Bob Friese Honored With Michigan Floral Association's Lifetime Award

Because of his unending dedication to excellence and his constant willingness share his knowledge, Bob Friese, AIFD is the recipient of the Michigan Floral Association's Lifetime Achievement Award. The presentation was made at the 2015 Great Lakes Floral Expo.

Even after retiring  from a very successful floral and event business in the greater Chicago area, he continued to hone his floral expertise and share his gift with anyone willing to learn.
He has served as a main stage presenter at AIFD Symposium and was honored with the AIFD Distinguished Service Award in 2014.

One of his most rewarding and inspirationally projects was the creation and execution of Nature's Creative Edge, an event held in early fall. This floral display is created by many talented floral designers on several wooded acres on his property in Fruitport, Michigan.

Nature's Creative Edge has drawn thousands of people over the years and has raised funds for the AIFD North Central Chapter scholarships and several West Michigan charitable organizations.

Each year the MFA Awards and Nominations Committee is responsible for soliciting and reviewing award nominations. The committee sends all qualified nominations to a panel of independent judges who complete an evaluation form for each nominee. The committee totals the points received for each candidate nominated in a specific category and averages. The candidate receiving the highest average score in each category is chosen to receive the award.

The Michigan Floral Association is a full-service trade organization representing more than 500 florists, growers, and wholesalers statewide. Located in Haslett, MI, MFA offers group savings on insurance, financial services, retail bank card processing and supplies, office supplies, and fleet fueling; is the sponsor of the Certified Florist (CF) program; creates and hosts a statewide annual conference and trade show; conducts educational seminars throughout the year at the association headquarters; publishes the Professional Florist magazine; hosts the MFA web site, and interacts with state/federal government agencies. For more information on MFA, visit their web site at www.michiganfloral.org

Source: Michigan Floral Association