Submitted by Donna Pittman AIFD CFD NCCPF
Hello from North Carolina! Our North Carolina State Florist Association ended our year with our convention, BLOOM…creativity takes courage… on Aug. 12-14th in Durham, NC. We’ve rebuilt and learned from one another while displaying courage, creativity and heart because this is who we are at our core. Our convention was the time to celebrate our successes together and be thankful for the support of our industry peers. We are grateful for being a part of the most creative, giving, hardworking, caring and resilient group of people!
In the last couple of years we have survived; and while doing so laughed often, made things happen, learned more about our business and ourselves and persevered. There is no one quite like us!
Stephanie Garrett AIFD and Scott Jackson created the lobby flowers. Simply amazing design and perfect in every detail! Flowers were blooming everywhere!
Jody McLeod AIFD also designed lobby flowers for our 100th year celebration. There is truly only one Jody! It was supposed to be in 2020 so we celebrated anyway! It was a beautiful tribute to our long history. Congratulations to Jody also for winning our Dogwood Cup interpretive design. Each designer interpreted a poem and completed the design on stage. This was a tremendous learning experience with commentating by Stephanie Garrett AIFD.
Among many other competitions we also hosted breakout sessions for Business Law and Social Media. As you know, this learning experience is always needed in our industry!
Alicia Springfield AIFD (2022!!) presented her program, Chaos Blooms, that explained her relationships with flowers and her thought process of designing. It was very creative with stunning pieces and fascinating commentary.
Michael Whaley AIFD chaired the James Treadaway Cup, our most prestigious competition. In this competition designers interpret a piece of art. This year it was music. Joseph Barnes won by creating a true work of art! So inspiring!
We were very grateful to have Holly Heider Chappel as our finale program. Not only does she use flowers from her Hope Valley Farms and Alexandra Farms, she relays life lessons for all. It was extraordinary.
Two graduates of the North Carolina Certified Professional Florist
School, Jessica Nance and Candace Strickland received their pins for completing the program. We are very proud of the educational opportunities in our state.
Pictured below is our Members Banquet created by Lyn Graves and team. There is no way to describe the awe inspiring beauty of the room!!!!
We did it! We showed our skills through competition, leadership and mentoring. I am so proud of our NCSFA for working so hard to come back! And look forward to continuing to grow!
