James Fred Swindle, who owned National Florist Directory and founded its subsidy, Redbook Florist Services, died April 23.
Swindle worked for the National Florist Directory for 20 years before purchasing the company in 1975. The next year, he started Redbook Florist Services, named for the red cover of the directory, which listed, growers, wholesalers, florists and suppliers.
Redbook started with 167 subscribers in 18 states and grew to include a network of 16,000 floral shops. It sold computer hardware and software to floral companies, published an “Encycloflora” series of educational books, and held hands-on floral workshops, according to a 1997 article published in Arkansas Business. Redbook also had a financial division to help florists obtain loans for business equipment and inventory.
It was also the first company to create an electronic wiring system to rival that of FTD’s.
Teleflora bought the businesses in 1997, and it was largely the electronic wiring network that interested Teleflora, National Florist Directory CEO Bill Fisher said in the article.
Gregg Coccari, who was president and CEO of Teleflora at the time, added that Teleflora was also interested in Redbook because it had successfully marketed computer software to floral shops, something Teleflora hadn’t done.
“What Redbook has that Teleflora did not have is technologies,” Coccari said in the article.
The National Floral Directory and Redbook were generating $185 million in annual revenue at the time of the sale, according to the article.
The sale made Teleflora the largest floral network in the country, with 25,000 subscribers at the time. Jeff Bennett, president and CEO of Teleflora, said the company has been honored to carry on Swindle’s legacy.
“Fred Swindle built a great company, Redbook Florist Services, in Paragould and Teleflora has been honored to continue Fred’s legacy with our great staff located in Paragould,” Bennett says.
Read Swindle’s obituary here.
Amanda Jedlinsky is the managing editor of SAF NOW.
