Kenneth Royer, AAF
Kenneth Royer, AAF, a lifelong industry innovator, educator, author and 2021 inductee into the Society of American Florists’ Floriculture Hall of Fame, died Dec. 14. He was 92.
Royer began his floral career working part time after school at his parents’ flower shop, in Lebanon, Pennsylvania. After earning a floriculture degree from Michigan State University in 1951, he joined his parents full time, ultimately taking the reins in the 1980s.
Royer grew Royer’s Flowers & Gifts to 16 locations in Pennsylvania and three in Ohio. He was the first florist in the U.S. to implement computerized systems for multi-shop operations, and one of the first to import flowers from South America. His innovative approach and ensuing success caught the attention of his peers, who sought his advice, recalls his son, Gregory Royer.
“In some cultures, the highest praise you can receive is to be called a teacher, and he was really interested in teaching anyone,” says Gregory Royer, chairman of the board for Royer’s Flowers & Gifts. “He got the most joy out of talking with other people in the industry to the extent that they wanted advice.”
Royer dispensed his wisdom through more than 70 seminars and through his column, “Royer on Retail,” which was published in Florists’ Review magazine for 14 years. He also published a book in 1997, recalling mistakes he made along the way and what he learned from them, and providing his best practices to help other florists avoid similar mistakes and be successful.
“His book, ‘Retailing Flowers Profitably,’ sits in my office with many pages worn from referring to them over the years,” says Lori Wheat, AAF, CFO and marketing director for Lafayette Florist, Gift Shop & Garden Center in Lafayette, Colorado, and the Society of American Florists’ next president-elect. “Whenever I needed inspiration or a reminder of best practices, I would turn to . It would give me the insight I needed.”
The willingness to share his recipe for success set him apart, says Carol Caggiano, AAF, PFCI, AIFD, a floral consultant and freelance designer who was on the SAF awards committee with Wheat when Royer was inducted into SAF’s Floriculture Hall of Fame.
“The thing that really made the difference was his educational direction,” she says. “He was willing to share all the hard work he did and all the things he learned with everyone else, and not in an egocentric way,” but in a “you can do this, too” way.
Royer understood that the overall health of the floral industry affects everyone in the supply chain, says Caggiano. The industry’s success was his success and vice versa. His dedication to industry-wide education is a major part of his legacy, she says.
Throughout his career, Royer received several awards and honors. In addition to being a Floriculture Hall of Fame inductee, Royer received SAF’s Golden Bouquet (now the Paul Ecke Jr. Award) in 1986, which is presented to industry professionals with an exemplary devotion to profession, industry, and community. He also received the Teleflora Lifetime Achievement Award in 2001 and the FTD Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004.
Another part of his legacy is his philanthropy. Royer established The Royer Family Charitable Foundation, which disperses funding locally and across the world. Through the American Floral Endowment, where he served on the board for 10 years, Royer established the Hannah and Lester Royer Memorial Fund to honor his parents’ legacy. After Royer’s death, AFE established the Kenneth Royer Memorial Tribute in his memory.
Royer’s legacy also lives on through his family, many of whom worked their way up through the ranks at his flower shops. The third and fourth generation of Royers run the family business today.
Read Royer’s obituary here.
Laurie Herrera is a contributing writer for the Society of American Florists.
