Noticias
Incoming Chairman Art Van Wingerden Shares Vision
September 17, 2026
Investing in the Next Generation
It is an honor to begin my term as Chairman of the American Floral Endowment, particularly as AFE celebrates its 65th anniversary.
I have spent my entire life in the industry. Over that time, I have watched our businesses change, technology advance, markets evolve, and new challenges emerge. But one thing has remained constant: our industry depends on good people who understand the business, care about what they do, and are prepared to keep learning and adapting.
As I begin my chairmanship, one of my priorities is ensuring we develop people for the future while continuing to provide the necessary research, education, and resources our businesses need to address the challenges they face today.
Across our industry, growers, wholesalers, retailers, suppliers, floral designers, and other businesses are asking many of the same questions. Where will our next generation of employees and leaders come from? How do we introduce talented young people to opportunities in floriculture? And once they are here, how do we give them the experience, knowledge, and connections to build lifelong careers in our industry?
At the same time, our businesses are facing increasingly complex challenges. We need investigación that addresses current and emerging issues, educational resources and tools that businesses can implement now, and consumer research that helps us better understand changing markets. Supporting the researchers, educators, and experts behind this work is an important part of ensuring we all have access to the advancements and information we need.
This is where AFE plays such an important role. The Endowment connects our industry with academia and young professionals, invests in research, education, and programs that address real industry needs, and collaborates with organizations across floriculture to broaden the impact of that work. We bring together people who understand the challenges firsthand with those who can help develop solutions and put that knowledge to work.
Through scholarships, internships, education, and research funding, AFE puts those connections into action. Becas support students pursuing their education. Prácticas introduce them to floral businesses and open doors to careers. Educational opportunities help emerging professionals develop skills and relationships. investigación financiada por la AFE addresses industry needs while supporting the faculty and scientists whose expertise we rely on. These aren’t separate efforts. They reinforce one another, building the talent, knowledge, and leadership our industry needs to grow.
The Endowment has been doing this work for decades, and its strength has always come from industry involvement. Businesses host interns. Industry members identify research priorities, serve on committees, share expertise, and mentor young professionals. Researchers work directly with industry. Our partners extend programs and knowledge throughout the floral community. Individuals and companies provide the resources that put this work into motion.
AFE is a connector for our industry. We work across segments and alongside other industry organizations to bring people, expertise, and resources together. Support for the Endowment can have an impact well beyond any single program, company, or segment.
Part of that support also has to do with sustainability, and at AFE, we have a program specifically designed for that called Sustainabloom. We encourage everyone in our industry to leave our world in a better place than we found it. We can do that with smarter packaging, better transportation routes and a myriad of other ways to accomplish these goals by working together to come up with solutions.
As Chairman, I want to strengthen those connections by encouraging greater involvement with AFE. Support isn’t defined by the size of a business or by any one type of contribution. We need people to participate, share their knowledge, provide opportunities, build partnerships, and invest in programs that move our industry forward. The more engaged our industry becomes with AFE, the more the Endowment can do for our industry.
After a lifetime in this business, I know our future depends on both the people we prepare for tomorrow and how well we equip our businesses to succeed today. AFE gives us a proven way to do both by investing in people, research, education, and resources that strengthen our industry.
As we celebrate 65 years, I look forward to strengthening that foundation and creating more opportunities for the next generation to find their place, build their careers, and ultimately lead this industry forward.
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Art Van Wingerden
Presidente
Fundación Floral Americana
