accounting clerk

transportation coordinator

software engineer

operator

engineer

Richardson International

Richardson Lethbridge is a good place to work, good benefits, good people, good hours and They have a good training program plus they got me all my safety certifications and operators licenses.  They are involved in refining canola oil from crushing the seed to refining oil to packaging the finished products
If you apply to be a production line Operator you have to be willing to work a rotating schedule, that meaning working day, afternoon or night, it is very stressful, they should have fixed schedule, there are people who love to work only at night or vice versa.
If you apply for Material Handler: tank car shed are the rail movers and a lot more... before there were 4 workers, now they only have 2 and when someone gets sick it's worse, one person does the work that 4 should do and they have to ask other workers for help all the time, obviously that means extra work for others, something that apparently does not care to the supervisors
The train loading dock 6 is too small, they should cover railway track number 6 because every day you have to walk on top of a freight train car and you know that working during high winds can be extremely difficult and the potential for injuries is high. Not to mention rain or the freezing cold weather!!!! Research has shown that a cold environment significantly decreases the strength of your muscles and your duties requires a Lot of Heavy Lifting and repetitive movement, don’t forget ice and snow can have a profound effect on railroad operations and all together make it a high-risk job. Have a good infrastructure is just the first step towards minimizing hazardous and costly accident. in conclusion and for the sake of caring for a human life: train loading dock-train loading bay-pellet loadout track 6 or whatever they want to call it should be Cover to protect workers, remember Injuries are preventable.
The supervisors get huge bonuses every year, which they absolutely do not deserve, they should better use that money to invest in better infrastructure and hire more employees. another way to save money could be instead of using Steel Cable Seals Metal Security Tag, use Plastic Security Seal Pull Tie Tags just like the ones used by Cp railway
Keep something in mind: If you take care of your employees, they'll take care of your customers.
you are welcome, Richardson.

I spent nearly five years at Richardson Oilseed, and while my experience started off positively, the past two years have been challenging. Corporate's increasingly rigid and black-and-white approach to handling promotions and advancement opportunities has led to some unfavorable outcomes within the plant.

One of the most concerning issues is how brand-new hires were quickly promoted into higher, more prestigious positions, which, in turn, diminished the prestige and credibility of those roles. This shift occurred because senior operators—despite being fully trained and competent—were often deemed ineligible for promotion due to minor incidents or accidents. The result has been a significant gap in experience among those in leadership positions.

The plant now has numerous inexperienced operators in higher-level roles, which has impacted the overall effectiveness of the operation. Senior operators, who should have been prime candidates for these positions, were passed over due to an unrealistic expectation of perfection, with little consideration given to the toll that rotating shifts take on employees' performance and well-being.

Because of these challenges, many highly skilled operators have left the company in search of better opportunities elsewhere.

In my opinion, Richardson Oilseed would greatly benefit from the creation of a dedicated Trainer position or a formal training department. Having a structured training program would help ensure that new hires and current employees receive the necessary guidance and development to perform their roles effectively. This would not only help bridge the experience gap but also improve overall productivity and safety within the plant. 

A Trainer could focus on fostering the skills of both new and senior operators, ensuring that employees are better prepared for advancement while reducing the likelihood of costly mistakes.

I believe that implementing a structured training program would not only improve the skill level of employees but also contribute to a more supportive and cohesive work environment, helping Richardson retain its top talent and ensure the long-term success of the plant.

Richardson targets newly graduated students from various programs including food science, commerce and agribusiness to name a few. 

The pay is below the industry average from the start and pay increases are consistently below that of inflation. 

Richardson likes to promote from within, with a significant emphasis on employees in their merchandising development program, or those who have spent time at their country facilities. If you are neither of these would recommend caution before applying. 

The workload varies significantly between departments and in my experience requires significant amounts of unpaid overtime in order to be successful. The management structure (varies by department) in general I would describe as very old school with very limited amount of progressive decision making. The atmosphere is very intense at all times and if you can’t handle the heat you are not going to last. 

As far as advancement opportunities, if you are working in the transportation department you should be aware that you will have very very limited influence on possible positions changes, etc. These decisions are made at the management level behind closed doors and if you are chosen you will be approached with the opportunity. People who have said no to such moves often will find themselves stuck in a position for their remaining time at the company. 

The mentality of the company itself is entirely focused on their bottom line without considering the health of their business units. I have been in meetings where the words “we don’t care about the grain elevator” are used. Would ask the question: if they don’t care about their own business units, do you really think they are going to care about you? Just food for thought from someone who has worked there. 

