Teleflora has narrowed the contenders for 2nd Annual Tom Butler Retailer of the Year Award from 100 florist nominations to 10. This year’s recipient will be announced and honored at the American Floral Endowment (AFE) Fundraising Dinner in conjunction with the SAF Maui 2016.
This year’s top 10 nomination finalists are:
Benoit Ballon of King Florist (Austin, Texas)
Carmen Cosentino of Cosentino’s Florist (Auburn, New York)
Brad Denham of Arizona Florist (Phoenix, Arizona)
Debbie Gordy of Compton’s Florist (La Porte, Texas)
Pat Gustaf of Gustaf’s Greenery (Sioux Falls, South Dakota)
Bill Plummer of Arkansas Florists Association (Plumerville, Arkansas)
Paul Raimondi of Raimondi’s Florist (Baltimore, Maryland)
Jerome Raska of Blumz by JRDesigns (Detroit, Michigan)
Joan Wise of Wise Originals (Aston, Pennsylvania)
Kiko Zimmerman of Kiko’s Flower & Gifts (Park Ridge, Illinois)
In 2015 Teleflora established the Honorary Award to honor Tom Butler, Teleflora’s past chairman, to recognize a retail florist and Teleflora member that best embodies Tom’s legacy. Tom died in 2014 after battling cancer. In addition to running a first-class retail operation, award winners show the highest level of commitment and service to their local community, are dedicated ambassadors to the floral industry, and provide leadership and guidance to fellow florists.
