SAF members have elected nine members to positions on its Retailers, Wholesalers and Growers Councils.
New council members begin their terms at the close of SAF Maui 2016, and their first meetings will be March 11-12, 2017. One thrust of the twice-yearly segment council meetings is to discuss trends and challenges and make recommendations for how SAF can develop programs and services to meet the needs of its members.
“These segment council members play an important role for SAF,” said SAF President Martin Meskers. “by helping SAF keep its finger on the pulse of what is happening at the grower, wholesale and retail level across the country.”
Each segment council member is appointed to one of SAF’s joint councils – Government Relations, Consumer or Member Services — which also meet twice-yearly, immediately following the segment council meeting to provide more specific direction in their respective areas.
The newly-elected SAF Council members are as follows:
Retailers Council
Kate Delaney,
Matlack Florist, Inc.,
West Chester, Pennsylvania |
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 Cheryl Denham, Arizona Family Florist, Phoenix, Arizona |
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 Jeremy Lohman, Scott’s House of Flowers Inc., Lawton, Oklahoma |
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Wholesalers Council
David Armellini,
Armellini Express Lines,
Palm City, Florida
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Joost Bongaerts,
Florabundance, Inc.,
Carpinteria, California
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Tom Figueroa,
Nordlie, Inc.,
Warren, Michigan
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Scott Isensee,
Frank Adams Wholesale Florist,
Portland, Oregon
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Growers Council
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Tom Wheeler,
Bell Nursery,
Elkridge, Maryland
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Mark Wilson,
Syngenta Flowers,
Gilroy, California
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The council members listed below are continuing their terms.
Retailers Council
- Chair: Manny Gonzales of Tiger Lily Florist in Charleston, South Carolina
- Jo Buttram, AAF, Shirley’s Flowers & Gifts, Inc., in Rogers, Arkansas
- Jessica Cosentino, AAF, of Cosentino’s Florist in Auburn, New York
- Kristen Gainan-Graves of Gainan’s Floral & Greenhouses in Billings, Montana
- Tim Galea of Norton’s Flowers & Gifts in Ypsilanti, Michigan
- Rachel Martin of Ballard Blossom, Inc., in Seattle
- Michael Pugh, AAF, of Pugh’s Flowers in Memphis
- Kaitlin Radebaugh, AAF, of Radebaugh Florist & Greenhouses in Towson, Maryland
Wholesalers Council
- Chair: David Gaul, AAF, of DWF Wholesale Florist in Denver
- Oscar Fernandez of Equiflor/RioRoses in Miami
- Nick Fronduto of Jacobson Floral Supply, Inc., in Boston
- Gustavo Gilchrist of Kennicott Brothers – Chicago in Chicago
- David Legge of DWF Wholesale Florist in Denver
- Lee Sorensen of DESIGN MASTER color too, inc. in Boulder, Colorado
- Ken Wilkins of Delaware Valley Floral Group in Sewell, New Jersey
Growers Council
- Chair: Doug Cole of D.S. Cole Growers, Inc., in Loudon, New Hampshire
- Patrick Busch of Len Busch Roses in Plymouth, Minnesota
- Ray Greenstreet of Greenstreet Growers in Tracys Landing, Maryland
- Stephen Kennicott of Kennicott Kuts, LLC, in Waterford, Wisconsin
- Robert Kitayama, Greenleaf Brighton of Capitola, California
- Jamie Kitz of Sakata, Inc., in Morang Hill, California
- Janet Louie of Green Valley Floral in Salinas, California
- Marvin Miller, AAF, of Ball Horticultural Company in West Chicago, Illinois
- Diana Roy of Resendiz Brothers Protea Growers, LLC, in Fallbrook, California
- Mark Yelanich of Metrolina Greenhouses in Huntersville, North Carolina
Results of the SAF board elections, which take place during the annual convention and via absentee ballot, will be announced on Sept. 24 at the association’s Keynote Breakfast and Business Session during SAF Maui 2016.