ALEXANDRIA, VA — Three weeks after about 90 growers, wholesalers, retailers and suppliers took to Capitol Hill to speak on the floral industry’s behalf, some members of the Society of American Florists (SAF) are beginning to see tangible results.
In Rogers, Ark., Jo Buttram, AAF, AMF, PCF, of Shirley’s Flowers & Gifts received a personal letter from Rep. Steve Womack (R-Ark.), congratulating the shop on its most recent honor: a Small Business of the Year award from the local Chamber of Commerce.
“Your shop has been an institution — not only in Rogers but the entire region — for years,” wrote Womack, who already has scheduled a visit to Shirley’s in early April. “Thank you for being a job creator. Our community is a better and more beautiful place to live because of Shirley’s Flowers.”
The letter came on the heels of Buttram’s visit with one of Womack’s legislative aides during CAD last month. Over the years, Buttram has worked diligently to build and maintain relationships with her lawmakers, including Womack, a former mayor of Rogers. While in D.C., she also met directly with Sens. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) and John Boozman (R-Ark.)
During her visit with Boozman, the senator promised to visit her business soon, to gain a better perspective on the issues florists face.
“Score!” wrote Buttram in an email to SAF’s government relations team, updating them on her post-CAD progress. “Grassroots!! #CADRules!”
Buttram’s enthusiasm — and deep commitment to advocating on behalf of the entire floral industry — was shared by many CAD attendees, including the 10-member delegation from Illinois, which trekked more than five miles on Capitol Hill, visiting all 18 offices associated with group members.
Reflecting on the day, Dr. Marvin Miller, AAF, of Ball
Horticultural Company in West Chicago, Ill., said he was “most impressed” with Virginia Hayes, an aide to Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.), who understood nuances of immigration reform, listened attentively and represented the congresswoman “very well, telling her story,” including the lawmaker’s personal connection to the issue. (After marrying Duckworth’s father, her Thai mother struggled to obtain a visa, forcing the family to live apart for years.)
“[Duckworth] was an advocate for comprehensive
[immigration] reform in the last Congress and is still very supportive of it,” Miller said. “But Virginia also told us that Duckworth wrote individual letters to every other member of the Illinois delegation arguing that comprehensive reform was needed for Illinois. Virginia even told us that Duckworth (politely, I hope) chastised many members for telling her privately that they supported immigration reform while at the same time publicly arguing other platforms.”
Since returning home, Miller has had “some back and forth” with the office of Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.), on the ineffective E-Verify program, a topic SAF members broached directly with lawmakers.
Despite the charged partisan atmosphere in Washington, Miller, a longtime CAD attendee, saw reason for optimism. “The Duckworth story was meaningful to most of us in Illinois because it is the first time we’ve had a congressional rep who actually could relate to the issue, at least as the aide explained it,” Miller said, adding that “another little glimmer” came during a visit to the office of Rep. Peter Roskam (R-Ill.).
“He has a new aide dealing with immigration issues, who happens to be the nephew of a former Illinois congressman,” Miller said. “We had a good conversation about immigration reform. When Roskam first came to the Hill [in 2007], he refused to engage in dialogue on the subject. So … that is some kind of progress.”
In Phoenix, Floral Management magazine’s 2012 Marketer of the Year Cheryl Denham of Arizona Family Florist also took time to reflect on her experience as one of 18 first-time attendees. Her goal for next year? Recruit more industry members to travel to the Hill for CAD.
“If more people in the industry would attend, can you imagine the impact we could make on Capitol Hill?” Denham said. “We owe it to our future generations to invest in the time to personally address these issues that will affect them long term.”
Check out CAD photos through SAF’s Flickr stream at https://flic.kr/s/aHsk9kZi8F.
SAVE THE DATE: Make plans to attend SAF's 36th Annual Congressional Action Days, March 14-15, 2016.
# # #
The Society of American Florists is the leading organization representing all segments of the floral industry. SAF is proud to provide marketing, business and government services to its members, including growers, wholesalers, retailers, suppliers, importers, educators, designers and allied organizations. The association was chartered by an act of Congress in 1884.
Source: The Society of American Florists