Nic Faitos of Starbright: from Finance to Florals

Nic Faitos took his years of marketing and advertising experience on Wall Street to stock out of finance and stock up on perennials. In 1991 he ventured out to start his own ad agency, and instead found himself stopping and smelling the roses literally. With friends and clients in the floral industry, Nic decided to start his own fulfillment company in what was primarily still, at that time, an inbound market.  For 25 years, Nic and his team have been bringing beautiful, fresh flowers, sourced locally and from afar, to various company lobbies and reception areas throughout New York City. Located in the Chelsea area of NYC’s famed flower district, Starbright Floral Design offers custom-curated flowers that are designed with you, your needs, your home, your office, or your event in mind. They offer same-day delivery to NYC and beyond.

Nic Faitos

When Nic, short for Nicodemus, first started his business, he had a couple of friends in the floral industry.  It was still an inbound market.  Outbound marketing that included outreach to hotels and larger business was very limited, so he started to cold call companies. He would speak to human resources departments and start getting orders in from companies like American Express and Ernst &Young.  This was during the time of briefcases, big cellphones the size of bricks, and all orders placed via fax.  His business model involved sub-contracting from local florists, but as business grew so did the magnitude of orders. Five years later, he decided to start his own fulfillment venture in 1991. By the year 2000 it grew to 65 employees and has maintained 25 years of solid, sustained growth, and has been very successful in all aspects.

Stephen Faitos

With the Covid-19 pandemic the company has had to refocus and rethink its strategy.  His son Stephen, who is also his business partner, and other key employees, are taking this time to consider the future and how they will adapt to the changes taking place as a result of the health crisis. In May, for example, they saw an increase in individual orders for the Mother’s Day holiday, after having been a go-to florist for with big institutions and companies throughout the city. With offices closed and many components needed to serve their extensive client base, they were able to sustain themselves through an increase in individual orders.

Home offices are now part of the new normal. Why not make your environment less drab and more colorful with a weekly or monthly delivery of fresh and seasonal floral designs, and a healthy dose of aromatherapy?  Many flowers and plants have natural healing properties that could create a healthy environment for those who work at home, not to mention the excitement of receiving a fresh bouquet or arrangement of flowers at your door. One thing is certain. Flowers make everyone’s day a little brighter. Many human resources departments at offices recognize now that the future office is both a hybrid of home office and regular office. They still want to reward their employees for their hard work through employee appreciation gifts. Flowers are a great way way to do that.

Starbright is used to larger volume orders, so fresh flowers arrive every 48 hours. They have relationships with various vendors and farmers locally and globally to bring you seasonal flowers.  Their relationships with small businesses and enterprises helps them give back into the workplace.

Nic lives part of the year in Greece and is an active member of the Hellenic Chamber of Commerce in Greece. He is also very active in the Greek Division of the Ronald McDonald House.  One of his charitable contributions is to collect the flowers he provides for events and disperse them around the Ronald McDonald House, and sends flowers to Gilda’s Club, a cancer support community.

Fueled by a passion for the artistry of flowers, quality, and customer service, Nic and his Starbright team strive to bring you the best in floral design, whether it’s your office, a wedding, a birthday gift, an appreciation of thanks, or a “just because”. You can always count on your order arriving on time with the freshest blooms and greens.  Their style is cutting edge, modern to elegant, and traditional. They have a versatile style and design team ready to work with your taste and convey feelings that can’t always be adequately expressed through other gifts.

In an evolving world that continues to look towards greener ways of sustainability, Starbright also wants to lead the way for eco friendly alternatives in the floral industry here in New York City. Starbright is currently in the planning stages of sustainability to eliminate plastic and offer more biodegradable options. They are teaming up with the Garbage Goddess, whose mission is to turn waste into biodegradable compost, to start this initiative.  He hopes to encourage other florists to do the same.  Other programs he’s looking to create involve recycling and repurposing vases. With your contribution to this effort you will receive a free bouquet of flowers.

For more information on Starbright, their website is starbrightnyc.com