Monty Pereira, the General Manager of Watanabe Floral in Honolulu, Hawaii, never envisioned a career in the floral industry while studying to become an accountant in college. Yet today, he proudly leads the floral business.
“People don’t really understand that there’s such a vast array of professional career opportunities available [in the floral industry],” says Pereira, who started at Watanabe Floral 26 years ago as an accountant.
This realization prompted Pereira to seize the opportunity to champion diverse floral careers at Watanabe Floral on social media when he discovered Seed Your Future’s Green Career Week during SAF Phoenix 2023.
Pereira was among hundreds of professionals who participated in the national Green Career Week initiative. This initiative involved visiting schools, inviting students to their workplaces, or highlighting employees and their passions on social media platforms. Seed Your Future, an industry organization leading the charge to raise awareness about careers in floriculture and horticulture, provides participants with turnkey resources to simplify their involvement. According to Seed Your Future Executive Director Jazmin Albarran, over 500 professionals have accessed these resources since the inaugural Green Career Week a year ago.
“Participating is simple, and the more businesses that participate, the more attention we can bring to careers in these industries,” Albarran notes.
Watanabe Floral, for instance, published a blog series highlighting its IT manager, operations manager, and supervisor of the design center team. These posts were promoted on Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook.
Pereira emphasizes the importance of offering young generations a broader perspective on the profession. “Being able to paint the picture – especially for this younger generation – of all the kinds of things that they’re really interested in that they don’t necessarily associate with a floral shop is why I think everyone should participate,” Pereira says. The next Green Career Week is scheduled for March 4-8, 2024.
Jennifer Barnard, AAF, co-owner of Tillie’s Flower Shop in Wichita, Kansas, and a member of SAF’s Board of Directors, also participated in Green Career Week for the first time this year. She found the experience exciting as she enjoys giving people a behind-the-scenes look at the business. The company posted three videos on TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook to showcase two designers – one new and one with 60 years of experience – as well as a marketing intern.
The response from followers was positive, says Barnard.
Barnard plans to share more stories about her business during the next Green Career Week because there is so much for people to learn about the industry.
“It’s important to support our industry, grow it, and bring awareness to the different jobs a lot of people don’t think about,” she says.