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6 PalletCentral • May-June 2022 palletcentral.com I 'm honored to start my year as NWPCA Board Chair with great optimism. e 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. ankfully, the scientific data is there. e UL-certified EPD for Wooden Pallets is one example. e 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. is coming year is critical for NWPCA and our members. I encourage you to look at the existing tools to help answer your customers' questions. Nature's Packaging® is an excellent website for verified research: naturespackaging.org. e 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. is 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. Sincerely, Carolyn Beach, Westside Pallet NWPCA Board Chair 2022 SEASON SPONSORS Kiln-Direct.com 910-259-9794 | kiln-direct.com Mid Continent Steel and Wire 800-867-6245 | magnumfasteners.com Pallet Machinery Group 540-644-9220 | palletmachinery.com Pendu Manufacturing 717-354-4348 | pendu.com Profile Technology 800-369-4242 | profiletech.com PRS Group 217-291-0009 | prsgroupinc.com Rotochopper 320-548-3586 | rotochopper.com Smart Products 800-401-0099 | smartproductsinc.com Smith Sawmill Service 800-598-6344 | smithsawmillservice.com Vecoplan 812-923-4992 | vecoplan.com Viking Engineering & Development 800-328-2403 | vikingeng.com Board Officers Board Chair Carolyn Beach, Westside Pallet Chairman-Elect Nick Wenner, Pallet Service Corp Past Chair Mike Hachtman, 48forty Solutions Secretary/Treasurer Jeff Lewis, Atlanta Pallet & Services. Director at Large Hinton Howell, Cottondale Wood Products President/CEO Brent J. McClendon, CAE Board of Directors Michelle Blizzard, Pallet Central Enterprises Henry Bowman, C&L Wood Products LeRoi Cochran, 48forty Solutions Dominick Davi, Greenway Products & Services Kathleen Dietrich, Commercial Lumber & Pallet Justin Hegsted, Challenger Pallet & Supply Alex Jimenez, Jimenez Pallets Bernie Kamps, Kamps, Inc. Bryan Kesting, Madison County Wood Products Kate Matz, Allegheny Recycled Products Steve Mazza, S&B Pallet Lindsey Shean-Snowden, Pallet Logistics of America Beatrice Vasquez, Oxnard Pallet International Director Mike Vrugteveen, Niagara Pallet & Recyclers Associate's Representative Bruce Kennedy, Mid Continent Steel and Wire FROM THE CHAIR Leading in all Aspects

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