A free trade agreement between the United States and Colombia would help Texas florists by alleviating some of the cost associated with getting product to the U.S. That was the message Dianna Doss Nordman, AAF, executive director of the Texas State Florists' Association (TSFA) and two other floral industry members brought to a key federal decision-maker when they met with him this past month in Austin.

Nordman was invited to join Matthew Rooney, the acting director for the Department of State's Office of Economic Policy and Coordination, when he visited Austin on April 8 to discuss the U.S./Colombia Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Rooney's office initially contacted her via e-mail and she had just a few days to organize the meeting.

To prepare, Nordman got background information and talking points on the trade agreement and put together a panel including herself, TSFA's First Vice-President Pat Shirley-Becker, AIFD, of Northwest Hills Florist - Davenport in Austin and Carl Anderson of Pikes Peak in Austin.

At the meeting, Rooney provided an overview of the importance of the agreement and went over the Trade Adjustment Assistance Program, which assists workers who lose their jobs as a result of trade imports. Rooney wanted the panel to tell him about the importance of Colombian product to the Texas floral industry, and "how the U.S./Colombia trade promotion agreement affects florists in Texas," Nordman says.

Nordman gave him the names of people to contact at the Texas Department of Agriculture. Rooney later called Nordman to follow-up on the meeting and keep the lines of communication open.

"We've developed a relationship with the office," Nordman explains. "It's a relationship we can tap into in the future."

For help talking to lawmakers and the media about local, national and international floral industry issues, visit the government advocacy and industry promotion sections of SAF's Web site.

--Morgan Schimminger
mschimminger@safnow.org

 

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