By Brent McClendon, CAE

I truly enjoy these end-of-year PalletCentral issues, and our members' forecasts are always interesting. As we celebrate another year in this fantastic industry (and I reflect on my last ten with NWPCA), several areas jump out to me.

The Pallet Foundation and its meteoric growth
Ten years ago we were funding $20k a year in projects. Today, we have grown to a budget of nearly $700k for 2023. The research is globally impactful and wouldn't exist without the Pallet Foundation. The projects have determined that wood pallets are the most recovered/recycled packaging product, with a climate-positive carbon footprint that supports 173,000 families in the USA alone each year! That's a success story worth celebrating.

The advocacy program and launch of PalletPAC 
There have been numerous advocacy successes over the years. Our industry earned an 'essential' critical designation during Covid. We stopped an Oregon bill that would have set a nationwide precedent for an alternative pallet material in public procurement. And NWPCA advanced a creative and safe solution to a fire code proposal that could have eliminated 50% of our outdoor pallet storage space. Our volunteer leaders made a difference on the ground, leading us to launch PalletPAC - the only wood packaging PAC in the U.S. PalletPAC has already achieved a record $60k in personal contributions in 2022 and has big goals for the future.

Unification of our global wood packaging community
Our membership has grown to 710+ companies in 35 countries. The newly formed Mexico Chapter (Capítulo) welcomed 150 people during their first meeting in September. Exclusive PDS marketing agreements continue with Canada, Sweden and the Netherlands. For 2023, meetings are already planned in Mexico and Canada (Interpal with CWPCA), while a PDS booth at Ligna in Germany further extends our global brand. I'm also proud of our leadership role to unite wood packaging leaders worldwide through the Global Wood Packaging Forum.

The power of pallet design 
Since 2013, I have been in awe with each biannual release of the Pallet Design System™. PDS is the global standard and international language of pallet design, primarily due to an amazing staff and the proprietary R&D investments and commitments from our Board of Directors and Pallet Foundation Trustees. Our latest release, PDS v6.6, takes the power of pallet design to the next level with unit load analysis of drums and pails, robust ERP integration, and a carbon impact assessment.  

We share our member's pride regarding the association’s accomplishments over the years. Together, NWPCA and our global partners are incredibly excited about what lies ahead for our industry sector as we build a better future. 

By Carolyn Beach

Many of you may know that I am passionate about NWPCA’s advocacy program. I will travel to every NWPCA Congressional Fly-In in Washington, DC, contribute to our PalletPAC and participate in our Government Affairs Committee. I always enjoy our Fly-Ins because I connect with others from around the country who feel the same way as me, and we carry our voice to Capitol Hill.

During this time, I had the pleasure of getting to know Congresswoman U.S. Representative Jackie Walorski. She truly believed in us, and NWPCA even awarded her as “Champion of the Wood Packaging Industry” during a fly-in. She spoke at our 2018 ALC conference in Arizona, quite far from her home district in Indiana, and spent time learning about our businesses and issues. I was saddened to hear of her recent passing. Her passion, generosity, trust, and mental toughness are all characteristics that make a true champion. Both parties respected her for her work on the House Ways and Means Committee on which she served.

Although we lost one industry champion, it’s critical to keep nurturing our lawmakers so they become future champions of our industry. The wood packaging sector has been affected by the political changes over the years, so engaging members of the House and the Senate is an ongoing job. I commend our staff and advocacy team for facilitating the dialogues, meetings, and fly-ins where together, we provide our representatives with information about our industry. By sharing our experiences as small to medium, family-owned businesses that manufacture in primarily rural areas, we are advocating for legislation that will allow us to continue growing our business and creating thriving, healthy communities. 

Beyond our fly-ins, I encourage you to invite your congressman or senator to your facility. Several years ago, I did this in my district, and the experience was mutually beneficial. Then Congressman Denham toured Westside Pallet and took the time to listen, ask questions, and craft thoughtful responses.

We can call several Congressional leaders and Senators champions of our industry: Senators John Boozman (R-AR), Senator Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and U.S. Representatives Ron Wittman (R-VA), Glenn “GT” Thompson (R-PA), and Kat Cammack (R-FL), to name a few.

