Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/1464021
14 PalletCentral • March-April 2022 palletcentral.com ALC Action By Caryn Smith The WORLD on a WOOD PALLET T he wooden pallet industry is experiencing a unique time in history, along with the rest of its partners in the supply chain. With business profits up for most, owners and managers are plagued with questions on the long-term impact of one global crisis after another, which followed a decade of the economic boom. From COVID to lumber to workforce challenges to a growing geo-political crisis, most wooden pallet companies are still benefiting from strong demand for products that resulted primarily from the work-at-home economy and significant uptick in consumer buying. Over 600 pallet companies and service providers recently gathered in Carlsbad, California, for the NWPCA 2022 Annual Leadership Conference (ALC) to discuss strategies to keep business stable in this sea of chaos. is year's theme, "Building Resilience & Sustainability into the Supply Chain," resonated with attendees. Mike Hachtman, CEO of 48forty Solutions and NWPCA's 2021-22 Chairman, welcomed the crowd and immediately set the tone by introducing the new corporate philosophy of Environmental Social Governance, or ESG. "NWPCA provides you with many tools for your toolbox," he said, "including ways to talk to customers about their corporate ESG core values. is new scorecard for the largest companies, where they respond to the consumer's environmental concerns, have them searching for ways to prove their value to sustainability. If you are not promoting this to your customers, you are missing out on a key industry factor." "Our industry is strong – NWPCA is strong," he said. "We've added 24 new members just this year, for a total of 680 current members." He also touted that The 2022 NWPCA Annual Leadership Conference brought companies and countries together to talk supply chain challenges and opportunities. ALC Photos By Caryn Smith