Carlson named CEO of FloraCraft

Steve Carlson

Carlson named CEO of FloraCraft

LUDINGTON — Steve Carlson has been named chief executive officer of FloraCraft, in addition to his title of president. Carlson replaces Eric Erwin who retired last week. In January Carlson, who had previously served as chief operating officer, was named president of the company.

Carlson has been with FloraCraft for 20 years and leads all manufacturing, fabrication and global supply efforts of the locally owned corporation.

Erwin, who served as president and CEO of FloraCraft since 2017, will remain on the board of directors. Company founder Lee Schoenherr continues to serve as chairman of the board.

“The last seven years under Eric’s leadership have been a tremendous period of innovation and expansion,” Schoenherr said. “Eric’s impact on our company has been profound, and I thank him for the dedication and passion he shared with all of us during his time as our CEO. His transformational leadership has helped us grow into the modern, efficient and forward-thinking company we are today.

“Even more, he’s helped get the right people in place, such as Steve, to continue building upon our success as a world-class business. Steve is incredibly well-respected by our team and has a deep knowledge of our company. I am confident he’s the right choice for our new CEO and look forward to seeing how we grow under his leadership.”

“I feel incredibly lucky to have been a part of FloraCraft’s amazing history and legacy that Lee Schoenherr has built,” Erwin said. “I’ve worked in the industry for more than 40 years, but this is the best team I have had the privilege to work alongside. We’ve accomplished many wins together, and I know those will continue under Steve’s leadership.

“Steve has played a critical role of developing our manufacturing acumen over the past several years and knows our business inside and out. He has developed within FloraCraft and I am incredibly confident in his ability to push us forward for another exciting chapter in the company’s history.”

Carlson joined the company in 2000 when the company he owned with his father was acquired by FloraCraft. During the past two decades, Carlson has played key roles in modernizing the business, including:

• Selecting and implementing its award-winning enterprise resource planning, or ERP, system.
• Creating an automation strategy to reduce costs and increase productivity.
• Building a world-class team of strong operators and problem solvers.

“I’m honored to become the president and CEO of FloraCraft, which has an incredible history on which to build,” Carlson said. “Having been here for more than two decades, I know firsthand the deep skills and passion our team possesses along with the drive and determination to push our business to new levels. I’m looking forward to harnessing the strengths of our team and the power of innovation and technology to create additional growth opportunities.

“We’re poised to find even more ways to make it fun for our customers through innovation, manufacturing excellence and strong relationships with retailers,” Carlson said. “I believe we have a clear path forward and am excited to partner with our incredible team on what I’m sure will be a wonderful next chapter. I appreciate everything Eric has done to pave the way forward.”

Active in the Ludington community, Carlson has served as president of the Ludington Area Schools Board of Education for eight years. During his tenure on the school board, he was a champion for the construction and transformation of the district’s facilities, including the new Ludington Elementary School and the remodeled middle/high school complex. He is also former president of the Ludington & Scottville Area Chamber of Commerce (now the Chamber Alliance of Mason County). He and his wife, Andrea, have two daughters and live in Hamlin Township.