The Michigan Floral Association has chosen Flowers from Sky's the Limit, Petoskey, MI, as the Retailer of the Year. The award was presented at the 2014 Great Lakes Floral Expo, held at the Amway Grand Plaza Hotel in Grand Rapids, MI. Shop owner Jackie Burrell plays a large role in planning the Expo and contributes her time and expertise in making the meeting a success. Her willingness to always help in her community and in the floral industry has been a cornerstone of her shop.
Involved in a community program called “Flowers for Friends”, shop employees delivered over 35,000 "Smiles" in 2013 with the help of the local Girl Scouts. Refreshing flowers from weddings, funerals and church services and other events which would otherwise be thrown away, they reassembled them into smaller arrangements and delivered them to isolated community members in need of a smile.
The shop donated time, coolers, phone lines, garage, and computer access, delivering over $280,000 worth of flowers and smiles. All volunteered their time and gasoline to make this program a success.
Another interaction with the community is on the first day of spring when the shop passes out 5,000 daffodils to the people of Petoskey
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 evaluate and complete an evaluation form for each nominee. The committee then 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 then 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 & supplies, office supplies, and fleet fueling; is the sponsor of the Certified Florist (CF) program; creates and hosts a statewide annual conferences and trade shows; conducts educational seminars though out 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: The Michigan Floral Association