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This is Chris Redgrave for Zions Bank Speaking on Business.
Flowers are powerful and can even be effective in a business setting.... Tracie Drage and Rob Johnson of Brown Floral are focused on this business to business strategy.
Tracie and Rob met when they worked together for another company. It was important to Rob not to lose touch with this talented employee and friend he watched do terrific work over the years. So, he decided to research businesses to buy, and when he discovered the well-established Brown Floral available for sale, he and Tracie became business partners and purchased the almost 100-year-old floral shop three years ago.
Their goal is to be the top florist in Salt Lake City, so they applied their business acumen and strategically started a sales and marketing program that focused on business to business. The market was wide open, and their success speaks for itself, since they've more than tripled business in just three years. This is a great example of why Ernst and Young annually identify Utah's top entrepreneur.
Tracie and Rob attribute much of the success to their amazing staff, whom they kept on when they bought the business. This staff of 20 does creative work every day that Brown Floral delivers with five vehicles going all over the valley.
Earlier this year they acquired another 60-year-old floral shop, which has been family-owned and operated up to this point. They also kept that whole staff on, including the family members, which Tracie says is continuing their dedication to the floral industry and what they have become famous for. They've been transitioning the overall customer base into Brown Floral and she says it's been a smooth transition.
With the business-to-business strategy, Tracie says networking has been instrumental for growing and developing their floral business. She likes to say that what Brown Floral offers is a connection to employees, customers and vendors. This connection is critical when people are going through a dynamic part of life or a milestone. At Brown Floral they provide the opportunity and expression of support for a business to connect with their clients on a very personal level.
For Zions Bank, I'm Chris Redgrave, speaking on business.
Brown Floral 2233 Murray Holladay Rd. Holladay, UT 84117 801-278-4800 www.brownfloral.net
