The Dirt - December 2013 - Happy Holidays to all!

How in the world did the year-end festivities arrive so quickly? Last Friday the DG Team gathered for our annual Holiday Festivities.  The Mariachis stole the show this year. As I took the time to prepare my annual words of thanks and warm wishes – including a look at where we’ve been, where we’re going, and how we get there -- I was struck by how quickly 2013 came and went. The party was well-deserved and, as you can see from the pictures, great fun! November ended on an extremely positive note for us. After struggling with some weather and uncooperative crops in the early weeks leading up to it, we really rallied at the last minute and closed the books on Thanksgiving with a 99.99 percent order fulfillment rate. We were extremely grateful for that and for the support and patience of our valued clients. Huge kudos to our Dos Gringos Miami Team, which burned the candle at both ends seven days a week to help ensure all orders were filled. Strategic Planning for 2014 is under way. As usual, a two-day brainstorming session brought way more ideas and innovations than we can reasonably tackle in a calendar year, but I’m thrilled with the passion our Leadership team has for building the brand. We made the unanimous decision to remain true to our brand pillars – People, Freshness, and Innovation – and below is are a couple projects that made the cut for 2014: Each of these initiatives is key to our continued success, and we’re confident we can make big strides within the next year. Demand is strong and healthy, and we want to make sure we’re meeting it with the creativity, quality, and quantity expected of us. Our focus on people in 2014 will include enhancements to our Team Member Wellness Program. As a Team, we lost more than 300 pounds in 2013, but we know that a healthy body is only half of the equation. A healthy mind and a nice balance of work and play is equally important. Delia Mercado and the Wellness Committee are working on additional programs and offerings for the new year. On that note, I hope this newsletter finds you experiencing a decent balance of holiday happiness and productive, profitable work. I wish you all the best at this most wonderful time of the year, and I hope 2014 holds great success and joy for everyone! _________________________________________

Dos Gringos Dirt - A Dos Gringos Thanksgiving is here

Thanksgiving prep is upon us, and I’m not talkin’ turkey! With our usual “All hands on deck” approach, we are working fast and furious to ensure we can deliver as promised on Thanksgiving orders. We always do whatever we can to avoid allocations and substitutions, and this year is no exception. The Sunflower crop is picking up steam as we get ready for Thanksgiving . Fortunately we have a new growing region that’s starting to produce; we think that this will help smooth out future production dips. We’ll be running two shifts and extending operating hours throughout the 10 days leading up to Thanksgiving. Fall crops are winding down as expected this year. Pumpkin Tree is gone for the season, and Marigolds and Broomcorn will be off crop by Nov. 15. With that, we set our sights on the festive year-end holidays – a most wonderful time for flowers and greens in general and for Dos Gringos in particular! Production of our Red Safari Sunset  is especially strong, and you can’t beat the longevity of this one’s stems and color.  We’ll be ready to go with the tasteful, on-trend glitter and accents some clients crave at this time of year. It was great to see many of you at the busy and productive PMA Conference in October. I spent one whirlwind day on the floor and in the DG booth before heading to China for the remainder of the month.  After recovering from my first bout of jet lag ever – wide awake at 2:00 a.m. for several days around Halloween – I met with Marco Rivera and the team to discuss several key takeaways from my trip and our plan to address them. The Dos Gringos family in Vista was excited this fall to welcome back two adventurous team members who helped in a big way the past year.  Last October Gabby Mercado and Mike Vargas stepped up and moved from San Diego to Miami to help get Dg East off the ground.  The DG culture and values are unique. We felt the best way to instill them in Miami was through our people. Off Gabby and Michael went, ready to help with anything and everything from production to sales to shipping and receiving. We had endless questions for them upon their return. Here are some highlights. _________________________________________ Gabby:  I’m getting familiar with the procurement and growing side of the house, working with Ciro, Todd, and April on purchasing, inventory, and forecasting processes. I’ve always had my eye on this part of the business, and my time in Miami has really developed my ability to connect with the growing side of our business.  I look forward to contributing to the Human Resources Team as well.          Michael:  I am now working closely with Agustin in the warehouse department, trying to learn the different areas and their importance to our daily workflow. My focus now is on the hard good side of E-Commerce. Once I master that, I hope to assume additional responsibilities in inventory counts, ordering the hard goods, communicating with the vendors/customers. This side is new to me, so it will be fun and interesting. Gabby:  I’m  a big fan of continuous growth and learning. Having the opportunity to work with such a great team is energizing and rewarding. There’s always something different to learn and discover.   Michael:  I am mostly excited about being back with the team and growing in a new position. I will be handling the E-Commerce hard goods for the internet companies that we fulfill for. This gives me a chance to get to know a new and growing area of the floral industry. Gabby:  This team loves what they do each and every day. It’s a growing, vibrant place, and that’s neat to be part of. New people join the team regularly to help bring smiles to millions, and now I have the opportunity to grow in new areas and to use the things I learned in Miami to help me through the process. Michael:  I like being back with a team that has taught me so much of what I know. We’re a family here, and we’re always willing to help and teach each other new things. The culture here is hard to find anywhere else, it was something I made sure to also share with the team in Miami. _________________________________________ _________________________________________ What can we do to make your job easier? I hope you’ll let me know: jason.levin@dosgringos.net. _______________________________________

