Press Releases
California Cut Flower Commission Board
Appoints New Chairman
January 19, 2007 Capitola, Calif. — Wilja Happé of Brand Flowers Inc, Carpinteria, has been appointed Chairman of the Board of Commissioners for the California Cut Flower Commission (CCFC). She replaces Dan Vordale of Ocean View Flowers, Lompoc, whose term expired in December. Happé has been a member of the CCFC Board of Commissioners since 1999 and has served on the CCFC Executive Committee for 4 years.
In accepting the Chairperson appointment, Happé said, "I want to ensure that the CCFC's marketing efforts help California farms sell the flowers that are available during their natural season. It is vitally important that we make our marketing efforts within the state directly applicable to what our members have for sale, during the time of year that we naturally grow the product, and that we focus on the colors and varieties that are available."
Her other major goals for the future of the CCFC include helping to finalize the coalition and management agreement between the CCFC and the California Association of Flower Growers and Shippers (CAFG&S), and encouraging all California growers to participate in a cold-chain agreement between growers and the major flower trucking lines. Happé also expressed her support for the new national Floral Marketing Funding Initiative that is being discussed by the floral industry.
Born in the Netherlands in 1963, Happé graduated in 1986 with degrees in Social Work and Psychology from 'Hogeschool van Amsterdam'. Shortly after immigrating to the United States and settling in California, she co-founded Brand Flowers Inc and its subsidiaries in 1989 and became sole owner in 2005.
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 Brand Flowers Inc., is a leading cut flower and greens nursery and bouquet manufacturer. With over 1.3 million square feet of cut flower production specializing in Dutch flower varieties, and a full time staff of more than 250, Happé's company services traditional wholesale florist outlets, mass market chains, and consumer-direct websites.
Happé has a long and distinguished record of service to the floral industry including being a past president of the California State Floral Association and a past board member for the Society of American Florists, the Santa Barbara County Farm Bureau, and the Buy California Marketing Agreement.
Prior to her appointment as the CCFC Chairperson, Happé chaired the CCFC Governmental Relations committee and was an active member of the CCFC Promotion & Marketing committee. Currently she is involved in California Women for Agriculture, and the national Floral Marketing Funding Initiative, and serves on her children's local school board.
Happé is married and the mother of five children and the grandmother of two. She is an active participant in daily life at the farm and within her community and in the lives of her family.
The CCFC also announces the following committee chairmen appointments: Finance Committee, Hans Brand, B&H Flowers; Marketing Committee, Chad Nelson, Eufloria Flowers; Nominating Bylaws, Bob Mellano, Mellano & Co; Governmental Relations, June Van Wingerden, Ocean Breeze International; Research & Education, Mike Mellano, Sr., Mellano & Co.
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