My Final FloraCraft? Blog to My Team

To my FloraCraft work family:

When I arrived in Ludington seven years ago to join FloraCraft, I knew the company had an excellent industry reputation. I knew Lee Schoenherr was committed to remaining independent and local and I knew the setting on the shores of Lake Michigan was beautiful and ideal. I was not aware of the deep and amazing talent within these walls. I was struck immediately by the passion, dedication and spirit of the entire team and knew I had made the right decision in accepting the invitation to become a FloraCrafter.

When I accepted this job, I told the board I would serve five to seven years. Well, it has been seven years, so it’s bittersweet that I share my last official day as the CEO of FloraCraft will be Aug. 11.

It is bitter because this organization and all of you have become my second family and it will be difficult to not be here every day. Sweet because I know we are poised for even more greatness under the leadership of Steve Carlson. After seven years of a LOT of hard work, numerous innovations and a big dose of creativity, I feel extremely confident I’m leaving FloraCraft ready to ‘Make It Fun for Everyone’ for another 75 years – and beyond.

As I reflect on my tenure here, I hope you’ll allow me a few moments to walk down memory lane.

First, I want to thank each one of you. Our daily interactions are what I’ll miss the most. Out of the numerous accomplishments we’ve achieved together, I’m most proud of the team we have assembled.

No organization can be successful without the right people. When I joined in 2016, one of my initial observations was how there were talented individuals working here, but many weren’t given the right mentorship or opportunities. If anything, our next generation of leadership was being stymied and blocked from having a positive impact on the business. That’s why we’ve made such a large investment in our team: We created The FloraCraft Academy, we embarked on a thorough compensation and benefits review, we developed a succession planning program, we implemented talent mapping and we all worked to enhance our culture as a great place to work and succeed.

Of course, I can’t talk about my gratitude for our team without talking about “The Gift.” Lee’s generosity through this act was astounding to watch – and I feel honored to be a part of this project. And, not to mention, it was cool making national and international news!

None of this would be possible without Lee and the Schoenherr family. It’s been an incredible honor to work closely with him throughout my tenure and to call him a mentor. His business acumen, wise and steady leadership and total commitment to FloraCraft and the community has been inspirational to me – and to all of you. It’s been an exceptional privilege to know and work with Lee.

We’ve also made significant strides for our business. The move to be a vertically integrated company in 2019 was a pivotal step in setting the stage for a successful future. It led to the 200,000+ square-foot expansion of our campus to accommodate the improved and automated production of our award-winning innovation of FōM with PolyRenew. Innovation that has significantly reduced our environmental impact while allowing us to provide our customers and consumers with a superior product.

With all this innovation and expansion, we had to rethink some of our business practices, including better defining KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) to track our success. We built out our propriatry apps FloraSmart, RetailSmart, MarginSmart, FinanceSmart and PeopleSmart to provide immediate information as to the health of the business. We implemented a 3-year strategic planning process to ensure we’re always thinking forward and are focused on the investments we need to make to be successful.

By bringing FōM to market, we showcased our strength as a market disrupter, executing a complex national product launch. To continue positioning our products as market leaders, we’ve strengthened and expanded our product development and marketing teams while also making investments to become a best-in-class digital marketer. ?Today we can proudly proclaim we are the number one brand in the DIY floral market!?

And though we knew we had an amazing product to offer, it’s been incredibly satisfying to see FōM recognized globally through awards from the National Association of Manufacturers, The Edison Awards, the Manufacturing Leadership Council, Stevie Awards, Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and Beyond Plastics.

While we’ve had a lot of fun along the way, it hasn’t always been easy. When the world shut down in March 2020 because of COVID-19, it was a scary time. We all know the strength and character of an organization isn’t defined only in the good times but revealed in challenging times. Together, we came through as community leaders in how we handled the pandemic. We found ways to lessen the financial burden by keeping the team on payroll, we communicated thoroughly through regular and truthful communications by blogging and we strengthen our business relationships by remaining close to our customers. In the end, we came out even stronger than before – because that’s what we do at FloraCraft. We are resilient, we persevere, we innovate, and we move forward.

Prior to coming to Ludington, I’ve had the opportunity to live and work around the country, from California to New York and Illinois. I never lived in a small town, so I wasn’t sure what to expect when I moved here. But Barbara and I jumped in feet first and purchased a home and embraced the relaxed and friendly culture the community provides. Now, we can’t imagine living anywhere else.

Ludington is truly a special place, which I don’t have to tell any of you, and I’m proud of our work to strengthen our local community. One of the events we are most proud of is Santa’s Workshop. It has grown exponentially to become THE holiday event for our region, having a record number of 1,800 attendees this past year. The effort the team put forth to bring the holiday spirit to our families and our neighbors from near and far is truly astounding. Future changes to our business may necessitate how we think about giving back to our families and the community, but I am confident the team will be creative and forward thinking.

Of course, as one of the largest employers in the region, FloraCraft recognizes community also starts close to home with our team and your families. Our company picnic has become a signature annual event, and it gives me great joy to see how we’ve been able to grow it – with nearly 500 people attending last year. Building this event from an afternoon BBQ to the full-on extravaganza it is today was not easy. It took a lot of creativity and hard work from our Funn Committee and other volunteers to make it a day everyone looks forward to.

I can’t talk about my time at FloraCraft without acknowledging my wife, Barbara – I could not ask for a better partner. Not only has she been steadfast in her support for me, but she has fully embraced the FloraCraft family, lending her creative spirit and organizational talents to our events. Many of you know her and have worked with her. She fell for this community as quickly as I did, and she, like me, is so proud to call Ludington home. I would not be able to have done what we did if Barbara wasn’t by my side.

As I leave my role as CEO, I feel extremely confident in the future of this company. We are strong – both culturally and financially – and are ready to continue our legacy of independence and innovation. I plan to be engaged in our future partnerships, eagerly anticipating they will allow us to gain market leadership in new product categories and new markets of foam. FloraCraft will continue to invest in verticals while reinforcing our commitment to our team, our community and our customers by delivering product of great quality and innovation.

Working alongside Steve over the past seven years means I have seven years of first-hand evidence why he is the right person for this role. A tremendously smart man, with strong organizational and operational intellect, I know Steve will be a great and balanced leader. Steve is passionate about our people and products. He has been my partner in driving much of the big initiatives we’ve made in the past 7 years. I know he’s up to the challenge of keeping us moving forward and will improve on many of the initiatives already in place.

While I may be stepping away from my day-to-day role, I’m not leaving FloraCraft completely. I’m honored to serve on the Board of Directors with Lee Schoenherr, and Barb and I plan to keep Ludington as our home base. We recently purchased a Sprinter camper van and are looking forward to having the opportunity to visit our children and grandchildren, who are scattered throughout the country. But we will be here from Spring through the Fall since our heart is in our home of Ludington.

I feel incredibly lucky to have been a part of FloraCraft’s amazing history. I’ve worked in many industries and have worked with many talented people for more than 40 years, but I can say our team, this team, at FloraCraft, is the best team I have had the privilege of working with. It is second to none.

All that’s left to say is simply: thank you! You are the most amazing group of colleagues I could ever hope to be associated with!

Eric J. Erwin

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