The National Retail Federation recently released its list of “People Shaping the Future of Retail,” a group of 25 individuals who’ll be honored Jan. 13, 2019 at the NRF Foundation Gala during NRF 2019: Retail’s Big Show in New York City.

Among the honorees: Ajay Kori, founder and chairman of UrbanStems, which partners with farms in Colombia, Ecuador and Mexico to design and ship bouquets directly to the company’s distribution centers.

“This year’s honorees are at the forefront of innovation in retail: creating new businesses, breathing life and energy into existing concepts, impacting investments, and spearheading change that inspires industry leaders and consumers across the globe,” NRF Foundation President Ellen Davis said.

Kori, formerly an associate director at Wag.com, founded UrbanStems with a college friend in Washington, D.C., in 2014 with the help of an investment from Kevin Plank, the CEO and founder of UnderArmour. The company has received extensive media coverage for its business model that aims to shorten the time flowers spend in the supply chain. UrbanStems struggled to keep up with demand on Valentine’s Day 2017, but has since bounced back, doubling its year-over-year sales and raising nearly $20 million in funding.

E-Brief editors caught up with Kori, who reflected on his introduction to the floral industry and challenges he’s faced, as well as his outlook for the future.

E-Brief: What does this accolade mean to you?

Kori: It’s a nice validation on our hypothesis that we should and always be obsessing over creating the best possible experience for our customers.

EB: What has surprised you the most since joining the floral industry?

K: It’s incredibly complicated!  I have so much respect for the florists who do this alone.  We have a big team, including supply chain experts, and we still end up with hydrangeas in the wrong temperature in the wrong location more times than I’d like.

EB: What has been your biggest challenge with UrbanStems?

K: People! It’s also the best part. Hiring people smarter than me isn’t that hard but keeping them happy will always be the main job of any leader, and there is no formula you can rely on for that. The job involves constant learning, especially about those you’re lucky to have around you.

EB: What did you learn from Valentine’s Day 2017? How are you approaching the holiday differently now?

K: In 2017, we lacked a lot of processes to handle the spike in demand we experienced, and it galvanized us to put in place huge changes which have made our operations much more smooth, such as operating out of a much bigger warehouse and implementing barcoding systems. We also hired Seth Goldman, the former CEO of HelloFresh USA, to totally overhaul how we handle holidays and day-to-day operations. All of it came together to produce our most successful holidays yet with Valentine’s and Mother’s Day 2018.

EB: What have been some of your proudest achievements?

K: Being able to keep building something that increasingly makes more and more people’s day better, every day. Apart from that, our partnerships with Vogue, J. Crew and others have been really cool as our brand gets bigger. And just last month, we signed on New York City floral designer Lewis Miller as our creative director. That came about thanks to our Rockstar board member Elizabeth Cutler . We’re incredibly lucky to partner with Lewis, who’s one of the most creative thinkers in any space and someone who pushes us to be a better organization.

EB: What are your goals for 2019?

K: Push the boundaries on how good a customer experience we can create for our customers nationwide.

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