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The opening ceremony keynote speaker was the Vice President of Colombia, Germán Vargas Lleras. He opened his address with a rundown of the upcoming national infrastructure projects aimed at boosting Colombia’s international competitiveness. He said, “flowers are our nation’s best ambassadors, so this is an industry it would behoove us to nurture and stimulate,” and went on to describe the Colombian floriculture industry as a prevailing example of what legitimate employment should be.
Vice President of Colombia, Germán Vargas Llera.
Augusto Solano, President of Asocolflores, opened his address by marking the 50th anniversary of Colombian flower exports to the United States this past October 18th - the day when industry pioneer, Edgar Wells sent the very first shipment of flowers valued at just USD $20,000. He went on to highlight the socio-economic strides the Colombian flower industry has made and to praise Lucie de Velez’s decades of social action contributions to the Colombian flower industry.
Augusto Solano, President of Asocolflores.
During the ceremony, John Vaughan received a Lifetime Achievement Award, and the brand new video Colombia, Land of Flowers was rolled out for the nearly 1,000 attendees.
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