota State Florist Association

Jenny Scala at SAF responded with the following:

Subject: “Watchdog: Brides on budgets: Ideas and tips for couples to lower wedding costs”

Dear Ms. O’Connor,

As the representative of more than 10,000 florists, wholesalers and flower growers, the Society of American Florists (SAF) is the national trade association for the floral industry. We saw the article “Watchdog: Brides on budgets: Ideas and tips for couples to lower wedding costs” posted on July 12 at http://www.twincities.com/news/ci_15469133?source=rss&nclick_check=1.

We want to assure brides that florists can work within many budgets to ensure they have a beautiful wedding. It’s important to be honest about your budget on the initial consultation so the florist knows what to recommend. By taking your budget into consideration from the very beginning of the planning process, the florist can give you the best advice on how to place the flowers for maximum effect and what types of flowers will be the best value to achieve your desired look.

Buying wedding flowers from a florist covers all the little things and more to make wedding floral decorations beautiful — greens/filler flowers (to enhance the presentation of the bouquet or arrangement), vases, ribbons, bouquet holders, corsage pins, professional design, personal service and personal consultation, care and handling of the flowers, delivery and installation, and a satisfaction guarantee.

Service and personal consultation are an important part of the wedding flowers, and a huge relief and time-saver for brides who are busy spending time with family and friends on their big day. A high level of service is what makes wedding flowers from a professional florist very special — just like there is a big difference between taking your own wedding pictures or hiring a photographer.

If you ever need information about wedding flowers or florists, please visit www.aboutflowers.com or the Florist Directory, searchable by shop name, city/state or ZIP code, at www.nationalfloristdirectory.com.

Thank you.

Sincerely,
Jenny Scala

Give the Gift of Recognition

mnsfa — Wed, 21 Jul 2010 18:17:22 +0000

Do you know any unsung industry heroes — people whose contributions deserve to be in the spotlight? (Or, maybe you deserve a few accolades yourself?) MNSFA recognizes the industry’s best and brightest with a wide range of honors acknowledging their hard work and dedication to the floral industry. Their contributions are celebrated during the MNSFA Awards Banqueet at the MNSFA Annual Convention.

Give the gift of recognition. Nominate someone for an honor.
Be recognized yourself. Toot your own horn and nominate yourself, who better?

Awards are as follows:

Marketer of the Year
This company or individual has demonstrated extraordinary leadership and achievement in the outstanding marketing. Wholesale, Associate or Retail members are eligeble.

Wholesale/Supplier Employee of the Year

This individual has demonstrated exemplary service and product knowledge to the members of the Minnesota State Floral Association.

Retailer of the Year

This Active Association member has promoted high standards and professionalism not only to the

industry but also to the community that they serve.

Retail Employee of the Year

This individual is an employee of an Active Association member and has demonstrated

professionalism and a dedication to the success of the company in which they are employed.

Young Person of the Year

This individual is an employee of an Active Association member and has been employed in the

floral industry for a minimum of two years. They must be 35 years of age or younger upon

presentation of the award. This person can come from any segment of the industry.

National Service Award

This individual or company is connected to the floral industry locally, nationally, or internationally.

They may be a retailer, wholesaler, grower, educator, etc. and have demonstrated outstanding

service to the floral industry of America.

Lifetime Achievement Award

This individual has dedicated the majority of their life to the floral industry. Through their love and

passion the industry is better today.

Special Recognition

This award is presented to an individual or company that has shown exemplary dedication to the

Minnesota State Florist Association. The MNSFA has directly benefited through the contributions of the recipient. They must be an Active member or an employee of an Active member of the association.

Awards and nominations Form

The Nomination Deadline for all MNSFA awards is
Friday Sept 3, 2010.

Acceptable forms of Nomination submissions are

Online at mnsfa.org (Nomination forms can be printed from the website)
Via fax at 612-724-6693

Via mail to: MNSFA, 3305 East Lake Street, Minneapolis, MN 55406

THE BILL HAS BECOME LAW!!

mnsfa — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:18:24 +0000

Attention: Minnesota Florists.
The Bill has become Law!

Please feel free to use the following Press Release Information to submit to your local newspapers and media outlets.
Post on your Facebook pages and websites!
Get the word out- Minnesota has passed this law to protect you and your customers!