More importantly, I consider each member of NWPCA a champion of the wood packaging industry. We are facing several challenges (labor, supply chain, lumber supply), but we have a great history of advocacy and working together to strengthen our industry.

I encourage all of you to get involved in the association. Please get in touch with staff to learn more.

Carolyn Beach is the Vice President at Westside Pallet, Inc. in Newman, California. She started with the company in 1999 and helped build the family business. She currently serves as the Chair for the National Wooden Pallet and Container Association. In addition, she is a Pallet Foundation trustee. Carolyn also is a past President of the Western Pallet Association.

By Brent McClendon, CAE

I’m excited that the floodgates of meetings, events, and travel are swinging open while travel restrictions are ending. We can freely move internationally (assuming the airlines allow), and what perfect timing it is!

With upcoming meetings in Mexico and Italy, and strong international interest in our plant tours this October in Georgia, we certainly have many opportunities to re-connect with old friends while making new ones.

During a recent Global Wood Packaging Forum meeting, participants from Brazil, Europe, the UK, and Mexico spoke about several factors bringing our international community closer together. Whether our customers are increasingly globally focused or the policy issues in front of us in one country have impacts in other regions, there is an urgency for closer collaboration with our global partners.

The global push is one of the reasons you have seen a lot from NWPCA regarding our work forming an NWPCA Mexico Chapter and expanding our permanent footprint there. The ‘near-shoring’ we are witnessing, and resultant expanded business connections between the US and Mexico make it necessary we build this solid bridge today. We are very grateful for all the hard work of our members in Mexico to help set the stage. As a result, membership and PDS licenses are rapidly expanding, and the inaugural meeting of our Mexico Chapter is nearly sold-out. The meeting takes place September 7-8 in Monterrey, Mexico.

You will also see a delegation from NWPCA at the FEFPEB (the European Federation of Wooden Pallet and Packaging Manufacturers ) meeting in Florence, Italy, this September as we build Interpal 2023 in Montreal next year with the CWCPA. Both meetings reflect the strength and value of working together internationally, and we’re proud to help in these efforts.

We have much to share and to learn from each other. Fostering collaboration is one of the hallmarks of a strong association.

I look forward to seeing many of you in October in Augusta, Georgia, at our popular fall plant tours, where information-sharing and networking are front-and-center. Then we’ll catch up again next March 1-3 in Fort Worth, Texas, at our Annual Leadership Conference.

Growing together as a global community includes meeting together as a global community. There are plenty of opportunities coming up. Grab one!

By Carolyn Beach

I’m honored to start my year as NWPCA Board Chair with great optimism. The association leaders, past and present, had the foresight to provide our industry with the tools we’ve needed to expand and improve our businesses.

We have all spent much of last year laser focused on getting pallets to our customers. We are also increasingly getting requests for information beyond price and availability. And, thanks to the work of the Pallet Foundation and previous NWPCA Board Chairs, we have those answers.

We know, even though it’s accurate, that it’s not enough to say, “Wood is good. Using wood is better for the environment.” Our customers want data now—verified data. Thankfully, the scientific data is there. The UL certified EPD for Wooden Pallets is one example. The Virginia Tech research showing wooden pallets have a 95% recycling rate is another example.

How are you using the data? Many of you have told me your customers are asking more questions of their pallet supplier on how they address sustainability. Some questions come in the form of a survey. Some ask for a written commitment, or results from a sustainability scorecard. Some ask for research papers. For others, it’s all of the above. Another colleague said they just hired a sustainability officer to oversee the processes, marketing, and other efforts connected to sustainability and ways to communicate them.

If there is a gap in answering any questions, the NWPCA staff needs to hear from you. It is incumbent on us to develop the tools and resources you need so that you can have those critical conversations with customers.

This coming year is critical for NWPCA and our members. I encourage you to look at the existing tools to help answer your customer questions. Nature’s Packaging® is an excellent website for verified research: naturespackaging.org. The Pallet Foundation funds many projects, such as the EPD and Landfill avoidance, and has their research posted: palletfoundation.org, as does NWPCA: palletcentral.com.

