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We are pleased to announce changes to our outside Sales Team.
Colleen Hemmingway, formerly Director of Sales, will become the Director of Product Development and Education starting January 1st, 2020. Colleen’s focus will shift from sales to product procurement and education programs for our customers.
Replacing Colleen is our new Director of Sales, Ryan Younghusband. Ryan joined Florists Supply in summer 2019 from Weston Foods where he was the Director of Field Sales. Ryan is based in Winnipeg and has over 16 years of sales management experience.
With some of our outside sales team approaching retirement and dealing with long term disabilities, there was a need for us to rebuild our Outsides Sales Team.
Long-time Winnipeg Territory Sales Representative, Rose Hoffmann, will be retiring January 10, 2020, after celebrating her 40th year with Florists Supply. Rose serviced customers in northwestern Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
Georgina Kenny, Edmonton Territory Sales Representative, has been unable to work due to disability since May 2018, and has chosen not to apply for one of the new sales positions we have created. Georgina spent 15 years with us supporting customers in Alberta and British Columbia.
Barbara Henderson, Edmonton Territory Sales Representative, has been unable to work due to disability since October 2017, and has chosen not to apply for one of the new sales positions we have created. Barb joined us in November 2012 and supported customers in Alberta including southern Alberta.
Jan Tepoorten-Swan, Territory Sales Representative for Vancouver Island, joined Florists Supply in 2013. She will be retiring March 31, 2020 after seven years with us.
Rose’s, Georgina’s, Barb’s and Jan’s combined years of knowledge in the floral industry are invaluable, and their history of providing friendly and caring service to their customers truly reflected our values as a Company. We will never forget their contributions to Florists Supply and wish them all the best.
Introducing the New Florists Supply Sales Team
Outside Sales positions are now called “Business Development Manager” (BDM), and were filled in the latter part of 2019. A BDM differs from past Territory Sales Representatives as they support overall business partnership with their customers, including both fresh flowers and supplies.
Our new Outside Sales Team members have been eagerly working behind the scenes at each of our branches to understand the functions of the Company, and the needs of our customers. They will be undergoing more training in early January and then will be embarking on their new roles, including providing personalized service that best suits your unique business needs.
We are pleased to announce the following new members of our Outside Sales Team:
Penny Hudd-van Straaten, National Account Manager
Based in Greater Vancouver
Penny brings over 20 years of business development experience in the consumer packaged goods industry. Over her career, Penny is known to build great relationships with her customers through trust, integrity, and respect. Penny will be working with our key mass market retail customers.
Barry Baydock, Business Development Manager
Manitoba/Saskatchewan/North Western Ontario – Based in Winnipeg
Barry brings over 25 years of experience in sales and customer service. He has been training closely with Rose in our Winnipeg Branch and the branch management in Winnipeg and Saskatoon to understand our current portfolio of customers in his region and the intricacies of the floral industry.
Jacqueline Michaels, Business Development Manager
Northern Alberta / Garden Centre Manager – Based in Edmonton
Jacqueline joined Florists Supply in January 2018 to provide support and assistance to Colleen on our sales and marketing initiatives. She has displayed endless enthusiasm and passion working in the floral industry. Jacqueline has a Marketing Diploma from NAIT, and her career has included working three years in a greenhouse. Along with her role as a Business Development Manager, Jacqueline will also service our Garden Centre customers.
Jenna Drouin, Business Development Manager
Southern Alberta – Based in Edmonton
Jenna understands the unique challenges of floristry. Jenna studied Horticulture at Olds College, and spent the past 19 years as a florist, floral manager, and owned her own shop called “Flowers by Jenna”.
Debbie Savage, Business Development Manager
British Columbia – Based in Greater Vancouver
Debbie has always had a love of gardens and flowers. She obtained her Floral Design Diploma in 1998 and has been part of the floral industry ever since. She started her career at Florists Supply in 2015 as a Cut Flower Customer Service Representative.
We are excited for Jacqueline and Debbie as they take on new roles for us, and excited to welcome Penny, Barry, and Jenna to our team.