Job Description
Forklift Operators move products and materials at Bear Mountain facilities, enabling efficient manufacturing and shipping of wood pellets for heating, grilling, bedding, and litter. They drive industrial trucks to lift, stack, and transport loads in warehouses and yards. Operators handle tasks like loading trucks with slips and weights, ensuring accurate counts. This role supports renewable product production by maintaining orderly stacks and operating safely.
Bear Mountain, a division of Lignetics Group, offers clean renewable solutions with 30 years of experience. Lignetics manufactures wood pellets and related products from recycled sawdust for consumer brands. The company focuses on sustainable, carbon-neutral options across home heating, BBQ, bedding, and cat litter categories.
Operators drive gasoline, liquefied gas, or electric-powered trucks with lifting devices such as forks, booms, or clamps. They position devices under pallets to move materials in storage areas, transporting to designated spots. Workers check propane levels, blow out equipment, grease fittings, and inspect fluids before shifts. They stack raw materials neatly, sweep warehouses daily, and empty trash. For loading, operators attach packing slips and weight tickets, recount products with associates, and apply load seals before trucks depart. They band and stack plywood, work on restacks and returned bags, wear seat belts, operate at safe speeds, and dispose of junk pallets. Ending shifts include cleaning up and assisting production areas like wrapping products or starting pellet mills. A challenge involves passing forklift training, lifting 50 pounds, standing seven hours minimum, and interpreting scales for accurate counts. Operators perform simple math and troubleshoot metering issues.
The role pays base $20/hour with potential up to $23/hour, plus monthly incentive bonuses. Benefits include employee referral bonus, two weeks paid time off, two floating holidays, medical, dental, vision insurance (FSA/HSA), educational assistance, life insurance, short-term/long-term disability, 401k with employer match, employee heating pellet program, Lignetics SWAG like boots and PPE. Shifts run Monday-Friday 8a-4:30p or 2p-10:30p, full-time or seasonal. Pre-employment background check and drug screen required. No specific travel or other arrangements.
Responsibilities
- Operate a forklift to move products in warehouse and production areas
- Position forks, lifting platform, or other devices under loads
- Transport loads to designated areas
- Check propane tanks and equipment fluids
- Grease fittings as needed
- Stack raw materials neatly
- Sweep warehouse daily and empty trash
- Attach packing slips and weight tickets to loads
- Count and recount products with another associate
- Sign off on verified amounts
- Attach load seals to trucks
- Stack and band plywood racks
- Work on restacks and bags returned to system daily
- Wear seat belts and operate safely
- Stack junk pallets for disposal
- Clean warehouse at end of shift
- Assist other production areas as needed
- Move and wrap completed products
- Assist Shift Leads to start pellet mills
Requirements
- High School diploma or GED preferred
- Prior forklift and production line experience preferred
- Good eye, hand, and foot coordination
- Ability to pass the company forklift training
- Ability to concentrate for extended periods and multi-task
- Able to lift up to 50 lbs
- Able to stand for a minimum of 7 hours per day
- Required to read and interpret scales
- Requires mechanical aptitude and troubleshooting skills
- Requires the ability to do simple math calculations
- Clean background check
- Drug screen required