By Molly Freese, senior in agricultural communications and event management
The coolers were not supposed to fail.
It was formal weekend in Ames, one of the busiest times of the year for any florist, and Dan Brabec was in the middle of moving his business, Coes Floral and Gifts, into a brand-new storefront. His team had spent days preparing hundreds of corsages and boutonnieres, each one carefully crafted for students expecting perfection on one of the most memorable nights of high school.
They loaded everything into trucks and moved the delicate arrangements into the new building overnight, placing them into newly installed coolers.
By morning, everything was frozen solid.
“The new coolers hadn't been regulated yet,” Brabec said. “We walked in, and every single piece was frozen.”
What followed was not panic; it was action.
Brabec and his staff immediately began remaking every arrangement. They worked against the clock, recreating hundreds of corsages and boutonnieres in just hours. When time ran out, they loaded their cars and drove to the high school, meeting students outside the dance to deliver what they could.
For those inconvenienced, each order included a refund and a gift certificate for the next dance. “It was chaos,” Brabec said. “But that’s not something you learn in a book.”
Today, that story is one of many real-world lessons he brings into his classroom as an assistant professor of practice in Iowa State University's Department of Horticulture, where students quickly learn that floral design is about far more than simply arranging flowers.
A foundation of industry experience
Long before he was teaching students how to navigate crises, Brabec was living them.
As a horticulture student at Iowa State, he took an unconventional path, purchasing Coes Floral and Gifts, a business established in 1932, while still in college.
His former academic advisor and now coworker, Barb Clawson, remembers his ambition clearly.
“Dan was incredibly creative and always the life of the party,” she said. “He wrote a business plan and bought the shop while he was still a student. That tells you everything you need to know about him.”
The process, however, was not easy. Many banks were reluctant to lend to a young student, leading Brabec to work with the Small Business Development Center and secure a Small Business Administration-backed loan.
“I had to prove I could make it work,” Brabec said. “That meant understanding every part of the business, how to make money, how to manage costs.”
This foundation would later define his teaching.
After graduating in 2002, Brabec expanded the business, moving from a small Campustown location to a 6,500-square-foot storefront in north Ames at Somerset Village, then a largely undeveloped area.
This step toward growth was not just about size. Brabec took the location change as a chance to reimagine the cookie-cutter floral shop experience.
Coes Floral and Gifts became a place where customers did more than just shop; they experienced the space. Carefully designed lighting enhanced the color of the arrangements. Music volumes varied throughout the store to shape the atmosphere. Seasonal scents, from fresh florals in spring to warm spices in winter, filled the air.
“We wanted people to stay,” Brabec said. “To walk around and enjoy it.”
He also expanded the business model. The shop hosted private events, offered monthly floral classes, decorated homes for the holidays, and handled large-scale university and corporate projects.
The results were dramatic. Under his leadership, the business increased gross sales fivefold and earned the title of “Best Florist” in the county within four years of the location change.
Additionally, his work was later featured in Better Homes and Gardens, drawing attention from beyond Ames.
Bringing ‘real world’ lessons to the classroom
Brabec’s transition into teaching came after a life-changing diagnosis of stage 3 lymphoma.
During chemotherapy, uncertain about the future of his health, he made the difficult decision to sell his business.
“I didn’t want my family to have to manage it if something happened,” he said.
But stepping away from ownership did not mean stepping away from the industry. In 2012, he began teaching night classes at Iowa State after being approached by the Department of Horticulture, eventually becoming an assistant professor of practice.
Now, his classroom is built on everything he learned in the real world.
At Iowa State, professors of practice bring industry experience directly into the classroom, offering students a perspective rooted in real-world application rather than theory alone. Across the university, these roles have become increasingly important as students seek practical, career-ready skills.
Brabec embodies that purpose.
“Students today are very entrepreneurial,” Clawson said. “Dan gives them a real look at what it takes to run a business. He shares his successes and his failures.”
