Born at a young age, Patrick Higgins of Artistic Florals lived in a log cabin in upstate New York. He moved to San Diego and has been here for the last 25 years. He is a father and husband, a veracious and passionate distant runner. Always a good friend to everyone he meets, his smile and quick humor greet you along with his passion for life. His company has designed over 1,000 weddings and created over 500,000 designs for 20 years. Yes, he looks as though he hasn’t aged and his jokes are usually pretty corny……..but his honesty, ethics and openness extends to all in his life. He truly loves his work and it shows! Patrick included a thank you to the NACE members for their support

Daniel Hansberger of Special Event Productions was born and raised in Norwalk, CA. He loves Disney, he loves Disney and by the way, he loves Disney!!! He has a Dalmatian named Lucky, has been partnered for over 13 years; is talented, creative, hard-working and loyal. He is the current "Iron Florist" for San Diego NACE 2007. Congratulations Daniel.

Contestant #3 and returning champion was Carlos from Hartworks Floral Design, celebrating its 20th anniversary! It has grown from a cottage style, one woman enterprise, to a flourishing business, specializing in custom weddings and special events. Frankie and Carlos moved to the present digs seven years ago and this keeps Frankie busy day and night…….but she truly loves it! Carlos is a social worker during the day. He balances out his life by doing design work on weekends. Both are proud of what they have accomplished with Hartworks, but it couldn’t have happened without the support of NACE.

Completing this affiliate fest was challenger #4 and one of our newest members, Sharon Mintz of Organic Elements. She grew up in Los Angeles. Her professional journey began over a decade ago at a fine Beverly Hills floral design studio, catering to celebrities and other discriminating clientele. Her lush, contemporary style continued to evolve at several high end Los Angeles studios before completing her arts education abroad with six months study of various European Masters. She took advantage of this opportunity to enjoy her other passion, traveling with her German fiance. With education and experience in place, Sharon returned to San Diego to launch Organic Elements. Her unique design perspective and the best elements of designers under which she studied, has already created waves throughout the floral industry.

A very special thank you to Brant Bender from Phoenix Photography. This location and program are very challenging and Brant took on his photography duties with his casual charm and expertise. The photos are up on the web site and they are amazing!!!! When you see the pictures, especially of our Iron Florist guru, you can honestly get a feel for the energy and excitement that was flowing through the House of Blues!

And, finally, a sincere thanks to all the affiliates that participated in our first joint Showcase! Wow…what a great cocktail hour that turned out to be! To Kathleen Isherwood of Party Staff, Dena Nolan and staff from San Diego Style Weddings, Beverly at Dream World Backdrops, Minister Bill Crandall, Music as you Like it, Reverend Debra Young, Carolyn Marie of Charisma Photography, Max Ader of Ader-Kahn Photo and Judy Malings of The Ultratones, I hope you enjoyed your participation, took advantage of this opportunity to talk with lots of people and had a positive experience. It was my pleasure to work with all of you! In fact, I had so much fun, I’m going to schedule another affiliate showcase for the fall.

Interested in participating in the next affiliate showcase? I already have a waiting list so please don’t wait too long to get in touch with me………..all you have to lose is an opportunity to do what you do best…share you passion for your business with NACE! It’s easy, its fun and it’s free!!!

Email me: artistic-productions@cox.net or call me at 619-593-7367