Pictured Left: My father Tim Dewey in the late eighties, a recent immigrant from the UK, manning a convention booth for my mother's family company in South Jersey, then Delaware Valley Wholesale Florists, later to become DVFlora. At this stage in his life, he's not quite sure how he got into the flower industry and is very concerned about how he is going to access Fulham FC ? matches in the states, surrounded by fans of the other kind of football ?? .
Pictured Right: My father in 2025 being awarded the WFFSA LTK Distinguished Service Award in the Flower Industry, after 36 years of working at DVFlora. He a leader in the flower industry and he has every subscription required to access Fulham matches in HD. In fact, he is has built a large community of soccer friends who are willing to watch early morning games with him.
Suffice to say, a lot happened between Left and Right...
This week reminded me of the cliche that a career is made up of a billion small moments. Thinking back on my childhood, his dedication was to the business was apparent. I picture him forever standing in a restaurant parking lot, having left the table to take a work call. As I got older, this turned into ferocious typing into a Blackberry and later the iPhone (accompanied by loud sighs and under-the-breath muttering of course ?? ).
I remember his greenhouse tours during Take Your Daughter to Work Day, his countless trips to Holland, South America, Miami and California and his every day commute to the office, which he never fails to remind us of when he sees my sisters and me working on our laptops in all sorts of non-office locations ??? .
Having spent time with members of the industry this week, I realize that my dad's standout strength is his leadership and the value he places on building relationships. As President of WFFSA during the pandemic, he led the industry through its worst time in history. I would even say that he was the Winston Churchill of the flower industry - but his humble self would certainly not accept this comparison.
It is extraordinary to see the sum total of all of these moments recognised. Thank you to WFFSA for honoring my Dad with this award and to his many colleagues and friends who worked behind the scenes to make this incredibly special.
John Burk Paula Arango John Richards Karen Oie Bonnie Dewey Constance Dewey Tori Tamu Maisy Dewey
https://lnkd.in/enxwCE4u
