AFE Chairman Gabriel Becerra of Golden Flowers announced the appointments of two new trustees and three new officers during AFE’s 2015 Fundraising Dinner, which was held on September 10.
David Garcia of The Pete Garcia Company in Atlanta, Ga., and Greg Royer of Royer’s Flowers & Gifts in Lebanon, Pa., will both serve three-year terms on the AFE Board, with the option of a second term.

Gabriel Becerra

Becerra also announced the appointments of new AFE Executive Committee members Dwight Larimer of DESIGN MASTER color tool, inc., elected to Chairman-Elect; Kristi Huffman of The John Henry Company in Lansing, Mich., appointed as Treasurer/Secretary; and Laura Shinall of Syndicate Sales, Inc. in Kokomo, Ind., appointed as AFE’s Public Relations and Development Committee Chair.
The remaining Executive Committee members include past Chairman Paul Bachman of Bachman’s Inc. and Jim Daly of Smithers-Oasis/Floralife.
Additionally, nine-year Trustee Ken Altman was appointed as Trustee Emeritus and will continue on the AFE Board as a non-voting member.
 
David Garcia, President of The Pete Garcia Company, began his career at the company in 1983 after graduating from the University of Georgia. He served as Zone Manager for 17 states in the U.S., as well as international territories. He also currently assists in new product development for Plus One Imports, which is part of the Garcia Group, Inc.
Garcia is a past President of the Wholesale Florist & Floral Supplier Association (WF&FSA) Board, and served as Chairman of the Marketing Committee. He will serve on AFE’s Floral Marketing Research Fund (FMRF) Board and the Public Relations and Development Committee.
 
President and CEO of Royer’s Flowers & Gifts, Greg Royer, grew up in the floral industry. He is the grandson of Hannah “Mom” Royer, the founder of the family-owned business. By 1987, he was a Regional Manager responsible for nine stores, and in the early 1990s, he was named Executive Vice President.
In the mid-1990s, he and his brother Tom bought the company from their parents. Royer previously served on the Board and as President of the Pennsylvania Floral Industry Association. He will serve on AFE’s Public Relations and Development Committee and the Education Committee.
 

Executive Appointments

Dwight Larimer, President of DESIGN MASTER color tool, inc., was appointed to Chairman-Elect. He will begin his term as Chairman of AFE in September 2016 after serving as a Trustee for the past seven years.
Larimer is currently the Chairman of AFE’s Ball Committee and Education Committee, as well as the Board Liaison to the new Young Professionals Council. He is also a member of the FMRF Board.
His industry service includes serving as Treasurer and Board member of the Society of American Florists (SAF) and as a past President of the WF&FSA Board.
 
Senior Vice President of the Horticultural Division at The John Henry Company, Kristi Huffman, was appointed as AFE’s Treasurer/Secretary, effective September 2015.
Huffman has over 20 years of experience in the horticultural industry with The John Henry Company, and has a Bachelor of Science in Marketing from Northern Michigan University.
As well as serving on the Executive Committee, she will also continue her involvement in the FMRF Board and the Public Relations and Development Committee.
 
Laura Shinall, President of Syndicate Sales, Inc., was appointed as AFE’s Public Relations and Development Chair, and will also serve on the Executive Committee and Education Committee.
Shinall has more than 30 years of experience in the industry. After graduating from DePauw University, she began her career as a Wholesale Floral Supply Manager at Kennicott Brothers in Milwaukee, Wis.
Shinall is also a past member of the SAF Wholesale Council.
 
Two members of the AFE Board of Trustees, who both served six years on the Board, completed their terms at the 2015 AFE Fundraising Dinner: Ramon Garcia of The Pete Garcia Company and Charles Kremp 3rd of Kremp Florist. Garcia served on the FMRF and Public Relations and Development Committee, and Kremp served on the Education Committee and as the Chairman of the Public Relations and Development Committee.
Click here for the full list of AFE Trustees.