Your current and prospective customers are asking hard questions, and the association has primed us to enhance our leadership position on the environmental benefits of using wood pallets for our businesses. We are leaders in solving complex supply chain challenges. And we are also leaders in sustainability.

This will be an exciting year for NWPCA, and I look forward to sharing more tools in development from our NWPCA Committees, who are taking a closer look at developing sustainability tools you can use.

Stay tuned.

Carolyn Beach is the Vice President at Westside Pallet, Inc. in Newman, California. She started with the company in 1999 and helped build the family business. She currently serves as the Chair for the National Wooden Pallet and Container Association. In addition, she is a Pallet Foundation trustee. Carolyn also is a past President of the Western Pallet Association.

By Brent McClendon, CAE

As you read our Year in Review in this edition, know that all the accomplishments achieved are because of the outstanding work of staff, our external partners, and a committed and active group of volunteers. Time and expertise given by our volunteer leaders ensure we remain properly aligned with the needs of our members and continue to drive the solutions needed to succeed. We thank you.

In December, the NWPCA’s Board of Directors and the Pallet Foundation’s Trustees met in person for a three-day strategic planning work session. What jumped out to me was the energy, enthusiasm, and clear unity of the mission. Specifically, I’ll share two focus areas: sustainability and public affairs.

The wood packaging sector is well-positioned to benefit from the growing emergence of ESG-focused business decisions. ESG, an abbreviation of ‘environmental, social, and governance, drives companies to reduce their carbon footprint, expand recycling and landfill avoidance practices, and reduce overall emissions.

In reading that last sentence, you’ll notice the critical work of the Pallet Foundation and NWPCA Board was well-timed. Our research which developed a UL Certified Environmental Product Declaration found a potential ‘net positive’ carbon footprint for wooden pallets. We also funded a study that determined we have the highest recovery/recycling rate (95%) of any packaging product. For 2022, we will be taking this message to senior purchasing and sustainability officers to assure wood packaging is part of the conversations on ESG.

A strong political voice is equally important in spreading our message. NWPCA is expanding our outreach to elected and regulatory leaders in Washington, DC, and working closely with our international partners to do the same globally. NWPCA’s growing Political Action Committee is another example of where a clear, unified industry makes a difference.

On a global level, wood packaging remains the dominant transport packaging product used worldwide. Whether for regulations like ISPM-15 or the Lacey Act, your need for an expanded international supplier base for lumber, or an increasingly global membership base, there is a lot of positive feedback for NWPCA to bring the international community closer together.

We’re accelerating, and it’s just the beginning. Translating PDS into eight languages, expanding our commitment to the Global Wood Packaging Forum, signing exclusive PDS marketing agreements with four countries, and hiring a consultant to represent NWPCA in Mexico is just a start. You’ll see more international activities in 2022 with a clear focus to help our members in the USA and provide service to our growing international members in 30 countries.

They say that the work we do always builds on the shoulders of those that came before us. I’m thankful for the outstanding work of our volunteer leaders that built our strategic plan, proud of the workers every day that makes our fantastic product, and thrilled about all that’s ahead for us in 2022.

By Mike Hachtman

As we continue to manage the disruption of the pandemic and approach the holiday season, it is important to reflect on how a renewed sense of gratitude, optimism, and connection can bring us together.

The wood pallet industry supports 173,000 jobs across this country. As many new willing and hardworking employees join our companies, our industry workforce remains incredibly diverse. Different backgrounds, beliefs, views, and experiences are what bring us together as humans. It is this connection and commitment to hard work that not only makes us better companies, but it has pushed us to evolve as an industry. Our willingness to listen more, adapt, change, and to be more innovative, are values we leverage to be the best we can be. Let’s continue to place the value on what pushes us to be one of the most unique and critical industries on the national, and world, stage.

