FTD, a leading provider of floral-related products and services to retail florists and consumers, is pleased to announce the addition of Samantha Bates AIFD, CFD, CF to its FTD Education Team.
Source:FTD Press Release
Samantha Bates AIFD Joins Prestigious FTD Education Team
Chicago, IL (April 30, 2024) –FTD, a leading provider of floral-related products and services to retail florists and consumers, is pleased to announce the addition of Samantha Bates AIFD, CFD, CF to its FTD Education Team.
Bates is the owner of Especially For You Floral in downtown Ponchatoula, Louisiana and a proud FTD Member Florist. She started her career in the floral industry more than 12 years ago. Over the years, she has established a flourishing wedding and event business in her retail shop. She was inducted into the American Institute of Floral Designers (AIFD) in 2016.
“I could not be more excited to join the prestigious FTD Education Team,” said Bates. “I love sharing my passion for flowers and design as well as my experience as a retail flower shop owner. From the first insertion to the last, creating floral arrangements is an exciting experience in the journey of creativity.”
No stranger to the world of floral design, Bates was named by Florists’ Review magazine as one of the Top 35 Under 35 in the floral industry in 2017. She was a featured designer in the book Creativity: A Global Floral Introspective, a collection of floral expressions by 34 acclaimed floral artists from around the globe. With her strong competitive spirit, Samantha made it to the Final Four of the FTD Americas Cup design competition in 2018 and 2022, won the Jim Johnson Cup in 2018 and 2020, and was the overall first place winner of the Louisiana Champion of Champions Cup in 2019. Recently, Samantha placed second overall in the International Gateway to the Americas Cup in 2022.
FTD’s well-established Education Team includes industry-leading, AIFD-certified floral designers and business consultants including:
Deborah De La Flor AIFD, PFCI
Ann Jordan AIFD, AAF, mmfd
Jacob McCall AIFD, AAF, PFCI, FSMD
J. Keith White AIFD
Randy Wooten AIFD, PFCI, GMF
To find additional information about the FTD Education Team or about the education programs offered by FTD, visit FTDi.com/FTDUniversity.
Contact: Emily Bucholz
Senior Director, Marketing Communications
