What is pallet pooling?

PECO Pallet maintains a large nationwide "pool" of high-quality wood pallets. PECO rents pallets to manufacturers, who ship their product to distributors and retailers throughout PECO's extensive service network. Empty pallets are picked up and returned to an authorized depot, where they are inspected, cleaned, and repaired before being reissued. This pallet pooling system is efficient, cost-effective, and environmentally sustainable.

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Quality and Service from the Start

America thrives on competition. But back in the late 1990s, a large overseas corporation had a near-total monopoly on the pallet pooling market. A group of 18 independent pallet recyclers came together to form a better alternative: PECO Pallet. PECO's founders recognized the huge potential for a well-maintained pallet pool. And they saw the shortcuts the prevailing monopoly was taking—to the disadvantage of its customers. Consequently, from the very beginning, PECO Pallet made a commitment to provide its customers with superior quality pallets and excellent service.

Early Growth

In PECO's early years, the company grew slowly but steadily. The size of PECO's pallet pool increased significantly after sizable capital investments by White Mountains Insurance Group, the Walnut Group, and MK Capital. During this time PECO supplied pallets primarily to private label vendors shipping to club stores. The nation's leading club store became an early PECO supporter because they also wanted to maintain healthy competition in the pallet industry. Several national manufacturers signed on with PECO as well. By working in partnership with these companies to reduce costs and improve efficiency throughout the supply chain, PECO's reputation for quality and service continued to grow.

Strategic Repositioning

By 2005, it was clear that PECO was ready to move beyond its start-up business model. Driven by the energy, enthusiasm, and integrity of incoming CEO David Lee and a fresh executive leadership team, PECO transformed itself into a national leader in pallet pooling services. As PECO added more top manufacturers and distributors to its nationwide service network, the number of total pallet issues increased dramatically.

Acquisition and Expansion

Pallet pooling on a large scale requires significant capital investment. As PECO continued to grow at a rate of 30%+ each year, it became increasingly clear that the company had great potential to become an industry leader. In March 2011, PECO Pallet was acquired by The Pritzker Group, one of the most successful and innovative private investment firms in the world. This provided the substantial equity capital needed to fund the company's continued growth throughout the U.S. as well as expansion into Canada and Mexico.

Today, PECO Pallet is a dynamic North American leader, pushing the entire pallet industry forward—and forcing the competition to sit up and take notice. Yet, even as PECO continues to grow, we remain respectful and true to our roots. Our passionate commitment to quality and service will always be at the heart of PECO Pallet.