operations supervisor

supply chain specialist

intern

manager

laborer

Brown-Forman

I worked the third shift in the quality control lab. My day would start at 10:30pm and end at 7:30am. I was in charge of processing samples of liquor and verifying certain characteristics such as color, alcohol content, pH, and brix. I was also responsible for the maintenance of quality on the bottling line. I learned how to manage my time, balance multiple tasks at once, and anticipate problems before they occur. 
Since I worked third shift I was the only person in the lab so management was not present during my shift. I would only have contact with them through emails and text messages. The only issue I had with management was the lack of training. When I asked my manager for help with an issue I was having, my manager sent me to a different department to learn how that department operates rather than help fix the problem I was having in my department. 
My co-workers were excellent. The people I worked with were hard workers, very nice, and extremely professional. They were also very easy to talk to and get along with. 
The hardest part of my job was the hours. I found it very difficult to work during third shift considering I was tired the majority of the time. It was difficult to sleep during the day and this affected most aspects of my social and professional life. 
The most enjoyable part of the job was the people. I had a great time working with everybody on my shift.

Most employees covet their Brown-Forman jobs.  BF is a growing, successful company that engages it's employees, provides fantastic benefits and is in an industry that will always be booming.  Brown-Forman emphasizes the importance of work/life balance - making sure that it's employees can have flexible work schedules and valuing it's employee's health.  

All of my coworkers are nice and very intelligent and I believe that everyone comes to work to do their best because they are happy in their current job. I admire my managers and I am thankful that I get to learn from such bright and talented leaders.  The most enjoyable part of my job is interacting with them on a daily basis and trying to learn as much as I can about the business. 

I am looking for employment because I believe that I am ready to take on a more challenging and and more demanding position. That being said, the hardest part about my job is that I often find myself yearning for more difficult work. However, no task is beneath me and I know that I must help my company in every possible capacity in order to grow my professional skills and interests.

The multi craft maintenance shop at brown Forman coperage has been without a solid management crew for some time. It has created an atmosphere to where most (not all) of the senior mechanics have taken over and created a terrible work atmosphere for new incoming mechanics. A lot of drama. Hostile work environment. Little to no training and you’re expected to answer most of, if not all the calls on the radio as the new guy. There is no accountability to hold people to do their job, which has lead to a high turn over rate. Working here has let me see what a maintenance shop is not supposed to look like. 
No training is offered, most of the equipment has no updated or translated drawings or prints. When asked about pdfs you are given the runaround. 
New management seems promising, but has a giant mountain to climb before the place is half way decent to work in for mechanics wanting to better them selfs. 

Would not recommend unless in a bad situation and really need somewhere to work. 

Management and coworkers were excellent to work with. The most enjoyable part of the job was being able to learn about the alcohol industry. The hardest part of the job was getting use to the techniques and applications of the Brown Forman corporation, once learned the work was much easier.

Technical skills learned:
Sustainable Packaging Design 
Mock-Up Approval Testing
Cost Savings/Avoidance 
Creating SOP’s
Test Method Application 
Distribution Testing
Test Method Development 
SolidWorks
ArtoisCAD 
Application/Implementation of 5S Workplace System
Troubleshooting Resolution 
TOPS Pallet Configuration Software
Plastic/Glass Bottle Testing
 Product Quality Audits
Sustainable Transport Packaging 
Label Testing
Re-Shipper Package Testing Gift 
Carton Testing
Implementation/Use of ASTM/ISTA Standards

The culture at BF is dog eat dog. The managers backstab each other constantly and try to screw each other over. The company has a terrible relationship with the Union it relies on for the production work. They are literally looked at as expendable garbage, no matter how long they have worked there. The engineering team is a joke, most of them have little to zero knowledge of bottling line equipment or electrical programming. HR is a nightmare, they will tell you one thing and then do another. Also, if you are a Union production worker or salaried bottling supervisor, kiss your life goodbye. You will be expected to work 60 plus hours a week minimum. This company has a mask on it. People believe it is a great place to work but in reality it is by far the most hostile work environment I’ve ever experienced or heard of.

I would usually be on one machine a day, unless I was getting trained to operate a different machine at a different stage of the barrel making process. The management wasn't the best ever, but you learn to deal, a job is a job so you just keep your head down and do what you need to do to get the job done. The hardest part of the job by far would be having to become qualified at raising barrels. That is where you actually make the body of the barrels at, and you were expected to make a certain number of barrels by the end of the shift, and if you could not do that over a period of a week, you would be fired. The most enjoyable part of the job would actually be just knowing that you are making barrels that are going to be used to create whiskey that everyone enjoys, in a funny way it makes you feel like you were a pivotal part of how whiskey is made.

A lot of the jobs don't have room for much upward mobility, but the company offers decent benefits and a living wage, to those who become established full time. Upper Management and HR are very organized, though middle management is less so and does reflect a high turnover rate. Sometimes highly qualified candidates are hired externally and promoted internally, although for internal promotions and growth within the company, with so little spots to move up into it can be highly political rather than qualification-based. This isn't a small company in the spirits industry; it's a culture where everyone speaks corporate and is very put-together. 

Overall, a good place to work and an especially great starter or part-time job in the industry.

Brown Forman truly embraces their values of curiosity, courage, collaboration, creativity and brand championship. They strive to develop their people personally and professionally in a diverse and inclusive manner.

I have has the tremendous fortune to work with, manage and lead teams in the areas of finance, direct sales, brand management, marketing, sales strategy and operations.

I have been blessed with a fantastic 20+ year career journey as Brown Forman allowed for the opportunity to grow and develop personally and professionally across multiple disciplines within the company in the beverage alcohol business.

If you are in the actual production area, don't expect to be treated as anything but a work horse. The HR manager, does nothing but try to get people caught up in things and spread drama.Then when it comes to being professional and doing her job, she never has any information correct and will bend the rules for certain people and try to go after other people for the same things. The managers have no desire to make the working environment better for anyone. They have their favorites and everyone else is just a number. There is no outlook for morving up in a career, they will bring in outsiders before they will consider a production worker for a higher role. It may have once been a great company, but now the management/HR departments are tearing it apart.

Clock in, do your job, machine breaks down, wait for assistance, resume work, machine breaks down again, wait for assistance, resume work. Clock out. Workplace culture to the outside is great but inside there’s a lack of care for the employees. Work is easy but machinery is obsolete. Management is a BIG let down. The turnover is ridiculously high so every +/- 2 years we have new people in with different approaches and a lack of follow up to what was being done before them; so we end up starting from square one every time. Employees are not listened to not care about. If it wasn’t for the union we’d be lost.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Operations supervisor 4 salaries reported	$91,250 per year
Supply chain specialist 3 salaries reported	$88,667 per year
Intern 5 salaries reported	$16.00 per hour
Manager 4 salaries reported	$133,250 per year
Laborer 3 salaries reported	$27.33 per hour

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