Throughout the challenges we have faced over the last 21 months, one thing that should stand out to all of us as a community is how incredibly valuable our workers are to our businesses, our customers, and to the nation. We should take the time to recognize the employees who have helped us not only survive the pandemic and these uncertain times, but emerge from it stronger, and more successful than ever. Their work in keeping American supply chains moving has appropriately elevated them as the workforce heroes they really are. From the saw line to the repair table to the conference table, employees in our industry continue to show up each day, keeping our businesses moving and support critical manufacturers, suppliers and retailers across this country. While many businesses continue to struggle to find employees, the dedication of those we employ should be celebrated.

Let us all take the time this holiday season and beyond, to show our appreciation for each one of our unique employees who are on the frontlines making things happen and ensuring that the country’s supply chains continue to get the pallets and containers they need, when and where they need them.

And, thanks to all of you in the wood pallet industry for the work you do each day to be forward thinkers, creative problem solvers, and amazing employers of an incredible workforce.

Happy holidays to all of you and your families.

Mike Hachtman is CEO of 48forty Solutions, the nation’s largest pallet recycler. In 2011, he founded Relogistics Services which provides pallet & container management services to the nation's largest retailers. Relogistics became a 48forty company in April 2021. Mike entered the pallet business in 1997 and worked for companies like PalEx and, subsequently, IFCO, where he was the Senior Vice President of Business Development. Prior, Hachtman held several positions in Texas politics, including Chairman of the Texas Workers' Compensation Commission and positions for Rick Perry and George W. Bush. Hachtman is the 2021 Chairman of the National Wooden Pallet and Container Association and has served as Chairman of the NWPCA Government Affairs Committee for several years. He is also a Past Chairman of the Reusable Packaging Association.

By Brent J. McClendon, CAE

I recently returned from the summer conference of the National Association of Manufacturers Council of Manufacturing Associations. It strikes me that the share/partner/grow formula can help you maximize your return on membership and attendance at events.

During the event, I had the opportunity to speak on sustainability and participate in several CEO roundtables. After my presentation, I had several associations reach out to learn more about our sustainability initiatives. With the roundtables, I gained so much from the sharing of others, and through that discussion, I found new partners for NWPCA on issues ranging from advocacy to cybersecurity. These relationships will help NWPCA continue our growth and expand our impact.

The same can be said for your relationship with NWPCA. In our PalletCentral magazine and our online blog, our members are openly sharing their labor challenges and solutions, automation experiences, and insights on lumber markets, to name a few.

At our meetings, from our ALC to our October Plant Tour, our members' active support and sharing take front stage. Walking through a plant, for example, and talking about real issues and real solutions leads to new relationships, partnerships, and, yes, growth. Several of our members have further enhanced their outreach and are conducting tours for Members of Congress and other community leaders.

These meetings are invaluable to help raise the profile and importance of our industry to key leaders. NWPCA created a useful Congressional Plant Tour Guide available on our website to assist in this form of outreach. We welcome the opportunity to attend the meetings or follow up after with conversations in DC to amplify your work further.

I want to thank all of our volunteers personally for their service on committees, providing content to our publications, speaking at our convention, attending our Capitol Hill fly-ins, and opening their facilities for a Congressional visit, school group, or plant tour. We also have an incredibly generous and charitable membership that supports their local communities or contributes to our nation's disaster relief efforts, wherever and whenever needed, as I saw firsthand during a recent member visit to Colorado.

There are multiple ways you can engage, from locally to nationally, and whatever, and however often you do this, know that you are driving this industry forward.

It is a special honor to work with all of you as we expand the market for wood packaging.

By Mike Hachtman

These are unprecedented times in the pallet business. Declared as part of the critical infrastructure in the supply chain, the pallet industry weathered the storm of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the demand for wooden pallets has surged, with many pallet companies on track to have a year of outstanding revenue growth. The soaring demand for pallets has caused the price for pallets to climb to never-before-seen levels, and there are a number of key factors driving the recent spikes in price.

While the most well-known factors are the price and availability of lumber and the availability of recycled pallets, labor remains the constant challenge for our members – and the larger economy.

Labor has always been a tough issue for the pallet industry, but current labor shortages across the country have reached crisis levels. Our industry has responded like others, by increasing hourly wage rates to retain and attract new workers and, in some cases, providing signing bonuses and other incentives. Despite these efforts, many jobs remain unfilled.

