Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/1370374
10 PalletCentral • May-June 2021 palletcentral.com Strategic Priorities to Advance the Industry By Grace Johnson iStockphoto.com/Sono Creative POLICY PLAY AT W ith any election, but especially a presidential one, it is critical to establish how the priorities of our industry align with the priorities of the new administration. For NWPCA this year, this means emphasizing the many ways that our core issues such as ISPM15, the Lacey Act, and the US/Canada exemption fit into President Biden's focus on sustainability. e wood packaging community employs 173,000 across the country, mostly in rural locations, and mostly run by small, family businesses. Labor and workforce issues, as well as job creation, are all top issues for the association and our members. Our association continues to build and maintain bipartisan relationships in the House and Senate that we can use to advocate for policy that supports our industry. As part of this ongoing advocacy strategy, NWPCA invited United States Representative Antonio Delgado from New York's 19th District to join the April NWPCA Government Affairs Committee meeting. It was a great opportunity for committee members and PAC donors to join a call with a congressman. A close coalition partner, John Bartow, Executive Director of the Empire State Forest Products Association, joined us on the call, as well as some of his association's leading members. is allowed us to highlight some of the local wood products community in New York, and Representative Delgado's district. e new Government Affairs Chair, Reed Esarove of PalletOne, moderated the dialogue and provided a high-level overview of the national wood packaging sector, and more specifically of our association, to Representative Delgado. Historically, the Congressman has focused on rural development and issues impacting small businesses. A principal focus of these efforts has been on rural infrastructure and increasing federal support to provide rural communities with the funding they need to rebuild aging infrastructure and expand broadband access and speed. Representative Delgado's interests and committee assignments on Agriculture, Small Business, and Infrastructure/Supply Chain perfectly align with our priority issues. Delgado's district is located in New York, close to the U.S./Canada border, where many of our issues align with his policy priorities. He also represents the district in which the Cary Institute resides. In New York, the state reports the wood products manufacturing sector employs 8,312 people, earning wages totaling $361 million. Delgado also serves on the House Agriculture Committee, Committee on Small Business, and Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, as well as the Working Forests Caucus. On the call, we were able to discuss many policy issues that are critical to our industry.