AMERICAN FLORAL ENDOWMENT SELECTS NEW MANAGEMENT TEAM
Edwardsville, IL, May 13, 2008 – Trustees of the American Floral Endowment (AFE) have selected the Society of American Florists (SAF) as the Endowment’s new management team. “This is a win-win for AFE and the horticulture industry,” says AFE Chairman Mike Mellano Sr., AAF, of Mellano and Company in San Luis Rey, Calif. “AFE will be able to take advantage of SAF’s resources while remaining a wholly separate entity.”
“We’re very pleased with the decision,” says Bob McClellan, retiring president of Hortica Insurance in Edwardsville, Ill. AFE offices have been located at Hortica since 2004 during which Hortica contributed significant administrative services. “It’s been an honor to provide AFE with our assistance during a period of AFE’s restructuring and growth, and the time is right for AFE and SAF to join resources in taking AFE to the next level,” McClellan says.
“We want to thank Bob McClellan and all of the great people at Hortica for their help and generosity in providing a home for the Endowment for the past four years,” says Mellano. “It is support like theirs, and that of so many others in our industry, that makes the future bright for funding research and scholarships in horticulture and floriculture.”
The decision to move to SAF was made at the end of an extensive, four-month-long process during which the AFE board requested and diligently evaluated several different management proposals. “The SAF team is extremely excited about this opportunity,” says SAF CEO Peter J. Moran. “We’re looking forward to getting started. I am also excited to announce that Debi Aker, a former nine-year employee of SAF, has agreed to return to manage AFE’s day-to-day operations.”
AFE offices will be relocated to the SAF building at 1601 Duke Street, Alexandria, Va. in July.
The American Floral Endowment is the leading not-for-profit, non-governmental source for floricultural/environmental horticulture research and development funding in the United States. Its mission is to fund research and educational programs, finance scholarships and internships that foster a stronger floriculture industry. Tax-deductible contributions from all segments of the industry over the past 47 years have enabled the Endowment to invest over $13M to help fund solutions to industry needs. For additional information regarding the programs of the Endowment, visit our website: www.endowment.org.
AFE – Proudly supporting the floral industry since 1961.
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