By: Melanie Spilbeler, Director of Marketing, Choice Farms
August 14, 2026
Highlights
- Growth is still the goal but focus and differentiation matter more than growth for growth’s sake.
- Developing people and future leaders is a long-term competitive advantage.
- Technology should simplify work and strengthen the business, not add complexity.
- Agility matters in an environment shaped by tariffs, inflation and continual change.
- Strong leadership requires making time for tomorrow while managing today.
What should floral businesses be paying attention to right now? At WFFSA DevX 2026, the answer went well beyond flowers.
Across company tours, candid conversations and hands-on education in Atlanta, industry leaders were thinking about many of the same things: how to grow without losing focus, develop the people who will lead next, use technology wisely and stay ready for whatever the market brings.
We asked several leaders who participated in DevX what they are prioritizing now. Their answers offer a useful snapshot of where the wholesale floral industry is headed and what it may take to succeed there.
Growth Has to Be Intentional
Growth remains front and center, but today’s leaders are asking a more important question: Where does the right growth come from? For Darin Dewberry, Vice President of Sales at Pete Garcia Company/Garcia Group, the answer includes expanding opportunities with existing customers through innovative products and programs while continuing to build new customer relationships.
Ben Powell, President of Mayesh, points to differentiation as another driver. Mayesh remains focused on distinctive products, quality, service, innovative grower partnerships, e-commerce and expansion into attractive markets. DevX attendees saw both philosophies in action. The company visits demonstrated that there is no single playbook for growth in floral. What matters is understanding where your business creates value and continuing to strengthen it.
For wholesalers, that raises a worthwhile question: Why should the customer choose you tomorrow, not simply why do they buy from you today?
Your Next Competitive Advantage May Already Be on Your Team
Products, pricing and technology get plenty of attention. But when these leaders talk about the future, people are just as important. Dewberry calls education and team development one of Garcia Group’s most important long-term investments, while Powell emphasizes having talented floral professionals throughout the organization.
Alice Givens, President of Carlstedt’s, takes the question one step further as part of what she calls her “Big Five”: Who are my leaders, and who are we developing to carry the business forward? In an industry built on relationships, product knowledge and experience, that question carries real weight. Knowledge accumulated over decades cannot be replaced overnight.
Experiences like DevX create an opportunity to accelerate that development by exposing team members to other businesses, new perspectives and peers throughout the floral supply chain.
Technology Is Only Helpful If It Makes Work Better
Innovation was impossible to ignore at DevX, especially during the AI Workshop & Buildathon. But one of the most useful technology lessons came from a broader business question. Givens asks whether the systems her company uses can multiply without multiplying complexity or issues. That is a valuable filter for any new tool.
Technology can help wholesalers communicate faster, capture knowledge, improve productivity and support growth. It can also create another process, another platform or another problem if there is not a clear reason for using it. During the Buildathon, attendees moved beyond talking about artificial intelligence and explored how to apply it to real work. The takeaway was not simply to “use AI.” It was to identify where technology can solve an actual business problem and give people more time for the work that requires human expertise.
The Ability to Pivot Is Becoming a Core Business Skill
Tariffs, inflation, economic uncertainty and changing market conditions are not abstract issues for floral businesses. They influence decisions every day. Dewberry sees adaptability as essential: plan ahead, remain agile and be willing to pivot when circumstances change.
Powell shares that optimism about challenging environments. Mayesh has historically continued pursuing opportunities during difficult periods, including the Great Recession and the pandemic, and views disruption as a time when new possibilities can emerge. That does not mean ignoring risk. It means being prepared enough to recognize an opportunity when others may only see uncertainty.
The Hardest Leadership Question May Be the Simplest
Among all of Givens’ “Big Five,” one question may resonate most with anyone leading a busy floral business: Am I working on the future, or am I allowing myself to get pulled back into today’s operations and the next fire? There will always be another urgent shipment, customer need, staffing issue or operational challenge.
But the work that determines where a company will be several years from now rarely arrives marked “urgent.” Developing future leaders, strengthening systems, protecting profitability, understanding changing customers and deciding where to invest all require leaders to occasionally get outside the business long enough to look back at it with fresh eyes.
That is where gatherings like DevX have value beyond the agenda itself. Seeing another operation, comparing ideas with peers and hearing how other leaders are approaching the same pressures can change the questions you bring home.
Be Part of the Next Conversation
The challenges facing floral distribution are real. So are the opportunities. And the conversation that began in Atlanta is not ending there.
WFFSA’s 2027 Floral Distribution Conference (FDC) in Miami will be the next opportunity to connect with industry peers and explore the ideas shaping floral distribution. Watch for upcoming announcements about FDC 2027 educational programming.
Then, DevX heads to Chicago in 2027, bringing another immersive opportunity to step inside businesses, exchange ideas and learn alongside fellow floral professionals. Both events are opportunities to be part of the next conversation shaping the future of floral distribution.
Because sometimes the best way to prepare your business for what comes next is to get outside of it and see what others are doing differently.
