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1 0 Pallet C e nt ral • July -Aug u st 2 0 26 PLAY POLICY AT F ew members of Congress arrive on Capitol Hill with the kind of résumé Rep. Marilyn Strickland (D-WA-10) brings to the table. Before her election in 2020, she had already served two terms as mayor of Tacoma and led the Seattle Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce as President and CEO. Encouraged by a mentor to run for office, she carried into Congress a long-standing focus on "economic security and opportunity for all." e combination of municipal leadership and direct business advocacy gives her an unusual fluency in the issues facing American manufacturers. at fluency was on full display during her recent tour of Girard Wood Products. For Scott Vipond, President of Girard Wood Products and Chair-Elect of Woodpack Global, the visit was a chance to show a member of Congress what a 65-year-old family business actually looks like up close. "ere's still a perception that this is an industry of hammers and nails," Vipond said. "It hasn't been that for a long time. We run automated nailing systems, AI-driven optimization, and we use every piece of lumber that comes through the door. We were glad to have the congresswoman see that firsthand." Why Certainty Maers When Strickland sat down with Girard, the concerns she heard were consistent with employers across her district. "Top concerns that I hear consistently from employers and workers are the challenges that come from unpredictability, rising costs, and meeting workforce needs across industries," she explained. Housing, healthcare, childcare, eldercare, and the impact of tariffs on the supply chain round out the list. at theme of unpredictability lands hard in wood packaging. Pallet manufacturers sit at the intersection of nearly every supply chain in the country, which means they absorb the ripple effects of policy shifts long before most other sectors do. Lumber prices, customer orders, and other material costs respond to tariff decisions and economic shifts. Major capital investments in automation, robotics, and precision remanufacturing all require multiyear planning horizons that get harder to commit to when the policy ground keeps shifting. Vipond put it plainly. "We're making decisions today that play out years down the road—equipment, hiring, supply contracts," he said. "e harder it is to predict what's coming out of Washington, the harder it gets to make those calls with confidence." at's not a complaint about any one administration. It's something business owners and the wood packaging industry in particular lives with, year after year. Geing Out Of The D.C. Bubble Strickland sees site visits as more than routine constituent service. ey are a core part of how she does her job. "In order to know what our community needs, I must hear from those who live and work there," she said. "ese meetings get me outside of the [. . .] D.C. bubble, and they keep me grounded with the people I represent at home. is helps me shape policies that will have a positive impact on the people I represent." Vipond sees it the same way from the host's chair. "You can read about manufacturing all day in Washington," he said. "It hits differently when you're standing on the floor, talking to the people doing the work. A Business Leader's Eye On Wood Packaging REP. MARILYN STRICKLAND VISITS GIRARD WOOD PRODUCTS BY KATE DOHERTY

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