2016 Hall of Fame Award Winners

WUMFA is pleased to announce the 2016 Hall of Fame Award Winners!  The winners were announced and presented their awards at the Hall of Fame banquet held Saturday evening at the WUMFA Annual Convention!

Nominate that special WUMFA member to receive a 2017 WUMFA Hall of Fame Award.  Click here to nominate someone for a WUMFA Hall of Fame Award.

Grower Of The Year

Shlomo Danieli has been named the Wisconsin & Upper Michigan Florists Association’s Grower of the Year. He received the award which honors a person that has gone above and beyond in promoting the industry, public awareness of florals and botanicals, education of customers and WUMFA at the annual convention held in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Danieli started in the industry at the age of 14 in Israel, attended agriculture school and the University of Jerusalem and earned a degree in horticulture and education.  He worked in the Middle East at a large agricultural corporation for 11 years but realized he wanted to own his own farm and moved to the United states in 1981 to realize his dream.

Recognizing a gap in the market for local specialty flowers he purchased a 105 acre farm in Beloit, Wisconsin, and over the past 30 years  has grown specialty blooming trees and unique flowers that are difficult to import but grow perfectly in the Wisconsin environment. He has also focused on importing cut flowers year round.
Another accomplishment was the creation of the “DA-SH” Board color matching catalog to help the industry avoid color confusion. His farm, products and practices have been featured in numerous industry publications.

Shlomo Danieli

Wholesaler of the Year

The 2016 Wisconsin & Upper Michigan Wholesaler of the Year is Bill Doran Company Green Bay. The award was presented at the WUMFA convention and accepted by Jenifer Denis, company general manager.

This award is given to a WUMFA wholesale florist member who has gone above and beyond in promoting the floral industry, increasing public awareness of florals and promoting the association to its retail customers.

Quality and service is the number one priority at Bill Doran Green Bay. Their knowledge of the industry and the ability to provide the best and newest products are focused on helping customers achieve success.

To this end the company conducts classes in design, plant care, and the creative use of botanicals. In addition to generously supporting the WUMFA convention with a wealth of product, it has hosted many programs for the Wisconsin Upper Michigan Teleflora unit.

Jenifer Denis of Bill Doran Green Bay Accepts Wholesaler of the Year Award

Bill Doran Company Green Bay

Retailer of the Year

Enchanted Florist, Green Bay, Wisconsin, was chosen WUMFA Retailer of the Year at the Wisconsin & Upper Michigan Florists Association annual convention held in Green Bay.

The award is presented to the retail establishment that exhibits knowledge in all aspects of the floral industry including outstanding retail display, merchandising, advertising, and the use of social media in addition to promoting WUMFA.

Enchanted Florist is a full service flower shop specializing in personalized customization of arrangements, plants and gift baskets.  They offer top quality flower arrangements and gifts for any occasion. Enchanted Florist’s team is always willing to go the extra mile to assure customer satisfaction by creating magical memories. They are committed to designing beautiful, quality arrangements and providing exceptional customer service. They offer reliable delivery in the Green Bay area and can provide same-day delivery services if requested.

Owner Kristine Klasen has been in the floral industry for 17 years. She has served on the WUMFA board as Region 5 director, been the convention chair, and helped on various committees. She also has been president of the Wisconsin and Upper Michigan unit of Teleflora.

2016 Retailer of the Year

Special Service Award

The 2016 Wisconsin & Upper Michigan Florists Association Special Services Award  was presented to Dee Otto at the annual WUMFA convention. It  is given to a member who has gone above and beyond expectations, not only in WUMFA, but in the promotion of the floriculture industry at large.

Dee Otto, DJ Custom Designs, Wind Lake, Wisconsin, has been a flower shop owner for 31 years. During that time she has donated many hours to the association as a board member, serving on various committees, and encouraging members to be involved in the association.

She has served in many positions at the Wisconsin and Upper Michigan Unit of Teleflora including president, secretary and treasurer. Her involvement at the Wisconsin State Fair has resulted in winning the Grand Champion Floral Challenge and promoting flowers to the fair’s visitors.

Dee Otto

Livetime Achievement Award

Bill and Muriel Olson are the 2016 recipients of the Wisconsin & Upper Michigan Florists Association’s Lifetime Achievement Award. The award was presented at WUMFA’s annual convention held in Green Bay.  WUMFA Immediate Past President Diane Schulte, CF, WMFM accepted on Bill and Muriel’s behalf.

They began their career in the floral industry some 62 years ago in the basement of a farmstead home in rural Barneveld. After several moves they settled in Mt. Horeb, Wisconsin. He held positions in various organizations while she ran the day to day operations. In the early 1980s they built and opened Olson’s Christmas House next door to the floral shop and received the Business of Excellence award by Madison Magazine in December, 1995.

They have been lifetime members of WUMFA.  He has held the offices of president, secretary and treasurer as well as chaired committees and conventions. They are also previous Hall of Fame recipients.

Bill and Muriel Olson

1152 Haslett Rd. - PO Box 67
Haslett, MI 48840

Phone: (517) 253-7730
Fax: (517) 575-0115