20 WESTERN PALLET
Members Helping Members Through Pandemic and Fire
The Western Pallet Association has long had the reputation as being the friendliest pallet association, and that spirit has been on full display in recent months after Oxnard Pallet was forced to briefly close because of a COVID-19 outbreak, and American Pallets was levelled by fire. In both cases, other pallet companies came forward to help in the time of need.
This September, American Pallets, a WPA-member pallet recycler based in Milwaukie, Oregon, was devastated by fire. While Troy Grende, owner of American Pallets, was helping a neighbor protect the latter’s property from fire, he came back to discover that his pallet recycling operation had been devastated.
“Everything that I used to do work was in the fire,” he explained. Aside from buildings, pallet equipment and inventory, losses also included both trucks and the company’s three forklifts. Insurance will cover replacement of one forklift and a bandsaw.
The company has been grateful for the support of several local companies that have stepped forward to offer equipment and yard space. “I'm just getting my yard cleared up,” Grende reported. “We've got the fence up again. I'm just figuring out where to go with the burnt wood. In the meantime, we're going to get set up
Elias and Beatrice Vasquez
and get going again. And make things work.” Troy Grende can be reached at (503) 680-7093.
Meanwhile, WPA-member Oxnard Pallet found itself grateful for the support of member companies. In early July 2020, Oxnard Pallet found itself struck by 13 cases of COVID-19 among its more than 40 company employees, including owners Elias and Beatrice Vasquez. The company scrambled to fill orders while operating with just a skeleton crew. “It was the biggest challenge we have ever faced with our business,” recalled Beatrice Vasquez, Corporate Secretary, CFO of Oxnard Pallet Company as well as WPA President.