These increases translate to raising pallet prices and the unfilled positions impact pallet availability.

Earlier this spring, the NWPCA members and other groups successfully communicated with governors and state legislatures requesting they discontinue the $300 per week federal supplemental unemployment compensation. As of this writing, 26 states plan to end the supplemental benefit by July. In addition, there are no longer any discussions to extend the federal benefit beyond the planned September expiration. This creates hope that there will soon be men and women returning to the workplace to fill a record number of job openings across the country.

Through all these challenges, the wood pallet industry continues to meet the call of manufacturers, distributors, and retailers. While the pallets cost more due to the challenges we face, our members and our industry have gone above and beyond the normal course of business to make sure our customers have the pallets they need to ship essential products and keep store shelves stocked.

I am extremely proud of the efforts we have all made to meet pallet demand. As we face these ongoing challenges in our industry, we must provide our customers with the facts and knowledge to help them understand the forces affecting the cost and availability of pallets. As always, we will be there to do our part in moving their products through the supply chain and keep the world moving.  

By Brent J. McClendon, CAE

One of the true pleasures I have had with NWPCA is interacting with members and feeding off of their passion for this industry. There is a universal belief that what we do every day makes a difference. Not just for the supply chain, or the individuals and families that are supported by the 173,000 jobs our industry provides, but also for the environment.

It’s that element, the firm belief that what we do improves the planet, that struck me so clearly when I joined NWPCA eight years ago. We immediately looked at how we could better quantify our environmental footprint, celebrate our landfill avoidance and recycling leadership, and drive global change to achieve more sustainable supply chains.

What we found on this journey is that the more research we conducted, and the more conversations we had within the wood packaging community, the more the industry came together. Fellowship, at its core, is about friendship and a community of shared interests.

Through the Pallet Foundation-funded Environmental Product Declaration work, we now know that wood pallets have an environmental footprint that can’t be matched by alternative materials. We also know that we are the most recycled packaging product on the planet, and once again, are head-and-shoulders ahead of alternative materials. Companies touting that their products are recyclable are now facing tough questions about whether they actually are recycled… and that’s a test our industry passes with straight A’s!

What we knew at the beginning was a long-held truth: Lacking information, people make up stories. Well, now we have the information, third-party verified and certified.

That is why NWPCA, the Pallet Foundation, Nature’s Packaging®, our volunteer leaders, and many of you have taken up the torch of getting the message out. A clear example: Ten different in-person and virtual programs were presented on the essential nature of our industry and the strong environmental footprint of wood packaging in just the last six weeks.

Increasingly our members are sharing with us their messaging on social media. Nature’s Packaging, an initiative of the Pallet Foundation, is also significantly increasing its direct outreach. I encourage you to visit naturespackaging.org and connect with their social media platforms, like, share, and comment.

Together we can amplify the impactful research conducted by the Pallet Foundation. Together we can inform the supply chain as they make packaging decisions. And together we can celebrate the fellowship of our community. I cannot wait to celebrate all of this with you face-to-face September 15-17, 2021 at our next Annual Leadership Conference in Orlando, Florida.

By Mike Hachtman

These remain unprecedented times, but our industry continues to prevail.

It has been over a year since the pandemic descended upon us. States locked down. Schools and businesses closed. Through it all, our industry has remained strong and met our customers’ and our country's needs. Collectively, we figured out ways to overcome challenges we never imagined. Most importantly, we demonstrated that our businesses are truly part of a critical industry.

The NWPCA has also remained strong and supported our members with critical action and information. While I remain hopeful we will see an end to the pandemic in the coming months, this rapidly changing environment will present new challenges and opportunities for our industry.

The new administration has placed a significant focus on the environment. The recent release by the NWPCA and Pallet Foundation of the Environmental Product Declaration definitively demonstrates the environmental benefits of the wood pallet. The administration should welcome our ongoing efforts to establish the wood pallet as the sustainable choice for the supply chain.

