ALEXANDRIA, VA – The American Floral Endowment (AFE) is pleased to announce Cynthia "Cindy" Hanauer and William "Billy" Hardin, Jr. as new members of its board of trustees. Both will serve a three-year term with the option for a second term.
Hanauer is founder and CEO of Grand Central Floral, LLC in Jacksonville, Florida. She has worked in the floral industry for 45 years and held senior positions at the Kroger Company, Winn-Dixie Stores and 1-800-Flowers. Hanauer's areas of expertise include inventory management, visual merchandising and quality assurance. She is chairman of the floral advisory board for the United Fresh Industry Trade Association, a member of the Society of American Florists (SAF) and the Network of Executive Women, and is actively involved in several other floral organizations.
"There's no greater honor and privilege than to serve as a trustee for an organization whose sole purpose is to reinforce the future of our industry through much-needed scholarships and research, while employing the generous donations of the many noble benefactors who have made our industry so great," said Hanauer.
Hanauer will serve on the public relations/development committee, as well as on the Floral Marketing Research Fund (FMRF) committee.
Hardin is president of Hardin Global, LLC located in Siler City, North Carolina. Prior to that, he was president of Hardin's Wholesale Florist in Liberty, North Carolina from 1992-2010. He has been involved in the floral industry for 35 years and previously served as president of the Wholesale Florist & Floral Supplier Association (WF&FSA) and on the board of directors for SAF from 2000-2007. He specializes in the operation of greenhouses and wholesale florists.
"I look forward to working with everyone to improve the floral industry," said Hardin. "AFE plays such a crucial role in floriculture research. I am pleased to serve on the board for this forward-thinking organization."
Hardin will serve on the public relations/development and education/scholarship committees.
"Hanauer's and Hardin's 80 years of combined experience in the floral industry will undoubtedly lead to big things for the Endowment," said Gabriel Becerra, chairman of AFE. "We are very happy to have them on board."
A full list of all AFE trustees is available here.
About AFE
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The American Floral Endowment is dedicated to advancing the industry through funding floriculture research, educational grants and scholarships. More than $15 million has been funded toward research projects benefiting the entire industry, and more than $500,000 has been funded in scholarships designed to attract and retain the future leaders of the industry. To learn more about AFE visit www.endowment.org or www.fb.com/americanfloralendowment.
Source: American Floral Endowment
