FARMGIRL FLOWERS

HEADQUARTERS: Watsonville, California

FOUNDER: Christina Stembel (CEO) EMPLOYEES: 165

Former Indiana farm girl Stembel, 42, spent nearly a decade building Farmgirl Flowers into a $33 million (2019 revenue) floral delivery company. Then came Covid-19. She had to close her San Francisco distribution center in March when nonessential businesses were shut, and threw out $150,000 worth of flowers. Rerouting orders to a recently opened distribution center in Ecuador enabled her to fulfill existing purchases. She closed the pricey San Francisco warehouse for good, and partnered with three California farms to directly ship single-variety arrangements, reducing design costs. Despite the closure of the Bay Area center, complaints about a toxic workplace there emerged online in June. These, she says, “were addressed with a rigorous HR investigation when they were originally made.” With more people sending flowers to family and friends they’ve missed lately, Farmgirl projects $60 million in 2020 revenue.