(Washington Post) — Walkie-talkie in hand, Joel Kalinowski, meeting planner for Edible Arrangements, breezed through the halls of the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center two Fridays ago, checking deliveries, looking in on room setups. It was a few hours until the opening reception for the company’s annual franchisee conference and the 500 attendees were starting to pour in.
“Everything is really coming together,” said Kalinowski, as streams of carts filled with bouquets of pineapple daisies and strawberry blossoms rolled past him. “The team here has been great, and I’ve heard nothing but good things from our franchisees.”