Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/1511664
24 PalletCentral • November-December 2023 palletcentral.com René Harpin Partner SPEC Wood and Marketing Solutions Inc. S PEC Wood Inc. has three partners – Daphney Berube (29), the controller and not part of the family, Felix Lebrun-Harpin, sales and partner, my son (28), and René Harpin, sales and partner. Here is a bit about our transition to the next generation. We started SPEC Wood twenty-two years ago. I had great relationships with very good mills and with many diversified pallet manufacturers. Over the years, "Quality Control and Customer Service Starts at the Mill Level" was and still is at the center of our approach. We are still visiting the mills on a regular basis to make sure we offer a quality product to our customers. Felix joined our company nine years ago. His first week took place at a mill, stacking pallet components. We have kept the recipe that makes us "SPECial"! e transition is an everyday challenge, but also an everyday opportunity! Younger people want changes, they want their input, they want responsibility. ey also want their share of the success, and of the profits. Letting go is not easy but it is part of the solution. Acknowledging their contribution and sharing more and more of the "control" is required, but not always easy. While the new generation does not have all the background, and did not live in the "Great Recession," they learn fast, and technology is their best asset. ey build relationships faster, differently too. Our customers are also hiring new, younger people and they want to talk with people of their age. New relationships are being built, new leadership is growing in all companies and, again, we must accept sharing the control. e transition is a long process that is irresistible, that requires transparency, trust, and hard work. Having a daughter or a son in the business, is totally different from working with "regular" partners. You can have an ex-friend, an ex-partner, but not