Christine Boldt, executive vice president of the Association of Floral Importers of Florida (AFIF), received the Society of American Florists’ 2018 John H. Walker Award on Sept. 15 during SAF Palm Springs 2018, the association’s 134th annual convention at the Westin Mission Hills in Rancho Mirage, California.

The John H. Walker Award, established in 1979, honors the contributions of SAF’s former long-time executive vice president and recognizes floral association executives for the role they play as leaders of the industry.

“Christine has a tremendous passion for the flower business,” said Oscar Fernandez, director of sales at Equiflor Corporation. “It’s because of her leadership that AFIF has become an integral part of many Miami flower companies. She is always willing to go above and beyond to get the job done, and she will do whatever necessary to find the information needed in order for us to make decisions. She always has everyone’s best interests at heart.”

Boldt described the award as “a surprise and an honor.”

“It is great that I get to represent the flower importers in a job that I love and an industry that has meant a lot to me and been a big part of my family for many years,” she said.

For more than a decade, Boldt has provided steady, dedicated leadership to the AFIF and the floral industry at large. As the association’s executive vice president, she has advocated for AFIF members’ interests on national public policy issues and international trade matters, promoted AFIF members as top sources for imported cut flowers, and facilitated the exchange and sharing of ideas across industry segments.

Boldt has consistently pushed the industry toward greater efficiency — a goal that has had far-reaching effects, not only for suppliers but also wholesalers and retailers. As a member of the Florida Liaison Agricultural Group, Boldt worked in 2008 with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), airlines, brokers and industry members to improve the cut flower importing process. Through a second working group in 2016, she played another key role in efforts by CBP, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, airlines, brokers and AFIF to map the importing process, from country of origin to release in Miami. Together, the group created a list of 44 recommendations to improve the process, ensuring fewer slowdowns along the entire supply chain.

Boldt has often been an ambassador for best practices and an advocate for new ideas. She is a perennial and sought-after presence at industry events, including the Society of American Florists’ annual convention and Congressional Action Days, the Seeley Conference at Cornell University, the Wholesale Florist & Florist Supplier Floral Distributor Conference, the International Floriculture Expo, the Produce Marketing Association’s Fresh Summit, ProFlora and many others. In 2014, Boldt traveled with CBP to present to the World Customs Organization a pilot program to speed the importing process. In addition, she’s been a participant in the Floral Logistics Coalition, a group composed of representatives from all segments of the international and domestic flower business, and she played an important part in implementing Global Trade Identification Number (GTIN) technology in the floral industry.

A hallmark of Boldt’s leadership style is collaboration. In 2015 and 2016, for instance, AFIF partnered with Miami International Airport to provide flowers to female passengers on International Women’s Day, an observance celebrated with great fanfare in other countries but one that is still not well known in parts of the United States. Boldt’s efforts, which included providing Women’s Day vehicle signs for wholesalers and retailers promoting the holiday, supported an industry-wide effort to push Women’s Day to greater prominence.

Boldt, a former business manager for a TV station and graduate of Florida State University, has an extensive background in the floral industry, one that has helped her understand the challenges and opportunities that AFIF members face firsthand. Over the course of her career, she’s worked for Miami importers in sales, purchasing, farm relations and business management. Her mother, Sue Conyers, was a founding member of AFIF and sat on the group’s board for more than two decades. Boldt herself was president of the Miami Floral Importers Credit Association from 2000 to 2004.

Among her many awards, Boldt received CBP’s highest honor for civilians in 2008 and an International Women’s Day award, from the World Trade Center Miami, in 2009. The same year, she received a recommendation from American Shipper Magazine for contributions to international shipping. In 2013, she received the Sparky Award from the Boy Scouts of America for outstanding contributions to that organization. As EVP of AFIF, she has spearheaded donation and fundraising drives to support under-resourced communities in Ecuador and Haiti.

Katie Hendrick Vincent is the senior contributing editor for the Society of American Florists.