The PMA Fresh Summit Convention and Expo is just around the corner, Oct. 18-20. There’s a lot of buzz about this annual event, and it looks like all of us are in for some interesting workshops and opportunities for productive interaction and networking. The DG Team is putting the finishing touches on our plans and preparation for sharing our story, and we look forward to seeing those of you who plan to attend. Don’t miss Booth #736, where it’s all about California sunshine and our mission to remain Different by Design. We’ll have beautiful arrangements and all of our Design Ready and Just Add items on display, as well as the flower-filled mugs and Mason Jars that are more and more popular every day. Marco, Cindy, Jennifer and Robin are excited to see you in New Orleans and to answer any questions and discuss potential solutions for your business. Back in Vista, we continue to enjoy opening our Design Center to client visitors who want a breath of fresh air and a chance to explore what’s possible in an inspiring space. A few of you stopped in in September, and we’re grateful for your partnership and collaboration. We believe it moves all of us in the right direction. While good things were happening indoors, we did take a late-summer hit from Mother Nature. Always a formidable competitor, she followed a cool, temperate August with extreme heat in September that forced us to harvest a surplus of over 120,000 bunches of Sunflowers in September and then to leave another 40,000 bunches behind, all of which left us with precious little product for the next two weeks. Protea, Millet, Majesty, Broom Corn, and Marigolds also were affected by the swing from cool to hot. Despite the major steps we’ve taken to diversify our growing areas and minimize the effects of a “gap,” Mother Nature has a mind of her own. We worked hard to juggle orders and find acceptable substitutions for as many of you as possible, and we’ll continue to make the best of the situation until we’re back on track this week. The good news is that our Master Grower Todd Thornton is all over the issue. His expertise and commitment are second to none, and he’s a huge part of what makes Dos Gringos different. I asked Todd for a plan of attack that avoids a future gap, and he responded immediately with initiatives already in the pipeline as well as new approaches to consider. These include but are not limited to: Additional farm locations for us in Baja; Additional weather-stable areas for outdoor farming in Sept. and Oct. Sunflower trials in new areas in Florida  Increased production in Pennsylvania and Virginia

When the PMA show wraps this month, I head to China to look further into suppliers for the Pick On Us business we recently acquired. Aaron Motola and I are always interested in products and ideas that complement the fresh flowers and greens we bring to the table. In addition to plans and preparations to bring you the level of service you expect for the busy Thanksgiving holiday, November will bring a focus on strategic planning and budgeting for 2014, and that work will tie directly to our pillars of People, Freshness, and Innovation. More to come in December. I’ll close with a huge, heartfelt “Congratulations” to Team Member Extraordinaire Joan Saunders. My right and left hand and a dear friend, she was married in September to a wonderful man, Phillip Schwartze. We wish them many happy, healthy years together. It was beautiful day filled with friends, family, and – what else? – beautiful Sunflowers! Best wishes, Joan and Phillip, and my best to all DG clients.   _________________________________________ What can we do to make your job easier? I hope you’ll let me know: jason.levin@dosgringos.net. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

