The Wholesale Florist and Florist Supplier Association (WF&FSA) elected new officers during its Annual Meeting held November 5, 2010 at the WF&FSA Conference at the Doral in Miami, FL.
WF&FSA's newly elected officers are:
David Armellini President
David Armellini is WF&FSA's President. He is president of Armellini Industries, Inc., Palm City, FL. Armellini knows the flower industry well. He worked part-time for Armellini Industries while attending school and later full time after his graduation from Lynchburg College in 1984. He was promoted in 1993 to Executive Vice President over Sales and Marketing for Armellini Express Lines, Inc. Later his responsibilities covered Corporate Sales and Marketing for all subsidiaries. With increasing emphasis on quality Armellini had to engage in state-of-the-art technologies to gain market share over the past years, David has overseen many of these changes.
Nick Fronduto First Vice President
Nick Fronduto is WF&FSA's First Vice President. Fronduto is Chief Operating Officer of Jacobson Floral Supply, Inc., Boston, MA. Prior to joining Jacobson's, he spent 25 years in the supermarket industry. He was Director of Store Support for Star Markets, a 52 store, $1 billion chain based in Boston. In this capacity, Fronduto was responsible for managing several aspects of the chain's in-store floral departments which were widely recognized as being among the most cutting edge in the nation. He graduated from Northeastern University with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration & Liberal Arts.
Pat Dahlson Second Vice President
Patrick M. Dahlson is WF&FSA's Second Vice President. He is the Chief Executive Officer of Mayesh Wholesale Florist with headquarters in Los Angeles, CA. Under Dahlson's leadership the company has grown to 17 locations in seven states. The business was started 32 years ago by Dahlson's parents who opened a wholesale flower stand at the Los Angeles Flower Market. Dahlson also serves on the Wholesale Council of the Society of American Florists.
Dahlson is President of the Child S.H.A.R.E. Board of Directors, which was founded in 1985 to challenge and equip local congregations to recruit and support foster and adoptive parents.
Dave Lisowski Treasurer
Dave Lisowski, is WF&FSA's Treasurer. David Lisowski is the President of The Denver Wholesale Florist Company, a national wholesale florist, for which he has been President and Chief Executive Officer since 1993. He was employed by Central Bank of Denver, N.A., a commercial bank in Colorado and various affiliated banks from 1972 to 1992. His employment with Central Bank included serving as Senior Vice President of Commercial Lending in Southern Colorado as well as various other positions. Mr. Lisowski attended Metropolitan State College where he received a BS degree in Finance in 1988. He has also been involved with the Society of American Florist and elected to the Wholesale Council, Chairman of Government Relations and a Board Member.
Gary Doran Immediate Past President
Gary Doran is WF&FSA's Immediate Past President. Doran is President and Chief Operating Officer of Kennicott Brothers Company which consists of six locations. He is based in the Headquarters in Chicago, IL. Doran grew up in his family's wholesale florist business, the Bill Doran Company, where he worked for 13 years after graduating from the University of Notre Dame. He left the company in 1983 and worked as a consultant for two years before joining Kennicott Brothers as corporate supply manager and secretary-treasurer. In 1993, he was named general manager and in 1999 he stepped into his current position. He was an active member of International Floral Distributors, Doran served on its steering committee from 1998 to 2001 and was treasurer from 1998 to 1999.
Trish Lilly Executive Vice President
Trish Lilly is WF&FSA's Executive Vice President. Lilly is a seasoned association executive with more than twenty-nine years experience in association and non-profit management. Her experience includes providing exceptional leadership and service to a variety of associations including the National Wholesale Hardware Association, Wood Machinery Manufacturers of America, Association for High Technology Distribution, Aviation Distributors and Manufacturers Association and Security Hardware Distributors Association. Trish is a member and past Chair of the Association Executives Council of the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors – NAW. She serves on the board of the NAW Institute for Distribution Excellence.
WF&FSA's remaining board members are: Inter-Mountain Regional Director Brad Beck, DESIGN MASTER color tool, Boulder, CO; Mid-Atlantic Regional Director Jim Seba, Calvert Wholesale Florist, Baltimore, MD; Southeast Regional Director Gabriel Becerra, Golden Flowers, Miami, FL; North Central Regional Director Tom Figueroa, Nordlie, Inc, Warren, MI; Northeast Regional Director Ken Wilkins, Delaware Valley Floral Group, Sewell, NJ; At-Large Regional Director P.J. Vermeer, Westbrook Floral, Grimsby, Ontario; Pacific Regional Director Mark Berglund, Washington Floral Services, Tacoma, WA; and Emerging Leaders Director Zak Baisch & Skinner Wholesale Floral Distributors, St. Louis, MO.
For more information about Members of the Board of Directors and Committees visit www.wffsa.org – About Us.
WF&FSA is a dynamic business organization dedicated to providing members with the information, services and support they need to remain competitive in today's constantly changing market. The Association offers a wide variety of programs and activities to support its mission of enhancing networking and business opportunities for all floral wholesale distributors and suppliers.
Source: Wholesale Florist & Florist Supplier Association