Overall, it is a good place to gather some experience early in your career once you graduate and then move on. Good luck

Richardson used to be a family company that valued their employees. Now they only value “some”. If you are a golden child  - you will be promoted. If you are inefficient in that role, they will shuffle you elsewhere until they can find the right fit. If you are an average, everyday person? They don’t care about you. They won’t promote from within unless you have a bunch of fancy degrees. If you have learned the business from the ground up? Lead hand… maybe a junior supervisor… but you’ll never go higher than that. I used to think the pay was fair. Until I figured out that I was called in an average of 30 weekends a year (that you don’t get paid for if you are on salary). Or the minimum of 2 phone calls a day (at home - when with family or sleeping) that you don’t get on call pay for either. So did I make a good wage? Yearly-it looked like it. But hourly? I made less than the guys on the production floor. Upper management is distant from the day to day. The off site management? Clueless as to what really goes on. Used to be a great company. Not anymore. 

The crew of guys  that work there make the pitiful job bearable . Great life long friendships . The management in the Yorkton is basically a bunch of snakes . The management is too worried about their own jobs to be humble enough to stick up for the actual working crews who work 12-15 hours shifts in rain snow and heat .The place isn’t just a toxic work culture , it’s also physically toxic with all the grain dust and chemicals you breath in . Not to mention the  jobs themselves are mentally and physically straining . The medical benefits are depleting more and more every year as the  company continues to nickle and dime every employee slowly  of all long benefits that lured them to the company to begin with . 

Not worth the mental strain and physical health your body goes through . Also , don’t expect management to be honest , they allll lie and throw everyone under the bus . Half that management sits on stress leave for most of the year while judging the actual guys who know how to work a real man’s job . 

Richardson Oilseed Ltd was a fascinating progressively improving production plant. They are involved in refining canola oil from crushing the seed to refining oil to packaging the finished products. Working with many people from all walks of life in a 24/7 shiftwork rotation was a great experience for me. I worked in the packaged products laboratory performing in-process quality control monitoring, checking incoming ingredients/packaging, and pre-shipments of finished products for 15 years. During that time I had the opportunity to work with research and development of new product formulas/flavors and testing of new processing equipment. The management people and co-workers were enjoyable to work with. 

When I moved to the Refinery Lab in the last three years of employment I experienced the same fascinating learning experiences with a wonderful Quality Control team.

I thoroughly enjoyed my work at Richardson. I did many things I had never done before, They took me in green, not a lick of experience and taught me, with patience. The operators are phenomenal, just great at keeping things running, the maintenance team was very hard working, in almost any weather conditions, the safety standards were very high, great benefits (sleep time, boot allowance, 1.5x pay between 40-48 hrs a week, 48+hours a week 2x pay). They got me all my safety certifications and operators licenses. Day to day work I did mostly PM's, worked shutdowns, Lots and lots of pumps and conveyors. Lubrication routes. Hardest part of the job I would say was inconsistent management and waiting on getting safework agreements signed off, but that's the extent of it and that's not so bad.

The people who work at Richardson are awesome, work balance is good in most roles. The downside to working there is an average of $10k difference in pay for equivalent experience at other agricultural firms. There is also a lack of transparency on career pathing / advancement. Richardson doesn't utilize internal postings, or advise on promotion opportunities. Instead you could come into work any day and be in a new role (some like this so not necessarily a bad thing). Unfortunately this lack of control over your career goals can often be a strong result of nepotism, or the "in group." Equal or better qualifications are sometimes irrelevant depending on the promotion opportunity.

I work in the fast paced side of the facility.  I am constantly moving and communicating with many different departments to assist in the process of making amazing sauces and salad dressings.  I have learned so much working at Heinz.  The state of the art facility has amazing equipment that I have learned just about every aspect of in order to troubleshoot and be the best cook I can be.  Management has changed several times in my tenure.  Its unfair to discuss past management teams, so I will just say that the current team is very strong and amazing to work for.  The co-workers are a tight-knit group as most are from the small town or areas near by.  This makes working there less like a job.  The hardest part really is seeing this amazing facility close down.

I enjoyed the work, comradery was limited but I tried, as usual, the management was silent with their own unknown prerequisites as your assistant knows they are helping you take their job. There was a definite drug problem but it was good for the area. Learning was constricted by the instructor so they don't lose their job to you. Just when you think you're making your 90 days you don't. If you want to advance you have to be prepared for nite shift. I would give it 6 out of 10 as the above explains why, I am sure or better with new management would be possible. But I speak only from the past as new management is in place, 50/50 chance of change. The least demanding work is the best there 3 + years ago."DON'T WORRY! BE HAPPY!"

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Accounting clerk 6 salaries reported	$61,667 per year
Transportation coordinator 5 salaries reported	$61,900 per year
Software engineer 3 salaries reported	$65,833 per year
Operator 4 salaries reported	$23.26 per hour
Engineer 5 salaries reported	$41.54 per hour

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