Issue link: http://palletcentral.uberflip.com/i/666889
palletcentral.com PalletCentral • March-April 2016 15 A3: I'm still catching up from being gone for the March NWPCA Annual Leadership Conference. I'm hoping to actually uncover my desk at some point. A4: Bicycling, hiking, playing guitar, cooking, pottery, drawing, painting – though I'm not particularly good at any of them. A5: I got a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Guilford College in 1997. I worked for a few years as a graphic designer before I realized how much I hated it. I loved working as a theatrical production designer, but there's absolutely no money in it. So I'm perfectly happy with the pallet business. Debra Berr y, CEO, Berr y Industrial Group Inc. A1: The pallet market is still balancing out (downward) from the past several years of volatile pricing. It is hard to say whether the pre-election rhetoric will influence consumer spending for the rest of the year. A2: The outstanding sales ability of Peter [Berry] complemented my organizational skills, so I left my current job to help grow Berry Industrial Group. A3: RFQs, monthly reports and professional development plans. Under the glass that sits on my desk is a collage of family and friends photos and phrases. My favorite phrase: I'll have a Café Mocha- Vodka-Xanax-Latte to go, please. A4: Read, travel and volunteer. A5: If I wasn't in the pallet business and didn't need to work, I would be mentoring young girls and women on career choices, along with the women business enterprise opportunities and programs. Ray Gutierrez, President/CEO, Commercial L umber & Pallet A1: Generally speaking, I feel that this year will be very similar to last year, which would be great. Presently, I am anticipating upward pressure on pricing though, as lumber mills in the Pacific Northwest continue to struggle for logs. A2: Commercial Lumber was established in 1941 and was heavily involved in heavy engineering and industrial grade lumber. When Governor Pat Brown came into office, he didn't see the need for this type of infrastructure in the State of California at that time. Before things came to a significant halt, and much research was needed in the alternate industries involving wood, we decided to get involved in the pallet business. We completed that expansion in 1974, and changed our name to Commercial Lumber and Pallet Company. A3: Knudsen Cottage Cheese, Road and Track Magazine, sawmill lumber offerings and my current in-house Rail Car Report. A4 & A5: I work from home. And if I wasn't in the pallet business, I would be looking for a job! Gabriel Curr y, General Manager, HUB Industrial A1: Business is good. We are busy providing pallet operations with the consumable products they need, along with the speedy and reliable service they have come to expect from HUB. A2: We started out as a local industrial supply company. In 2003, I managed to persuade a pallet recycler in Jacksonville to give us a chance. The better we got to know the unique needs of the pallet business, the more committed we became to finding the best ways to meet those needs. In the process, I've had the privilege of making many lifelong friends in the business. A3: Our company was recently acquired by Applied Industrial Technologies (NYSE: AIT), and is now operating as a subsidiary of Applied Maintenance Supplies & Solutions (Applied MSS℠). Being part of a bigger company means more for our employees and customers. We now have access to more resources, buying power and new products to support the pallet industry – it's an exciting time! A4: I enjoy spending time with my wife and three kids—two of whom are teenagers. We enjoy sharing time together and traveling. A5: I would be in a business where I could work and serve down- to-earth, kindhearted folks like I have grown to love in the pallet industry! Howe Wallace Jr., CEO, PalletOne, Inc. A1: Business conditions are solid. We are projecting a small organic growth from existing customers. A2: I started in the pallet business in 1983 when I joined Ridge Pallets in Bartow, Florida as director of human resources. My career was focused on HR and organizational development until 2001 when I became CEO of PalletOne. A3: Paying attention to the economy, supporting our culture, and monitoring shifts in raw material supply. A4 and A5: Reading consumes a good bit of my spare time. I'd be in education or coaching if not in pallets. But, my joy is that I get to teach and to coach in my job now.