Minnesota Joins the Short list with Deceptive Advertising Law.

Minesota State Florist Association

ST PAUL-MINNEAPOLIS, MN

Consumers have been frustrated for some time and for good reason. Those consumers, many of whom wish to use a local florist to provide arrangements, often call what they believe to be a local business and are unknowingly transferred to an out-of-state merchant. That out-of-state florist then completes the transaction by calling the real local florist. Under the scenario, the consumer pays more and gets a smaller arrangement and the local florist makes less money.

Rep. Steve Simon and Senator Sandy Pappas recognized the matter and introduced legislation to remedy this issue raised by the Minnesota Retailers Association (MRA) and the Minnesota State Floral Association. (MNSFA) Minnesota is one of 4 other states in the US that has passed such deceptive advertising legislation on behalf of florists.

House File 3277 was introduced with the intention to make such a practice part of Minnesota’s Deceptive Practices Act. The bill passed the House and Senate by overwhelming margins and was signed into law on April 15, 2010.

The bill prohibits the use of deceptive advertising by “floral gatherers” that misrepresent their location by using a false address and who also mislead customers by the use of a “local” phone number. This bill requires that any business that wishes to advertise on the internet or in Yellow pages, to have their physical address listed. Therefore giving the consumer the choice to deal with their local florist or use an out of state order gatherer. This is a HUGE triumph for MNSFA and all Minnesota’s Florists.

This bill introduced was successfully cradled by Buzz Anderson, Executive Director of the Minnesota Retailers Association (MRA) through many committees and then the House and Senate floors. “Partnering with MRA was the single best move any florist organization could do. Buzz knows how to make things happen, in a world that the typical florist have very little exposure to” said Kym Erickson, President of MNSFA. She goes on to say “A MNSFA member first brought this to Buzz’s attention and after being explained how a typical customers experience might be with one of these companies Buzz and MNSFA began to work together.”

A deceptive florist has bought misleading phonebook listings throughout the US in both the white pages and yellow pages of the telephone books, both in print and on the Internet. Many times this listing appears to be a local florist, deceptive companies go as far to use names close to or even using the name of successful existing businesses. The calls are forwarded to a call center posing as a local florist. Upon taking your flower order, they transfer that flower order back to the local florist for delivery. Both businesses need to make a profit, so the consumer is charged higher prices, and an unnecessary service fee. The local florist is charged a commission percentage of the sale by the deceptive florist call center. For example, if you order a $50 arrangement from a deceptive florist, after deducting their charges and service fees, perhaps only a $30 arrangement is actually delivered. Many times, the local florist is blamed. Therefore cutting the throat of the local florist and forcing many formally successful local businesses to close or are currently struggling to keep afloat.

Kym Erickson of MNSFA gives these examples, “Eagan Floral has been dealing with a yellow page listing for Eagan Flowers in their local phone book. The company listed an address at for the local post office and posed as a local florist, robbing Eagan Floral of their everyday telephone business and confusing the consumer. Engwalls Florist in Duluth, MN lost over 100 orders over Valentine’s Day this year by a paid internet listing with their name but the phone number lead to a completely different company’s call center.”

The new law makes misrepresenting a business’s geographic location part of the deceptive practices act if:

The business is not really located within the geographical area indicated in advertising;
The business listing fails to identify the actual municipality of the and state of the business’s location, and;
The telephone calls to the business’s telephone number are routinely forwarded or transferred to a location outside the local calling area.

The bill applies to any business that is alleged to be in the state that might be attempting to mislead customers about its geographical location.

Under the new law, a business likely to be damaged by a deceptive trade practice may be granted an injunction against the offending business. Proof of monetary damage, loss of profits, or intent to deceive is not required.

Further, costs shall be allowed to the prevailing party.. The court may award attorneys’ fees to the prevailing party if (1) the party complaining of a deceptive trade practice has brought an action knowing it to be groundless, or (2) the party charged with a deceptive trade practice has willfully engaged in the trade practice knowing it to be deceptive.

