SEELEY LAKE – Through the Safety Award program, Pyramid Mountain Lumber has put $2,500 in the past five months back into the economy of Seeley Lake. While this is not a new program, the approach changed in October to help support the community and the local businesses.
Every month Pyramid gives employees who have had perfect attendance an incentive check. If there has not been a lost time accident at the mill, anyone who received the attendance award is also put in a drawing for the safety award.
Between 60-70 employees meet the attendance requirement each month. Since salary and office staff are not eligible for the safety award, there are around 115 employees that could qualify for the award. There are 28 businesses that are on the list that employees can choose in the $25 increments for their $100 or $250 award.
Winning once doesn’t preclude them from the drawing each month.
“We place a high importance on safety and attendance,” said Pyramid Mountain Lumber’s Operations Chief Loren Rose. “From our perspective, work comp is a huge deal and a huge expense. Probably more expensive for us is the emotional drain if someone gets hurt, especially seriously hurt.”
Rose said that the idea came about after quilters from Helena came to Seeley Lake in October. Pyramid has been offering attendance awards for the past couple of years and given away gift cards to Walmart, gas cards and Griz packages.
“It got me thinking, we can do that here locally,” said Rose.
At the end of October, Rose approached local businesses to see if they wanted to participate in the safety drawing. Winners are given a list of participating businesses and they can choose which business they would like to redeem their award.
“I think it has been well received by the employees,” said Rose. “There might be a need for something in Missoula but everyone eats and everyone drives, so you can find some place here to spend the $100 and then save that money and buy whatever it is you need in Missoula.”
Rose said that it is another way that Pyramid can show their support for the community.
“We are doing it anyway. If we can help make the community stronger and function better, than that is part of our civic responsibility,” said Rose.
Optimal Fitness offers gym membership as part of the Safety Award program.
“The mill is amazing in its capacity to go beyond “work” safety and invest in an employees overall health. These are amenities, in my opinion, that you couldn’t find in an urban area,” wrote owner Terryl Bartlett in an email. “I appreciate the mill offering gym membership to its employees and the unexpected revenue for my business.”
Rose said while some of the more expensive restaurants in town are listed, no one has chosen to spend their award with them.
“You would think this would be a luxury but our employees aren’t treating it as a luxury,” said Rose. “This is a basic needs item.”
Rose continued, “The best person to do the job is the one we have in there. When they can’t participate [due to absence or injury] the whole team suffers. We are trying to build this teamwork mentality that [our employees] are important.”
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