Members of the Society of American Florists should keep an eye on their email inboxes on Friday, July 7 for an election ballot to vote for the next growers, retailers and wholesalers who will serve on SAF’s Councils.
SAF members can vote electronically through a secure, online election portal for their Council representative. SAF members whose email address is not in the SAF database will be sent a ballot via mail.
Twelve candidates are running for nine open Council seats. Candidates for the Growers and the Wholesalers Councils are running uncontested.
Elected Council members will serve a three-year term, which begins in 2018. SAF members receiving an emailed ballot for their respective region will have until midnight on August 4 to cast their votes. All mailed ballots must be received at SAF headquarters by August 4. No ballots received after midnight August 4 will be counted.
The candidates and their bios follow.
Growers Council Nominees
Growers vote tor three candidates.
Hank Bukowski
The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company
Marysville, Ohio
Hank Bukowski is director of live goods at The Scotts Miracle-Gro Company, a 149-year-old company in Marysville, Ohio. Bukowski grew up working on his grandfather’s rose farm and has been in the floral industry for more than 40 years. He has a Bachelor’s degree in ornamental horticulture from Delaware Valley College of Science and Agriculture and has worked as a grower, greenhouse manager and general manager. Bukowski has served on the board of AmericanHort. Before that, he served on its Grower Council. He has spoken at Cultivate, the association’s annual trade show, for 20 consecutive years. Bukowski also belongs to the Floriculture Alliance Research Group.
Rodi Groot
Sun Valley Floral Group
Oxnard, California
Robert Dirk “Rodi” Groot is product coordinator and bouquet manager of the Sun Valley Floral Group in Oxnard, California. He has a degree in trade and management from Boerma Instituut in Aalsmeer, the Netherlands and 37 years experience in the industry. His expertise is in care and handling, field and cooler inventory management, financial management and marketing. He served on the Produce Marketing Organization’s floral council from 2007 to 2008. From 2012 to 2014, he chaired the promotion committee for the California Cut Flower Commission and, in 2014, he chaired the committee that started American Grown Flowers.
Herb Vander Ende, Jr.
Burnaby Lake Greenhouses, Ltd.
Surrey, British Columbia
Herb Vander Ende is managing director and co-owner of Burnaby Lake Greenhouses, Ltd., a 62-year-old grower of cut flowers, foliage and potted flowering plants in Surrey, British Columbia. He studied at Ohio State University and has spent 33 years in the floral industry. His expertise is in labor and production management. He is a past director of the Canadian Ornamental Plant Foundation.
Retailers Council Nominees – East Region
Retailers in the East Region — Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Vermont, Virginia and West Virginia — vote for one candidate.
John Kobylinski
In Bloom Florist, Orlando Wholesale Florist
Orlando, Florida
John Kobylinski is owner of In Bloom Florist and Orlando Wholesale Florist in Orlando, Florida. He studied ornamental horticulture at Valencia College in Orlando and has spent 40 years in the industry. In Bloom Florist has been named Orlando’s best florist by multiple city publications and received the city’s Beautification Award. The Knot, Wedding Wire and Orlando Magazine have each recognized this shop.
Michael Trogdon
Burge Flower Shop, Inc.
Asheboro, North Carolina
Michael Trogdon is president of Burge Flower Shop, Inc., a 67-year-old business in Asheboro, North Carolina. He has spent 38 years in the floral industry. He has an Associate’s degree in floriculture. His professional expertise includes financial management, marketing and holiday planning and promotion. Trogdon has served as president, vice president and secretary of the North Carolina Florists Association. He received the association’s “Florist of the Year” award in 2011. He has also served as president and treasurer of Teleflora’s North Carolina unit.
Retailers Council Nominees – Central Region
Retailers in the Central Region — Alabama, Arkansas, Kansas, Kentucky, Illinois, Iowa, Indiana, Louisiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin — vote for one candidate.
Nikki Lemler, AAF
Welke’s Milwaukee Florist
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Nikki Lemler, AAF, is vice president of Welke’s Milwaukee Florist, the business her great-great-grandfather started in 1901. She has worked in the industry since she was 6 years old, when she swept floors. Today, her expertise includes weddings, event planning and corporate sales. Lemler is an instructor with Flowers for Kids, a program that teaches children of all ages how to appreciate, care for and arrange flowers. She is a member of the Great Lakes Group.
Heather Waits
Bloomtastic Florist Inc.
Upper Arlington, Ohio
Heather Waits is president of Bloomtastic Florist Inc., in Upper Arlington, Ohio. She has been in the floral industry for 13 years. An expert on marketing, networking, operations and customer service (particularly related to weddings), she has written several articles for industry publications, including Floral Management, Florists’ Review and The Wedding Business Magazine. She has given presentations at two SAF conventions and served on the Floral Management Advisory Committee. The Knot and The Wedding Wire have recognized her work and locals named her shop “Columbus’ best florist.”
Retailers Council Nominees – West Region
Retailers in the West Region — Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming — vote for one candidate.
Joshua Glass, AAF
People’s Flower Shops
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Joshua Glass, AAF, is the vice president of Peoples Flower Shops in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He has worked in the industry for more than a decade and has experience in online marketing, social media, financial management and inventory management. His work with website development and Search Engine Optimization was featured at the 2014 Teleflora RTI Conference and he has spoken on the topic at multiple SAF conventions. Glass received a Bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma.
Brian Kusuda
Jimmy’s Flower Shop, Inc.
Ogden, Utah
Brian Kusuda is vice president of Jimmy’s Flower Shop, Inc., a 69-year-old shop in Ogden, Utah. He has a degree in business administration from Weber State University and 12 years of experience in the industry. His expertise includes product development, care and handling, quality control and human resources. He is a member of the Midwest Floral Group.
Wholesalers Council Nominees
Wholesalers vote for three candidates.
Liza Atwood
Fifty Flowers
Boise, Idaho
Liza Atwood is founder and CEO of Fifty Flowers in Boise, Idaho. She has spent 24 years in the industry. Her expertise is in fresh cut flower sourcing and marketing. She belongs to the Association for Wedding Professionals International, the Association of Bridal Consultants, the Wedding Industry Professional Association and NorCal. She has written two articles for Rent My Wedding magazine. Atwood has a Bachelor’s degree from Texas A&M University and belongs to Entrepreneurs’ Organization, a global non-profit.
Tim Dewey
DVFlora
Sewell, New Jersey
Tim Dewey is vice president of DVFlora, a 58-year-old family-run wholesale company in Sewell, New Jersey. Dewey has 30 years experience in the floral industry. His expertise is in inbound logistics, procurement and purchasing, e-commerce, marketing and quality assurance. He’s an active member of the Wholesale Florist & Florist Supplier Association, serving on its board from 2014 to 2016. Dewey has a certificate in audio engineering from Paddington College in London, England. He is a board member and volunteer with Camden Youth Soccer Association, a soccer program for inner city kids in Camden, New Jersey.
Anne Stewart
Smithers-Oasis North American Operations
Kent, Ohio
Anne Stewart is vice president of Smithers-Oasis North American Operations in Kent, Ohio. Prior to entering the floral industry three years ago, Stewart spent 30 years in the paint and coatings industry, working for Sherwin-Williams in both marketing and sales capacities. She has substantial experience selling to wholesale customers in the U.S. and Canada and received several awards from her former employer. Stewart has a degree in social science from the University of Western Ontario. She belongs to Vistage, a CEO networking group in Northeast Ohio, and wrote an article on retirement planning for Smart Business magazine.