Patrick Busch, President of Len Busch Roses, Plymouth, MN and Vice President of MNSFA had this to say: “This is a huge success for the local brick and mortar florists in Minnesota. At Len Busch Roses, we see the struggles of the florist to make money in these difficult times. Having out of state order gathers taking profit from the local community and not providing any real value back to the consumer or helping expand floral consumption has been a big drain on the industry. The lower value of the flowers caused by too many hands in the cookie jar has contributed to erosion of consumer confidence. We applaud all those who helped get this done.

Capital Alert: MNSFA ADDRESSES DECEPTIVE ADVERTISERS

mnsfa — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 22:09:24 +0000

House File 3277, the bill that prohibits the use of deceptive advertising by “floral gatherers that misrepresent their location by using a false address and who also mislead customers by the use of a “local” phone number, passed the House on March 25^th and the Senate on March 30^th.

The bill is slightly different in both versions so it must go back to the House for final approval next week. The Minnesota Retailers Association has contacted the Governor’s office to ask his support to sign the bill into law.

The MNRA has not received any response from Governor Pawlenty’s office. Stay alert for a notice in the event the Governor appears to be wavering on signing the bill. In that event, MN State Florist Association and the Minnesota Retailers Association may ask your help in contacting the Governor’s office for support.

MNRA reported that he has acquired a law firm that is very interested in proceeding with injunctions and class actions suit on behalf of MN Florists. Florist of MN should be gathering information on any deceptive advertisers we can. Please Email MNSFA with as complete of information possible of known fraudulent advertisers in yellow pages or on the Internet. MNSFA will compile these and forward them on the attorneys when the time is right. www.mnretail.org web site. MN retailers membership is good business and is making this important legislation happen for all of us.

A Huge THANK YOU goes out to Representative Steve Simon for taking this issue on and Cradling this through the committees. Most bills NEVER make it out of the committee stage and Our bill has done this in record time!

AND Another HUGE THANK YOU to Buzz Anderson of MN Retailers, without his lobbying this bill would of never happened.

On March 9, 2010 MNSFA President Kym Erickson and Steve McCullough of Linsk Floral, testified in front of the House Commerce Committee and Steve McCullough testified in front of a Senate Commerce Committee. Buzz Anderson of MN Retailers Association has closely cradled this legislation through the committees on behalf of all Minnesota florist. He can not do it alone, and he does need your help. Please take a moment look at the

Watch for more updates as information become available.

State Fair Success!

mnsfa — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 22:01:13 +0000

Good Morning, September 14, 2009

On behalf of Len Busch Roses, I want to say thank you to all who participated this year at the Fair. I have heard nothing but positive remarks from all of you that I have talked to and am delighted that we were able to support this marketing event for the benefit of each of the 24 Florists who participated in the rotunda, all the Florists that entered the design competition, and all members of our growing Minnesota State Florists Association.

This was no small undertaking as Tom Johnson clearly informed us when we committed to doing it. Many hours of many peoples time went into preparation, set up, and maintenance of the event. Kym did a fantastic job of organizing it all and recruiting really committed people to get it all done. For that, my hat is off to you Kym - GREAT JOB! The way you carried the torch on this out of desire to support the industry is a model for us to take note of. Howard, your support to Kym to do so was wonderful and we all owe you a huge thank you as well.

As a significant contributor to the effort, my hope was that this event would serve as an example for what we can do as an industry when we work together. It was and now I am hopeful that it leads to more. We can do so much more if we work together than if we see each other as threats. We need to recognize that our real competition is all the things that can take the place of flowers. Flowers have been proven to reduce anxiety, increase joy, and provide huge smiles when received as gifts. Everyone’s home should have a place that has fresh flowers in it – ALL THE TIME. As a united organization we can leverage our talents, energy, and resources to find ways to make flowers a bigger part of consumers lives and grow our market – and we can do it with a limited budget if we tap our creativity as we did on this event. I was delighted to see all the unique ways each florist used the time they had in the rotunda to connect to consumers. As time went on at the, I was hearing of how One florist improved what they were planning to do from talking to each other. It was really fun to see what you all did. Everyone I spoke with, received emails, or phone calls from was really pleased with the what they got out of it. With ongoing effort and creativity, I am convinced that we can learn to reach more people and succeed at increasing the frequency of use of flowers.

