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1 2 Pallet C e nt ral • No vem be r-D e cem be r 2 0 26 Kate Doherty serves as Director of Government Affairs at Woodpack Global and manages the association's Political Action Commiee, PalletPAC. She can be reached at kate@woodpackglobal.org or 703.519.6104. POLICY AT PLAY CONT. "You learn things siing across the table from a business owner or a parent that you'll never learn from a briefing memo." Building for the Next Generation Like Rulli Bros., Iron City is now looking to its next generation. Andrew Yanssens, Brandon Yanssens, and Tucker Cope grew up around the business, and today they are stepping into leadership as its third generation. ey bring new ideas and fresh energy while holding on to the values Dave and Denise built the company on: quality products and an unwavering focus on the customer. "We grew up around this business, and now we get to help shape where it goes next," said Andrew Yanssens. "We want to honor what our grandparents built while finding new ways to grow and do things better." Whether that next chapter succeeds depends on more than hard work on the plant floor. Most wood packaging companies are small, family-owned businesses like Iron City, and the policies set in Washington help decide whether they can invest in new equipment, hire more workers, and pass a strong business on to the next generation. Uncertainty is the enemy of growth, and a family business planning for decades ahead feels that more than most. e right policies can help the next generation build on what their parents and grandparents started. e wrong ones can make that much harder. As Rep. Rulli put it, "A family business shouldn't have to spend more time dealing with Washington than serving its customers." at is why relationships like this one matter, and the Congressman sees it the same way. "I believe you have to get out and listen," he said. "You learn things sitting across the table from a business owner or a parent that you'll never learn from a briefing memo." Site visits give lawmakers a view of the industry they can't get from Capitol Hill. "ese conversations give us a reality check," said Rep. Rulli. "Washington can become very disconnected from what's actually happening on the ground. When I walk through a facility like Iron City and talk with the people doing the work, I get a better understanding of what policies are helping and what policies are hurting. at firsthand perspective makes me a better advocate for Ohio when I return to DC." When lawmakers see our industry up close, they bring a clearer picture of our members into the policy debates that will shape our future. Building those relationships now, and continuing to build them over time, is how we make sure the next generation of pallet companies has a real voice in Washington.

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