BloomNet(R) Student Internship Program Cultivates Future Floral Industry Entrepreneurs

BloomNet®, a preferred wire service provider and single destination for products and services for professional retail Florists worldwide, is collaborating with several of America’s leading colleges and universities to expand learning horizons and career opportunities for students. As part of this collaboration, BloomNet offers an internship program enabling college students seeking entrepreneurial opportunities in the floral industry to gain valuable work experience as well as transferable credits. "BloomNet serves more than 9,000 professional retail Florists, providing innovative entrepreneurial solutions that help them enhance their growth potential and increase their profitability,” said Mark Nance, President of BloomNet. "Through our internship program, we are sharing that same kind of entrepreneurial thinking directly with college students, reaching out to the next generation of floral professionals, showing them first-hand the strategies and approaches involved in running a profitable floral business.” BloomNet is leveraging the success of a similar internship program that its parent company (1-800-FLOWERS.COM) has had in effect since 2003, with approximately 120 college students successfully completing the program. John Paul Veldkamp, of Veldkamp Flowers, a third generation family-owned and operated florist located in Denver, CO, is a former intern who participated in the 1-800-FLOWERS.COM program. He stated, "The hands-on experience and knowledge I gained from having an inside view into the corporate floral industry has given me a distinct advantage by providing insights and perspectives I might not have gotten otherwise as I pursue my floral career.” Students involved in the BloomNet Internship program have access to BloomNet’s "Floraversity” business education curriculum, which offers workshops and insights focusing on such areas as building customer relationships, improving sales techniques, utilizing successful negotiation tactics, and managing priorities. Nance adds, "I strongly encourage BloomNet Florists who have college-age children to contact us about sending their children to New York to become involved in our internship program. The program can be enlightening and empowering for students who are interested in getting into the family floral business and for students who are pursuing a wide range of other career possibilities within the floral industry.” Among the schools participating in the Internship program are Adelphi University, Cornell University, Hofstra University, Lehigh University, Nassau Community College, New York Institute of Technology, Springfield University, University of Delaware, University of Michigan, and University of Notre Dame. Further information about the BloomNet Internship program can be obtained by emailing: internships@bloomnet.net. About BloomNet® BloomNet® is an international floral wire service provider offering quality products and diverse services to a select network of professional retail Florists who utilize BloomNet’s resources to grow their businesses profitably. Professional Florists who are part of the BloomNet network can take advantage of several key benefits including higher profitability on wire orders, the highest published rebate in the industry with lower rebate qualifications, lower operating costs, and lower membership costs. BloomNet has established and maintains the industry’s most stringent business standards for participating Florists. BloomNet is a wholly-owned subsidiary of 1-800-FLOWERS.COM (NASDAQ: FLWS).