Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/522141
P U B L I S H E D B Y T H E N A T I O N A L W O O D E N P A L L E T & C O N T A I N E R A S S O C I A T I O N NWPCA STAFF President/CEO Brent J. McClendon, CAE, brent@palletcentral.com @NWPCA Vice President, Advocacy and External Affairs Patrick S. Atagi, patagi@palletcentral.com @NWPCA_Policy PDS and Membership Services Manager Susan Cheney, scheney@palletcentral.com Communication and Education Director Annette Ferri, aferri@palletcentral.com @PalletCentral Technical and PDS Manager Brad Gething, PhD, bgething@palletcentral.com @NWPCATech Sales Director Joni Leonardo, jleonardo@palletcentral.com @NWPCA_Sales Director of The Pallet Design System™ John A. McLeod III, jmcleod@palletcentral.com Vice President of Operations and Events Isabel ("Mimi") Sullivan, msullivan@palletcentral.com PDS Software Engineer Curtis Wilkes, cwilkes@palletcentral.com Advertising: To advertise in PalletCentral, contact Joni Leonardo at 703-519-6104 or jleonardo@palletcentral.com Address changes and subscriptions: To update your mailing address or to subscribe to PalletCentral, call 703-519-6104 or email info@palletcentral.com. Reprints and back issues: To order article reprints or request reprint permission, please e-mail info@palletcentral.com. Order back issues by calling 703-519-6104. PALLETCENTRAL, Volume 15, Number 3. © Copyright 2015 by NWPCA. All rights reserved. The views expressed in all articles, editorials and advertisements appearing in PalletCentral are solely those of the author and advertiser, respectively, and do not necessarily represent the views of NWPCA. NWPCA PDS Software Engineer Curtis Wilkes, VP of Advocacy and External Affairs Patrick Atagi, Technical and PDS Manager Dr. Brad Gething, and President/CEO Brent McClendon collaborated during the strategic planning retreat. Standards, Codes Dr. Brad Gething recently attended the American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) meeting in Anaheim, California and participated in its packaging committee. Working across borders, disciplines and industries, ASTM takes advantage of expertise from over 30,000 members to create consensus and improve performance in manufacturing and materials, products and processes, all of which are important parts of our members' businesses. Advocacy NWPCA continues to increase the dialogue with strategic entities on relevant issues. NWPCA's Vice President of Advocacy and External Affairs, Patrick Atagi, represented the industry at the annual National Association of Manufacturers (NAM) Public Policy conference. Atagi was able to connect with many companies and associations including; Archer Daniels Midland (ADM), DHL Express, Crown Equipment Corporation (Forklifts), Exxon Mobil, International Dairy Foods Association, Corn Refiners Association, and others. A great deal of our efforts to communicate with government officials on legislative and regulatory issues, and its effects, extend beyond the headquarters. We are seeing NWPCA members build stronger relationships with their members of Congress. Jimmy Wilson, founder and president of Baywood Products, hosted Congressman Bradley Byrne representing the 1st Congressional District of Alabama at his facility. This visit marks the launch of the NWPCA Congressional Mill Tours program, and provides an excellent opportunity to strengthen your relationships with Hill staff and present your views to Members of Congress. Congressman Byrne sits on the powerful House Armed Services Committee, an important committee for NWPCA members as we seek to ensure PDS is used by DoD and other government agencies. On a lighter note, NWPCA hosted lunch on Capitol Hill for member company American Pallet Inc. Both its President, Bill Montey and Controller, Claudia Montey, were in Washington, DC, where NWPCA staff assisted them with a visit to the office of their Member of Congress, Jeff Denham, representing the 10th District in California. These types of events not only help NWPCA on Capitol Hill with relationship building, but the businesses that host Members of Congress also enhance their reputation within the community. These are just a few of the activities occurring at NWPCA. After looking under the hood, you can rest assured the engine is running smoothly. Staff is already preparing for the NWPCA Board of Directors meeting from June 17-19, 2015, and the Lumber, Pallets & Recycling: NWPCA/AHMI Fall Plant Tours scheduled for October 20-22nd in Charlotte, North Carolina. PC palletcentral.com PalletCentral • May-June 2015 9 American Pallet Inc. President, Bill Montey and Controller Claudia Montey.