Aug 28, 2014

SAF Announces Three New Board MembersSource: Society of American Florists

The Society of American Florists (SAF) has elected three new members to its board of directors. The results of SAF’s board elections, which took place during SAF Marco Island 2014 and by mail ballot, also were announced at the Business Meeting on Aug. 16.

The following individuals began three-year terms on SAF’s board of directors at the close of the convention:

• Doug Cole, D.S. Cole Growers, Loudon, N.H.
• Manny Gonzales, Tiger Lily Florist, Charleston, S.C.
• Dave Gaul, Denver Wholesale Florist, Denver, Colo.

Doug Cole is the president of D.S. Cole Growers, a 27-year-old family business in Loudon, N.H., that produces young plants for pot and bedding growers as well as finished potted plants year-round. The company includes Cole Gardens, a garden center and florist in Concord, N.H. Cole is a 37-year floral industry veteran with expertise in growing and marketing. He is a member of SAF’s Growers Council and a board member of America in Bloom and the New Hampshire Horticulture Endowment. He is a past president and past treasurer of the former OFA – The Association of Horticulture Professionals and the former vice president of the New Hampshire Farm Bureau Federation. Cole writes regularly for GrowerTalks magazine. He earned a bachelor’s degree in plant science from the University of New Hampshire.

Dave Gaul is vice president of sales and marketing at Denver Wholesale Florist in Denver, Colo. The company wholesales fresh flowers and floral supplies and maintains a greenhouse supply division. He is a 38-year industry veteran with expertise in marketing and operations. He has served on SAF’s Wholesalers Council and Consumer Marketing Committee. He is a past board member of the Wholesale Florist & Florist Supplier Association and was a member of the group’s Membership Committee. He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Nebraska.

Manny Gonzales is the owner of Tiger Lily Florist in Charleston, S.C. He is an 18-year industry veteran with experience in marketing, financial management, performance-based compensation and initiating efforts to drive profits. He has served on SAF’s Floral Management Advisory and Business and Economic Trends committees and its Member Joint Council. Tiger Lily has been voted Charleston’s “Best Florist” 15 years running; the business was also named “Small Business of the Year” by the Charleston Chamber of Commerce in 2005 and Gonzales won “South Carolina Small Businessperson of the Year” runner-up in 2006. The shop has been on the cover of SAF’s Floral Management magazine three times. Gonzales has held leadership roles with the Lowcountry Food Bank, the Charleston Chamber of Commerce and the National Association for Catering and Events.

The following SAF Board Members continue their terms of office:

• Robert Aykens, AAF, Memorial Florists & Greenhouses Inc., Appleton, Wis.
• Ben Dobbe, Holland America Flowers LLC, Arroyo Grande, Calif.
• Paul Fowle, Transflora/DV Flora, Doral, Fla.
• Charles Ingrum, Dr. Delphinium Designs & Events, Dallas, Texas
• Bill LaFever, Bill Doran Company, Rockford, Ill.
• Dave Self, AAF, Wyld West Annuals Inc., Loxahatchee, Fla.
• Carlos Manual Uribe, AAF, Flores Flores El Capiro S.A., Medellin, Colombia S.A.

The following members of the SAF Executive Committee continue their terms of office:

• Robert Williams, II, AAF, PFCI, chairman, Smithers-Oasis – North American Operations, Kent, Ohio
• Shirley Lyons, AAF, PFCI, president, Dandelions Flowers & Gifts LLC, Eugene, Ore.
• Dwight Larimer, AAF, PFCI, Treasurer, DESIGN MASTER color tool inc., Boulder, Colo.
• Martin Meskers, president-elect, Oregon Flowers Inc., Aurora, Ore.
• Peter J. Moran, executive vice president & CEO, Society of American Florists, Alexandria, Va.

For results of SAF’s Council Elections, announced in August, click here.