Medellin, Colombia Premier Floral Distributors held their annual Spring Meeting in Medellin, Colombia, during the last week of February 2008. Twenty-five members attended the five-day event.

Members toured many high quality flower farms in the Rionegro area, learning more about how those farms grow and ship their flowers as well as how future partnerships could be advantageous for both. In addition, the PFD members met with over 30 farms from Colombia and Ecuador at a private PFD-only trade show at Club Campestre in Llanogrande.

This year's show and tours marks the first event in the Medellin area for PFD. In previous years PFD has held the private shows in Bogota, Colombia and Miami, FL.

During the trip, PFD members and representatives from many farms enjoyed social events such as golf outings; touring the historic city of Medellin by bus; and a spirited horseback tour of the beautiful Rionegro countryside.

"The trip to Medellin was very valuable" remarked Don Hermes, Hermes Floral Company, who is currently the President of PFD. "Members were able to build stronger relationships with farms they are currently doing business with as well as find new business partners. We learned more about Medellin's history, culture and its people. A win-win for all!"

Premier Floral Distributors is a cooperative group of wholesalers that have been working together since 1997 to import direct from farms, source floral products, facilitate logistics and share resources in order to become more successful. Member companies include: Baisch & Skinner, St. Louis, MO; Dillon Floral Corporation, Bloomsburg, PA; Flowers Central, Daytona Beach, FL; Hermes Floral Company, St. Paul, MN; Montgomery Wholesale Florists, Hadley, MA; Seagroatt Floral Company, Albany, NY; and Encore Floral Marketing, Walker, MI.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - September 2007 - After ten years of working together, Premier Floral Distributors and Jodean Robbins of Solutions Associates have agreed to terminate their working relationship. As of September 2007, Robbins will no longer be coordinator for the group.

"The group has grown and prospered under Jodean's coordination," says Don Hermes with Hermes Floral Company in St. Paul, MN, and current president of PFD. "Changes in the group's future direction have led us to make some changes in our management and fresh flower freight consolidation."

"I have really enjoyed working with PFD and feel we've been able to make a lot of significant accomplishments in the last ten years," says Robbins. Under Robbins' coordination, PFD has created their own floral direct-import program from Colombia and Ecuador, have held their own private farm-vendor shows in Miami and Colombia, and have hosted buyer and sales-training events to allow PFD company employees to learn, grow and share ideas for success.

PFD fresh flower freight consolidation out of South America will now be managed by Secore Floral Exports in Bogotá, Colombia. Katy Miller, of Dillon Floral Corporation in Bloomsburg, PA has been named Executive Director and will manage all other PFD areas of activity. She will remain in her current position as Vice President of Dillon Floral, one of the PFD member companies.

Robbins will focus on the other activities of her international agricultural consulting business in floral and produce which she has maintained during her years as coordinator of the PFD group.

Premier Floral Distributors is a cooperative group of wholesalers that have been working together for ten years to import direct from farms, source floral products, facilitate logistics and share resources in order to become more successful. Member companies include: Baisch & Skinner, St. Louis, MO; Dillon Floral Corporation, Bloomsburg, PA; Flowers Central, Daytona Beach, FL; Hermes Floral Company, St. Paul, MN; Montgomery Wholesale Florists, Hadley, MA; Seagroatt Floral Company, Albany, NY; and Encore Floral Marketing, Walker, MI.

Learn more about PFD by visiting: www.premierfloral.com