Home » Members to Elect Council Representatives

Members to Elect Council Representatives

by Jenny Scala | Jul 13, 2016 | Floral Industry News | 0 comments

Members of the Society of American Florists should check their inboxes for an email sent on Monday, July 11 with the ballot for SAF Council elections in their specific segment. For the second year in a row, SAF members can vote electronically, through a secure, online election portal for their Council representative. The annual elections for Retailers, Wholesalers and Growers Councils have historically been handled via a mailed ballot.

For the second year in a row, SAF members can vote electronically, through a secure, online election portal for their Council representative. The annual elections for Retailers, Wholesalers and Growers Councils have historically been handled via a mailed ballot.

“The board made the switch from paper to an electronic election last year as part of an ongoing effort to manage the Society’s resources wisely and, at the same time, make it easier than ever for members to vote,” said SAF President Martin Meskers, AAF, of Oregon Flowers, Inc., in Aurora, Oregon.

Thirteen candidates are running for nine open Council seats. Candidates for the Growers and the Wholesalers Councils are running uncontested.

Growers Council Growers vote for two candidates.

Tom Wheeler, Bell Nursery, Elkridge, Maryland

Mark Wilson, Syngenta Flowers, Gilroy, California

Retail Council Retail Council Retailers vote for one candidate in their region.

Eastern Region (Maine, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, Vermont, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Florida)

Kate Delaney, Matlack Florist, West Chester, Pennsylvania

John Kobylinski, In Bloom, Winter Park, FL

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

Jeremy Lohman, Scott’s House of Flowers Inc., Lawton, Oklahoma

Nikki Lemler, Welke’s Milwaukee Florist, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Western Region (Oregon, Washington, California, Montana, Idaho, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Alaska, Hawaii, Wyoming, Utah)

Cheryl Denham, Arizona Family Florist, Phoenix, Arizona

Joshua Glass, Peoples Flower Shops, Albuquerque, New Mexico

Wholesalers Council Wholesalers vote for four candidates.

David Armellini, Armellini Express Lines, Palm City, Florida

Joost Bongaerts, Florabundance, Inc., Carpinteria, California

Tom Figueroa, Nordlie, Warren, Michigan

Scott Isensee, Frank Adams Wholesale Florist, Portland, Oregon

Elected Council members will serve a three-year term, which begins in 2017. SAF members receiving an emailed ballot for their respective region will have until midnight on August 7 to cast their votes. All mailed ballots must be received at SAF headquarters by August 8. No ballots received after midnight August 8 will be counted.