forklift operator

production operator

processor

material handler

maintenance mechanic

Baldwin Richardson Foods

On the office side it seemed like there was a new person each month that would be deemed the scapegoat, and watched very closely to find a reason to terminate or make a reason to terminate. Many times these individuals were previously deemed star performers by Baldwin. 

In my experience with the company, perfectly capable employees were hired. Sometimes these new hires were moved from out of town and paid relocation. Then that person would be terminated or leave before they could get terminated, then cycle would continue again. I observed that in most cases, these folks had good performance and careers prior to Baldwin, and had good performance and careers after, sometimes even advancing there career after.

Whenever I saw an employee, especially on the office side, that had been at the company awhile, I wondered how they did it. I wondered how they could keep up with the unreasonably high demands and pace. I wondered how they could be happy while getting texts, calls, being available 24/7, and working many hours. I wondered how they avoided becoming the next scapegoat.

I should have listened to the red flag I had when I interviewed and almost everyone was new on the team. Within what I would consider a short amount of time, most of that new team was termed or left. This happened three times while I was at Baldwin. This was the trend I saw for multiple teams on the office side.

Multiple people told me the company has a bad reputation and that employees don't last long there. I wish I had listened to that red flag as well.

My coworkers would tell me that the stress from work was so bad, it was effecting their health. 

My advice for someone who gets on an executive leader's bad side is to quickly look for another job. It feels like once you get on their bad side, there is no turning back, and it's turned into an emotional decision.

One of the good things about the company is that the pay and benefits are good. However in my opinion, it wasn't worth it.

Toxic. You wouldn't believe how much of a say one thing but do another attitude upper management has.  That puts a constant strain on shift superintendants who see day to day operations yet have no power in any decisions made and are often ignored, especially on off shifts, untill operations are at a standstill and are held personally responsible. Hourly workers just want to be able to provide for themselves and families but are paid just barely enough to stick around but not effectively care about doing a quality job or teaching new hires how too because of the employee turnover being so high. Which has lead to half trained people running the factory and warehouse. It wears down your soul and would turn the most happy, content person into an angry, sour, husk of a human being. But hey, if you dont believe me come see for yourself, there is always 20 to 30 open positions posted on the website. Assistant production operator, Production operator, Assistant Processor, Processor, Forklift operator, and Sanitation and QA. All these positions/departments, for any shift, have perpetual openings and some haven't been fully staffed in years which leads to employees burning out due to having to cover other shifts every day.

Every day you go in have your shift meeting get a terrible hand off you go out thinking one thing by the time you hit the floor everything is different. They talk a big game about team work and being able to go to management with all issues, i was there for 5 years and was gaslighted about every problem i had. You work with some wonderful people, but the work ethis isnt there because the attitude of all the employees is the same they gave up because nothing changes and they put people in positions of power that cant handle it. Everything is always someone trying to be better than someone else and you cant trust anyone they will throw you under the bus to make themselves look better everytime. And dont waste your time with hr 2 seperate hr teams one on site one off and no one seems to know whats going on. I loved my work there and learning but the people ruin it you can only take so much mentally before it breaks you.

A lot of upper level managers. Not enough people do the day to day work. Some
Departments are the exact same size when the company was half the size. Some departments are completely overstaffed. Some very rude managers who do not help out at all, those managers act like they are an executive when they are not. Did two acquisitions within 6-7 months of each other, and they are trying to stand both up at the same time. Everything is a priority. No real culture there, some departments have zero culture. It’s come in and work. Hours can range from 45-60 hours depending on your department. OPs, Finance and IT could see closer to 60 depending on what is going on and time of year. Systems are decent. Some Awesome people especially at the middle manager and analyst levels. All the ingredients are there to make the company great, can they make the changes necessary to do it. Private Equity would see this as a smart investment. 

Baldwin Richardson Foods is a dynamic business which will go to any means to satisfy and meet the customers requirements.  They will pull all the stops to get the correct materials in house.  This is a good thing, however this may cause high stresses and a lot of frustration.  

Be aware that some ordering will occur within lead times and unplanned changes in production, amount of batches for a production order might change from 1 to 2 batches within lead times.  

Additionally a shortage of supply during production might be blamed on an order overrun, which will be taken as that a raw material was under order.    

Some positions have a high rate of turnover, while other positions will rarely turn over.  

Jobs at Baldwin can be a rewarding experience.  If you are not noticed for exceeding standards, you tend to be reported as low performing even if you meet or slightly exceed job duties.

What is the best part of working at the company?
I have been working there for almost 4 months now and its a cool place to work, not Just working their because that's to easy to say. I like the people who I work with, no drama no hassle just do your job and be kind and all goes smoothly. Great work environment!! Safety first everone!!

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Changeover lol, I'm just ready for the next batch to put out lol!!

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Kind, friendly,  and smooth. it is diverse and everyone gets along, no judgement on gender religion, or ethnicity Or gender preference. Progressive in the work spaces..

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
It's all about the additude you carry in. Its productive but not demanding to be strenuous, Just as long as you do you job and do it safely it's a comfortable job.

The only pro at this place is the time off/benefits that they offer. You need to be a temp to hire, and when you are hired, you do not get a raise! They cut out so many incentives and least to say, it is a greedy company. They will pay for unnecessary equipment while ones that need to get fixed, are not, causing more stress on employees—down time on the lines , and creating more over time, that is mandated if there are no employees willing to pick up the over time hours!

They are now adding a scanner, on each production line, for workers to punch in and out from in order to keep in check on how long people are taking breaks, ( even though we have a time clock!) and to record “downtime” on lines. If there is a significant amount of down time, employees will be sent home, with a choice of “no pay” or your PTO/sick time, will be used! 

Working here feels more like prison than a job. 

Although my time at Baldwin Richardson was short due to personal health issues and other factors not related to them, for the time I was there they were incredibly supportive.  They took the time to explain, discuss, and instruct in anything you wanted to learn regardless if it was related directly to your position or not.  They have a culture of everyone have a basic knowledge of the processes and procedures involved in the business.  They believe the more you know what goes into the production of their products the better their employees will perform and in turn the better quality of product can be produced.  I was very sad to have left but I would recommend them as an employer anytime.

This is a good company to learn some new skills then move on. This will depend on your own preferences. Like most manufacturers it is very fast paced. There is no environmental control, so the inside temperature in summertime on the manufacturing floor is in the 90's and very humid. The floor workers are dripping with sweat the whole shift. During the colder months, it is acceptable.This company has an approximate 80% employee turnover. The training is better than most and you can work there as long as you want. There is always plenty of overtime available, sometimes without notice. They are as disorganized as most every other company is today. It is a good place to learn new skills and their paperwork is up to par.

Initially a great place to work, management treated employees like family. Owner stepped aside to allow family member to take control and culture was changed dramatically. Employees became numbers and continued employment no longer depended on skills/experience and what you brought to the table but became a duck and cover mentality for employees as management made irrational and poorly defined decisions. Hopefully someone puts it back on track. Still has a chance of becoming a great company again.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Forklift operator 21 salaries reported	$22.14 per hour
Production operator 15 salaries reported	$20.20 per hour
Processor 7 salaries reported	$28.44 per hour
Material handler 11 salaries reported	$22.47 per hour
Maintenance mechanic 7 salaries reported	$38.83 per hour

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