Like many other employers, we have struggled to recruit, hire and retain employees — which is essential to the success of our company. Work in the manufacturing and natural resource areas isn’t for everyone, but there are countless opportunities in the wood products industry. Working at Freres is a great way to make a difference by helping us use the most environmentally-friendly building material on the planet and providing sustainable building products to the market.
What our industry can provide is a wide variety of career possibilities, flexible positions, training to reach your goals, and competitive rates and benefits, all while providing products essential to our communities.
Flexible work schedules are attractive to many people. We now allow part-time positions in our plants to recruit potential parents and grandparents that need to be able to take children to school in the morning and pick them up after school. We have reached out to veterans and other groups that struggle to find work, providing opportunity to those in poverty or those transitioning from jail to build back their lives by providing competitive wages and on the job training. These positions start at $20 per hour. We have also changed to a Paid Time Off (PTO) benefit, to give our current employees more options in using their leave.
There’s something to be said for hard work. It certainly has its rewards. For some, they are financial rewards like living wage jobs and opportunities for advancement. For others it’s being at the forefront of creating something new and innovative. You’ll find people attracted to both at Freres. But one thing’s for sure, when you love what you do and you have determination, it hardly feels like work at all.
In an effort to reduce the physical toll on our employees, we continue to invest in new and innovative ways to make our positions less physically demanding, more productive and more fulfilling. We lead the industry in the adoption of 5-axis robots to automate positions, reducing the physical demands while requiring sophisticated operators willing to learn new skills. We are investing more than $2 million in 2023 alone to improve our facilities for our employees and provide a cleaner, more welcoming place to work.
Tech jobs are all the rage these days, but there are many reasons to consider a hands-on career at Freres instead. We have provided jobs to our community for more than 100 years, and we need people with a desire to work hard and learn new skills. See our current job openings online, and come meet us at the events below to learn more about our company.
Upcoming Career Events
- Willamette ESD’s Industry Classroom Connected Project on February 21, 2023
- Career Technical Education Center (CTEC through Salem-Keizer School District) Mock Interviews on February 27, 2023
- NAWIC’s Willamette Valley Construction Day at the Oregon State Fairgrounds on April 25, 2023
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