driver

local driver

production operator

machine operator

warehouse associate

Alpenrose Dairy

I’ve never written a review but today I have to.
Honestly my first red flag should have been at my interview when I was “greeted” by the employee at the front desk, worst people skills I’ve ever seen with a cringing attitude towards greeting people. 

On to the job: 
If you have a busy family life this probably won’t be a good fit. If you’re young and have no responsibilities outside of yourself and willing to put up with disorganization and willing to organize your route as you learn it this might be a great fit for you. 
I’ve managed logistics companies and have grown them to maximize not only profit but customer experience.
 I witnessed one of the drivers go above and beyond for a handicapped customer and Managment admitted to not going that extra mile for this same customer when they covered the drivers route. This is the same person that interviewed me and I quote said “we are customer first, we should go the extra mile” at my interview and again during training.  I was shocked to see their reaction to the drivers incredible work.
What was mind blowing on the logistics side of the company was their inconsistent route planning and lack of route efficiency. 
Most drivers have created an efficient way to not only save time but also the company money on fuel by not following the route in the order the company has on their tablets which has drivers crisscrossing accross town wasting time. To put this into perspective they want you to do 15-20 stops per hour, if the stops on the tablet were managed correctly that would be doable no probable with the average drive time per stop being 3 min.  instead due to route inefficiency it’s more like 5-6 min average drive time which adds to your average stop time for picking an order. 
Again those who hit that mark managed to go out of their way and figure out how to make their routes more effective, which is not in their job description to work out logistics and really all it would take for Managment is to collaborate with their team (drivers) to create the most efficient routes possible.
 I did this for a living, proper routes not only saves money on fuel but it will also save these drivers on commission time and money as well, not to mention customers will get their orders in a more timely matter reducing the time product is in a truck.
It was clear to me that Managment does not care about making your work day efficient, they only care about making their own work day easier. I took this job because I wanted to challenge myself and work from ground up again. I could have easily gotten a job managing a different logistics company with my proven record of helping companies grow and did so by turning down other offers, but I decided to take this job based on the family values and the connection to the public the company presented itself to having , only to find out it was all a front to hire people due to their inability to retain employees. Times have changed from the nostalgic Alpenrose brand that most people have raved about, it’s sad to say that those values they used to carry are no longer there. 
Turn over rate is astronomical, all drivers, and I mean ALL are upset and unhappy with Managment which is honestly not a good look for a company who’s customers want to see the same friendly face at their doorstep. 
Communication about how this job really works is not expressed in your interview or during your training. I would ask as many questions as possible that pertains to your life style and make sure you get answers. 
The pay is good for those with a full route, again the hours for someone that doesn’t have a busy home life (they won’t tell you that) and ready to work hard this might be a good fit. Other drivers and people at the dairy for the most part are great so you will enjoy them. 
It’s honest work and you’re dealing with some amazing customers that could make it worthwhile.

I start at 12:00 am down in the warehouse to verify work was carried out the day prior and catch up on any paperwork. I than move to production and schedule the days production. Once production has been scheduled I head out to the floor and help where needed as well as work on Lean improvements. I end the day compiling data from the days production for further, lean improvements. I have learned about the dairy business and working close to customers. I have learned to schedule production and purchase materials. Management is eager to make the Dairy a better place to work. I work well with my co-workers. The hardest part of the job is forecasting for future sales depending on several factors such as weather, holidays, days of the week, etc. The most enjoyable part of the job is the family atmosphere.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Back when it was a family ran business it was the best job ever.  They listened to you and your ideas.  The new owners thought they knew everthing and started dropping business left and right. The BIG one was the ice cream.  

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Whrn you have more experience in the dairy then all the "NEW" managers and they don't listen. Like they were hired to destroy the company!  Rather than build the conpany stronger. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Hostile now!  Everyone thinks they know everything but knows nothing but what google says. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Don't work there anymore. So my typical day is FANTASTIC!!!

Benefits are good for this industry. Union job with OT after 40. Hours are bad for having a life, and equipment is in poor condition. For a company that just bought a multi-million dollar property in Clackamas and invests heavily in the Class C home delivery department (Why? Amazon wins? Grocery delivery exists already?), the CDL union drivers are left with failing equipment. Not enough good trailers, refrigerator units break down constantly, no backup pallet jacks, 90% of trucks are over 500k. Hopefully something will change without giving all the union routes to distributors. 

By far one of the worse jobs I've worked. They basically throw you to the wolves day one, 2 minutes tops of training then figure it out on you're own mentality. Multiple times I've been put in dangerous situations. The equipment here is past repair and should be decommissioned. I've seen people get fired for refusing to use faulty equipment. It's common place here to not get scheduled breaks or lunch. I wouldn't recommend working here even with the union benefits 

Where do I start?

Management is a complete joke. They know more than you. They expect you to stick a square peg in a round hole. 

Hr once again a complete joke. These people are Anti union. They refuse to fix anything, refuse to admit they made a mistake on payroll. 

If you’re in the union you’re fine. If you’re not good luck. 

All they care about is money. Your wellbeing and Mental health don’t matter. They don’t provide you with proper tools. Machinery and trucks are well beyond repair. If you inquire about anything being fixed…..just don’t. 

Start my day with a morning walkthrough and inventory. Next I start scheduling production for both day and evening shifts. Once it is all scheduled I walk out to the floor and work with production in areas needed. I than come back to my office and work on orders for the next days production and compress data for process improvements.

This is a very bad company to work for their equipment is outdated and unsafe, equipment is always breaking down trucks trailers liftgates electric jacks be prepared when going through the scales to get redlined for an inspection.

Management does a poor job of communicating always switching your days off no set days warehouse workers can't get loads correct.

My review for Alpenrose dairy is the bad management from the top it was hard for us on the farm crew being low paid compared to those in the Union working the plant which gave the farm crew low incentive which made it hard for me as a supervisor to keep replacing and dealing with the low morale of the workers even though upper management was well aware of the problem

What is the best part of working at the company?
Free milk and cottage cheese  

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The human resource department 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
It's a negative environment and disorganized

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Sitting around waiting for something to break

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Driver 2 salaries reported	$60,000 per year
Local driver 1 salary reported	$28.50 per hour
Production operator 1 salary reported	$26.25 per hour
Machine operator 3 salaries reported	$21.74 per hour
Warehouse associate 3 salaries reported	$20.00 per hour

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