Buddy Jacobson Memorial Tribute Established

He transformed the business with his desire for a walk-in facility for superior customer experience. Buddy always strived to meet customer needs and exceed their expectations. Proof of this was only furthered in 1991, when he established Jacobson’s import arm, Holiday Designs Ltd., to provide unique, trend-forward products to the marketplace. Buddy’s impact on the floral industry didn’t stop at the family business. He was a driver of Jacobson’s national and local floral industry involvement including the American Institute of Floral Designers, the Society of American Florists, Teleflora, Boston’s Annual “Say it with Flowers” event to raise money for ALS research, the Connecticut Floral Association, the New England Floral Expo, and the Wholesale Florist and Florist Supplier Association where he…

Gus De Hertogh Memorial Tribute Established

Gus was raised in Chicago and began his career in neighboring Michigan, at Michigan State University, in 1965. Here, he worked with Dutch exporters on tackling challenges with flower bulbs. At the time, it was not yet possible to effectively control the flowering of tulips or other bulbs following overseas shipment from The Netherlands, the world’s largest producer. They began what is known as the Flower-Bulb Project, a collaborative effort between the Dutch Bulb Exporters Association and the Department of Horticulture at Michigan State University. For the next 35 years, he would continue to research flower bulbs. In 1978, Gus relocated to Raleigh, North Carolina, where he would serve as the chairman of the Department of Horticulture Science at North…

Gay Smith Memorial Tribute Established

She grew up in suburban Phoenix and attended the University of Arizona studying environmental horticulture. After college, she relocated to San Francisco and began working at a local florist in the late 1970s. Smith eventually found her way to the San Francisco Flower Market where she worked for Kitayama Brothers, filling and hauling buckets of carnations and roses. By 1981, she had made a name for herself as the first female manager working among the male-dominated world of growers and wholesalers at the market. She introduced the market to the idea of importing flowers from Holland, Israel and South America, and became an expert on unusual, unique blooms and their post-harvest needs. Smith was hired to open a small export…

Gay Smith Memorial Tribute Established

A memorial tribute has been established with AFE honoring Gayle (Gay) Smith, 63, who passed away on March 1, 2018.The tribute was established thanks to a generous contribution from Chrysal Americas President Jim Kaplan. Smith served as the technical manager for Chrysal for more than 18 years.“We are honored to establish the Gay Smith Memorial Tribute on behalf of our staff, clients and the entire industry,” said Kaplan.“Gay was part of the Chrysal family and she will be missed tremendously. This memorial tribute with AFE is a fitting salute to her dedication not only to our company, but to the industry she loved.”Smith was an active member of the industry and a great supporter of all things floriculture. Her career…

Memorial Tribute and Fundraising Dinner Announced in AFE Bulletin April 2017

PFCI Honors Bobbi Ecker-Blatchford with AFE Memorial Tribute

“So much of what AFE does is what Bobbi was all about — educate, inspire, develop new talent and promote a healthy floral industry. Bucks for Bobbi is our mission to honor Bobbi and continue her life mission.” Barbara “Bobbi” Ecker-Blatchford of Watervliet, Mich. was born on Aug. 24, 1931 and devoted her life to the floral industry. She worked at her family’s floral and greenhouse operation, Ecker’s Flowers, in Waverly, Iowa. She later started her own company, The Flora Pros., in Chicago. For 15 years, she also worked with FernTrust, Inc., a co-op made up of 13 family farms in Seville, Fla. Over the course of her 60-plus-year career, Ecker-Blatchford became a noted speaker, commentator, award-winning floral designer and consultant…

Tribute Established in Memory of Gene and Evelyn Yoshihara

After joining the U.S. Navy and serving his military duty, he returned to Lafayette and the family farm, where he learned about the greenhouse business.Gene was an active member of the floral industry, mentoring growers and building high-tech greenhouses. He and his wife Evelyn consistently supported AFE throughout their lifetime. In 2002, they were inducted into the Colorado Floriculture Hall of Fame.Evelyn Kodama-Yoshihara greatly contributed to the growth of Lafayette Florist. She was a Hawaii native who came to Colorado to go to college and teach elementary school but changed careers quickly as her husband’s florist grew and needed a financial mind. Evelyn taught dozens of floral associates to become accomplished designers including her daughter Sandi-Yoshihara-Sniff, AIFD, AAF, CFP.  Evelyn…

Memorial Tribute Established for Jim Nordlie

Kennicott Brothers Company, Nordlie Inc. and The Pete Garcia Company have established the Jim Nordlie Memorial Tribute through AFE. James “Jim” Nordlie passed away on July 1, 2016 at the age of 93. Kennicott Brothers Co. and The Pete Garcia Co. both contributed $1,000 to establish this new memorial tribute. “I have had the pleasure of knowing Jim Nordlie since the late 50s. His personality, drive and traits helped me establish goals for my future. He will be missed,” said Pete Garcia, Chairman of The Pete Garcia Company. Nordlie was born on Jan. 12, 1923 in Detroit, Mich. and received a business degree from the University of Michigan. After graduation and his return from military service in World War II, he joined Nordlie Inc.,…

New Fund Honors the Legacy of Yoshimi and Grace Shibata

AFE announced the establishment of the Yoshimi and Grace Shibata Family Fund, honoring the late flower grower and wholesale florist Yoshimi “Shimi” Shibata and his wife Grace. Shimi passed away peacefully at home on Oct. 31 surrounded by family. The floral industry pioneer was 100 years old.Founded by a generous contribution from the Shibata family, this new named fund honors the lifetime legacy of Shimi and Grace and their accomplishments in the floral industry.“Shimi and the entire Shibata family have always been great champions of the industry,” said Executive Director Debi Aker. “We are honored that the family chose to establish this new fund honoring Shimi and the Shibata family through AFE.”Shimi was a past president of the Mt. Eden…

Memorial Tribute Established for Peggy and Michael Leider

Past AFE Trustee Ken Tagawa has established a new memorial tribute in memory of lifelong floral industry members Margaret Lynch “Peggy” Leider and her son Michael J. Leider Jr. Past AFE Chairman Jim Leider suffered the losses of his wife and son this year, first with the death of Peggy who passed away on March 23, and two months later with the death of his and Peggy’s oldest son Michael, who died on May 24. Peggy succumbed to a long battle with cancer at age 76, and Michael, age 54, also passed away after a brief but painful battle with cancer. “Both Peggy and Michael have given a tremendous amount of support to the industry, side by side with Jim Leider.…