laborer

forklift operator

material handler

operator

packager

Barrett Petfood

Barrett is a family run business and has clear goals to be one of the best pet food suppliers in the region. The work can be somewhat tedious at time but the employees like to have some fun while getting the job done well each day or evening. 

If you have a work and or family life issue the managers try their best to work with you to help you when they can and depending upon what the situation may be. Human Resource manager is great, very approachable and willing to help if he can. 

The distance to get to work is not an issue for me as I enjoy the people I work with and that the pet food is a premium product which I believe in and feed my own pets! Good benefits from this company show they care more than other employers. 

The only con about the work is that some of the work does involve some heavier, repetitive lifting but that depends where you are working in the facility. If you cant lift make sure you apply for a position where there is seldom lifting.

In the beginning it was good, as company grew they cared more about expanding then maintaining, wages were the highest around Brainerd but now lower or the same but with no incentive to do better do to wage cap, very few reviews, lots of favoritism, lack of management I spent 7 years there after 3 it went down hill, I’ve seen so many people come and go either quitting or getting fired, rules are made up as the day goes, some are enforced some only when feel like that day or who it is, I loved working there but as management kept changing so did the work environment, expect more, but with the same pay. Very toxic environment at times. But the company has a chance to learn and grow and I believe they will do better in the future and make the necessary changes to make you feel like your appreciated.

I was in the meat room. Raw Ingredient Processor 
Ended up having problems with health because of the climate. Cold, very high humidity and wetness your whole shift and still expected to go into the freezer and outside at various times and often. 
 I had a doctor's note saying please accommodate, patient overall health is affected. Told Employer that packaging would be better. Fired same day after turning in doctors note. Said they could not accommodate because they needed me in the meat room. The conditions of the meat room (Nasty Work) was stated in the Doctors note. 
  They will not work with you. High turnover. Boring and Repetitive. 

What is the best part of working at the company?
A company that grew too fast with no senior leadership. If your not related to ownership no room for advancement and will always be told what you wanna hear, but never the truth.  Average age of supervisor would be 23 1/2.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Never compliments only criticism

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Great people to work with just horrible people to work for.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
All depends who shows up or not you could be doing just your job or you could be doing three other peoples and  they expect the same productivity

I was told when I first started if you're not a favorite, a family member, or a friend of one of the owners that you're pretty much a nobody. Their attendance is so strict and it's kept by computer so if you're one minute late that's one point off. The first shift team seem to always make their packaging bonuses because they have many people to fill all the lines. But if you work a second shift you can kiss your packaging bonuses goodbye. And all the bills you were hoping to pay along with it. 
This would be a great job if you're in a pinch and you just need a quick paycheck for a few months will you figure out your next move to a company that places a higher monetary value on your loyalty. 



The company is growing too fast too soon, their more worried about getting more lines going then fixing the ones they do have. The work space is crowded with the new machines. There is no training program, the line leads are suppose to train even though they don't get paid for it, and most of the leads  don't take the time to train properly because there more worried about getting the bonuses. There isn't adequate communication between manager or supervisor to the Line leads.

What is the best part of working at the company?
There are some good people there just trying their best to get by, but scared to speak up

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Trying to preform your job to the best of your ability with little to no training 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Very stressful due to upper management 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Listening to other employees grievances and knowing there was nothing that could be done to help them

Great coworkers. Nice buildings and equipment to work with. We are always running out of ingredients or supplies to complete jobs. Management seems to run by their seats of the pants. Nothing is written down as in work instructions. Knowledge is very tribal, if one person would quit and he/she didn’t tell anyone how to do his/her job, that knowledge would disappear. Production schedule is only good for about 10 hours, it falls apart after that. Nice people though. They have a point system for disciplinary actions but never seem to follow through with termination.

It was my first job at a manufacturing/distribution type of job. I didn't know anything including the "common sense" type of things. No one was helpful. I ended up getting carpal tunnel in both wrists from "chipping" the meat in the meat grinder. The lead operator was too immature of a kid that lacks the skills to show someone the ropes. The other person I worked with was experienced in that type of work, but was stuck up and too arrogant to be helpful. They just expected me to understand and get it without explaining or training. Nothing good came from my experience there. It was an all around bad experience.

The employees in the company are alot of fun to work with, but the company company has very poor management from top to bottom.  Eight hour shifts can soon 14-16 turn into shifts if they need to you to cover for another shift.  They like to tell you what you want to hear, but never fallow through on their end.  There are alot of safety issues that never get cleaned up or solved.  If your not family or a friend of upper management you will never move up in the company. 

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Laborer 43 salaries reported	$21.88 per hour
Forklift operator 73 salaries reported	$21.35 per hour
Material handler 9 salaries reported	$21.33 per hour
Operator 48 salaries reported	$22.91 per hour
Packager 42 salaries reported	$18.99 per hour

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