From FFA to Floriculture w/ Randy Wooten - Empowering the Next Generation of Floral Designers

Discover the rewarding career paths in floriculture available to FFA members! From floral design and horticulture to event planning and marketing, the floral industry offers diverse opportunities to FFA members. This blog shares insights from Randy Wooten and Sharon McGukin about mentoring FFA students, building essential life skills, and participating in the many programs like the Georgia Floral Design Clinic discussed here. Whether you're a florist or simply passionate about floriculture, learn how you can make an impact by guiding the next generation in their floral careers. 

How we Bloom podcast is an oasis of flower ideas. Hosts Sharon McGukin and Smithers-Oasis North America interview floral guests who dare to do things differently. We listen, learn, explore new opportunities and that's how we bloom!

Transcript

Randy Wooten: 0:06

we all know there's a shortage of designers out there and that's just one part of our industry, but here's an excellent way get involved and help cultivate new blood for our industry.

Sharon McGukin: 0:24

Welcome to How We Bloom, an oasis of flower ideas. I'm your host, Sharon McGukin, AIFD, AAF, PFCI, and I believe that every great success story starts with one simple idea. That's why we interview those who dare to do things differently. Inspiring people who plant seeds, grow ideas, and bloom to their full potential. In this podcast, we listen, learn, and grow. Explore new opportunities, and that's how we bloom. Joining us for today's podcast is Randy Wooten, AIFD, PFCI, CFD, GMF of RW Wholesale in Douglas, Georgia. Randy has joined us to discuss his commitment to introducing FFA members to floriculture. After working with an FFA member in his own floral shop, Randy discovered his passion for training students to join the floral industry. Randy developed a statewide floral design clinic ten years ago that's held annually in conjunction with Georgia FFA Association. The clinic serves 200 agriculture students and Georgia FFA advisors each year. Participants learn basics such as how to design boutonniere or wrist corsage, to more advanced designs like bouquets and both water and foam based designs. Classes include pricing, floral trends, and flower care under the guidance of floral professionals, offering opportunities that many students in the classroom won't have otherwise. Thank you for your time. Randy, thank you so much for joining us today to enlighten our listeners as to how they can participate with FFA students that might be interested in joining the floral industry.

Randy Wooten: 2:22

We would love for as many people to get involved as possible and the probably the easiest way and quickest way to get involved would be reach out to your local FFA chapter, to your middle school, junior high, high school, and touch base with the FFA advisor and say, Hey, I'm here. I would love to work with your kids, let them know that you're a resource and you're willing. That's one of the biggest challenges that the program faces is because many FFA advisors, floral design or the floral industry is not in their wheelhouse, okay? They cover so many career development, events. the FFA. So floral design and floriculture is just one of them. So in many cases they have no clue where to begin. they're even afraid to reach out to the florist. So that's probably the easiest and quickest way to get involved is reach out and make yourself known on a state level, there's more than one state. Georgia is one of, I think, three that I know of. California, Texas, as, as well as Georgia. We all have strong design workshops, clinics, certification programs. I would reach out if you don't have a contact in your state. You can always reach out to me. I can provide you with one. is a, what we call a state supervisor, that is in charge of floriculture or floral design in that state. And I can definitely put you in contact with those people. Now, on the national level, we have a national convention every year. Right now it's in Indianapolis, and it's always, normally the last week October, which is coming up pretty quick. You reach out to me. We're always looking for volunteers for that contest or career development event. Just to give you an idea, it takes about 65 volunteers to pull that off. That career development event, is comprised of 10 different segments, and each segment has to have volunteers. Now, I will tell you, not all volunteers that are needed have to be a floral designer, or even in the floral industry. They can be in the horticulture industry. They could be a professional. There's one component to this that has to do with interviewing. They have to do a mock interview. So we're looking for business people, business minded people from that segment to come in and be the person that is doing the interview. There's so many different ways that you could be

Sharon McGukin: 5:08

when I was president of AIFD, I attended that FFA National and how amazing was that to see 55, 000 great kids In one building. It was just astounding. I've never gotten over how amazing that felt because it was really eye opening to see what all they could do, what all they wanted to do, and to see the major corporate sponsors who are contributing to this program to help bring it to life. And with it being the students who are in Floral classes that being within our own industry. We really need to be a part of the support for that type of structure

