WPA Message to Members
to
Members
The Future Is Built by the People We Develop
Glenn
Glenn Meeks
Executive Vice President
Western Pallet Association
The August issue of the WPA magazine focuses on women in the pallet industry, which is a larger story is about leadership and how this industry prepares for what comes next.
The pallet industry has always rewarded people who can solve problems, serve customers, and get the job done. Those fundamentals have not changed.
What is changing is who has the opportunity to lead. Women are increasingly taking leadership roles as owners, executives, operations leaders, and next-generation successors throughout the industry.
Technology is accelerating that transition. Automation and AI are reducing some of the traditional physical barriers to manufacturing and creating greater demand for people who can, interpret complex information and solve increasingly complex problems. And that is a bona-fide business opportunity.
But technology alone doesn’t build the next generation of pallet companies. People do.
One of the strongest themes running through this issue is the responsibility leaders have to identify talent, develop it, and then give capable people room to lead.
Great employees do not want to spend their careers waiting to be pushed in a particular direction. They want the opportunity to grow, contribute, and eventually take ownership of outcomes.
We also need to tell those stories. The pallet industry is filled with businesses, entrepreneurs, and women doing remarkable work that rarely receives much attention. Authentic stories help people understand who we are, what we value, and why this industry matters. As you read this issue, I encourage you to look around your own organization.
Who has potential that you have not fully developed yet? Who needs an opportunity? Who should have a seat at the table?
The future of this industry may already be working for you. Our job as leaders is to recognize it.
6 WESTERN PALLET