Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/1482881
PalletCentral • September-October 2022 9 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 Manager, Public Affairs Hallie Fuchs, hfuchs@palletcentral.com Member Services Database Specialist Becca Fuhrken, bfuhrken@palletcentral.com Vice President, Science & Technology Brad Gething, PhD, bgething@palletcentral.com Vice President, Public Affairs Jason Ortega, jortega@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 5. 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. ©2022 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. Ortega Continues the NWPCA Member Visits in North Carolina J ason Ortega, vice president of public affairs, took to the road and visited longtime member, Pallet Resource of NC. Jason spent time touring the PRNC facilities, seeing firsthand their new and used pallet manufacturing process and wood fiber operations. A special thanks to David and Mac Grimes for taking the time to host Jason and share their insights. NWPCA Sponsors Event during Hispanic Heritage Month S taff continues to work to raise NWPCA's profile in D.C. and represented the association at the Hispanic Lobbyist's Association's annual Avanza Awards. is annual event is held during Hispanic Heritage Month and highlights honorees' professional accomplishments and impact on the community of Latino professionals in Washington. NWPCA was one of the recognized sponsors of the event and Jason Ortega, vice president of public affairs, served on the planning committee. Two Online PDS Courses Added to The Packaging School N WPCA expanded our PDS on-demand training by adding two courses on pallet design and unit load: "PDS 101: A Journey Begins" and "Unit Load Design & Analysis for Sheet Goods." ese courses (English and Spanish) teach the basics of designing and analyzing a wooden pallet for various products and diving deeper into a unit load for sheet goods. ey are the second and third in a series of Pallet Design System™ (PDS) training programs at e Packaging School, developed by NWPCA with support from the Pallet Foundation. "e 'PDS 101' course intends to be an introduction, including "pro-tips" for pallet design and construction," said Kristen DeLack, PE, PDS Structural Engineer. "e Unit Load Design course introduces the load sharing relationship between the pallet and the cargo. With this understanding, you will learn how to use PDS to optimize pallets for supporting and handling sheet goods while ensuring that they are not damaged," added DeLack. "More courses are in development. We hope our PDS Users continue their journey with our training options to unlock the full potential of PDS." Access to e Packaging School is a benefit for PDS license holders. Learn more and sign-up for free access at palletcentral.com/packaging-school (NWPCA Member login required, look for the promo code for free access) or email info@palletcentral.com. Mexico Chapter Made Official in Monterrey N WPCA's first conference of the Mexico Chapter of the NWPCA (Capítulo Mexicano de la NWPCA) was a sell-out. Held from September 7-8 in Monterrey, Mexico, registration far exceeded expectations. ere were several educational sessions and ample networking opportunities among nearly 140 people from five countries who attended. e NWPCA Mexico Chapter also held its first official opening session, where members heard from the Chapter President Fernando López Bello, and María José Martínez, vice president of the Capítulo. NWPCA Board Chair Carolyn Beach and President & CEO Brent McClendon also welcomed the group. ere was an official charter signing by NWPCA and Mexico Chapter Executive Committee members on opening day. Read more about the conference on page 18.