That authenticity is what sets his teaching apart.
Brabec’s courses regularly draw students from across campus, many of whom are seeking a creative outlet amid otherwise technical academic schedules.
Sophie Snively, a senior in animal science, described Brabec’s class as a refreshing contrast.
“He’s honestly one of the best professors I’ve ever had,” Snively said. “I take a lot of science-based, complex courses, and taking HORT 1310: Floral Design has been my creative outlet."
Before enrolling, Snively had no experience with floral design. But by the end of the semester, she had learned dozens of flower types, design techniques and the fundamentals of arrangement.
“In lab, he explains everything and gives us a physical example,” Snively said. “He’s always willing to give helpful, constructive feedback.”
Beyond the technical skills, it is Brabec’s personality that stands out.
“He keeps the mood light and tells plant-related jokes,” Snively said. “You can tell how passionate he is, not just about flowers, but about teaching.”
Preparing students for future careers
For other students, what begins as a creative outlet turns into something much more.
Grace Reineke ('22 horticulture), now the owner of Mill Creek Flower Farm in Dunlap, Iowa, first took Brabec's class as a freshman with no intention of pursuing floriculture.
“I just wanted to see if I was any good at it,” she said. “I had no idea it would lead to my career.”
Reineke credits Brabec’s classroom environment with helping her find confidence.
“It didn’t matter what your major was or how much experience you had; everyone felt welcome," she said. "He always found something to praise in your design and gave critiques that helped you improve."
Reineke went on to take additional courses and serve as a teaching assistant, eventually launching her own business after graduation.
“Dan was my biggest cheerleader,” she said. “Even now, I still think, 'What would Dan say?' when I'm designing."
Madison Royer (’26 horticulture) had a similar experience. She is the founder of Petals of Faith, a wedding and event floral business.
“I came to Iowa State hoping to start my own business,” Royer said. “Dan’s classes gave me the tools to do that.”
Royer said Brabec’s emphasis on the business side of floriculture has been particularly impactful.
“The most important thing I learned was understanding the numbers,” she said. “Pricing, profit margins, creating wedding quotes, that’s what prepared me to run my business.”
Through hands-on projects, students learn how to plan events, communicate with clients and execute designs under real-world constraints.
At the core of Brabec’s teaching is a simple question: why?
“I don’t just want students to do something, I want them to understand why they’re doing it,” he said.
That philosophy shows up in assignments that encourage students to think through real industry scenarios. Students build full project plans, calculate costs and evaluate profitability.
“They’re always surprised,” Brabec said. “They don’t realize how much goes into even a small arrangement.”
By breaking down costs, flowers, labor and overhead, students gain a clearer understanding of what it takes to run a successful business, both in and out of the floral industry.
“It’s not just about making something look good,” he said. “It’s about making sure you can sustain it.”
Teaching more than just floral design
Brabec’s teaching is grounded in experience, from successes to setbacks.
Stories like the frozen formal arrangements are not just memorable; they are instructional.
“He teaches students how to think,” Clawson said. “Not just how to follow steps.”
That mindset prepares students for the unpredictability of the real world, where adaptability is often the key to success.
As Brabec begins his 29th semester of teaching, his influence has continued to extend far beyond the classroom.
Former students have gone on to open businesses, manage garden centers, design weddings and pursue careers across the horticulture industry.
“He shares everything with his students,” Clawson said. “And it shows in what they go on to do.”
For former students like Reineke and Royer, and even those outside the horticulture major, his impact is lasting.
“I truly enjoyed taking his class,” Snively said. “And I’m already looking forward to taking the next one.”
Back in the classroom, surrounded by fresh blooms and busy workstations, Brabec’s students are learning more than design.
They are learning to think critically, solve problems, and ultimately turn creativity into a career. And sometimes, they are even learning what to do when everything goes wrong. Because as Brabec knows from experience, success is not about avoiding mistakes, it is about how you respond when they happen.
And that is not something you learn in a book.