We will continue to support the MNSFA. We believe a strong Florist organization will brighten the future of the floral industry in this market.

Thanks again – to ALL who put effort into this!

Pat Busch
Len Busch Roses

Minnesota State Fair

mnsfa — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 01:10:27 +0000

MNSFA Brings customers to your door!

MNSFA is proud to sponsor the rotunda in the Horticulture Building for 12 days at the Great Minnesota State Fair. We believe order gathers such as Pro-Flowers, Flowerpetal.com, and 1800flowers.com are taking business away from the neighborhood florist and the consumer needs to be shown the difference. MNSFA is focusing our efforts to combat companies and have put together the following program:

A brochure featuring the LOCAL florist. Inside a coupon redeemable for $10*.
In the center of the rotunda a huge banner outlining the state of MN. We will list the name of YOUR SHOP & where you are from.
Together with Len Busch Roses, MNSFA will have a drawing for FREE WEDDING FLOWERS. Details to follow.
MNSFA & LBR is sponsoring TWO
Flowers for Kids Presentations & giving away flowers for the 1st 100 kids.
The Designer of the Year Competition—Sept. 2 nd & 3rd- where your shop can enter & show off the your talents!

YOU will have to opportunity to market directly to the 12,000 consumers that walk through the Hort. Building each day of the fair. For your 6 hour shift you can:

Dress your staff up to reflect you shop’s image or creative interactive fun to attract attention.
Directly Market with coupons, business cards, and/or brochures.
Bring photos, samples, posters, anything that promote your shops style.
Give away flowers, gift items to keep focus on you!

MNSFA will:
Contact & Promote through local TV Stations, and newspapers. We will also making a clear statement on the difference between a local florist and Pro-flowers.

* Coupons are redeemable at participating florist. $5 of coupon is sponsored by MNSFA and participating Local Wholesalers. $5 of coupon is responsibility of the Florist.

A brochure featuring the LOCAL florist. Inside a coupon redeemable for $10*.
In the center of the rotunda a huge banner outlining the state of MN. We will list the name of YOUR SHOP & where you are from.
Together with Len Busch Roses, MNSFA will have a drawing for FREE WEDDING FLOWERS. Details to follow.
MNSFA & LBR is sponsoring TWO
Flowers for Kids Presentations & giving away flowers for the 1st 100 kids.
The Designer of the Year Competition—Sept. 2 nd & 3rd- where your shop can enter & show off the your talents!

YOU will have to opportunity to market directly to the 12,000 consumers that walk through the Hort. Building each day of the fair. For your 6 hour shift you can:

Dress your staff up to reflect you shop’s image or creative interactive fun to attract attention.
Directly Market with coupons, business cards, and/or brochures.
Bring photos, samples, posters, anything that promote your shops style.
Give away flowers, gift items to keep focus on you!

MNSFA will:
Contact & Promote through local TV Stations, and newspapers. We will also making a clear statement on the difference between a local florist and Pro-flowers.

* Coupons are redeemable at participating florist. $5 of coupon is sponsored by MNSFA and participating Local Wholesalers. $5 of coupon is responsibility of the Florist.

Membership (Must be paid member to participate) $50.00

Banner and Brochure Recognition & Rebate Program $200.00
Must work 6 Hr shift in MNSFA BOOTH**

Brochure Recognition and Rebate Program $50.00

**Includes Admission for up to 4 Members of your staff and
parking pass near Hort Building.

2009 Marketing Summit ~ Deerwood, MN

mnsfa — Mon, 04 May 2009 22:39:56 +0000

The Minnesota State Florist Association is looking for Visionary leaders for the 2009 Marketing Summit. Join fellow industry members on June 1-3^rd in central Minnesota for the first of its kind marketing event. This 3 day event places you in a gathering where purpose meets passion for a truly co-created experience. The Summit is an overdue departure from other attempts and is the absolute first experience of its kind. The fundamental philosophy is simple – The Summit respects, pushes and celebrates the flower industry in Minnesota.

Required Qualifications:

? A Visionary: You recognize that the world has changed, business has changed and the industry must change to survive. You can appreciate the impact that one or a few good ideas that are followed through to then can have a profound impact on our world.

