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Pallet C e nt ral • S e ptem be r- O ctobe r 2 0 26 2 5 Harvey Pallets has followed its own multigenerational path. Manuel still calls the company "an adventure," one built through years of sacrifice and daily improvement. "It's still an adventure pretty much as today," he said. "We're looking for, you know, making things better every day too. Not just, you know what I mean, one day at a time. It's like every day pushing, pushing, pushing." From its modest beginning, Harvey Pallets has grown to more than 300 team members, multiple facilities across several states, and customers throughout the country. Alejandro Tavarez, Procurement Officer & Risk Management Specialist, sees his father's story as something larger than company growth. "He really is one of those shining examples of what the American dream is," he said. "He's an immigrant from Mexico that came to the United States at the ripe old age of 16 years old." After finding his way into the pallet industry, Manuel "never looked back." Family Values That Extend Beyond Family For both companies, family is not limited to those who share a last name. "We always keep the business as a family," Manuel said. "Not always just see the business as a business." He emphasized the responsibility to represent and care for employees as part of that extended family. at philosophy is visible in the company's day-to-day leadership. At Chicago Pallet Service, one lesson from Leo Rodriguez guides relationships with customers, employees, and vendors. "Your word is worth more than $1,000,000," Rodriguez said. "So, we promise you something. We're going to deliver it." All three groups matter, she added. "You need all three to make it evolve." Innovation Does Not Replace Legacy Family businesses often face the same question: How do you modernize without abandoning what made the company successful? Rodriguez sees innovation as an extension of the Chicago Pallet Service legacy rather than a departure from it. Investments in automation, machinery, and technology help the company respond to customer expectations for greater efficiency, quality, and speed. e fundamentals, however, do not change. "We keep the same recipe, which is integrity," she said. "Integrity, treating people with respect, keeping our commitments, and always fulfilling what we said we would do." At Harvey Pallets, innovation begins with conversation between generations. Alejandro Tavarez, Procurement Officer & Risk Management Specialist, entered the company eager to implement new ideas. "When I joined the company over four years ago now, I came in guns a-blazing," he said. When he proposed a major automation investment, Manuel did not reject the idea. He challenged Miguel to prove it. "Look, Alejandro, as much as you like this and as much as you think this is a good idea, I need you to prove it to me," Manuel told him. "So go make the business case and, you know, we'll discuss." e evaluation took roughly a year and a half before the project was approved. "You can be excited and you can like it and believe in it all through and through, but you have to make sure that it is the right thing for the business," Alejandro said.

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