Planning Becomes the Hardest Part of the Job
This has been a quick year. I genuinely feel like I blinked and it was Christmas, and now we're already well into the second half of 2026. Part of that might just be Florida's version of winter, which barely felt like winter at all. But part of it is how quickly things are moving across the pallet industry right now.
I just got back from a family trip to Washington, D.C., for the country's 250th birthday. Standing in front of monuments built to honor people who gave everything to build something worth preserving, I felt genuinely proud to be an American. And I kept thinking about this industry. The pallets we build, sort, and move every day are part of what keeps this country running. Grocery stores, hospitals, construction sites, manufacturers. None of it functions without supply chains, and supply chains don't function without us. That is something worth being grateful for
Being there also made me think about how differently the same moment can feel depending on where you sit, and that is something I have been hearing echoed in conversations all year.
When you are talking with companies across regions and at all different points in their business, you start to notice patterns. Not trends on a slide, but actual differences in how people are living through the same economy.
A friend of mine in the South is steadily busy. Quotes are going out constantly, new hires are coming on board, and her company is actively investing in automation and exploring how AI fits into daily operations. They are keeping a steady pace of progress while adapting to the usual pressures of growth.
Companies in California are dealing with something else entirely. Growth is not just about demand or capital right now. It is about permitting, moratoriums, and getting through regulatory hurdles. Local governments have concerns around environmental risk such as fire exposure, but there is also a growing tension between safety policy and the ability to expand, rebuild, and modernize. Those two things are running into each other.
Trade is adding another layer. Ongoing tariff discussions between the U.S. and Canada have made supply chains harder to plan
24 WESTERN PALLET