Navigating the Industry with SAF Leaders Kate Penn CEO and Oscar Fernandez President and Chairperson
Two of the floral industry's top leaders join Vonda and Lori this week: Kate Penn, CEO of the Society of American Florists, and Oscar Fernandez, SAF president and director of sales for Rio Roses. Between Kate's story about accidentally taking a group of florists roller skating on pro night (in a Flower Clique sweatshirt, no less) and an executive ruling on whether a hot dog is a sandwich — the president says no, and this pod concurs — the four cover the questions every shop owner is asking right now: what does an election year really mean for flower sales, and what is SAF actually doing for florists?
The election-year worry is "between our ears"
With members fretting about what the election will do to business, Oscar offers 30 years of perspective: every four years, the industry talks itself into a soft market. Meanwhile, restaurants are full, airports are packed, and people are booking vacations — other industries don't seem to get the memo. He's never seen numbers proving elections dent flower sales, so his advice is to get better at what we do and stop rehearsing a slump. Kate backs it with data points from her upcoming state-of-the-industry homework: May marked the first flat month-over-month consumer prices since July 2022, year-over-year inflation continues to slow, and unemployment sits at 3.9%. SAF's chief economist Charlie Hall predicted growth this year, and it's playing out — which is why the convention programming is built around getting ready for growth. And Oscar reframes the "difficult" post-COVID stretch: it only looks hard compared to the pandemic high. Against 2019, the industry is doing better — the boom proved the business is there to be had.
What's new at the August convention
SAF's convention runs August 6–9 in Miami — earlier than the traditional September slot, a deliberate move away from back-to-school and corporate-season chaos that attendees are loving so far (some are even turning it into a family vacation; next year is booked for early August in Phoenix). The last day is now an optional tour day, born from a Phoenix experiment where an optional retailer tour expected 50 people and drew over 100. Miami stops include an importer, bouquet-maker Armellini, and event company Petal Productions, whose leader Carlos has driven double-digit growth for over a decade by fully empowering his team — and he's also presenting his "secret sauce" on building a growth culture during the convention itself. There's no signup cutoff, and the hosts' tip stands: bring multiple people and split up the sessions.
Why membership matters (especially if you're new)
Lori sees it constantly: new florists who have never heard of SAF. Kate's rundown of what they're missing is long — startup tools and finance best practices, monthly topic-specific virtual events where a fern grower, a wholesaler, and a retailer share one screen, member discounts on live events, and a live chat where a real team answers questions. There's even a basic entry-level design certification in the works with the University of Mississippi, answering retailers' pleas for accessible fundamentals. SAF is also the industry's watchdog: advocating on Capitol Hill and fielding the media's favorite holiday hit pieces about price gouging and shortages, always with the goal of keeping consumer confidence high — because the number one competitor isn't another florist, it's a non-floral gift. Oscar's summary of the value question: you can't afford not to be a member. And his own council experience taught him something bigger — competitors in one room discover they're all fighting the same battles, and that growing flower consumption even one percent would lift everyone: "You only win by working together."
Profit Blasts: a staff retreat disguised as a seminar
The one-day Profit Blast events (next up: New Jersey, November 5) are deliberately small, intimate, and cheap — $139, sometimes subsidized down to $99 by wholesale partners, with discounts for additional attendees, so shops bring two or three people like a mini staff retreat. The format alternates education with breaks in a room ringed by suppliers, and the recent lineup shows the range: Donald Yim on Instagram-worthy design, an accounting session that had first-timers scribbling, Derek Myers challenging anyone charging under $12.95 for delivery (that's your floor — even two blocks costs you that much), and Renato Sagueco showing live how fixing your Google Business Profile — down to "Ave" versus "Avenue" mismatches — changes your rankings. His hardest-hitting advice: you can't just delegate SEO to the youngest person on staff. It may need to be you, the owner, 30 minutes a day.
Key takeaways
- Don't talk yourself into an election-year slump — the economic indicators point toward growth, so plan for it.
- The industry's real competitor is the non-floral gift; anything that builds consumer confidence in flowers helps every segment.
- Charge at least $12.95 for delivery — anything less loses money even on a two-block run.
- Treat your Google Business Profile as owner-level work: 30 minutes a day, with perfectly consistent name and address data.
- Face-to-face events can be transformative, especially for new and hesitant employees — send them, or better, go together.