|
Last month at Fun ’N Sun, we unveiled the American Floral Alliance and began a new chapter in the 85-year history of our organization.
During the unveiling, I made the statement, “We are more than an association—we are an Alliance.”
A month later, I think it is worth asking: What does that actually mean?
An alliance is not defined by a name or a logo but by people and organizations choosing to work together toward objectives that are difficult to accomplish alone.
Our industry is incredibly diverse, with growers, wholesalers, retailers, importers, transportation companies, suppliers, designers, educators and many others. We don't always have the same immediate interests or face the same challenges. But ultimately, we all depend upon a healthy and growing floral industry.
That is where the American Floral Alliance can make a difference.
Being an Alliance does not mean that we need to create or manage every initiative ourselves. In many cases, our greatest contribution may be bringing people and organizations together, providing resources and expertise, and supporting good work that is already taking place throughout our industry.
We are seeing opportunities to do exactly that.
One example is our longstanding support of the American Floral Endowment, whose work in research, education, scholarships and developing the next generation benefits our entire industry. AFA is proud to be a significant supporter of the Endowment and the important work it does on behalf of the floral community.
We have also invested significantly in initiatives designed to strengthen the future of our industry and increase the consumption of flowers. That Flower Feeling, which today operates as an independent organization, grew out of AFA's commitment to promoting the emotional and self-care benefits of flowers to consumers. Life in Bloom similarly reaches consumers with the positive impact flowers can have on our everyday lives.
Seed Your Future's Careers in Bloom initiative is introducing young people to the remarkable variety of career opportunities available throughout floriculture. It is exactly the kind of industry effort that demonstrates what can happen when organizations bring their respective resources and strengths together.
Our longstanding support of Memorial Day Flowers has helped place flowers on the graves of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country while reminding Americans of the true meaning of Memorial Day.
We also continue to strengthen relationships with other organizations throughout the floral community. Each organization has its own mission, constituency and strengths. We need to look for places where working together allows us to accomplish more.
The same principle applies within our own membership.
With approximately 900 member companies representing virtually every segment of the floral industry—and nearly 70% located outside California—we have an extraordinary network of knowledge, experience and relationships. One of our opportunities in the years ahead is to find better ways to connect those resources.
Changing our name was an important milestone, but it was never the destination.
The real opportunity is what we do with it.
American Floral Alliance should be a place where our industry comes together, not because we all do the same thing, but because there are important things we can accomplish together that none of us can accomplish alone.
That, to me, is what it means to be an Alliance.
|
