FLORAL FOCUS: Retreats and advances
FLORAL FOCUS: Retreats and advances
The "retreat" (my name for it) at the Pro Institute held Sept. 18-21 in Volcano, CA, was both peaceful and exhilarating.
There were no TVs, no telephones, no radios and no newspapers at the 100-year-old St. George Hotel. No one had cell phone recepti on either except for magical William from Passion Flowers, who somehow could call Colombia.
I was not jealous. I loved the serenity of this historic place -- the buildings of the town have been maintained or restored to their original 19th century gl ory and gorgeous gardens abound.
Best of all, our three days there brought together a group of passionate floral people from all segments of the industry who were given the latest on every facet of care and handling.
Some of the attendees had great e xpertise, and George Staby and Michael Reid, who created the Pro Institute series of seminars, were receptive to questions and controversy, making it a very open forum. At the end of the session, we had all made new floral friends, and as far as care and handling go, it is clear that the time to make changes is now.
Coming home on the plane, I heard about Hurricane Rita, but reflecting on Hurricane Katrina, I recalled that one of the more beautiful wholesale houses I ever visited was Harold Tanni's Greenleaf in New Orleans.
I was there two years ago. His buckets were white (that's how you can tell if they are clean), he had a bucket scrubber (the Pro Institute teaches that white buckets and bucket scrubbers are good signs) and he had wonde rful lighting that made the colors of his flowers pop without harmful heat. Mr. Tanni and his staff have been devastated. Greenleaf has an assistance program that gives aid and support, and their branches in other locations are raising money. The goo d news is that he was not flooded out and all employees are now accounted for.
From October's annual Breast Cancer Awareness Month, with bouquets, awareness bracelets and runs and walks; to the 40-year-old Headdress Ball in Los Angeles to raise fund s for disabled children; to supermarkets all across this country that are sending goods and raising funds to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina -- as an industry and as a nation, we have stepped up to the plate in giving and caring for all kinds of causes, in all kinds of ways.
The PMA Fresh Summit will take place Nov. 4-8 in Atlanta. The show features a floral tour, has new floral exhibitors, new products and seminars and a floral networking reception. This is a major event for the produce industry and one that you won't want to miss. I look forward to seeing you there.
(Mary Crawford can be contacted at [email protected].)
There were no TVs, no telephones, no radios and no newspapers at the 100-year-old St. George Hotel. No one had cell phone recepti on either except for magical William from Passion Flowers, who somehow could call Colombia.
I was not jealous. I loved the serenity of this historic place -- the buildings of the town have been maintained or restored to their original 19th century gl ory and gorgeous gardens abound.
Best of all, our three days there brought together a group of passionate floral people from all segments of the industry who were given the latest on every facet of care and handling.
Some of the attendees had great e xpertise, and George Staby and Michael Reid, who created the Pro Institute series of seminars, were receptive to questions and controversy, making it a very open forum. At the end of the session, we had all made new floral friends, and as far as care and handling go, it is clear that the time to make changes is now.
Coming home on the plane, I heard about Hurricane Rita, but reflecting on Hurricane Katrina, I recalled that one of the more beautiful wholesale houses I ever visited was Harold Tanni's Greenleaf in New Orleans.
I was there two years ago. His buckets were white (that's how you can tell if they are clean), he had a bucket scrubber (the Pro Institute teaches that white buckets and bucket scrubbers are good signs) and he had wonde rful lighting that made the colors of his flowers pop without harmful heat. Mr. Tanni and his staff have been devastated. Greenleaf has an assistance program that gives aid and support, and their branches in other locations are raising money. The goo d news is that he was not flooded out and all employees are now accounted for.
From October's annual Breast Cancer Awareness Month, with bouquets, awareness bracelets and runs and walks; to the 40-year-old Headdress Ball in Los Angeles to raise fund s for disabled children; to supermarkets all across this country that are sending goods and raising funds to help the victims of Hurricane Katrina -- as an industry and as a nation, we have stepped up to the plate in giving and caring for all kinds of causes, in all kinds of ways.
The PMA Fresh Summit will take place Nov. 4-8 in Atlanta. The show features a floral tour, has new floral exhibitors, new products and seminars and a floral networking reception. This is a major event for the produce industry and one that you won't want to miss. I look forward to seeing you there.
(Mary Crawford can be contacted at [email protected].)
