Michele Sutton believes in her products. It wasn’t too long ago that she was selling her ferns door-to-door in order to grow her business. Today, Michele is president and CEO of Sutton Ferneries, and she recently began supplying floral solutions and greenery to hundreds of Sam’s Club locations in the U.S.
Though her journey wasn’t the easiest, she explains, “When you love what you do and you’re passionate about it, you can see things other people can’t see.”
Armed with that vision—an idea she hoped would sprout into something big—Michele started Sutton Ferneries in 1987, after emigrating from Jamaica to attend the University of Miami. At the time, supermarkets had just begun stocking flowers but Michele had a hunch that foliage and arrangements would be next. She was right.
In 2012, Michele attended the Sam’s Club Supplier Summit and her partnership with our floral buyers has since blossomed into something truly wonderful. Her revenue has increased by over 10%, her employee base has grown and plans are in the works to expand the company’s facilities due to the increase in production. Michele’s certainly come a long way from pounding the pavement and ringing doorbells, but when you have as much determination and passion as Michele does, the journey only makes you stronger.