Michael Kraft passed away earlier this year at the age of 52. He was honored last week with Teleflora’s 2019 Tom Butler “Floral Retailer of the Year” award.
Teleflora paid tribute to the late Michael Kraft of Nanz & Kraft Florists in Louisville, Kentucky, last week with its 2019 Tom Butler Floral Retailer of the Year honor. The award, which recognizes a retail florist and Teleflora member who exemplifies the legacy of Teleflora’s longtime chairman Tom Butler, AAF, PFCI, was presented during the American Floral Endowment’s (AFE) Fundraising Dinner at SAF Amelia Island 2019, the Society of American Florists’ 135th annual convention.
Kraft passed away earlier this year at the age of 52. David Kraft, one of his brothers and business partners, accepted the award on his behalf. “Michael was so positive — he always looked on the upside,” David said. “When Michael came into the room, everybody was happy.”
Jack Howard, executive vice president of national accounts at Teleflora, remembered Kraft as “a great role model” to the industry and “loving neighbor” in his community
“Michael Kraft’s incredible contribution to the floral industry and to his community in Louisville is a true testament to Tom Butler’s legacy,” Howard said. “Kraft was part of the Teleflora family for 25 years and we are deeply honored to be naming him as the recipient of this year’s Teleflora Floral Retailer of the Year award.”
Kraft with brothers Eddie and David.
Established in 2015, the Floral Retailer of the Year award was created to honor Butler and his decades-long service to the industry. In addition to leading “a superb retail operation, the awarded florist must show commitment to servicing their community, be a steadfast ambassador in the floral industry and offer meaningful guidance to fellow florists,” according to Teleflora.
In addition, AFE recently set up a memorial tribute on behalf of the Next Level Florist Group in Kraft’s honor.
In remembering his brother, David recalled his intelligence, kindness and focus on the future.
“He was a big fan of anything that would help the industry and a big proponent of education,” said David.
David and his brother Eddie also spoke of Michael’s grace and compassion as he struggled through his illness. “He always brought something to the chemo team, the surgeons and nurses,” Eddie said. “It was either flowers or bourbon.”
Most of all, Eddie said, Michael had the ability to keep the challenges life presented in perspective, focusing his energy on the people and issues that mattered most to him.
“He kept it light,” Eddie said. “He used to say, ‘Don’t worry too much. We’re just a little old flower shop.’”
Many in the industry have been sharing similar memories of Michael in the weeks since his death.
Sam Bowles, general manager of Allan’s Flowers in San Diego and the director of FloralStrategies West, worked at Nanz & Kraft for three years and remembers Michael’s natural positivity, and how his attitude filtered through the business and the Louisville area.
“I never saw Michael Kraft at work when he didn’t have a smile on his face,” Bowles said. “Wherever he was, he was happy to be there and brought a lightness and energy to the room. His love for his family, coworkers and community was always on full display and it was a privilege to work with him.”
Nanz & Kraft has been serving the Louisville community for almost 170 years. Since opening in 1850, the business has been passed through generations of the Kraft family and now maintains three locations. Michael was the former president of the St. Matthews Business Association and a graduate of the University of Kentucky. He is survived by his wife, Allison, and daughters, Lindsey and Shelby.
As for what the award and AFE tribute might have meant to Michael, David and Eddie agree he would have been proud and happy to hear about the investment in education. But they also said he would have been characteristically humble about the honors.
“Michael never would have gotten up on that awards stage,” admitted Eddie with a laugh, adding that the family has taken great comfort in the outpouring of industry support. “He mentored — I don’t even know how many people — with cancer. He helped a lot of people in the industry. But he did it all quietly. He was never a limelight kind of guy.”
Mary Westbrook is the editor in chief of Floral Management magazine.