Five Questions: Glenn Kristek

Your company already operates www.wickmans.com. How does the new 417flowers.com differ?

It has a little different ring to it … starting out with an area code and mentioning flowers. We're trying to boost our sales in the flower shop arena. We've got a nice color presentation, too, in this. Our intention with this is to make (flower sales) more productive.

Despite being a $19.5 billion industry, according to the Society of American Florists, some might consider floriculture and gardening a hobby. What is this full-time gardener's hobby?

I do have a little farm near Crane. I go down there and spend some time. It's not a working farm but a pleasure farm - just open land. It's just a getaway farm. I do grow a few trees there for the nursery.

An industry study says that two-thirds of people buy flowers for themselves while one-third are purchased as gifts. Would you agree with that assessment?

I would not agree with that. From my experiences, the higher percentage of (customers) are buying for someone else and for various reasons: bereavement, joy or just saying 'hello' or 'how are you?'. Seventy-five percent of our customers are buying flowers for someone else.

According to the Society of American Florists, about 70 percent of fresh flowers sold in the United States are imported. How much of what you sell is imported?

Today, we're not growing very many cut flowers. Twenty-five or 30 years ago we grew a lot of cut flowers. Now, 75 percent of our cut flowers are grown overseas, especially Central America. Why? What were greenhouses are now buildings and shopping centers. The real reason is that (greenhouse owners) sold out to businesses, development.

Also, shipping is so accurate anymore. The advent of Fed Ex and these companies have made the world a lot smaller.

What is your favorite flower?

The red rose. There's just a message that a red rose conveys. When you absorb the outpouring of a red rose, it fulfills the senses with beauty, something sturdy and satisfying.

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