Floral business is blooming

The Collins brothers have a keen eye for flowers.

They've been in the wholesale floral business all their lives. Cecil "Len" Collins Jr. and Pat Collins are the owners of Georgia State Floral Distributors Inc., and their brother, Darrell Collins, works alongside them as general manager.

They took over the business, formerly named Georgia State Wholesale Florist, from their father, Cecil Collins, 23 years ago. He started the business in downtown Augusta in 1954.

The wholesaler at 2909 Washington Road serves floral shops in a 100-mile radius of Augusta, Len said.

"We carry all of your decorative silks and flowers. A florist could realistically get 90 percent of what they need right here," Pat said.

As the company's president, Len supervises payables. Pat, as the vice president, is responsible for receivables. Darrell, the general manager, handles the procurement of flowers.

"We have been successful, and it's because we're here," Pat said. "When you come here, Len, Darrell and I are here. I think our employees appreciate that. They know we work with them."

The brothers have separate responsibilities, but no duty is off limits. They unload trucks, pack flowers and cut flowers alongside their 20 employees, Darrell said.

The brothers are disciplined businessmen, but they always make time for fun.

"As much seriousness as there is, there's still a lot of banter. We pull jokes on each other," Len said.

"They have a great sense of humor," said Aaron Clements, the owner of C&C Automotive. "They're very good at business, but they also enjoy having a good time. They have that same relationship with the people who work there."

The brothers are successful because they're honest, he said.

"If any one of them tells you something, you can without question count on it. That's the way it is. They are very strong in their beliefs. They have a strong sense of right or wrong. They really don't care who's right; they care what's right," Mr. Clements said.

Father's footsteps

The Collins brothers grew up at the family business.

If they weren't playing baseball or football, they were at their father's shop, Len said.

Before operating the business, their father worked as a county agent in southwest Georgia, where he assisted farmers with crops and animals. He grew up on a farm as the youngest of 14 children. After serving in World War II, he attended the University of Georgia and earned a degree in horticulture.

Their uncle, Bonnie Collins, started Georgia State Wholesale Florist in Macon and encouraged his brother to start a branch in Augusta. The family moved to North Augusta and the branch opened in 1954.

"When we were old enough to hold a broom, we were down there. As soon as we got our driver's licenses, we were denting up his vans," Len said. "He just didn't believe in having idle time. He didn't want us getting in trouble, so he kept us busy."

Uncle Bonnie told them there was always work to do, such as sweeping the cooler or making shipping boxes. Len said he was like "a second father."

"We had a lot of fun, too. Saturdays were tough, though, because you had to come in at 6 a.m.," Pat said.

Their father opened the shop at 5 a.m. and didn't return home until 8 p.m. each night. Despite his busy schedule, he took his sons on outings, such as fishing trips. Pat said that his dad was involved in their Little League baseball teams and other sports teams, and he never missed one of his college football games.

Their mother, Betty, was a housewife, but she drove the delivery van when the business was starting out. Her young sons accompanied her on deliveries and to the train station to pick up flowers, Len said. She also volunteered at University Hospital.

The original location of the wholesale floral business was a 1,600-square-foot building on Ninth Street. As the business grew, they moved to the former Johnson Motor Co. building at 10th and Telfair streets. They eventually relocated to Washington Road.

The walk-in cooler in their present facility is bigger than their father's first store.

Their uncle closed his business in Macon in 1959 and moved to Augusta to join his brother, Len said.

"We all went away to college thinking we were going to do something else, but we all ended back working together," Len said.

After his graduation from college, Len joined the family business. In 1977, Darrell came on board after working for a pharmaceutical company for about five years. Pat joined the business in 1982 after working for a liquor wholesaler.

Their youngest brother, Joe, works in Atlanta as a banker.

When they bought their first computer in 1986, their father eagerly retired and sold the business to his sons.

"He would come down just by habit for the first few years to check on things and see what's going on," Pat said. "I give him credit, he never stuck his head in to tell us what to do. He let us learn by mistakes. But if we ever needed some advice, we could always call him."

Cecil Collins would later serve as North Augusta's first Republican mayor and later as a state legislator, Len said. He died in 2007.

When Len and Pat assumed ownership of the company, Darrell decided to remain in his capacity as manager.

Finding flowers

Darrell's main job is purchasing and sourcing flowers. He handles pricing, determines what is available on the market and sets up shipments. The business sells more than 1,000 varieties of flowers, he said.

"It's an interesting job because most of the people who are in the flower business have a passion for it. They're very hard workers, particularly the growers. It's very humbling to see how hard they work and what pride they take in what they do," he said.

Most of their flowers come from farms in South America.

"I talk to a lot of people in Columbia, Ecuador, Costa Rica, California, Hawaii, Holland, practically people all over the world who grow flowers and sell them. The business has a lot to do with relationships. There's a large element of trust involved," Darrell said.

