Freres Lumber recently announced a 10 percent wage increase for all employees, both hourly and salaried. The increase bumps entry-level wages to a starting pay rate of $17.42 per hour.
“To put it simply, we need to attract more people,” said Kyle Freres, vice president of operations, about the motivation behind the move. “It’s a competitive labor market, and we have been chronically short of people since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020. We are in a somewhat remote location and need to be able to attract employees from the I-5 corridor.”
The pay increase equates to a $2.5 million increase annually for the company, based in Lyons. Additionally, Freres Lumber has awarded quarterly bonuses for the last three consecutive quarters.
“We are committed to providing good benefits to our employees as well as family-wage jobs to the local community,” Freres said. “We want to provide rural jobs competitive with those in urban area, while also offering the potential for career advancement within our company for long-term employees.”
Freres said the company has had an increase in applications and an improved attrition rate with the new wage plan.
Freres Lumber also has an Employee Referral Bonus program in place. If an employee refers someone who gets hired, after 90 days the new employee gets a $300 bonus and the referring employee receives $200.
“We are always looking for ways to attract and retain employees,” Freres said. “We are hoping to make some changes to improve the environment in our mills for our people.”
More than half of Freres employees live locally, company officials report, adding that long-term investments in its team in turn have a positive ripple effect on the larger community.
For more information, call 503-859-2121.
