Join me as I sit down with Michael Kelker, a former corporate exec who spent 15 years in the aviation manufacturing industry before leaving to buy Timberline Pallet, a custom pallet and crating company in the Quad Cities.

With no prior experience in pallets, Michael stepped in as an owner-operator, doubled the business in five years, and grew the team from 15 to 27 employees.

Since then, he’s made two more acquisitions: an auto parts recycler and a manufacturing consultancy (which he exited).

We dive into what it’s really like to run a blue-collar business, team building, why he says he’s “not a good employee anymore," and how he’s building a legacy business for his daughters (GBR Riverdale is named after them).
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He Left Corporate to Buy a Pallet Company. Then He Doubled It. | Michael Kelker of GBR Riverdale