Saratoga Springs, N.Y.–For the 25th consecutive year, UCX hosted its annual Northeast customer appreciation event at the historic Saratoga Racetrack here earlier this month. The two-day gathering included a day at the races followed by a golf scramble on day two. With about 100 retailers and commercial contractors along with 20 vendors mingling in a relaxed atmosphere, the result was two days of business and pleasure.
“It’s a very special event for UCX, and something our customers love coming to,” said Brian Green, chief sales and marketing officer. Among the 100 dealers and contractors were about 15 UCX Alliance members, the loyalty program that was rebranded a few years ago from the original Flooring Plus moniker. “We’re obviously looking to continue to grow that group,” he added.
Retailers react
Laigle Floor Covering in Canaan, Conn., was among the UCX Alliance members in attendance. The retailer has been doing business with UCX since it was founded about 30 years ago by David Laigle. The business today is now in its second generation with Bryce Laigle at the helm. Bryce noted how Laigle has been an Alliance member since they established the program decades ago, when it was known as Flooring Plus.
What’s the best thing about UCX Alliance? “One is the connection with UCX and two is the opportunity to connect with the other members,” Laigle said. “The longer you’re in it, the more you realize how much other people’s knowledge is vital. There are other benefits like promos and the ability to get some products earlier, but being able to connect with other Alliance members is huge. When you’re an Alliance member you show up to more events, and when you show up more to events you sell more products, and you meet more people to help you sell more.”
The connection with UCX as a company is equally important, Laigle said. “It’s improved our business in the sense that once you’re an Alliance member, it gives you extra status within UCX; they see you’re committed to being a part of their business. They’re going to go a lot further to help you. So it gives you that extra leverage in that they know you’re committed to helping them prosper, so they’re going to help you prosper.”
Partnering with UCX has resulted in a relatively flat but “pretty good” 2026 for Laigle, mainly because the business is diversified. “We do mostly high end, but we also do commercial and a lot of school work,” he explained. “We have a good blend and cover all spectrums, so it’s helped us stay steady.”
Hoffman Floor & Home in Westwood and Park Ridge, N.J., tells a similar tale. Tony Sicilia, owner, has been an Alliance member for about 20 years. In fact, he said Hoffman was UCX’s first retailer of the year. “We joined as a big Shaw and Mohawk dealer, and our business with UCX exploded that first year. It was Flooring Plus at the time. Over time, our business with them just continued to grow. Last year we were again the UCX retailer of the year, and that includes all their dealers from Maine to Texas.”
Benefits of membership for Hoffman include everything from better pricing to rebates to camaraderie. “I’m also on their [advisory] council, so I mentor other retailers within their Alliance group,” Sicilia said. “It’s being part of a group where loyalty and service come first. That’s the best part about being part of a group.”
Sicilia has always favored membership in UCX Alliance to the typical buying group. “The [traditional] groups take a big part out of the retailer,” he said. “Being part of UCX Alliance doesn’t cost the independent retailer anything. All UCX asks for is showroom space, loyalty to the product, sales and service. The other buying groups’ propositions include the group making money.”
It’s obviously working for Sicilia. Hoffman Floor & Home is up over 35% this year, whereas the overall industry is down. He attributes that to the service inherent in a family business. “As an independent retailer, we have a succession plan. My son works for us, my nephew works for us, my son-in-law works for us. We have a local new hire that works for us. We do our own installations. We basically work 24 hours, seven days a week.”
It’s a competitive advantage. Sicilia sees young people coming into the industry, but not within the New York metropolitan area. “It’s too expensive to start up and become a new business here. I’m not seeing a lot of second- and third-generation companies in New York. It’s tough to do business in our area and fight with the big box.”
Steals and deals
Ben Davies, owner of Special Effects Flooring, Clayton, N.C., likes the special deals afforded to UCX Alliance members, but he, too, cited the networking opportunities that come with being part of the group as the key benefit. “They have a good number of products, so the special deals and sales have been good. But my biggest thing about being an Alliance member is getting to know all the UCX people and building those relationships. Having access to leadership will help you down the road. About a month ago, I had a problem on a Friday afternoon, and my rep was on vacation. The next person up was on vacation. I went all the way up to Brian Green, and my problem was fixed in two minutes. That’s the biggest part of it for me.”
Davies seems to be doing the unthinkable today: succeeding in the new construction space. “Business is very good this year,” he said. “And 95% of my business is builder. We go from starter homes to multimillion-dollar homes. We work with guys who build 300 homes and we work with guys who build two a year. We offer a full design service in house for the builder’s customer. We pull their paint colors, siding colors, everything we don’t sell, but we offer it to them for doing all their business with us.”