What do flowers have in common with baseball? For Beneva and the Baltimore Orioles, the answer is obvious.  When the Orioles moved their Spring Training headquarters to Sarasota, Florida in 2010, a unique opportunity was born. For a team nicknamed “the Birds” heading to the white beaches and warm weather of sunny Florida, there couldn’t be a more aptly named flower than the Bird of Paradise.

Each year on opening day of Spring Training, we proudly welcome “the Birds” back to paradise by giving away the peculiar-looking tropical flowers to the first 1000 female fans through the gate. Our relationship with the Orioles doesn’t end there, however. At each home game during Spring Training, we present one lucky fan with a special Birds of Paradise tropical bouquet. We also hold contests throughout the month and award Orioles game tickets to winners.

The annual Spring Training season is brief, lasting only about a month, but is immensely popular in Florida. Since moving to Sarasota five years ago, the Orioles have drawn over half a million visitors to the area, and play in front of over 7400 fans at each home game.

That kind of exposure is great, but more importantly it gives us a chance to actively participate in an important community event. Community involvement has always been an important part of business at Beneva. Whether it’s our relationship with the Orioles or our Helping Hands program to benefit our local schools, churches and non-profit organizations, we are proud to support our friends and neighbors who love this community as much as we do.