Randy Wooten: 5:58

Absolutely, I'll never forget my first trip to National Convention. Even though I was a product of FFA and grew up in it, I never attended National Convention until I became part of that committee and it was truly overwhelming. I'll tell you. As a whole, that organization is driven with leadership. it's amazing to watch these 15, 16, 17 year olds take the And and present and speak like it's just unreal. I can't stress how rewarding it is to see that, it just reinforces why I feel our industry needs to be a part of that organization, and that is an excellent source to cultivate new blood for our industry. I think we need to really put ourself out there and expose ourself to them and be that resource.

Sharon McGukin: 6:59

think if they have that much confidence at that age, just think what all they can accomplish in a lifetime. I'm with you. That was really impressive. And also impressive are the volunteers who work with them and the advisors. And I think that is just like in the case of yourself. It's a passion. They really have, the goals set for these kids and are very, very earnest in how to bring them forward. Now we see that's the challenge for people getting involved with FFA, but what are the challenges for the floral industry for bringing FFA students to the industry again, as I alluded to earlier, not everybody wants a design knife and a design table. There are other jobs. Growers, importers, wholesalers, retailers, there's just such a scale of businesses within it and at AIFD we have begun bringing in FFA go and creating programs for them. recording, as a floral industry could we do stronger? a challenge of bringing them in and having them want to participate in the floral industry?

Randy Wooten: 8:16

That's a great question because I can speak personally from within our state in Georgia, and I'm sure Texas and California will echo this as well. You referenced earlier the floral clinic that we do every year. It just happened recently, and in that clinic, we were only able to accommodate 270 kids. And we had a big waiting list. Just in case someone canceled, put me in. interest is there, we just don't have the manpower. it's hard because we're all busy. Many people that have their own shops are running on skeleton crews right now. I get it. But one of the challenges we find is having the time to give to these students and show up and volunteer. I wish we were able to bring more table, but we need the volunteers. And that's one of the challenges that we face. Another one is in the retail world. People may have the passion and want to do it, but they're limited, their staffing limited. And so I think if we were to bring a State Association or AIFD, example, Southern Regional Chapters, come together and help pull that together. We're better in numbers, and I just think It takes, it'll take a little bit of cultivating and work and I appreciate you having me on today because this is a great way to pull that there and say there's a need. Many times we hear, I can't do anything about something if I don't know there's a need, and this is a big challenge for the

Sharon McGukin: 9:59

And we will also do a blog of this same information and you're going to provide for me some pictures from the actual event that you accomplished. So look for the blog and the photos and perhaps if we look toward individual businesses being able to bring in and do it even on a smaller scale, then that keeps that knowledge local and helps them to grow in that particular area. So it's not like you really have to go out and participate on a larger, long distance level. These are things that can be done in, in your own flower shop or your own agricultural or horticultural businesses, I think.

Randy Wooten: 10:47

Absolutely, and I want to take the opportunity to share my personal experience and my success story, as I like to call it within our Georgia program. Workshop, we've had many and you always love to hear it because you wonder so many times when you have this large group of kids, what actually, will you reap from this? And I can tell you now, of the young ladies who. I mentored and worked locally for five years. She went on and won the state contest in floral design. when she graduated, I had hoped she would go into the floral industry. However, she left Coffee County and went to Georgia Tech has a master's in engineering. And after she graduated, to my surprise, she moved back home to Douglas, Georgia and started an event company. flowers and weddings. Yes. And I was thrilled that she did that and then two years later purchased my retail shop and is continuing my grandmother and great grandmother's legacy. With whole new, fresh look. They're just killing it. I mean, they're young. They know social media. It's just, I couldn't be more proud and she's just one of many success stories that we have here in Georgia. There's been, I know off hand, five that I've counted before we came on that have went out and either work in a shop or had their own shop. it's encouraging and very rewarding. We all know there's a shortage of designers out there and that's just one part of our industry, but here's an excellent way get involved and help cultivate new blood for our industry. So I encourage you to do. If you focus on assisting with FFA training and programs, even though you're doing it for the reason of volunteering for them, very often it comes back to you in your own business or in your own community. I think that's really great. The main reason I think that we specify FFA is because they're already showing an interest in learning of things that are nature, things that are hands on. A lot of people who are in the industry come from a farm or a landscape or a small business background. These kids are kind of pre qualified because they are those things. If our listeners from across the country wanted to reach out and ask for more advice, would you be open to speaking with them about ways that they can get involved or sharing contacts that you have with FFA National, things of that matter? Oh, absolutely. I've been encouraged over the years during my involvement. If I can be of any service, please reach out. I have we have resources. I can put you in contact with those people there again. You may not know who to contact in your area, in your state. I can provide you with that by a simple phone call. have direct access to the National Superintendent of Floriculture. Her and I are really good friends. We work together. We can help you. All you gotta do is

