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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 Senior Director, Business Partnerships Mark A. Barford, CAE, mbarford@palletcentral.com @MarkaBarford Membership Services Manager Mishelle Cavanagh, mcavanagh@palletcentral.com PDS and Membership Services Manager Susan Cheney, scheney@palletcentral.com PDS Structural Engineer Kristen DeLack, kdelack@palletcentral.com Communication and Education Director Annette Ferri, aferri@palletcentral.com @PalletCentral Director of Science and Technology Integration Brad Gething, PhD, bgething@palletcentral.com @NWPCATech 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 Annette Ferri at 703-519-6104 or aferri@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 16, Number 6. © Copyright 2016 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 palletcentral.com PalletCentral • November-December 2016 9 Tour sponsor, Misionero Vegetables, made clear the importance of food safety, ensuring consumers their produce is safe for consumption. As early as the 1980s, Misionero Vegetables was conducting on-site microbiological testing. Misionero swabs their pallets on-site continuously and checks for foodborne diseases. The company's in-house quality assurance team briefed NWPCA guests on their processes and strict testing standards in the field and in the packing warehouse. Misionero sends their samples to an offsite third- party independent laboratory for testing. Their testing exceeds the strict standards set forth by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Food and Drug Administration (FDA). It was eye-opening for members to learn how precise and demanding the fruit and vegetable industry is on the issue of food safety, right down to the pallets. The upcoming NWPCA Annual Leadership Conference (ALC), March 8-10, 2017, in Tucson, Arizona is the next major networking and educational opportunity for NWPA members and colleagues in the wood packaging industry. Tucson's spectacular 'Ventana' or 'Window' to the Soul of the Sonoran Desert is the Loews Ventana Canyon situated high above Tucson's Catalina Mountains. This stunning natural retreat is host to this year's conference. Former Director of Communications Strategy for Harley-Davidson Motor Company, Ken Schmidt, will present the keynote on Thursday, March 9. One of the most in-demand speakers and communications consultants in America, Ken Schmidt has lived a life that most can only dream about. During his tenure at Harley-Davidson, he played an active role in one of the most celebrated turnarounds in corporate history, and got paid to ride motorcycles. Conference and exhibitor registration, sponsorship opportunities and the tentative schedule of events, including The Pallet Foundation Golf Tournament on Wednesday, March 8, are available at PalletCentral.com. PC Thank You Plant Tour Sponsors Automated Machine Systems, Inc. HUB Industrial Supply PRS Group, Inc. Rotochopper, Inc. Smart Products Valley Pallet, Inc. Viking Engineering & Development