Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/579895
I n this edition of PalletCentral, the President's Message talks about how associations can be successful. The answer is based on relationships. With you, and with outside organizations, NWPCA is effective, educational and relevant. It seems to be a pretty straightforward business with 'wood and nails', but the pallet industry is complicated with many facets and many stakeholders. There are recyclers, new manufacturers, brokers, those who use hardwood, others who use softwood or a mix of the two. There are East coast issues and there are West coast issues. Add to that your wood suppliers and their challenges, and your customers and their issues, and you can see there are a number of key audiences for NWPCA. The diversity makes it important that we cover the issues which are important to the vast majority of the NWPCA membership, and to do so, we benefit from your active participation and contributions. The NWPCA membership is made of people from varied backgrounds who are all focused on the business of making wooden packaging. In this article, we visit a couple of our members in the U.S. and abroad, and detail the extensive outreach that is occurring to significant entities like the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), FEFPEB and TIMCON (the European and UK Packaging Federations), and several leading U.S. university packaging programs. Member Relationships An integral part of NWPCA is building relationships. Whether it's member-to-member networking through events like the NWPCA- AHMI Fall Plant Tours, the Annual Leadership Conference or staff conducting member visits, we always look to pair a member visit into our travel plans to add value onto an existing trip. This builds the relationship between members and their NWPCA staff, and helps us understand the issues with more depth and real world experience. During the Congressional Plant Tours with Congressman Jeff Denham, NWPCA also visited with board member Frank Shean in Salinas, California. The visit was particularly helpful in understanding how Valley Pallets complies with California fire codes as NWPCA works on developing International Code Council (ICC) and National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) language. Allied Relationships NWPCA participated in the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) in Seattle, Washington in early August. As part of the conference, the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) hosted "Fire-OPS 101," where NCSL's membership of state senators, representatives, city council, associations, and interested industry groups were able to participate in "life" emergency situations. The IAFF represents professional firefighters in the U.S. and Canada. The organization is affiliated with the AFL-CIO and is headquartered in Washington. Occasionally it takes leaving Washington, DC to meet-up with organizations with whom we want to partner on advocacy efforts. NWPCA Vice President of Advocacy and External Affairs, Patrick Atagi, participated in the Fire-OPS 101 where he learned first-hand the dangers and obstacles fire fighters face in real life. This brings a better understanding to the table as NWPCA works to partner with fire officials on fire codes and regulations to keep these first-responders as safe as possible. 8 PalletCentral • September-October 2015 palletcentral.com INSIDE NWPCA N W P C A A N N O U N C E M E N T S A N D U P C O M I N G E V E N T S NWPCA VP of Advocacy and External Affairs, Patrick Atagi, participates in "Fire-OPS 101." Congressman Jeff Denham (CA-10th) with Carolyn Beach-Skinner, Westside Pallet, Inc.