However, other proposed policies could have a dramatic effect on our industry, including:

• Potential increase in the minimum wage to $15 per hour
• Increased business taxes
• Increased OSHA requirements, enforcement actions, and penalties
• Mandatory paid family and medical leave
• Increased regulations on transportation
• Increased costs of fuel

The NWPCA stands ready to respond to these and other challenges that may arise in today’s rapidly changing environment. We will remain vigilant in helping our members navigate these unprecedented times with the information, resources, and leadership needed to overcome whatever lies ahead.

I am extremely honored to serve as your Chairman and to continue working with you to support our industry. The greatest strength of the NWPCA is our members. We will continue to accomplish more together than we can alone.

Mike Hachtman is the founder, owner and President of Relogistics Services. Relogistics was founded in 2011 to provide pallet and container management services to the nation’s largest retailers. Prior to entering the pallet industry in 1997, Hachtman held several positions in Texas politics including Chairman of the Texas Workers’ Compensation Commission as well as positions for Rick Perry and George W. Bush.

Hachtman is the 2021 Chairman of the National Wooden Pallet and Container Association and has served as Chairman the NWPCA Government Affairs Committee for several years. He is also a Past Chairman of the Reusable Packaging Association.

By Brent J. McClendon, CAE

We have just concluded a year that tested all of us: our businesses, our families, our friendships. These last few weeks of December gave us time to reflect and to say, "thank you." We are so grateful for all we have, all we can provide, and all we can do together. That's a great background for this article.

The NWPCA and the Pallet Foundation recognize that our accomplishments result from the tremendous support of this industry. Sometimes we don't slow down and say 'thank you' enough or share our appreciation in meaningful ways.

Thank you for the thousands of volunteer hours this industry spends every year. Thank you for the significant financial support you freely share. Thank you for your direct engagement in our advocacy and external outreach. And, thank you for your personal and professional commitment to our success.

Ultimately, we are a family. While we aggressively compete to grow in this market, we also realize that we grow together. That is what trade associations do. They create an environment for industry to expand, fend off attacks from outside groups, counter misperceptions, and lead with research, public affairs, and best practices.

Decades of investments and our commitments to multi-year initiatives gave our industry a lot to celebrate in 2020. These are a few examples. The Environmental Product Declaration helps us celebrate our carbon story. The release of multiple Pallet Design System™ versions includes cutting-edge science and engineering on unit load. We also expanded our international partnerships with new projects in Mexico and Canada.

We also saw first-hand another reason why we do what we do. Every image and video of the COVID-19 vaccine I watched, included wooden pallets admirably performing their service. Trying times like these also show us how incredibly 'essential' wooden pallets are to the nation, not just our supply chain. I'm incredibly thankful for the hard work that you and your teams do every day to support this country and this world.

For 2021, we are excited to get back together with face-face events later this year where you’ll also see the culmination of more than ten years of work with upcoming PDS unit load releases on barrels, pails, and other exciting features.

Until then, we'll continue a stream of virtual events and look to elevate our voice even further throughout the supply chain and within the halls of Congress.

Together we will learn, we will launch new programs, and we will win.

By Frank Shean

While the world around us may feel chaotic and divisive, one thing that we can generally agree on is that sunrises and sunsets can be the most beautiful time of the day. They also turn out to be some of our most contemplative times.

As this is my last article as your Board Chair for PalletCentral, I thought I'd use that theme to look back over the year and provide you some glimpses into the year ahead.

One of the great things about being Board Chair is that our service is built on the shoulders of those that came before us. It is also built on the framework of NWPCA's Strategic Plan, which you and all of our members helped develop. I encourage you to review the plan if you haven't in a while at www.palletcentral.com/AboutUs.

Here's a snippet that guides your Board of Directors every year: "To assure the benefits of wood packaging are understood, and wood packaging is utilized as the solution of choice for securing and transporting the unit-load globally." This statement is followed by "NWPCA is recognized as the "go-to" resource for supportive research and expertise on the advantages of wood packaging" and that "NWPCA is a unifying voice for the global wood packaging industry."

The association's work on COVID-19, getting ahead of a White House announcement on 'essential services,' ensured our members could continue operating. Our industry is a critical part of the supply chain. This designation and the high-profile role of pallets restocking grocery stores and providing supplies to healthcare workers elevated our sector like never before.

