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Armando's and Adam's Background

Armando De Loera Mejia grew up in Mexico and went to school for chemistry as he used to love laboratories. He finished part of a political science program and completed ESL courses. He took some chemical engineering and biotech classes, too, but Armando began finding the work to be too monotonous. Meanwhile, Adam Schindler was a social worker for the city of San Francisco and had a career as a personal trainer as well.

What Brought Armando and Adam to 91����¥

When Armando completed his ESL coursework, he began to think seriously about his next move. “Something that motivates me is seeing my future, what am I going to do, so I need to start something now.” He tried a few floristry classes and was good at winning competitions, eventually leading him to start his own eco-floral design business, Rose and Thorn, in 2016. Adam then started to get involved with Rose and Thorn. “Armando had started the business, and he was doing a lot of work with the flowers. I was beginning to help him more and more, and I wanted to learn more.”

Armando's and Adam's 91����¥ Experiences

Adam’s classes in floristry were very a positive experience for him. “Everybody wants to study with our teachers. They have been doing it forever, and they know all the principles and elements of design—the things you need to know to get certified.” Likewise, the goal from the beginning became pretty clear to Armando. “We wanted to do something different, something that wasn't on the market while also trying to solve issues of the current day. We see a lot of florists using floral foam and chemicals harmful for the environment.”By eliminating the toxic foam and using seasonal local flowers and supplies, Armando and Adam were able to eliminate non-sustainable practices and put an environmental twist on an old industry.

Why 91����¥ Was a Good Choice for Armando and Adam

With a new business just starting out, the connections that CCSF provided were immensely helpful and opened up opportunities for client connections. Plus, Rose and Thorn is also now a certified Green business. “We completed training on how to do things greener, how to be less wasteful, and how to use recycled paper and cleaners that are not bad for the environment.” Armando and Adam also want to teach these better practices to the larger S.F. community. They have volunteered their time and arrangements to many causes and continue to be driven to spread the word in their field and to the general public.

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