Orlando—TSA wait times may have reached the highest levels in the agency’s history in late March, but airport inconveniences were not enough to prevent a near-record turnout of 500 attendees—160 retailers—for the 2026 UCX Alliance Summit.
“This was a very strong turnout,” said Brian Green, chief sales and marketing officer, North America. Those that made the trip to Caribe Royale were treated to more than a dozen education sessions and a keynote address that drilled home the value of being resilient when faced with change, challenges and uncertainty. While keynoter Jim Davidson was discussing resiliency on the context of attempting to climb the world’s tallest peaks, it can also apply to today’s flooring world where high mortgage interest rates, a volatile stock market and rising fuel cost.
In his opening remarks, UCX CEO Ray Mancini urged members to focus on what they can control. “Rather than get caught up in it, let the noise pass us by,” he said. “We will control what we can. Our No. 1 priority is the UCX customer, and that is to make you successful. Because if you’re successful, we’ll be successful.”
Coming off what Mancini described as a soft fourth quarter in 2025, UCX saw improving conditions entering 2026. And while the year may turn out fine in the end, the Iran conflict has thrown a wrench in the works, resulting in soaring fuel costs that have hurt wholesalers in two ways: higher fuel costs and higher prices on petroleum-based products.
“This is going to be a year where we are going to have to work for it,” Mancini said. “Although 2026 will be a challenging year, we do think it will break at some point—and when it does it will be the start of a multi-year ride.”
For success to happen, interest rates must fall from their current levels, experts note. After briefly dipping below 6%, mortgage rates on 30-year loans continue to climb further above 6% as a resolution to the war with Iran remains elusive. The 30- year loan at 6.38% is at its highest point since early September. “If [mortgage rates] can get to 5.5%, or the 10-year bond starts to come down, that’s when we think things will really take off for new home sales and existing home sales,” Mancini explained.
To help guide its retailers through troubled waters, UCX launched some new programs and initiatives at the UCX Alliance Summit:
- Rebates: UCX enhanced its rebate program offering rebates on every product sold. It paid out 36% more in rebates in 2025 than it did the previous year.
- Digital. In a nod to the future of retailing, UCX is partnering with Cyncly as its digital solutions provider, with the goal of using digital tools that turn shoppers into buyers. As Mancini noted, “We’re trying to marry the digital side with the physical side to create this seamless experience for our customer.”
- Woodpicker. As part of a marketing campaign to promote the benefits of real hardwood, UCX introduced “The Woodpicker Knows,” with signage and a new website that seeks to educate consumers on the limitations of “wood-lookalikes” while promoting the genuine article. UCX/Chesapeake and Mullican are the first to join the Woodpicker campaign.
Consolidation to continue
As a family-run and operated wholesaler UCX is the outlier in a sea of distributors increasingly run by private equity firms that have bought out other distributors. “Consolidation is going to continue,” Mancini said. “A lot of distributor owners who are baby boomers in their 60s, who don’t have succession plans, are going to form ESOPs or seek private equity. That’s just the way it is, and it is going to continue.”
Retailers on board
UCX’s retail members are in lockstep with management on the direction of the company. “What helps the most is that all these benefits, combined together, are so user friendly,” Matt Johnson, president of Tampa-based Bast Floors & Staircases, and a member the UCX advisory council, told FCNews. “UCX is gaining traction; it is all starting to click and it is putting us leaps and bounds ahead of other groups.”
Ricky Adkins, owner of Beverly Hills Carpet & Tile in Huntington, W. Va., and a member since 2017, said he has steadily increased his business with UCX over the years. “Half of my showroom is UCX,” he said. “The mix has grown over the years, and we have added a lot of exclusive products like Mercier as well as other brands.”
Andrew Mooneyhan, owner of Yulee, Fla.-based Floors and Cabinets, was attending his first UCX Alliance Summit; he said he is becoming a full-fledged member. “I’m going on the next trip to Aruba next month with this group,” he said. “I see a lot of value in how being part of this group will help our business. The tech piece alone will really be beneficial. We already use RFMS data and the 2020 design program software for our cabinetry; to be able to embrace the entire scope of digital solutions with Cyncly is a win-win, an absolute no-brainer that any dealer would want to be a part of.
