When a mistake happens at H-E-B’s BLOOMS Floral Shops, Joe Don Zetzsche trains his team to ask the person responsible an important question: Are you OK? “It’s part of our philosophy: No one comes to work to make a mistake or do a bad job,” explained Zetzsche, who, as director of BLOOMS, oversees all operations and logistics — from working with growers to planning in-store merchandising — for H-E-B’s 250 floral departments. “Things are going to go wrong — we know that — but we have to find ways to build each other up, so that we can move forward.”
Kate Penn, SAF CEO
That positive, team-oriented approach is one reason that H-E-B is fast becoming one of the most respected and recognized brands in the country — or, as Forbes magazine termed the company, which has 400 locations in Texas and Mexico, “the smartest supermarket you’ve just heard of.” In fact, when Dunnhumby, a consumer data science company, surveyed customers for its 2020 index, H-E-B came out as one of the top grocery store companies, ahead of Trader Joes, Amazon, Costco, Wegmans and Publix.
The floral industry plays an important role in H-E-B’s success, said Zetzsche, who grew up on a West Texas farm as a fifth-generation Texan and has worked at H-E-B for more than 30 years. “The flower business is critical at H-E-B because it’s part of how we connect with customers,” said Zetzsche, also the chairman of the Produce Marketing Association. “But the flower business is incredibly fluid and seasonal. No other business has the same kind of seasonal spikes and shifts in customer types around holidays.”
Joe Don Zetzsche, Director of H-E-B’s BLOOMS Flower Shops
On July 31, as part of the Society of American Florists’ Reinvention Summit, Zetzsche will delve deeper into lessons he’s learned as director of BLOOMS, including how he’s guided his team of 5,000 through the dramatic changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic. In a conversation with SAF’s CEO Kate Penn, sponsored by Syndicate Sales, Zetzsche will discuss the many policies and procedures that H-E-B has in place to help manage its workforce and create a workplace culture that’s firmly centered on the brand’s core values, and what he’s learned from his long career managing floral logistics for a major company. Penn said the lessons will resonate with floral industry members from all segments.
“Before the pandemic, H-E-B had earned a reputation as a great place to work, and as a company that, for as much as its grown, still operates around the principles that made it a successful family business from its founding 116 years ago,” explained Penn. “Floral industry members are looking for ways to innovate now, to work with smaller, more dedicated teams, to inspire greatness, to rebuild confidence. In our conversation on July 31, those are some of the themes Joe Don and I will focus on, along with some of the practical lessons any business owner can draw from H-E-B’s experiences as a leader in workforce development.”
One tip Zetzsche shared ahead of the Summit conversation: Processes matter, especially when businesses face unexpected challenges — a slowdown in the supply chain, for instance, or a global pandemic. “There’s a saying I like, ‘When something goes wrong, find the guy with the matches,’” he explained. In practice that means following the trail of any missteps to find out why, when and how things went off the rails, so that you can set your team back on the right path. “Put out the fire first and then go back in your processes to see where the fire started,” so that you and your employees can learn from the experience and move forward, without repeating the same mistake, he said.
“The more you’re able to focus on processes, the more you can withstand the insane voodoo world that is working in the flower business,” he added.
The conversation between Zetzsche and Penn will be followed by a question and answer period and then a panel discussion among floral industry leaders and breakout sessions to allow Summit participants to connect with each other and share ideas and strategies.
SAF’s Reinvention Summit kicks off July 27 with five days of virtual programming — most held in the afternoon period. SAF members pay $75/day ($125 for Monday’s session) or $249 for the full week. Prospective members pay $150/day ($250 for Monday’s session) or $499 for the full week. Register today and find out more about the schedule of events for this all-virtual affair.
Mary Westbrook is the editor in chief of Floral Management.