Flowers Canada (Ontario) Inc.’s First Member Savings Symposium a Resounding Success
January 23, 2014
Guelph, ON – On January 9th, 2014, Flowers Canada (Ontario) Inc.(FCO) held its’ first ever Member Savings’ Symposium at the Beacon Harbourside Resort in Jordan Station with over 50 people in attendance.
The Symposium introduced saving opportunities to growers ranging from retail store discounts to saving huge dollars on their commercial greenhouse insurance, employee benefits and banking costs. There were representatives from various organizations including The Investment Guild, Marsh Canada Ltd., Scotiabank, The Employment Help Centre, Agriculture Credit Corporation and The Ontario Soil and Crop Improvement Association.
The Symposium began at 10:00 a.m. with representatives from each of the organizations along with FCO staff providing short presentations to growers regarding the types of services and products they offer that could help growers save money.A complimentary lunch was provided directly following the presentations allowing participants to network and socialize with their fellow growers. Following lunch, the trade show portion of the event commenced allowing growers to speak to the various representatives on a one to one basis.
One of the events highlights was having Dr. Jeanine West, FCO’s Water and Environmental Specialist and OSCIA‘s John Laidlaw available to answer questions regarding the completion of the Growing Forward 2 applications and the development of Environmental Farm Plans.Growers were provided with information on what funding opportunities are currently available along with a virtual tour of the GF2 application process.
Andrew Morse, FCO’s Plant Health and International Trade Coordinator and event organizer commented: “The organizing committee could not be more pleased with the outcome of the Symposium – there was something for everyone.The day was a “one stop shop” providing growers with various options to gather valuable information on how they could save money. We are very grateful for the support of all the events’ speakers and participants.”
This was the first time that FCO has offered this type of program to growers.Dean Shoemaker FCO’s Executive Director noted: “This event provided an opportunity to remind growers that FCO also offers a number of savings programs that can benefit them financially.Savings are just a phone call away!”
With the success of the inaugural symposium and the positive feedback from growers, a second Member Savings Symposium is planned for 2015.
FCO is the provincial trade and professional association of the Ontario floral industry serving the floriculture sector and its Members, greenhouse floriculture producers, for over 45 years. FCO’s mission is to enhance the profitability and competitiveness of Ontario’s floriculture sector by helping growers address common issues. FCO strives to help growers find solutions in trade, plant bio-security, and research & innovation, human resources, environment, marketing and risk management.
For more information on FCO please visit www.flowerscanadagrowers.com. You can also contact the office directly by calling 1-800-698-0113 or emailing flowers@fco.ca.