The ongoing investments in the Pallet Design System™ are expanding our unit load design capabilities and keep PDS the cutting edge of industry technology.

The Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) launched this year with the U.S. Forest Products Lab, and UL is an accomplishment to celebrate. The results establish wooden pallets as a leader of environmental stewardship and provide a tool for pallet users to measure their impacts.

NWPCA had a strong 2020, and we needed the association to fight for us. For 2021, we will remain your advocate, domestically and globally, and will pro-actively deliver the strong environmental message of wood packaging in the supply chain.

It has been my tremendous pleasure and honor to serve as your Board Chair this year. I leave the role even more inspired about our future. We have an amazing staff, active volunteer leaders, and a unified and strong membership. The sun is rising on this great industry.

We wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season.

by Brent J. McClendon, CAE

Heraclitus, the Greek philosopher, probably wasn’t thinking about 2020 when he reportedly wrote the words, 'The only constant is change.' But if nothing else, 2020 has certainly come to embody that sentiment.

We have built our businesses, and this association, around being flexible, nimble, data driven and open for change. But none of us envisioned #2020. A close association CEO-colleague of mine said we are all “building this plane while flying,” and I think that is a pretty apt description.

So, what do we do?

NWPCA is taking advantage of these massively dynamic times to launch innovative new products, evaluate the breadth of our membership-engagement model, and use our new “virtual” reality to further raise our profile and reach global audiences in ways we had never previously contemplated.

Let me provide an example. NWPCA staff has always traveled extensively, attending meetings and events, speaking at large gatherings, and sharing the Pallets Move the World® message throughout the supply chain. On our plate for September was the large Association for Supply Chain Management (ASCM) Annual Conference where I was asked to present on wood pallets role in a sustainable supply chain. That meeting was cancelled like all the others, and is now virtual, and our presentation will be pre-recorded. This change now allows us to share our message with a much larger group than we would have reached, and the timelessness of the message allows us to share the video globally, with many other groups, for many years.

NWPCA has learned a lot from our members this year. You openly answered membership surveys and called us with us your concerns and your needs – for 2020, 2021 and beyond. What we have heard is that you appreciate our advocacy success in the classification of Wood Packaging as an Essential Industry. You welcome relevant webinars and Zoom conference calls, but at the same time are approaching so-called Zoom fatigue in this “conferencing all the time” world we now live in. You are also looking forward to face-face gatherings again when conditions allow, maybe even more so than before.

What has not changed are our core values as an organization.

• Wood as a sustainable and highly-valued resource
• Exemplary service to members
• High ethical standards and integrity
• Building collaboration and community

We remain committed to you, our members. That will never change.

By Frank Shean

These past few months have been the most challenging times that many of us have ever seen. Yet it is also a time that we're doing our best work. When the nation seems to be growing apart, I'm proud to see our employees and our entire industry working closer together.

Tough times can bring people together, and the culture we have built through NWPCA shows how true that statement can be. In just the past few months, 14 companies joined our association.

From my view, the challenges of our customers, our lumber markets, our HR issues, and conducting direct sales in a ‘sequestered’ world has honed our operations to be the best in times of duress. We must remain flexible, pivot to opportunities, try new initiatives while learning, and leading full time.

NWPCA emulates these characteristics that we are implementing in our businesses. The quick switch to virtual programming and virtual lobbying was very successful. The association continues to release PDS enhancements while finding creative solutions to ongoing research and development, and forging partnerships globally (most recently with Canada). NWPCA continues to deliver the products we need. Our ongoing work on fire codes and the upcoming release of an Environmental Product Declaration for Wood Pallets deserve extra attention.

The translation of our association-developed Fire Code Manual into Spanish reflects our commitment towards expanding awareness and compliance of outdoor fire code storage to protect our employees, communities, and first responders. I'm impressed with how many members have downloaded the manual and are implementing these best practices. You can visit www.palletcentral.com/compliancemanual to receive your free copy.

