Zachary Jowers is general manager of D&R Pallet in Decaturville, Tennessee. The business was founded in 2004. The company specializes in high-production pallet manufacturing but can supply pallets of any size along with custom crates. D&R Pallet has invested heavily in automated equipment and has a skilled staff.
Pallet Enterprise: What is the best piece of business advice that you have ever received?
Jowers: An experienced businessman who was successful in multiple industries once told me, “You don’t have to be the biggest to be very successful.” Those words still ring true as we try to become more efficient each day at D&R.
Pallet Enterprise: Have you recently started pursuing any new markets/product lines?
Jowers: We are always looking for another chance to expand. We have an experienced set of employees who are always willing to take on new tasks. It’s a good feeling to have a group of people behind you that are up for any new challenges thrown at them. D&R Pallet owes so much of its success to its dedicated employees.
Pallet Enterprise: How do you decide whether or not to try a new idea in your company?
Jowers: I’m fortunate enough to be surrounded by a lot of experienced businessmen who have “been there and done that” in most situations. They are always great to advise on what can be helpful and what can be hurtful.
Pallet Enterprise: What is one thing you do at your company that is different from other pallet companies?
Jowers: We feel like we are more hands-on than most managers. Many days you can find one of us driving a forklift, working on a saw line, or anything else needed to help out. The best way for us to understand our strengths and weaknesses is for us to be active in day-to-day operations.
Pallet Enterprise: What is one of the hardest business decisions you have ever made?
Jowers: These occurred at the beginning of the pandemic when there was so much uncertainty. We have steady customers that depend on our business. It was a tough day to call them and say no more wood deliveries until something changes.
Pallet Enterprise: What is the best business decision you ever made?
Jowers: One of the best business decisions we ever made was to upgrade our equipment. We want our employees to want to come to work for us. We feel like those improvements in quality machinery make each job less labor intensive, provide a safer work environment, and ultimately make us more efficient.
Pallet Enterprise: What performance indicators do you track to measure how your company is doing?
Jowers: Customer satisfaction is ultimately our largest measure for company success. You know you’re doing something right when a customer you are supplying refers multiple other customers back to you. It lets you know that you are producing a quality product that is being delivered with great customer service.
Pallet Enterprise: What is the biggest challenge your company currently faces?
Jowers: The biggest challenge D&R faces now is thriving in a more competitive market. The pallet industry has always been a competitive market, but the past year has been a little more difficult. Sales have been down in almost all industries, and that leads to more and more pallet companies looking to fill those gaps in their production. This includes us. Our main goal is to become more efficient each day at producing a high-quality product at the lowest cost possible.
