Alumnae Business Owners Visit Hospitality Management Class

Meredith alumnae Cinda (Bodford) Alexander, ’83, and Elizabeth (Alexander) Green, ’12, visited a hospitality management class on Wednesday, February 26, to share their wisdom and experience as owners of Lux Lineage, a boutique floral design business based in the Winston-Salem area.

The mother-daughter duo’s presentation covered how they established and named their business (Lux is a nod to their Lux rings and Meredith heritage), their focus on keeping a work-life balance, lessons they’ve learned along the way, obstacles they’ve overcome, and tips for students thinking about going into the floral industry or simply starting their own business.

Green and Alexander started small. In their first year, they provided flowers for nine weddings. This year, they have contracts for 35 weddings, in addition to a subscription service and other floral services.

“Staying small is a choice,” said Green. “It helps us stay flexible and pivot.”

During one of their first weddings, Green contracted COVID-19, which meant Alexander had to manage it on her own.

“You learn to drop back, punt quickly, and show up with a smile on your face,” said Alexander.

The team is intentional about maintaining a work-life balance because Green has young children. They decided to focus on weddings once they realized those events were their primary source of income; that focus also allows them to plan their schedules and arrange for childcare, since weddings often require them to put in 14-16 hour days.

As boutique florists, they’ve found ways to stand out in a crowded field.

“It’s very clear we’re a mother-daughter team,” said Green, noting their prominent photo on Lux Lineage’s website. “People love that and it sets us apart.”

Other ways they stand out include meeting with brides face-to-face to gather details about their preferences, providing detailed floral proposals that allow customers to tailor their flowers based on taste and budget, and emphasizing prompt and clear communication.

Green’s husband also plays a role through administrative and technical support. He designed a wedding flower calculator for their website that has helped them acquire new business and also demonstrates pricing transparency.

Lux Lineage is not the first time Alexander has been involved in a family business, which guided the planning she and Green engaged in early on.

“This is my third family business. We learned the hard way to set expectations,” said Alexander. “I have worked two jobs for most of my career. Strong women get it done – we know how to divide and conquer.”

Assistant Professor of Practice and Program Director of Hospitality and Tourism Michael Altman was impressed with their approach.

“This is a masterclass on how to take control of your small business,” said Altman. “I love that you’re putting your arms around the business and not letting it run you. You’re pinning your value proposition around quality, not quantity.”

Accounting major Graci Vega, ’25, found the presentation interesting from multiple perspectives.

“When I was younger, I liked decorating with flowers but I didn’t think of it as a business,” she said. “These florists are super knowledgeable and at the end of the day it’s really about making a bride’s dreams come true.”

Vega did a case study on a florist in one of her accounting classes that involved designing processes to determine whether it was running as efficiently as it could have.

“Listening to this presentation today, my accounting mind immediately went to how different their processes would be from that case study because it was much larger with multiple locations and a bigger inventory.”

Hospitality management and tourism student Kennedy Clark, ’26, was especially interested because she has signed up to work with the alumnae on an upcoming wedding as a learning opportunity.

“I’m just dipping my toe in and trying something new. I’m planning to work in hotels and hotel management, but I also don’t want to limit myself,” said Clark. “This was an interesting presentation that helped me broaden my horizons.”