Judy Mears accepts the inaugural 2007 Dave Mears Distinguished Service award on behalf of late husband Dave, with (left to right) IFD president Taylor Vriens, of Ensign Wholesale Florist in Salt Lake City; Kelly Parson, stepson of Dave Mears, of Mears Floral Products;  and Ron Bertrand, IFD’s Perishable Marketing Manager.

International Floral Distributors (IFD) announced this fall that it has established an award in honor Dave Mears, AAF, one of its founders and key leaders who passed away Jan. 17, 2007.

"After his death, the board felt that this was the best way to honor his contributions to IFD," says Jeff Lanman, executive director of IFD.

The inaugural 2007 IFD Dave Mears Distinguished Service Award was presented to Dave Mears posthumously on Oct. 24 and accepted by his family at a special awards dinner in Oxnard, Calif. "The ceremony was very emotional," says Lanman, who adds that an audio-visual presentation illustrating Mears' leadership throughout all parts of his life followed the award presentation.

The award is not annual, but will be given "when someone meets the criteria that Dave's leadership set ... whose efforts have contributed significantly to the welfare and progress of IFD, its members and the floral industry" Lanman says.

"I think its very gratifying to see that [Mears'] contributions are being recognized and perpetuated in years to come," says Red Kennicott, AAF, of Kennicott Brothers Co. in Chicago, who describes Mears as "someone who always had great enthusiasm for the industry and anything that would advance the industry."

Mears, owner of Mears Floral Products in Springfield, Mo., was a former SAF board member, as well as the youngest ever president of the Wholesale Florist & Florist Supplier Association. He also was chairman of the National PromoFlor Council, a national industry promotion effort.

Read more about Mears' contributions to the floral industry.

--Vanessa Machir
vmachir@safnow.org

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