? Compromising: Must be able to work together to formulate plans that will be implemented by most florists within today’s budgets. Must be able to energize your fellow florist and debate the big picture.

? Forthcoming: Devote some of your time and help gain the support of florists to invest their personal time to implement the plan.

? Innovative: If you believe that plans are need to bring us together as an industry to capture home decorating and gift market share from other industries – and not create competition among fellow florists.

? Approachable: If you believe in order to promote learning, the successes and failures of the ideas must be shared among members openly.

WORKING TOGETHER – MNSFA SURVEY

mnsfa — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 23:59:05 +0000

MNSFA SURVEY QUICK LINK

Survey Results click –> surveysummary_12052008.pdf

When you see geese flying along in “V” formation you might consider what science had discovered as to why they fly that way. As each bird flaps it’s wings, it creates an uplift for the bird immediately following. By the flying formation, the whole flock adds at least 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own.

People who share a common direction and sense of community can get where they are going more quickly and easily because they are traveling on the trust of another.

When a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lifting power of the bird in front. Ife we have as much sense as a goose, we will stay in formation with those people who are headed in the same way as we are. When the head goose gets tired, and it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies point. It is sensible to take turns doing demanding jobs, whether with people or with geese flying south.

Finally, and this is important, when a goose gets sick or it is wounded by gunshot and falls out of formation. Two other geese fall out with that goose and follow it down to lend help and protection. They stay with the fallen goose until it is able to fly or until it dies and only then do they launch out on their own, with another formation to catch up with their group.

Learning from our feathered friends, MNSFA is starting to work together, encourage each other, lead from the back and take a break now and then.

We are asking for you take just one more moment of your time, click on the link below, answer 12 easy questions. Hopefully with your input the answers we can learn how best to serve you and our community.

Remember coming together is a beginning, keeping together is progress and working together is success.

MNFSA Business Survey

surveysummary_12052008.pdf

MNSFA 2008 Floral Tour

mnsfa — Tue, 09 Sep 2008 23:08:10 +0000

Have you ever wanted to pick the brain of a successful colleague? Ever wanted to see another shops displays or marketing technique but were afraid to stop in or ask? Here is an opportunity to see the great fall colors, see other shops, ask questions freely and network with fellow florists.

The date was selected to coincide with the UMGA Winter Carnival Orchid show and Koehler Dramm’s Spring Show. Come the cities a day earl; take a relaxing bus tour to gather ideas, and shop your brains out all day Sunday!

The tour starts at Koehler Dramm (map) The bus leaves at 9:45 AM and departs for
these locations:

Lindskoog Florist, Minneapolis(Eden Prairie store)
Wisteria Floral Design Studio, Minneapolis
Roger Beck Florist, Minneapolis
Marjorie McNeally Conservatory–Winter Carnival Orchid Show
Lexington Floral, Shoreview
Forever Floral, Coon Rapids

We will be returning to Koehler Drammat approximately 4:30 PM. Box
Lunches will be provided by our hosts. Koehler Dramm will also be open
to shopping before and after the tours. for their
website for specials.

The cost for the event is $30.00 for premium members of MNSFA or $40.00 for non-premium members. This includes the entrance fee for the Orchid show.
To become a premium member CLICK HERE.

Registration is simple.

Call Kym at 612-724-3606. She will take your information and get you a place on the bus. Payment can be made online or paid for at the door by check or cash.

To pay online for the 2009 Flower Tour CLICK HERE.
(We will also take payments at the door)

MNSFA SENDS CONDOLENCES

mnsfa — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 17:55:49 +0000

MNSFA Send our condolences to the entire Bachman Family, Staff and
Bachmans organization on the loss of Todd Bachman, CEO of Bachman Florist and Nurseries. The entire floral industry is sadden on the loss of one of our own. We wish Barbara Bachman, a swift recovery and a safe passage home as soon as she is able.

Todd and Barbara Bachman were at an ancient monument in Beijing, China Saturday when they were attacked by a Chinese man. Click here for more information from from a local news organization.

Click Here to be linked to Bachmans Information Site and Guestbook.

Click Here to be linked to the Aug. 14th SAF newsletter article featuring
Todd Bachman.