truck driver

warehouse associate

territory sales

territory sales manager

branch manager

Alside

A typical work day at Alside is challenging.  Having the ability to manage your time effectively and to multi-task are essential.  The typical sales day feature periods of down time, followed by rushes that can consist of counter sales, customer pick ups and phone sales and customer service. 
   Alside has taught me a vast array of building product knowledge, along with processes associated with the building and contract work industry.  Most importantly, Alside has taught me the wholesale and distribution business, and all the ins and outs of running an effective and profitable branch.
   Our staff at Alside benefits from having a knowledgeable, understanding and patient manager.  Our supply center manager possesses a strong ability to remain level headed and seek out the best possible scenario to any problem, whether it be staff our customer related.  Also, his ability to foster learning and growth has enabled me to be in a position that I am able to take over a supply center when one becomes available.
   Alside Springfield has a very small staff, a total of eight full time employees.  Seven of us have worked for the Springfield location for eight years or more, and we know all the quirks and mannerisms that come with working with each other for so long.  We have also fostered a work environment where we fill in for each other when it is needed.
   The hardest part of my job is time management.  Typically, it is rare for me to complete a task for a customer without having a new task pop up before I am finished.  These situations tends to pile up throughout the day, and it is my job to make sure the customers needs are met, and within their time frame.  To ensure this is done, I keep notes on my desk so that I make sure to finish everything that I have started, and that all communications with my customers are current.
   The most enjoyable part of my job is making and building relationships.  In a typical day, I will see the same eight to ten gentleman that come in on a regular basis, and I have a strong relationship with most of them.  This makes the customer feel welcome and it leads to repeat business.  I have learned that even if you have the lowest price, and best material, if a customer doesn't feel welcome they will not be a repeat customer.

This isn’t the worst place I’ve worked and the company has so much potential.  However, during a global pandemic, shortages of raw materials, extended lead times, loss of product categories and frozen marketing/entertainment budgets to capture new business....no excuses on hitting sales goals.  Integrated products are seen as very inferior to competing/like products so you’ll have to sell on price, which is fine for some customers.  Going above and beyond, thinking outside the box is NOT encouraged or recognized.  Bottom line, middle and upper management is only concerned about the numbers being reflected on your daily scorecard (previous day’s sales numbers broken down by categories...you’ll live or die by this)....NOTHING ELSE.  This is not a fun place to work there is close to zero teamwork in the branches. In each branch, you have a sales and operations side.  Operations is only concerned about inventory levels of products, while sales is concerned with actually having products to sell, they are not in harmony or in sync.  Lots of high level reporting that really is unnecessary at the rate at which it’s required.  I’m all about giving upper management snapshots of what a territory looks like from a sales/issues perspective, but zero action is taken to correct issues.  For example, our window lines are notoriously know for issues.  We will roll up issues in hopes they reach quality teams but I have never seen anything that shows they are taking any corrective actions to make their windows better...and ultimately, the sales team pays the price due to loss of business.  Quality teams seem to have a “ah, that’s good to know” mentality with zero accountability on their end.

The Pittsburgh facility is truly run like a family environment. The Warehouse/office has roughly 25 employees, all of whom know one another’s names and very respectful. 

The facility manager seems to truly care about the well being of his employees. He will ask you about your family, life outside of work, and treat you as a friend and equal. 

I worked as a driver. You would typically have between 3-6 deliveries per day in about a 100 mile radius of Pittsburgh. Some deliveries could be more challenging than other based upon the weather, layout of land, and if there were contractors to help you unload your truck. The trucks are leased through Ryder, therefore are relatively new and run well compared to many other companies. The company also provides yearly hourly raises that typically range between $1.00 and $0.35. I went from making $15.00 per hour to a little over $17 in three years. 

The downside of working here is wages and healthcare that could be a bit better. Also an occasional lack of communication or understanding by office staff as to where certain towns are, thus making your work day very long if you have to travel hours between delivery destinations. Also business is slow in the winter and hours are cut and sometimes people are laid off. 

Overall, I enjoyed working here and would recommend the company. If your only goal is money, maybe it isn’t the best place for you.

