Coby Neal, owner and creative director, has dedicated over 40 years of his life to the floral industry. He has a bachelor degree in art and all level art education. Coby has been committed to the journey of acquiring and continuing his education, knowledge, creativity, and experience in the rapidly changing event industry. He won the Austin Cup Award in 1988, he has been a Texas Cup Finalist 3 times in the past 10 years, and he has designed and planned many notable events such as, The Knots 2005 Central Texas Celebration, the grand opening of Austin City Hall in 2004, and a birthday party for Lyndon B. Johnson at Texas State University in the 1980’s, to name a few. He has been active on many boards such as ISES (International Special Events Society), NACE (National Association of Catering Executives), and The David Powell Organization. He is a recent recipient of The Spirit of ISES Award in 2005, and he has been instrumental in promoting many, many worthwhile causes in the community.
Beth O’Reilly has been a dedicated member of The Flower Studio for over 13 years. She graduated Suma Cum Laude from Texas State University with a Bachelor Degree in Fine Art, Sculpture. Her passions for floral design recently lead her to Texas State Florists’ Associations’ Texas Cup Finals, where she won, bringing home the coveted Texas Cup and holding the title of Texas Designer of the Year 2006. She will also be representing Texas in 2 national design competitions this year. She has been active within the Texas art community and has several professional sculpture showings to her name. Her floral design and event experience covers the spectrum and she takes part in many educational opportunities across the nation for certification in these areas. She oversees production on all the wedding, events, and daily operations at The Flower Studio.
Samie Bailey is our resident hand work expert. She has been working in the industry sine 1983 and has been a loyal employee at The Flower Studio for 9 years. Her flare for Asian style, along with her knowledge of western trends has made her one of the most well rounded designers in Texas. Born and raised in South Korea, Samie is able to share her unique knowledge with our staff clients. She is a former flower shop owner and knows the responsibility and hard work that it takes to run a successful florist business first hand. She has studied and worked with some of the top floral designers and schools in the nation. She is very involved in her church community, she enjoys the creative process, and she truly appreciates making others happy.
Benito Leal began his floral journey only 6 years ago, but has definitely made a name for himself by showing off his natural talent. When it comes to thinking outside of the box, his designs are revolutionary. A native from Mexico, Ben worked closely with his brother as a landscape designer before becoming part of The Flower Studio family. Fluent in both English and Spanish, this remarkable designer works diligently and seemingly effortlessly to hone his craft. He is also our resident “mechanics guru”. If you think it, Ben can make it. He is always excited about the challenges presented on a daily basis at The Flower Studio and is an invaluable part of the crew.
Judy Burkland is probably the voice you will hear when you pick up the phone and call us here at The Flower Studio. She takes special care to learn about all of our clients and their needs. She has been in the customer service industry for over 25 years. She handles all of our corporate accounts, large and small. She takes great care in putting customers in touch with one of our floral professionals based on the clients needs. Whether it’s a local or out of state order that you need placed, a payment you would like to make, or an invoice you need faxed, Judy will give each and every issue her personal attention.
Lisa Kry came to us only a short while ago, but has proven herself to be an invaluable asset to the crew. With 20+ years of design experience, she has a desire to please our customers and the commitment that it takes to be a world class floral designer. In her career, she has served many elite Austinites such as George W, Bush and Lady Bird Johnson to name a few.
John Arzola is the guy behind the arrangement. He is not only the best floral delivery driver in the city; he has yet to let that Austin traffic bring him down. If you need a delivery made at a specific time, it will be john who’s pulling out all the stops to insure that it is delivered, not only on time, but precisely the picture of perfection that it was before it left the shop. He takes special care with each arrangement to insure that it is received the way each designer intended it to. He is also the guy that sets up our weekly account arrangements in places like The Four Seasons Hotel and Lincoln Properties. In addition to daily deliveries, he delivers and places all corporate account arrangements with great care and personality.
James Manning has been with The Flower Studio for 4 years helping out in all areas from delivery, processing flowers, prop building and event delivery and set up. His flexibility has made him a valuable employee. He has experience in everything from Christmas décor to accommodating the demands of our corporate clients.
Fabian Salcedo’s designs can be seen all around town. His flair for design and love of floral materials has generated a lot of excitement at The Flower Studio. His palm frond weavings and detailed floral embellishments make our clients and recipients feel special. As a part-time floral designer, Fabian has been able to learn many aspects of the floral industry from his time spent with The Flower Studio. He hopes to maintain a career in this industry and he loves to spread his knowledge and passion about flowers with others. He has a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Texas and he also attended The Floral design Institute in 2005 in Seattle Washington.
Nick Kyle & Emily Gomez our The Flower Studios’ student interns and floral trainees. From sweeping floors, washing vases and helping out around the shop, they are learning the ways of a flower shop on many levels. We are proud to have these two young people as the next generation of floral experts.
