Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/1505351
8 PalletCentral • July-August 2023 palletcentral.com INSIDENWPCA NWPCA Announcements and Upcoming Events NWPCA & the Pallet Foundation Release Study on Workforce Development N WPCA and the Pallet Foundation, in collaboration with the Manufacturing Institute, which is the workforce and education affiliate of NAM, have released a new research study titled "Wooden Pallet Industry Workforce Challenges." e study, which focuses on addressing the labor challenges of recruitment and retention within the wood pallet industry, is the result of extensive surveys and interviews with NWPCA members, and it identifies critical labor market issues and proposes solutions to the ongoing labor shortage. e comprehensive report is available to NWPCA members only; the Executive Summary is publicly available, and sheds light on the broader significance of these workforce challenges within the manufacturing sector. Learn more at palletcentral.com. Interpal: Taylor to Speak on Global Wood Markets T he 2023 Interpal takes place in Montréal, QC, Canada, October 3-5, 2023. Interpal is a premier event in the wood packaging industry that occurs every four years. e NWPCA proudly co-hosts Interpal with the Canadian Wood Pallet and Container Association. e event combines educational programming with fall plant tours of Herwood, Interco, and LCD. Representatives from 16 countries have registered, and the table-top exhibits are nearly all sold out. Russ Taylor, president of Russ Taylor Global, a wood business and market consulting firm, will speak on October 5th at Interpal. Russ conducts market analyses and business assessments worldwide on key items, including supply, demand, and price outlooks. During his 28 years of operating the International Wood Markets Group, Russ and his team conducted many consulting projects for the "Who's Who" of the global wood products trade. He also created several "must-have" newsletters and strategic multi-client outlook reports involving unique global market insights and perspectives. Russ has published hundreds of articles and frequently speaks on wood markets. Interpal 2023 is a members-only event with a limited capacity of 450 people. Please register early; we are on pace to sell out. Learn more at palletcentral.com/interpal. NWPCA & APHIS Collaborate to Safeguard Industry F or several months, NWPCA staff, including Jason Ortega, vice president of public affairs, and Dr. Brad Gething, vice president of science and technology, have actively engaged with the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) to protect the wood pallet industry and the global supply chain from potential damage through the publication of a proposed ISPM-15 violations website containing sensitive information. Following extensive meetings and critical discussions, APHIS decided to pause their initial plans. Subsequently, a meeting was held between NWPCA President and CEO Brent McClendon and APHIS Acting Administrator Dr. Michael Watson, positioning NWPCA as an indispensable partner to APHIS in refining and improving the ISPM-15 program. is ongoing collaboration underscores the significance of industry-government teamwork in safeguarding the interests of their members and the global supply chain. NWPCA Call for Board Nominations is Open T he call for nominations for the 2024 Board of Directors election is now open. All members are eligible to submit a nomination or to nominate themselves. is year, five industry and one international industry Board member seats are available for election/re-election. Submit your nominee by COB Tuesday, October 31 at www.palletcentral.com/ board-nomination. Where's the Pallet? B e one of the first 5 to respond with the correct answer, and we'll send you a $10 Starbucks card. All you have to do is find the pallet (NWPCA logo) image inside this edition. Drop an email to aferri@palletcentral.com with the number on the image and which story inside this edition was your favorite. That's it! We'll share our winners in the next edition. Thanks to last month's winners, Steve Gallucci and Jason Kaiser from PalletOn, who found the pallet image labeled "1129" on page 16, hiding in the photo. Their favorite stories were "Making Time for Marketing" and "PDS Marketing," respectively.