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. _______________________________________