Yes, we all know the drill — how roses are grown, how foliage plants are grown, how blooming plants are grown. We can go on and on and on. But the most challenging part of our business is understanding how relationships with our customers are grown.

It has become my belief over the years that customers, just like plants, are growing entities, not SKUs. How many of us over the years have witnessed the SKUs in our floral shops growing from a handful to hundreds? And yet, in most cases, our customer count has not grown to this same degree.

Is there an individual, company, or organization willing to take over the Chain of Life Network web site and related resources? If so, George Staby wants to talk to you.

“It is time to pass the torch to some entity willing to invest in this opportunity with the understanding that membership would continue to be free. In addition, there are also potential income streams to consider,” said Dr. Staby, a founder of the floral resource network.

Floral Designer Robbin Yelverton of Ferndale, MI, and Stan Pohmer of Pohmer Consulting Group in Minnetonka, MN, were honored by the Michigan Floral Association at its Great Lakes Floral Expo held March 2-4 at Devos Place and the Amway Grand Plaza in Grand Rapids, MI.

More than 200 high-volume retail buyers from across the country are expected to attend the International Floriculture Expo in Miami Beach, FL, June 19-22. By late March, more than 150 exhibitors had signed up for the show. Last year’s show, held in Miami Beach for the second consecutive year of a five-year run there, drew 1,750 industry professionals and 190 exhibitors. Numbers this year are expected to equal or exceed those, show officials said.

High school prom season in late April, May and early June is a growing market for supermarket floral departments, according to floral executives on the West Coast, East Coast and in the Southwest.

“It’s a huge and growing market for supermarkets that can respond with timely and reliable service,” said Jon Strom, vice president for new business development at Price Chopper Supermarkets, a 125-store chain in upstate New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Vermont and New Hampshire, with headquarters in Schenectady, NY.

Mastronardi Produce/Sunset, headquartered in Leamington, Ontario, will have a full delegation of company representatives at booth 211 at the CPMA/ACDFL Annual Convention & Trade Show in Calgary April 11-13.