Summer means it’s election season at the Society of American Florists. Voting members received an election ballot via email on Friday, July 19 to choose the next growers, retailers and wholesalers who will represent them on SAF’s Councils.

Voting members also will elect three new members to its Board of Directors during SAF Amelia Island 2019, the association’s 135th Annual Convention Sept. 18-21, and via absentee ballot.

“SAF depends on the expertise and feedback of our volunteer leaders — having this group to turn to for advice and insight is critical to our work as an association laser-focused on meeting the needs of our members,” said Kate Penn, SAF’s CEO. “We’re lucky to have such a strong group of volunteer leaders serving our membership already and to have such excellent candidates this year.”

SAF Board of Directors Elections

Election results for SAF’s Board of Directors will be announced on Sept. 21 during the convention’s Keynote Breakfast and Business Session. Once elected, the new members of SAF’s Board of Directors will serve three-year terms beginning after SAF Amelia Island 2019.

To cast an absentee ballot, the voting member must submit a written request on company stationery to SAF by Aug. 19 via mail (SAF, 1001 North Fairfax St. Suite 201, Alexandria, VA 22314) or fax (703) 836-8705. Completed absentee ballots must be received at SAF headquarters by Sept. 8.

The candidates for the Board of Directors are:

Grower Nominee for the SAF Board of Directors
The grower candidate for the Board of Directors is running uncontested.

Owner of Kennicott Kuts, LLC in Waterford, Wisconsin, Stephen Kennicott has worked in the industry for 33 years. With an expertise in growing, marketing, care and handling and financial management, he’s served on both the SAF Growers and Consumer Joint Councils in the past. Kennicott received a BA in Business Management from the University of Illinois Chicago. With growing as his business’ focus, he’s been especially successful with varieties ranging from Chinese lanterns to spirea and tuberoses.

Retailer Nominees for the SAF Board of Directors
Retailers vote for one candidate.

Stacie Lee Banks is co-owner and president of Lee’s Flower & Card Shop Inc., in Washington, D.C. She’s spent most of her life in the floral industry, beginning when she was just 12 years old. In 2018, she was awarded Small Business Person of the Year by the D.C. Chamber of Commerce. Her business was awarded Best of D.C. for six consecutive years by the Washington City Paper. Banks has served on the SAF Consumer Marketing Committee. She served as president of the Teleflora MD, VA, DC unit in 2000, treasurer in 1998 and secretary in 1997. She received a Bachelor of Business Administration from Howard University. Banks has also served as a board member on many local service groups in the D.C. area.

 

Michael R. Pugh, AAF, is the chief financial officer and owner of Pugh’s Flowers in Memphis, Tennessee. A member of the Next Level Florist Group’s Executive Committee, Pugh has served as treasurer of Metro Plants Co-Op. He hosted a meeting of the Great Lakes and Next Level Florist groups, an effort that helped members more easily share ideas. He received a BA from the University of Memphis and an MBA from Union University. He has spent 34 years in the floral industry with a focus on financial management, strategic planning and marketing.

 

Wholesaler Nominee for the SAF Board of Directors
The wholesaler candidate for the Board of Directors is running uncontested.

Liza Atwood is CEO of FiftyFlowers in Boise, Idaho where she focuses on fresh cut flowers. Atwood has previously served on the SAF Wholesalers and Consumer Joint Councils. With over 20 years in the industry, Atwood has grown her skills with an expertise in entrepreneurship and marketing. Last July, she began a two-year term as the Mar Com Chair for the Entrepreneurs Organization. She is noted as an honoree for Idaho Woman of the Year. She served in the Peace Corps and received a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M University. Her article “Palms, Ferns & Tropical Greens” was featured in Rent My Wedding Magazine’s winter 2018 issue.

SAF Council Elections

Eleven candidates are running for eight open Council seats. Candidates for the Growers and the Wholesalers Councils are running uncontested.

Elected Council members will serve a three-year term, which begins in 2020. SAF members receiving an emailed ballot for their respective region will have until midnight on August 16 to cast their votes. All mailed ballots must be received at SAF headquarters by August 16. No ballots received after midnight on August 16 will be counted.

The candidates for SAF Council elections are:

Growers Council Nominees

Growers vote for three candidates:

Susan Bachman West is president of Bachman’s Inc. in Minneapolis, Minnesota. With 22 years of experience in the floral industry, she has served on the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum Board of Trustees since 2010 where she has served as Marketing and Events Committee Chair since 2012. West also has served on the Minnesota Women’s Economic Roundtable. Bachman’s has been in business since 1885.

