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WPA Message to Members
to
Members
Ahead of the Curve
Glenn
Glenn Meeks
Executive Vice President
Western Pallet Association
6 WESTERN PALLET
October 2026
October is when planning usually begins for the next year. Budgets are being built, priorities are being set, and someone is inevitably updating that essential spreadsheet right before the next meeting.
This WPA Magazine issue is focused on preparing for 2027 with more discipline and less guesswork.
That starts with realizing what could disrupt the plan. Regulatory changes, tariffs, supplies, labor challenges, fuel costs (Oi!), weather events; the list just seems to keep growing! A better approach is to identify warning signs and think about options before events make the decision for you.
Preparation means understanding the active processes in your business. Relevant data improves decision-making, and can make planning much more useful. Otherwise, tools and software just give you the ability to make the wrong decision more quickly.
These same principles apply to risk management. A disaster/continuity plan, the right insurance, and accurate records, matter most before the fire, storm, outage, or equipment failure.
Planning is not just about preparedness. It's also about decisions on where you want the business to go in your the market and the industry, and how consistently you will show up as the leader over the next twelve months.
The future is stubbornly unwilling to follow our carefully crafted spreadsheets. Good planning gives us a better chance of being able to Improvise, Adapt, and Overcome the obstacles and challenges we inevitably face.