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Moline native sends 2,000 sunflowers to Jackson Crypt
Kurt Allemeier | Posted: Monday, May 17, 2010 10:28 pm
A Moline native provided the splash of sunflowers at the King of Pop’s crypt after Lisa Marie Presley’s recent plea to brighten it with his favorite bloom.
On Friday, Jason Levin’s company, Sunflower Guy, of Carlsbad, Calif., delivered about 2,000 sunflowers to Michael Jackson’s tomb at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, Calif. Levin is a 1988 Moline High School graduate.
The sunflower is the favorite flower of Levin as well as Jackson. Levin, a bit of a fan of the singer, went to the cemetery to make the delivery after hearing about the plea on Presley’s MySpace page.
A friend e-mailed Levin last week to tell him that Presley, Jackson’s ex-wife, complained on her Myspace page that only a few bouquets, candles and gifts adorned the singer’s tomb during a recent visit. She asked that fans send sunflowers, prompting Sunflower Guy’s generosity.
Although his company’s black and gold flowers made waves in entertainment news after the donation, that isn’t what Levin intended. He points out that his company, Dos Gringos, of which Sunflower Guy is a part, donates thousands of flowers a year to school, community and military groups.
“Our thing was to try and not look at this as gaining some commerce from it, but to bringing smiles to millions of people and we stayed true to that,” he said. “The outreach from Michael Jackson fans was unbelievable. They were very appreciative.”
The company has received hundreds of e-mails, thanking Sunflower Guy for its generosity.
After graduating from Michigan State University in 1992 with a degree in finance, he joined Dos Gringos the next year. His second paycheck bounced. After putting together a business plan and enlisting a veteran of the flower business, Levin purchased the struggling business. In 1995, the company had 30 employees. It now has 167.
The company distributes cut flowers to supermarkets and other retail outlets like Jewel Foods, Sam’s Club and Trader Joe’s.
“It has been a lot of hard work and early mornings, but if you set your mind to it to work hard and surround yourself with good people, you can make a good run at it,” Levin said. “We are continuing to grow and add jobs even in a rough economy.”
http://qctimes.com/news/local/article_f3f90a2e-622d-11df-b9d9-001cc4c03286.html
I guess, MJ fans were wrong in their rush to judge this man.
Thank you sunflowerguy!!
Kurt Allemeier | Posted: Monday, May 17, 2010 10:28 pm
A Moline native provided the splash of sunflowers at the King of Pop’s crypt after Lisa Marie Presley’s recent plea to brighten it with his favorite bloom.
On Friday, Jason Levin’s company, Sunflower Guy, of Carlsbad, Calif., delivered about 2,000 sunflowers to Michael Jackson’s tomb at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, Calif. Levin is a 1988 Moline High School graduate.
The sunflower is the favorite flower of Levin as well as Jackson. Levin, a bit of a fan of the singer, went to the cemetery to make the delivery after hearing about the plea on Presley’s MySpace page.
A friend e-mailed Levin last week to tell him that Presley, Jackson’s ex-wife, complained on her Myspace page that only a few bouquets, candles and gifts adorned the singer’s tomb during a recent visit. She asked that fans send sunflowers, prompting Sunflower Guy’s generosity.
Although his company’s black and gold flowers made waves in entertainment news after the donation, that isn’t what Levin intended. He points out that his company, Dos Gringos, of which Sunflower Guy is a part, donates thousands of flowers a year to school, community and military groups.
“Our thing was to try and not look at this as gaining some commerce from it, but to bringing smiles to millions of people and we stayed true to that,” he said. “The outreach from Michael Jackson fans was unbelievable. They were very appreciative.”
The company has received hundreds of e-mails, thanking Sunflower Guy for its generosity.
After graduating from Michigan State University in 1992 with a degree in finance, he joined Dos Gringos the next year. His second paycheck bounced. After putting together a business plan and enlisting a veteran of the flower business, Levin purchased the struggling business. In 1995, the company had 30 employees. It now has 167.
The company distributes cut flowers to supermarkets and other retail outlets like Jewel Foods, Sam’s Club and Trader Joe’s.
“It has been a lot of hard work and early mornings, but if you set your mind to it to work hard and surround yourself with good people, you can make a good run at it,” Levin said. “We are continuing to grow and add jobs even in a rough economy.”
http://qctimes.com/news/local/article_f3f90a2e-622d-11df-b9d9-001cc4c03286.html
I guess, MJ fans were wrong in their rush to judge this man.
Thank you sunflowerguy!!
Thanks for posting.
