What does a red stapler have to do with a fulfilling, lasting career in the floral industry? For Drew Gruenburg, the Society of American Florists’ longtime chief operating officer and the winner of SAF’s 2019 President’s Award, the stapler, which he received on his first day of work nearly 40 years ago, has become a symbol of what it means to commit yourself to a career you love and to engage meaningfully every day with the people you work with and serve.
“If there were ever a strange metaphor for a long career, a red stapler might be it,” Gruenburg admits in the Viewpoint column of the current issue of Floral Management magazine. Gruenburg retires next month. Read more about his career — that stapler — and the most important lessons he’s learned in his 38-year career.
