“Find a niche and fill it.” It’s solid advice for any aspiring business owner, and after years of working in the manufacturing industry, Anne Strobel was sure she had found a niche that needed filling. Finding a reliable source of pallets was a problem she struggled with during her many years in manufacturing. As an active member of the Smaller Manufacturers Association (SMA) of Connecticut, including two years as president, Anne also knew this was a problem her colleagues experienced. She saw this gap in the supply chain as an opportunity.
“From the very beginning of my career in manufacturing, I aspired to build something of my own,” says Anne. “While that path was not always straightforward, my determination never wavered—I simply needed to find a new route forward.” And that route was paved with pallets.
Today, Dynamic Pallet Inc. delivers dependable pallet solutions to manufacturers and distributors across Connecticut—but Anne needed some help getting there. She knows the manufacturing business inside and out but starting a factory from scratch is a different story. Her years with SMA left her with many valuable contacts, and Anne reached out to a contact with M&T Bank; he referred her to a trusted advisor at Connecticut Small Business Development Center (CTSBDC).
Trusted guidance from loan to launch
“One of the biggest challenges I faced early on was preparing financial projections that would meet the expectations of lenders,” says Anne. Her CTSBDC advisor, Valerian (Val) Gomez has an extensive background in banking, and she says, “He helped me understand exactly what banks look for and what they don’t want to see. With his guidance, I was able to present clear, credible projections that strengthened my position and gave me confidence moving forward.”
Together, Anne and Val put together a winning loan application that allowed Dynamic Pallet to become a reality, officially going into business in July of 2025. “Drawing from the lessons I learned working alongside my father in a family-run operation and combining that with the standards and structure I experienced in a larger corporate environment, I launched Dynamic Pallet Inc. in the Waterbury area,” Anne says.
Acquiring the money to launch Dynamic Pallet was the first step on a months-long journey. From finding the best price on nails to tracking down pallet-making machines in Alabama, there were a lot of details to work out. Getting those machines shipped to Connecticut and then installed was another challenge that involved large cranes and some tense moments. Despite the challenges, by the end of the year, Anne was ready to fulfill the company’s first order.
Building momentum and pallets
Val, Dynamic Pallet’s CTSBDC advisor, was there every step of the way as Anne tackled each new challenge. “The support gave me the confidence to move forward, knowing I had experienced advisors helping me navigate the process of starting and scaling my business,” says Anne. “We were able to troubleshoot challenges together, work through issues as they came up, and use our meetings as a sounding board for new ideas.”
Dynamic Pallet Inc. is growing, with production moving in the right direction and showing consistent progress, meeting new milestones reinforcing that the company is on a strong path forward. “Looking ahead, the future is bright—we’re focused on continuing to improve, scaling operations, and strengthening our role as a trusted partner for manufacturers and distributors in the region,” Anne says. CTSBDC will be there for whatever challenges are next.