Sharon McGukin: 14:09

Fantastic. And in the blog, I'm going to have links to some other career development event programs that you can reach directly through FFA and you can follow those links to get to that information. Now, one thing I want to clarify, I said contest or competition and you said we prefer to call it the

Randy Wooten: 14:36

Career development event.

Sharon McGukin: 14:39

So when he says career development event, he is talking about the programs where the kids are evaluated.

Randy Wooten: 14:49

Yes. And, of looking at this as this is a competition, it is, they're being evaluated independently, not compared to one another. But the main goal is we are career development. We're building skills for a career and I think that was a great choice in moving in that direction with the verbiage because it puts you in a whole different mindset, it reinforces to the student that this is more than just a contest. We're trying to build life skills here and I think this is, At a ground level that we should be involved in as an industry FFA is probably the most perfect fit for that because like you said, they're already interested. They already come from that kind of background. it's a really great organization.

Sharon McGukin: 15:43

what you've just said is very important. Building life skills. Because when you're working with flowers or plants, that's something you can do as you and I have done. for careers, but it's something you can do as a hobby. It's something you can do that's very healing. Even if the students learned and they never did more than decorate their own homes or flowers for events in their life, if they celebrate life with flowers, that in itself has a purpose.

Randy Wooten: 16:17

Absolutely, and we want to promote our product in our industry. So yes, it's a win/win all the way around. Great way of

Sharon McGukin: 16:25

And anything that we can do to encourage them, we definitely want to do it, because it's been my experience that FFA students are just really great kids.

Randy Wooten: 16:36

they are. Is there anything else you'd like to share with us, Randy, before we go? Well, I just want to say thank you again for inviting me to come and share and talk about the FFA program. It's very dear to me. meant a lot to me as a growing up in school For someone and I know people who know me now will probably think this is crazy for me to say this But when I was in school, I was a very shy kid I never wanted attention drawn to me. I never stood up in front of the class and spoke but through FFA, helped me tremendously because it put me out there. if you were to have told Randy Wooten at age 15, that at some point in my life, I would be standing on AFD stage speaking to hundreds of people. I would have told you were crazy. However, was through those mentors that helped me a lot. So you can see why I'm very passionate about the

Sharon McGukin: 17:37

I can see that. You and I both have referenced AIFD, so I think I should say for our listeners that might not be aware, that's the American Institute of Floral Designers. That's something that we both are very active in, and I just appreciate everything you're doing, especially because you're doing it for my state. So, thank you so much, Randy Wooten. Fellow Georgian.

Randy Wooten: 18:01

Well, thank you.

Sharon McGukin: 18:08

To our audience, Smithers Oasis North America. Randy and I want to thank you for joining us today. If you've enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend and be sure to hit subscribe. You don't want to miss the inspired solutions our upcoming guests will share with you for your personal or business growth. If you have topics or guests you want to hear, please message me. We'd love to hear from you. Until next time, I'm Sharon McGukin reminding you that like the unfurling petals of a flower, we grow by changing form, soaking inspiration in like raindrops, absorbing energy from others like warmth from the sun. This growth opens us up to new ideas and that's How we Bloom.