Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/1436421
PalletCentral • November-December 2021 9 PDS: Plastic Pail Analysis & Ongoing Unit Load Training N WPCA and the Pallet Foundation continue their sponsorship for Mary Valverde, who received her Master of Science degree at Virginia Tech performing research into the behavior of unit loads of drums and plastic pails on wooden pallets. Her work saves critical development time for NWPCA's engineers as they put the final touches on a new Unit Load for Drums & Pails feature, scheduled for release next year. is feature will round out the unit load analysis capabilities, including sheet goods and corrugated boxes, and marks a tremendous achievement for NWPCA and the PDS development team. "ere will be a shift towards unit load training and marketing while we have a tighter focus on basic enhancements to PDS," said Kristen DeLack, PE, PDS Structural Engineer. In November, the PDS training course sold out. Staff continues developing online, in- demand training for introductory PDS training and unit load analysis for sheet goods to those who prefer to train remotely. ese will expand NWPCA's online learning catalog hosted by e Packaging School. "I look forward to seeing how the industry profits from these new capabilities," commented Kristen. NWPCA Staff President/CEO Brent J. McClendon, CAE, brent@palletcentral.com Senior Director, Business Partnerships Mark A. Barford, CAE, mbarford@palletcentral.com PDS and Membership Services Manager Susan Cheney, scheney@palletcentral.com PDS Structural Engineer Kristen DeLack PE, kdelack@palletcentral.com Vice President, Communications Annette Ferri, aferri@palletcentral.com Vice President, Science & Technology Brad Gething, PhD, bgething@palletcentral.com Vice President, Public Affairs Jason Ortega, jortega@palletcentral.com Advisor to the President John A. McLeod III, jmcleod@palletcentral.com PDS Software Engineer Kevin Richey, krichey@palletcentral.com PDS Associate Software Engineer George Scharps, gscharps@palletcentral.com Vice President, Operations and Events Isabel ("Mimi") Sullivan, msullivan@palletcentral.com PalletCentral Editorial, Design & Production: Caryn Smith, Driven By Design LLC palletdesign@comcast.net PALLETCENTRAL, Volume 22, Number 6. PUBLISHED BY THE NATIONAL WOODEN PALLET & CONTAINER ASSOCIATION Advertising: To advertise in PalletCentral, contact Mark Barford at 703-519-0186 or mbarford@palletcentral.com. Address changes and subscriptions: To update your mailing address or to subscribe to PalletCentral, call 703-519-6104 or email info@palletcentral.com. ©2021 NWPCA. All rights reserved. The views expressed in all articles, editorials and advertisements appearing in PalletCentral are solely those of the author and advertiser, respectively, and do not necessarily represent the views of NWPCA. Pallet Foundation Virtual Race T he 2021 Pallet Foundation Virtual Race around the world saw competitors from as far away as Australia, and they did not disappoint. Dean and Trace Roderick, Rodpak Pty, biked 768 miles in two weeks. Team Pallet Consultants kicked off their race with 18 people for a 3-mile beach walk on Pompano Beach, Florida. Team Pallet Alliance raced 1,264 miles and they matched their miles in dollars. Collectively, we've raced 2,922 miles across the globe and raised over $6,600 for the Foundation. e race ended on October 31. Congratulations to the winners: Bike: Tracie Roderick, Rodpak Pty: 441.33 miles; Walk: Greg Vipond, Girard Wood Products: 109.7 miles; Run: Philip Varley, Pallet Connect: 97.14 miles. PDS Advanced Wood Design Course at Virginia Tech Sells Out P DS Staff Kristen DeLack, PE, and Brad Gething, PhD, joined with Dr. Laszlo Horvath, Associate Professor at Virginia Tech, for a sold-out advanced wood pallet design training course in Blacksburg in early November. It was the first time NWPCA and Virginia Tech held the class both in-person and remotely. Webcams and virtual meeting software offered a virtual option to include attendees in live assignments and discussions over the same three-day period. 2022 Board of Director Elections Underway V oting is underway for the 2022 Board of Directors. ere are six Industry member seats plus one Associate member seat to be filled. Only NWPCA Industry and Associate members are eligible to vote in this election. ose elected will serve a three-year term beginning March 2022. Voting closes ursday, January 20, 2022. We will announce the results during the 2022 ALC in California. NWPCA Board and Foundation Trustees to Review Strategic Plans The NWPCA Board of Directors and Pallet Foundation Trustees gather in December to review and discuss their respective long-term strategic plans. The last review of the NWPCA Strategic Plan took place in August 2019. NWPCA leadership felt it was a priority to reexamine and identify additional challenges and goals arising from this post-COVID climate. A copy of the current Strategic Plan is available at PalletCentral.com/AboutUs.