Ross Johnson is President and CEO of Rosaprima in Miami, Florida. With expertise in executive leadership and management as well as business planning and strategy, Johnson has interests that range from international sales and business to financial planning. A graduate of Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management, where he earned his MBA, he is also a member of Harvard Business School’s YPO Presidents Program. His family business, Rosaprima, has served the Miami area for 24 years as a grower of standard and garden roses.

 

Rita Jo Shoultz is managing partner of Alaska Hardy Peony (dba Alaska Perfect Peony) in Fritz Creek, Alaska. It began as a small retail garden center in 1995 and became a wholesale peony operation in 2006. A charter founding member of the Alaska Peony Growers Association, she has spent her career as an ambassador for the flowers she loves. Over the course of her career, she has been featured in dozens of magazines and newspapers, as well as received multiple awards on the local, state and federal level.

Retailers Council Nominees

Retailers vote for one candidate in their region.

Central Region: Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin

Christopher Norwood is vice president of Tipton Hurst in Little Rock, Arkansas, where the business has served the community since 1886. With his 41 years’ experience in the floral industry, Norwood has focused his career on floral design, merchandising and marketing. He is a three-time winner of the Arkansas Florists Association “Arkansas Cup” and was a finalist in the FTD “America’s Cup” in 1984. His business has been awarded the Reader’s Choice Best Florist Award for the last 20 years by the Arkansas Democrat newspaper. In 2019, he was honored as Best Event Planner by Soiree Magazine. A long-time member of several professional associations, he has served in many positions within the American Institute of Floral Designers and the Arkansas Florists Association over the last several decades.

Cameron Pappas is a CPA and owner and vice president of Norton’s Florist, Events & Gift Baskets in Birmingham, Alabama. Pappas was a speaker at the SAF Annual Convention in 2018 on the subject “Preparing Millennials for Leadership.” His areas of expertise include financial management, accounting, marketing and sales. He holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in accounting from Auburn University. Pappas worked as a CPA for three years before joining the family floral business in 2015. Birmingham Magazine named him one of the Top 40 Influencers Under 40 in 2018.

 

 

West Region: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming

Brad Levy is president of Allen’s Flowers & Plants in San Diego, California, which has been named San Diego’s Best Florist by the San Diego Union Tribune for the last nine years. With 35 years of industry experience, his expertise ranges from technology and flower purchasing to online marketing and operational management. Levy has a degree in accounting from the University of Colorado and is a member of Zeta Beta Tau.

 

 

Brennen Rigler is president of Albuquerque Florist, Inc. in Albuquerque, New Mexico. With more than 20 years in the floral industry, Rigler has focused his work on marketing, customer service and financial management. He has increased business 700% over the course of his career and has retained and grown a dedicated customer base in the Albuquerque area. His business was named Best of the City (top 5) since 2005, with the top spot award in 2008, 2013, 2016 and 2017. The also received the Wedding Wire couples’ choice award in 2014, 2015 and 2018.
East Region: Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia

Nicodemus (Nic) Faitos is senior partner and president of Starbright Floral Design in New York City. Faitos has lived all over the world, including California, Greece, Florida and New York. He has spent 25 years working in the floral industry with an emphasis in marketing (namely B2B), general sales, public relations and web merchandising. In 2018, Faitos was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award by the Hotel Industry Association in NYC. He has written numerous articles in Floral Management magazine, serves in the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association (HSMAI) in New York and is a member of the Forbes Business Council, among other professional associations.

Sandy Nielsen Baumann is Director of Nielsen’s Florist & Garden Shop, a third-generation family business in Darien, Connecticut. The shop won Floral Management magazine’s Marketer of the Year Award in 2013 and 2016. She is a former director of the Darien United Way and the Darien Chamber of Commerce. She has also served on both the Finance and Quality and Clinical Affairs Committees at Stamford Hospital. Currently, Sandy is on the Board of Directors of Connecticut Community Bank and is on the Program Committee for the Fund for Women and Girls.

Wholesalers Council Nominees

Wholesalers vote for two candidates:

David Torres is vice president of sales and vendor relations for Denver Wholesale Florist in Denver, Colorado.  The company carries fresh cut flowers, hardgoods and grower supplies. With 27 years of industry experience, his areas of expertise include sales, purchasing, marketing, merchandising and operations. Torres has an associate of arts degree from Miami Dade College.

 

 

Lenny Walker is vice president of operations for Kennicott Brothers Company in Chicago, Illinois. Walker has spent 42 years in the floral industry and has served on the Floral Management Advisory Committee for SAF. His expertise is in operations, improving employee culture, educational programs and communication. He has served with the Wholesale Florist and Florist Supplier Association as a board member and as a member of the education and logistics committees. He has written articles discussing how wholesalers deliver value to their customers.

 

 

Jenny Scala is the director of marketing and communications for the Society of American Florists.