Mea culpa. This issue of The Dirt begins with one big apology. Several of our valuable clients were very disappointed by our Sunflower dip in production we experienced during Week #40 and part of #41.  One of our top initiatives is to move seamlessly from the production of our spring/summer growing regions (instead of “pushing” them to perform further and compromising quality) into production at our fall/winter sites. We work at this all year long. While we shipped close to flawlessly almost every week in 2014 so far, we did have a hiccup in October that left clients without all the Sunflowers they expected. That’s not o.k., and I assure you we’ll do everything in our power to avoid it in the future.  The PMA show in October gave me the opportunity to explain the gap to some clients in person. Call me 24/7 if you want further explanation or want to hear from me personally on what our plan is for 2015. PMA was a great venue for sharing some of our latest and greatest ideas and innovations – "Copper Suns" and the “Happy Day” bouquets were big hits -- during a very solid Saturday on the show floor. Special thanks to those of you who attended our Happy Hour event at Morton’s. The team and I appreciate your time, interest, and feedback!          We returned from Anaheim to late fall/winter production in full swing, and we are really looking forward to an outstanding Thanksgiving.  So far, we are on plan and have had yields on or above forecast for Weeks 42, 43, and 44.. While Pumpkin Trees and Marigolds wind down for the year, autumn Sunflowers and the usual fall staples are gorgeous and meeting demand. We’re running double shifts from Oct. 27 through the Thanksgiving shipping period and extended office hours begin Nov. 13. Check out these two featured bouquets to the left.

Strategic planning is on the calendar as well. In addition to new, smarter approaches to preventing the fall dip, we’ll start tackling long-term questions about differentiation and a business model that can’t easily be duplicated – all so we can continue to give you the best flower-buying experience at the best possible prices.   In the meantime, on behalf of everyone at Dos Gringos, thank you for choosing and partnering with us, and have a warm and wonderful Thanksgiving!     50k Run Stats: Time:  5 hours 25 minutes. Finished #15 of 200 in age group.   ______________________________________ - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -