Pete Garcia, AAF, founder of the Pete Garcia Company, was inducted into the Floriculture Hall of Fame at SAF’s Stars of the Industry Awards Dinner last week. He was joined on stage by his wife Brenda and son David.
For most floral professionals, the name Pete Garcia, AAF, calls to mind any tool or accessory they could ever want. For those acquainted with the man behind the eponymous brand, however, the name represents unbridled determination, an eye on the big picture, and steadfast respect for the value of relationships. In his more than 60 years in the industry, Garcia has proven himself to be a consummate entrepreneur, a wholesale leader, and a tireless advocate for floral research, scholarships, and grants, paving the way for a brighter future.
In recognition of his accomplishments and years of service, the Society of American Florists inducted Garcia into the SAF Floriculture Hall of Fame — the industry’s highest honor — Sept. 8 during the Stars of the Industry awards ceremony, held in conjunction with SAF Orlando 2022, the association’s 137th annual convention.
“Pete has had a profound impact on the development and progress of the flower industry over the years. His business standards and culture are an inspiration to all who know him,” says fellow Hall of Fame member Harrison “Red” Kennicott III, AAF, chairman of Kennicott Brothers Company. Kennicott met Garcia, a rising star at the Oscar G. Carlstedt Company, in 1959.
The Early Years
Garcia, the son of a Spanish immigrant, left college in 1956 to provide for his growing family and found a job driving a delivery truck in Jacksonville, Florida for Carlstedt, a floral wholesaler. He was managing several branches in Florida and Georgia by the time he left the company in 1965 to work as a manufacturer’s representative in floral supplies.
In 1965, Victor Levy, an independent manufacturer’s representative of floral supplies, was in failing health and looking for a successor. He pressed Garcia to join him, offering him the southeastern zone to start. Within a year, Garcia had put 130,000 miles on his car and increased business in his zone by $1.2 million. Upon Levy’s death in 1969, he became the new owner.
The Birth of the Pete Garcia Company
Working out of an office he had created by digging in the crawl space of his home with a pickax, Garcia hired others as salesmen, including his brother Ramon Garcia, just home from Vietnam.
In 1970, the business incorporated as the Pete Garcia Company and in 1972 Garcia launched a two-pronged strategy unique in the world of floral supplies. First, seeing a market need that was going unfilled, he formed his own manufacturing company (the Transmexican Corporation) to supply mouth-blown glassware made for florists. Garcia’s second strategy was negotiating exclusive sales agreements with other major suppliers.
Combining these strategies, Garcia created a one-stop shopping destination called FloraMart, today housed in a 30,000-square-foot showroom in Atlanta — a sophisticated and multifaceted operation unlike any other in the industry.
Over the years, the Pete Garcia Company has formed, purchased, and sold more than 25 other corporations to achieve a gold standard in the floral supply industry. It currently operates six divisions: Floral-Pak® Company, Plus One Imports™, Garcia Group Glass — Floraglas® and G3® brand products, Vase D’Lite®, and Premium Wood Picks. Garcia’s efforts have led to product development that has improved aesthetics, user-friendliness, and workroom efficiency for floral designers.
Jack Van Namen, who spent nearly 50 years at Vans Floral Products in Chicago and was a Pete Garcia customer for just about as long, describes Garcia as “a man in perpetual motion.” While he constantly searched “for the best in products, personnel, and competitive pricing,” Garcia also “never said no when it came to serving the industry,” Van Namen says.
Industry Service
Most notably, Garcia stepped up for numerous leadership positions within the Wholesale Florists & Florist Suppliers Association, the American Floral Endowment, and the Society of American Florists.
Garcia was instrumental in establishing the WF&FSA Trade Fair in 1973, which served for many years as the industry’s most important commercial event in the U.S. Garcia served as WF&FSA’s president from 1979 to 1980. He also created the Mike Garcia Scholarship, in honor of his late son, to recognize WF&FSA members exhibiting enthusiasm, industry dedication, and commitment to career achievement.
Garcia has also been an active supporter of the American Floral Endowment, an organization that he helped rebrand. Its original moniker — the Society of American Florists Endowment — made for confusing fundraising calls, as people would insist that they were already members and quickly hang up. Garcia, then publicity chair, suggested something completely different and helped develop AFE’s logo: a tree of life, with roots that feed the tree — representing growers, wholesalers, and retailers, and others — and the fruits that everyone shares.
A passionate and persuasive fundraiser, Garcia convinced other hardgoods suppliers to contribute to floral research with the argument that their wares only looked as good as the fresh product they adorned. He also spearheaded AFE’s Flora-Stats program, which provided a database of industry statistics. While industry changes later brought about an end to the program, it demonstrated the value of such information and served as a stimulus for subsequent research methods. Garcia served on AFE’s board of directors for 10 years, culminating in his chairmanship from 1993 to 1995. In 2020, he and his family created The Garcia Family Scholarship for students with a career focus on the marketing and distribution of floral products or students pursuing floral business ownership.
Garcia also spent 12 years on SAF’s Government Affairs committee, wrote countless articles for industry periodicals, and gave presentations for numerous industry organizations.
“He’s famous for his hardgoods, but Pete’s really been a spokesperson for the whole industry for years,” says Merlin Leger, general manager of Louisiana Wholesale Florists. “He sees the big picture and understands that floral professionals, whatever our business, thrive when we work together.”
Katie Vincent is a senior contributing editor for the Society of American Florists.
