May 3, 2007
Mother's Day interview with Chuck Englund
16 MB
Feb 14, 2007
6 Foot EPIC roses
19 MB
Nov 15, 2002
WWSB 40 Special
11 MB
Nov 15, 2002
Commercial
36 MB
Floral design is the last place you'd expect to find technological advances, but Arthur Conforti has used them to build his shop over the past 16 years into a powerhouse with 54 employees and volume that ranks 35th in a nation of more than 30,000 florists. (Adding in his national wire service, Coast to Coast Flowers, he ranks 11th in volume in the country.) On Mother's Day alone, Conforti delivered 3,000 arrangements and processed nearly 8,000 wire orders.
Not bad for a self-described "visual learner" who never finished high school.
His newest favorite innovation? These days, whenever one of Conforti's drivers makes a delivery, he punches a button on his web-enabled Nextel radio that updates the computers inside Beneva's store. "You call me up and ask if something's been delivered, I can tell you when, what time, and who signed for it," says Conforti. "Even if it was only three minutes ago."
Conforti developed the technology with Teleflora, a national floral trade group, after watching courier services like FedEx and UPS. "The big guys have been doing this for years. As small businesses, we stand to benefit greatly from the work already accomplished by very big companies."
Weddings at Beneva Flowers are tracked using a similar system. The minute a bride books her nuptials, emails alert Conforti's wedding consultant, rental company and every designer who will be assigned to the occiasion. As the wedding proceeds, everyone (including the bride, if she wants the information) receives automatic status updates.
Put your name in today for a chance to win in our monthly drawing.
Enter the code on your Lucky Stems® card and win!
Find out how the Power of Petals can save you money or get merchandise.
Create and send a friend a unique custom flower card.