September 2013 - The Dirt

School is back in session, and Dos Gringos is back on the hustle and bustle that is our fall season. Our travel-heavy schedules have eased a bit as we adopt an “All hands on deck” approach for this last quarter of the year. We’re welcoming several new Team Members – and ensuring they learn and embrace “the DG way” of getting things done -- as we plan and prepare for the heavy production that always arrives with school bells and cooler temperatures. The beautiful, well-tended soil of several farms is giving us Sunflowers in all kinds of interesting, autumnal colors, but that’s just the beginning of our impressive selection. Protea, Marigolds, Pumpkin Tree, Broomcorn, and Silver Sage are filling the coolers at Dos Gringos, and the team is assembling stunning bouquets that you won’t want to miss. Now more than any other time of year, we stand apart from the crowd with selection and service. Thank you for all your efforts in getting this message – and our flowers – to consumers. Like many of you, we’re prepping for the Produce Marketing Association show in New Orleans in October. Marco Rivera and his team will put our best foot forward in Booth #736, and we look forward to catching up with you there. We’re hitting on a “California Dreaming/Born in the USA”  theme, which is perfect for us as we tackle the localization aspect of the business. The closer we can get to our clients’ distribution centers, the better. Product freshness and quality improve, and we’re able to get items to you in the most economical way possible. I’m proud that we’re beginning our second growing season in Pennsylvania and our first in Wisconsin and Florida. Getting off the ground (or should I say “out of the ground?”) in different geographies has been a learning experience, to say the least. It’s hard to teach best practices and quality assurance standards that work across climates, but we’re committed to this , and we’ve had some significant wins. Mother Nature is a tough competitor, but we love a challenge.  The wizard behind this work is our very own Master Grower Todd Thornton. We’ll feature Todd and some of his greatest insights in the next issue of The Dirt. From now through the end of 2013, expect more extended work shifts and top-notch service from our teams in San Diego and Miami as we expand production and shine, shine, shine! What can we do to make your job easier? I hope you’ll let me know: jason.levin@dosgringos.net. _____________________ ______________________

Dos Gringos Dirt - Summertime Work & Play!

Client visits to our Vista offices in July were fantastic. We had a great time connecting one on one, and we really took advantage of the opportunity to brainstorm without boundaries. I trust that our partners got as much out of these sessions as we did, and I’m thrilled that we have additional visits scheduled this month. The Design Center is proving to be a great working environment to collaborate with clients. We love coming up with different and unique items that help make our client’s successful. Keep visiting! I mixed work and pleasure and spent a great week on the East Coast in late July with the family. Annie (11) and Jack (6) loved the Freedom Trail and Martha’s Vineyard, and we spent a beautiful evening taking in a Red Sox game. August brings more business travel for me. I’m excited to share that I’ll spend some time in Lincoln, NE, touring a company known for its commitment to building and nurturing a great culture and its focus on Team Member wellness. Dos Gringos has enjoyed some really nice growth and expansion as a company. Regardless of size, I want to make sure this is a place where people want to work and build a career. August is always a time for us to look closely at this topic, and I plan to bring back some best practices around culture and wellness initiatives as well as smart growth. Our internal “Biggest Loser” contest wrapped up last week. Many of our Team Members stepped up to shed a few pounds and shore up some energy over the past 12weeks. It’s been fun to see the satisfaction with results and the friendly competition among teams and individuals. This determined bunch shed a total of 112.4 pounds! This month’s Team Member profile introduces Raul Meza, our Production Supervisor. He’s a great member of the DG family, and he represents the “go for it” approach we are lucky to have. We’ll be sending kids back to school before we know it. Grab every opportunity to make the most of summer while it’s here – and don’t forget the flowers! _____________________ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _  As he approaches his seven-year anniversary with the Dos Gringos family, Raul Meza knows the plant as well as anyone. If you’ve placed an order with us, he’s had a hand in seeing it through to completion. He likes the details, and he knows how to multi-task. Still, one of his favorite parts of the job is that he learns something new every day! Raul is responsible for day-to-day operations on the production floor. He hires Team Members and makes sure their role is a good fit for them and for the company; he handles all of our scheduling; and he works in sync with our warehouse as well as our shipping and receiving teams and our packing and assembly lines. It’s not really a desk job. A typical day begins with a walk around the floor to ensure we’re staffed and ready to go. He checks out the order distribution list and examines multiple assembly lines for product. He asks and answers questions. And he partners with Quality Control to ensure that every client will be happy with the end result. All of this while keeping an eye on the clock. Strict start and stop times help ensure we fulfill all orders. When he’s not doing any of this work? Meetings. Raul is a critical link between Production and Sales. He listens well and watches for gaps between what’s coming in and what’s going out. As part of our Operations Board, he identifies problems, offers solutions, and measures results. Best Lesson Learned: Everyone is here to help. To a person, we do whatever it takes to get orders out accurately and in accordance with our high standards! It’s all about our clients. Most Challenging: When we simply don’t have the products we need to meet demand. That’s when communication kicks in and you step up with solutions. What’s Next?  We’ll see what pops up. I started here in Accounts Payable. There’s all kinds of opportunity for growth and development. I enjoy being able to lead by example and show teammates the right way – and I love having visibility to every dept. I’m still challenged and intrigued by Production, but there are always new paths to consider. On a personal note:  In his spare time, Raul enjoys spending time with his wife Adela, his baby girl Giselle and watching his beloved Dodgers play.  Hence is nickname “Blue.”