Several company designers -- and Darrell occasionally -- attend buying trips to ensure they are buying quality products from growers.

"We want to do business with people who are paying their help a decent wage," Len said. "We try to pick the farms that have social consciousness. If they're looking after their people, they're probably going to look after you, too."

Most of the product is flown out of Bogota, Columbia, or Quito, Ecuador, into Miami.

Then, the flowers must be processed through customs and checked for contraband, Darrell said. In Miami, the flowers are placed on refrigerated trucks. They arrive at the shop in about three days.

"We get tractor trailers four times a week," Darrell said. "We have refrigerated trucks that come from California once a week. California is still a big flower-growing state. It's probably the largest in the U.S. by far."

The international flower market is only about 25 years old, he said. When their father went into business, growers were domestic. Then the Dutch went to South America and started developing farms there.

The business also buys flowers from farms in North Carolina and Florida, where they are grown seasonally.

Georgia State Floral Distributors has a large walk-in cooler. The temperature is held steady at 34 degrees.

"Temperature is the biggest enemy of flowers," Len said. "If you kept your flowers at 40 degrees instead of 35, you'd lose two or three days of life on a flower."

Flowers are transported to the shop via planes and trucks, and growers are instructed to monitor the temperature with a recorder, which can determine the temperature every 10 minutes during the trip.

"If there's ever a problem, we can find out where it is. It's just the things you have to do to make sure everything is quality," he said.

The store's temperature is also closely monitored. There is an alarm system that alerts them to drastic temperature changes, Len said.

"When somebody's got a wedding or special event and they're depending on us, we've got to make sure we're doing everything we can to make sure their event comes out alright," he said. "The key with perishables is turnover, so we're constantly moving product in and out of here. The more you turn the flowers, the fresher the flowers are going to be."

The wholesale floral business isn't a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. operation.

"Because of the nature of the business, they (florists) all have our home phone number, in case someone passes away," Len said. "We don't get paid like OB-Gyns, but we feel like we have the same hours sometimes."

Four of their staff members have worked at retail florists, Len said.

"They have a great eye for trends and colors, so they've helped us earn a real good reputation in the industry as having a wide selection of high-end merchandise. They're a great resource for the retailers, too, when they need some help," Len said.

To give customers better prices, the company teamed up with other independent wholesalers across the country to form a buying group.

"We were able to consolidate our buying power to get better deals," Len said.

Phantom florist

One of Len's pet peeves is the emergence of "phantom florists," non-local toll free or online floral delivery services. He has discovered that some floral businesses, even those listed in the telephone book with local phone numbers and addresses, are actually call centers in another city.

"They (local florists) get just a small portion of the order. Another beef I have with these folks is that it's canned designs. A florist goes into business because they have their individual talents. What you're doing is you're taking that creativity out of it," he said. "You get your money's worth when you call a florist. If we can get customers to realize that if they talk to a brick and mortar shop, they're going to be happier, get a better deal and get fresher flowers. And you'll get the order right because you're talking to the designer."

Len said the floral industry hasn't been immune to the declining economy.

"People are still sending flowers, but they're maybe cutting back on the size of the order. Florists are really watching their inventory. They're not overbuying and making sure they're buying flowers that last long," he said.

Pat said the big-box retail stores have changed the way things are done in his industry.

"We've had to tighten our belt, and we've had to be more savvy," Pat said. "The chain of purchasing has changed. If you don't keep up with the changes, you're going to get left behind."

Several local florists have been forced to shut their doors because of "the numbers game," he said.

"When I was in high school, I think there were probably 25 or 30 florists in Augusta. There might be half that now," Pat said.

Levi Bush, the owner of Quick Way Flower Shop, worked at the brothers' business for 25 years before taking over his own father's shop in 1992.

He started working when Cecil and Bonnie Collins ran the company.

"They were very nice people to work for. It was almost like family. We had a wonderful relationship. We always had fun as we worked," Mr. Bush said.

He learned the basics of the industry there, and now he's a customer.

"They are the best that I've ever seen in Augusta. At one time, there were three wholesalers in Augusta. They put a lot of care in servicing the customer. They carry a good, quality line of products and flowers, and it makes a difference when you can make a call and get everything in one place," he said.

The brothers enjoy the positive nature of their industry.

"The people in this industry are so nice. Typically, they're trying to bring some dignity to a bad situation in somebody's life.

"That's why you call a florist," Len said.

"Everything about flowers is positive," Darrell added. "Think about all of the emotions that flowers can express: love, sympathy, concern, empathy. Everything about our product is positive. I like that."

Reach LaTina Emerson at (706) 823-3227 or latina.emerson@augustachronicle.com.