Few people in the pallet industry have tackled a wider variety of projects in his career than David “Dave” Libla. And he has never been afraid to try something new and take big risks. Libla’s career includes owning a large pallet company in the Midwest, developing one of the early pallet management and rental networks to building from the ground up the largest pallet nail manufacturing company in the country.
Libla recently announced that he would be retiring at the end of the year, as CEO of Mid Continent Steel & Wire, which owns Mid Continent Nail Corp., the nail company he founded.
For years, Libla was a visible leader in the Missouri Forest Productions Association as well as the National Wooden Pallet & Container Association.
Libla has attempted to change the future of the industry in many ways. He has been a relentless pioneer who would take on new and big challenges. Libla started Libla Industries in 1973 with a small amount of money and a lot of determination. He opened a pallet manufacturing facility in 1976 and within a few short years had built up the operation to become one of the largest hardwood pallet manufacturers in the country.
Seeking better quality nails, Libla founded Mid Continent Nail Corp. in 1987. Libla grew the company from nothing to become the largest domestic nail producer in the country. Due to his success, in 1991 David Libla was recognized by the Small Business Administration with one of its Business Person of the Year awards.
Besides the pallet plant, through the years Libla also owned a trucking firm that operated out of Poplar Bluff, Missouri.
Libla founded and owned First National Pallet Rental (FNPR), a pallet rental company that once promised to challenge CHEP in the U.S. pallet rental market. Libla also sought to develop a unique nailing system years ago called the Cheetah.
From FNPR to growing Mid Continent to his other business ventures, Libla has been a pioneer who was never afraid to take risks.
Mid Continent Steel & Wire, Inc. is replacing Libla by naming as CEO Fernando Villanueva, a 20 year veteran of Deacero Mexico. Villanueva began his career with Deacero as the senior manager of logistics in 1994 and was the director of its wire facility from 1996 through 2008, responsible for the operation of two wire drawing facilities at Saltillo and Coahuila, Mexico.
Following his retirement, Libla will remain on the company’s board of directors. The experienced staff formed under the leadership of Dave Libla will remain at Mid Continent, including his son, Jeff Libla as general manager, and his daughter, Marsha Libla as inside sales/customer service manager for the company’s sales team.
I count Dave Libla as a friend and somebody who I know made the industry better by his grit and initiative. He will be missed and certainly not forgotten because his dedication to quality lives on in the nail company that he built from the ground up.
