I have often been asked how we got started working with the pallet industry. As a young college professor, how was I attracted to the pallet industry and why? The answer is a story of good fortune and dedication by both the industry and my family.
I had just received academic tenure at Bowling Green State University in northwest Ohio. Unlike many teachers who seek the security of tenure, my family and I desired to move back to the South, where all of us had been born. We were particularly interested in the Memphis, Tennessee and Richmond, Virginia areas because Carolyn and I were born in west Tennessee and Carolyn’s mother had settled outside of Richmond near her daughter Diane and her husband Bill, whose family owned and operated one of the most prominent sawmills and pallet plants in the state.
Our hearts had a strong attraction to Tennessee, but we felt in our spirits that we should relocate in Richmond. So, I took a teaching position as an associate professor in the Business School of Virginia Commonwealth University. I believed there would come a time when something would arise that would change our lives forever.
About a year and a half later, a number of Virginia pallet companies approached me about starting a weekly market report in the pallet industry. A month and a half later, Industrial Reporting, Inc. (IRI) published the first Pallet Profile Weekly (then called the Wooden Pallet Index), launching my work with the industry that would eventually lead to our stable of publications in the pallet and forest products industries.
I want to cover two significant points. First, none of this would have been possible without the support and help of hundreds and hundreds of people in our industry, people who became friends and helped my family grow a business that would serve the whole industry, from sawmills and suppliers, through pallet manufacturers and recyclers, and finally the pallet using customer base.
People believed in us and supplied the energy that fed our engine of determination. After four and a half years of working nonstop at my university position and publishing the Pallet Profile Weekly, we started the Pallet Enterprise. After another three years of working 100 hour weeks, I decided it was time to go full time into business.
Many friends in the pallet industry agreed to help us financially if we wished. Some of them offered to help but encouraged us to remain independent and take our chances using hard work and perseverance. And that is exactly what we did. IRI, publisher of all of our reports and magazines, has always been 100% Brindley owned. The Brindley family would like to thank our many friends in the pallet industry for your support and encouragement over the years. It has truly been our pleasure to serve you and produce publications that have helped our friends in the industry.
Second, very little is ever accomplished without perseverance. How well I remember the recession of the early 80s. Everybody had to struggle just to survive what was the nearest thing to a depression since the 1930s. The National Wooden Pallet & Container Association (NWPCA) was losing members because business was so bad. We struggled to keep our subscribers, and the Pallet Enterprise was a brand new magazine that was clawing to win advertising support. At one of its summer meetings, the NWPCA attendance was so low that a friend commented we could have held the cocktail party in a coat closet. Even some long time members had left the association because of difficult times. While I didn’t have two nickels to rub together, I stayed involved. We worked and pulled together to keep the organization alive because we valued the benefits from networking with others who shared common dreams. We still believe in the value of an effective association. Thanks to strong leadership, the NWPCA is going strong today.
I freely recommend NWPCA membership to anyone looking to be a leader in the industry. If you want to be a successful business in the future, involvement in major trade associations is a crucial step as networking becomes even more important for survival. As witnessed by our 25th anniversary year, the Enterprise survived its difficult start. Our publications have grown and our Web sites have become the cyber water cooler of the pallet industry.
Even though I may not be quite as young as my picture suggests, I remain at the helm of our company and plan to be here for as long as the good Lord allows. Working with my wife, my boys and employees who have become extended members of my family continues to be a joy. Increasingly my sons are taking more leadership role in the business, but they are doing this under the watchful eye of Big Ed. And I am proud to say that the apple does not fall far from the tree. They are as committed as I am to the ideals that have directed our company for years.
All of this has been accomplished because of the dedication and beliefs of people, both our staff and friends in the industry. We want to thank you for your support. And we want to make sure that you know we welcome your suggestions and input for the future. Together we will grow to meet tomorrow’s challenges. My staff and I are always willing to talk with our friends and listen to your suggestions to improve our products and services.