This is a company that refuses to adapt to modern ideas of thinking and technology who's sole mantra is "if it isn't broke, don't fix it." There is absolutely no room for career growth and despite doubling/tripling company profits, management scoffs at the idea of giving their employees raises. Throughout your tenure when working at this place you will be introduced to a policy in which they treat like the 10 commandments only to discover that that same policy bends and folds depending on who/what they feel like applying it too. Training for your job and teaching about product knowledge is little to nonexistent, and oftentimes I'm not sure that legal business practices are even being upheld. Upper management oftentimes will mock their customer base as being "the bottom of the barrel of society" while seemingly having no problem doing business with them despite employees voicing concerns of their safety when presented with numerous racist/homophobic threats. Work for this company for no longer than 6 months and use it as a transitional type of job and you will be ok but don't rely on it as your only source of income. You will always be understaffed and ill-equipped with the tools necessary to complete your job and will be met with a shoulder shrug should you decide to seek help from management.

Here at Alside the normal day would consist of handling roofing appointments to numerous drop shipments all day weather pending. The crew they currently have are all hands on and ready to assist any fellow driver on any given hour of the day. I knew nothing of roofing and siding or any type of product that serves constructing a house or garage etc. I wasnt here long but i would refer anyone i know and encourage you to apply. I could not get accustomed to the early morning shift of 6-7am until 4-5pm then driving an hour home to wake up and do it again. I have been running a 2-3am schedule until finished around 9-10 am or noon then home, my own schedule as delivery route driver, so....wish i could mention names because this place is a great family type atmosphere and i wish i could take them with me, good people to work for are hard to find, AAA+++ Manager and Warehouse Manager are GREAT!! I dont want to forget about  the inside sales team i have been lucky enough to meet, really great people working here at this location but i had to go back to nights!!

If you want zero to little training and then yelled at for not knowing what your doing..then this is the job for you.  I worked there 6 months, I was belittled in front of customers, told a trained monkey could do my job and my paranoid manager was either very silent or screaming at me while I was on the phone.  I had to call to another branch to get questions answered.  I had to have the training manual sent to me via an e-mail because my manager wouldn't use it.  After speaking with other people in another branch and told it would take more than a year to learn everything I needed to do this job, my manager said that high school graduates could do this job in 2 weeks.  
The outside reps. were funny and added a comical relief to my day.  My day could not end soon enough due to my manager.  I would get the mail and go through it and hand off what was important to the manager, only to have him yell at me for handing him "junk".  
So if you can handle 8 hours of silence followed by 4 days of degrading, rude, insulting remarks, then go for it.

Alside has lack of management skills.  Theres a lot of favoritism.  Also if your a female the promotion are few in between.  They make a lot of promises they dont keep.  The salesperson gets away with everything and inside sales is to adjust to the salesperson morals, ethics, and behavior.  They promise raises but it's only 2 percent.  There is no sick pay so if you call in sick you have points against you.  After 10 points your fired.  Each time you call in sick its 1 1/2 points.  Upper management puts pressure on the centers to make money and when you reach your goal they are supposed to give you a bonus and that doesnt happen.  Theres always an excuse why you dont get full raises and bonuses.  Although management receives bonuses. Also inside staff and drivers aren't paid enough.  There are NO incentives to motivate people to work.  They only take take and take from their staff.

You can do well here with effort, have to be self-driven. No real training, only from other people who have also never been trained. Day to day can be a bit hectic and stressful walk ins and phones are non-stop busy season. If you can't multitask don't bother, you'll make everyone else's job harder. Maybe it's just where I work but the environment can be terrible most coworkers have bad attitudes and are super negative. The customers are pretty easy-going as long as you don't make them mad. They are contractors so if you're uptight or sensitive this won't be the place for you, you need thick skin. If you don't mind being in the same position for years this is for you. You may get a small yearly increase in pay otherwise you'll fight tooth and nail to prove your worth. The hours and benefits are good though. 

Each supply center had it's own way of operating depending on certain products sold and client needs in that region.   Was interesting getting to know different customers and the products they used in certain areas compared to other areas.   Some contractors sold certain products that others did not and made their living with them.   

Typical day at work was fullfilling contractor product orders, ordering windows and doors from the factory for contractors, taking phone calls from contractors, maintaining warehouse duties, loading and unloading trucks of building materials, acting as liaison between sales representatives and 100 accounts.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Truck driver 107 salaries reported	$26.76 per hour
Warehouse associate 45 salaries reported	$20.71 per hour
Territory sales 3 salaries reported	$70,000 per year
Territory sales manager 69 salaries reported	$70,326 per year
Branch manager 13 salaries reported	$82,423 per year

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