The association has been working on the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) with the U.S. Forest Products Lab and UL Environment for several years. The final ‘certification’ is an accomplishment to celebrate. This EPD is the first of its kind in the distribution packaging space. It provides transparent, certifiable information on the positive environmental attributes of wooden pallets. Soon to be available, we’ll look forward to hearing how the publication benefits your company.

Thank you for your ongoing support of NWPCA’s mission. We are a strong, unified group of companies that are now recognized as essential to our supply chain and the world. We have the tools to expand awareness of how important we are in the fight against climate change. Leaders are born in these chaotic and challenging times, and I'm proud that we are leading together.

By Brent McClendon, CAE

It is no wonder that actor John Krasinski’s “Some Good News” (SGN) network YouTube Channel had tremendous success. We are in the midst of such chaotic, challenging, and troubling times for our economy and society that taking a break and celebrating the good news around us is something we all need.

I’m impressed with how our industry has responded to COVID-19, providing safe workspaces, supporting our local communities with charitable contributions, and continuing to assure our supply chain moves the critical goods we need.

It’s also been heartening to hear the diversity and inclusion initiatives various companies are undertaking to be lights of healing and unification for the divisions that rock our communities. We recognize the integral role our industry has historically played in up lifting people and our communities. Your resolve to ensure that our country can fulfill its promise of justice, equality, and opportunity for all is inspiring.

In keeping with Krasinski’s “Good News” approach, I’m going to highlight some critical research findings and good news about the positive role that wood pallets play for our environment and society.

The wood pallet industry has spent the last four years preparing for and submitting data to lead to an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for wood pallets. We built a great team of well-respected and trusted leading organizations. The U.S. Forest Service, Forest Product Laboratory, conducted research according to the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) standards, and it was verified under the UL Environment EPD program.

The results of this Pallet Foundation-funded research are fantastic! The environmental attributes of producing wood pallets from cradle to grave are taken into consideration. Because wood is not derived from fossil fuels, common industry practices like using wood residuals for fuel instead of natural gas, recycling the nails, or reusing pallet components may be considered significant “offsets.” We have a very favorable carbon footprint story. The case could be made that wood pallets are not just carbon-neutral but also a net carbon-positive!

Want more good news? We recently read a European study that indicates wooden pallets have 13 times higher antibacterial activity than plastic. The research, carried out by Institut für Holztechnologie in Dresden on behalf of EPAL Germany, suggests that bacteria has a lower survival rate on the wooden surface compared with plastic.

And let’s not forget another study, funded by the Pallet Foundation, with Virginia Tech and the U.S. Forest Service. The research confirmed that wood pallets have the highest recovery and recycling rate of approximately 95 percent! Alternative packaging materials, such as plastic, is around 8 percent, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Our industry is doing important work every day to ensure the supply chain moves with the most environmentally-friendly product around. You are doing important work every day to ensure a safe work environment for your employees. And collectively we are doing vital work every day to ensure that our industry welcomes diversity and inclusion.

This is what I call “Some Good News.”

By Frank Shean

However, as I assume the role of NWPCA Board Chair, I’m uplifted by all the conversations I’ve had with members over the past weeks. This industry is coming together in ways that inspire, and are working overtime to supply the most critical and life-supporting products our nation needs.

The same can be said for your association staff, who immediately leapt into action and worked with the White House to assure that wood packaging manufacturers, distributors, and recyclers are rightfully considered ‘essential’ to this nation.

The association then pulled together the most pertinent and valuable information for our businesses, launched a new website, hosted a webinar, and now conducts weekly calls to help us navigate this incomprehensible storm. We also launched a new complimentary online PDS educational series to advance the knowledge of our salesforce at a time that many of them are confined to working from home.

It’s this same innovation and ingenuity that we are employing in our own businesses. Working together as a community, we will learn from each other, grow stronger as an industry, and help this great country through the COVID-19 challenges we face. The supply chain has never had a higher profile, and the critical role of wood pallets in the supply chain is also now much appreciated.

There is much expected of us, and working together, and through the NWPCA, we shall deliver. It’s certainly not how I anticipated beginning my term as your board Chair, but it is never a story in life of what happens to us, it’s what we make of the situation. I’m proud and honored to stand with you and assure you that #palletsmovetheworld.