Mike Phaneuf

Senior Account Manager

My Roots: Was working days and going to college nights and must have seen it in the want ads. Was a local farm the needed a driver to drop off product each afternoon at LAX. Would head over to the warehouse each afternoon and the truck would be waiting with all the boxes and all the airway bills ready to go. Would drive the 60 miles down to LAX and drop off boxes at the different freight locations. The best part about this job was the boss was an avid hockey fan and had season tickets to the Los Angeles Kings and when he did not go to the games would give tickets to me. Seats were first row right on the glass. Worked this job for about a year and left the industry for 10 years or so and worked for vending machine and amusements game companies doing route work. With a partner we started our own company called C & M Amusements, and we set up video games, jukeboxes, darts and pool table in local establishments in and around Ventura County. 

Sold C & M Amusements and found another route job back in the Floral industry working for a company called Rene’s Wholesale. This company was located in Oxnard, and we would import Dutch flowers and buy from local growers. My routes were thru the San Fernado Valley and Ventura county. Stopping at all the flower shops and dropping off preorders and selling from the back of my truck. Did not work for Rene’s very long because he was a little crazy and did not like to pay his growers so got a job with another similar company called Gerald’s out of Carpinteria. Worked for Geralds for a few years and ran routes twice a week from Carpinteria to Cambria and then locally thru Ventura county. 

Was let go by Gerald’s on a Friday and the next Monday started with a new start-up company called Timo’s Floral Express. We were located in Carpentaria in a small warehouse on H & M roses farm. This company would buy product from our local growers and pack mixed boxes and ship directly to retailers all over the United States. We built this company up and had a nice run for about 3 years until it was purchased by Florabundance. 

Was living in Oxnard and was commuting every day to Carpinteria so that was getting old and really wanted to work for a grower. Found a job working sales for Golden Coast in Oxnard. Golden Coast was one of the first growers in this area and we grew the first gerbera daisy and Lisianthus in California. This company was a partnership and as it happens often the partners did not get along and it was sold to Milgro nurseries. Milgro was a large plant and poinsettia farm that wanted to get into the floral industry so they purchased Golden Coast. Had some good years with Milgro and they decided they wanted out of flowers and sold the company to Sun Valley. 

Spent 24 years with Sun Valley and we had a nice run selling some of the best products in the industry.  Was a sad day when they had to shut down and to be honest I am still not over it. Rodi Groot approached me and asked me to join him and represent some west coast farms in a new start-up company with many other laid off Sun Valley employees. So here I am working for Groot in Flowers.

Years in Floral Industry: 30+ Years

Favorite Flower: whatever we have the most of and need to move. My favorite color is assorted.