Since 2014, The Wicks Group, PLLC (TWG) has advised The Industrial Packaging Alliance of North America (IPANA) and its four affiliate trade associations on issues related to corporate governance, regulatory compliance, antitrust, and hazardous materials transportation.
Formed in 2003, IPANA is the leading trade association for manufacturers and suppliers of new industrial packaging. Its members comprise major domestic and international businesses that specialize in packaging and packaging components. IPANA represents several of North America’s largest packaging manufacturers, who produce and supply a broad variety of industrial packaging types, including steel drums, plastic drums, fiber drums, and rigid intermediate bulk containers. Its four affiliate trade associations are also represented by TWG and are specialized according to packaging type. They include the Industrial Steel Drum Institute (ISDI), the Plastic Drum Institute (PDI), the Rigid Intermediate Bulk Container Association of North America (RIBCA-NA), and the International Fiber Drum Institute (IFDI). IPANA’s formation resulted from a partnership of these four associations.
IPANA’s mission is to promote the critical role of the packaging industry in the safe transportation of goods and the use of safe, sustainable industrial packaging while meeting market requirements for performance and cost. In pursuit of this mission, IPANA represents the interests of the industrial packaging industry before U.S. and international regulatory bodies and encourages technological advancement in industrial packaging through research and testing to expand market opportunities for its members. IPANA encourages recycling of packaging and reconditioning for reuse, reducing the impact on the environment and promoting a circular economy.
IPANA maintains a dialogue with allied industries, supply chain partners, and trade associations representing companies that utilize industrial packaging to safely transport their products. IPANA ensures that its members stay up to date on critical information regarding key regulatory and technical issues by hosting two yearly conferences and several webinars throughout the year. TWG is on site during conferences to advise on matters related to antitrust, take minutes, and remain apprised of other issues requiring legal assistance.
In 2022, TWG assisted IPANA and its affiliate trade associations with redrafts of their governing bylaws under several state jurisdictions. This legal support was designed to ensure that the bylaws continue to conform to current laws and current best-practice for not-for-profit/non-profit entities, and to align IPANA and its affiliates’ governing documents with association practices and needs. TWG continues to advise IPANA and its four affiliate trade associations to ensure legal and regulatory compliance without sacrificing the agility and flexibility required of a modern trade association. TWG is proud to continue to assist IPANA and its affiliates in this mission.
Established in 1999 and based in Washington, DC, The Wicks Group has a lengthy record of providing technical assistance to civil aviation authorities (CAAs) worldwide, including but not limited to the CAAs of India, Panama, Cabo Verde, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, and Trinidad and Tobago. In all, ten FAA Category 1 ratings have been issued to TWG IASA technical assistance clients to date – a 100% track record. TWG also regularly assists foreign air carriers with obtaining the US government approvals needed for US air carrier operations and foreign repair stations with securing FAA certification required to maintain US-registered aircraft.