Next Generation Reforestation (NGR)

[TheHamsterizer]

Here's some logistics for you... If you have a really bad block, you make everyone in camp do the same amount of days in it. That's what a good, fair company does. It's way easier when you know that everyone is in the same boat.

Or you just pay the appropriate price for the tougher land, and everyone makes money no matter where they are. After all there is no such thing is bad land.

Exactly, but this is Alberta in the summer... There are bad land/prices everywhere, and we're supposed to just be happy that we have a job.

[wtv]

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[Screefhead]

Actually the block in question was massive and lasted at least 20 or more days planting. The entire camp could have ( and should have ) been finishing up that area. Instead, things happened just as Ham described.

Only the new hires and the African crew ( who had been there all year) ever saw the shit. Then, we got to finish all the holes on the better blocks left by the 'ballers" after the shit block was done. Basically one crew would start a block, cream it out and someone else would finish it.

I can understand not giving the new people good land but why screw one of the crews that had been there all year? Is that how NGR rewards their loyal planters ?


As others have mentioned, the food was good , but nothing spectacular IMO. Considering camp costs were $10 more than any place else I've been, I wasn't too impressed. And... you pay $21 on the days off, whether you eat in camp or not.

The biggest reason why NGR camp costs are so high is because of the incredible amount of food that is wasted every day. Every day the cooks would make gigantic meals, twice as much as needed and then most of it would end up in the garbage.

[wtv]

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[Cyper]

look at what you can expect from NGR this year. brutaly underbid jobs in bc. stear clear of this one near williams lake. 25 percent lower than the next company. the $140,000 they underbid wont be coming out of the profit margin.

Contract: PL15DCC002
Number of Trees: 1,672,695
Season: Spring 2014
Duration: 1 year

1. $ 557,007 - 33.3 cents - NGR
2. $ 697,616 - 41.7 cents - Fieldstone
3. $ 725,944 - 43.4 cents - Apex
4. $ 741,545 - 44.3 cents - Folklore
5. $ 753,649 - 45.1 cents - Brinkman
6. $ 769,345 - 46.0 cents - Celtic
7. $ 798,434 - 47.7 cents - Zanzibar
8. $ 903,696 - 54.0 cents - Seneca
9. $1,037,071 - 62.0 cents - Torrent

[Lewis]

Contract: PL15TLE002
Number of Trees: 1,594,810
Season: Spring
Duration: 1 year

01. $500,770 - 31.4 cents - NGR
02. $581,443 - 36.5 cents - Celtic
03. $609,234 - 38.2 cents - Dynamic
04. $624,616 - 39.2 cents - Coast Range
05. $676,447 - 42.4 cents - Fieldstone
06. $690,426 - 43.3 cents - Seneca
07. $712,051 - 44.6 cents - Blue Collar

I can add that I worked on the above contract this past spring, and according to Scooter the price was around $0.376. Also, I remmember reading that the second place bid last year was very close. BCTS was really tight on the specs, and the ground was rocky. I think a lot of rookies got slaughtered on that one, and I got tendo bad enough that I had to wear a splint for a few shifts. I wouldn't want to do it for less than they paid us this spring.

Otherwise, I worked for NGR in August month a few summers ago and I was happy there. Really well fed, too. A buddy of mine was a foreman for a season, and had good things to say. Though I hear the supervisor we worked for is no longer there.

[gaucho]

Just gotta put in my experience with NGR a couple years back..

Camp was a shitshow of second year planters looking to party. On average made 25-50% less than what I'd usually make (in similar Alberta and BC ground) to other contracts I've been on. First day of the season I'm planting a string of mounds winding from the road stretching deep along the bush line, I ask the foreman if he could get me a box back there. He just stood and laughed. This is why day rate foremen is just a bad idea, and a brief glimpse at the rest of the two months I planted there.

Food was great, but credit can hardly be given to anybody but the cook for that. And the extortive camp costs. 35 a day in AB, no lie.

The last month of the season crew sizes were getting out of control and land was getting so shitty (that pic above with the shovel and grass is really spot on!), I worked myself into a job as foreman. I was assured by the supervisor that the appalling dayrate of 200 a day would be made up for by a decent "bonus" that will cover this glaring deficiency. Long story short, no bonus ever came. Talked with Gord and Kathy about it, and they gave no sympathy. In fact, I saw them to be who they are. And I will never go back.

[ryguy]

Where I work (Timberline), the foremen are dayrate as well, however, there's rarely an issue with effort since they're generally experienced and well compensated. I understand where you're coming from, but I like
the lack of incentive on their parts to play favourites. If someone isn't helping planters be productive, they hear about it!

[mcD]

I guess it doesn't have much to do with NGR, but you will find dayrate foreman at all of the best companies out there.

[shawniganlaker]

Dayrate is the way to go.

Apparently NGR has figured out how to screw this up though...$200/day foreman, laughable.

A good friend spent a season as a foreman here. He was promised a bonus that would make it all worthwhile. When Christmas came he still hadn't seen that Bonus. And when next season came he was back on the shovel (NOT at NGR) and he was making $400 a day again. He is still bitter at the +/- $10,000 he gave up to Foreman for these guys.

Bonus's are a sham. a tool for the worst contractors to exploit.

[ohsnap]

this thread is kind of getting highjacked into dayrate vs commission pay, but i can't help myself - i think it depends on the company, 200$ a day for a foreman is, well, kinda shit. you can't possibly expect your foremen to work hard when their ballers are pulling in more than double they are..and i would hope they would be... pay them a reasonable wage, and it works fine, as it's been noted the best companies do.

[Scooter]

Maybe the correct answer is that the debate of day-rate vs commission-base foremen is irrelevant. The key is to have good personnel.

I guess if I was to argue, I'd say that there is a place for both. I've always been a much better fan of commission-based pay for foremen, but I've also seen day-rate work extremely well. If I was to generalize right now, I'd say that commission-based seems to work frequently in bigger operations with less experienced planters, and day-rate seems to work well when each foreman only looks after a handful of quality planters.

[krahn]

Dayrate is the way to go.

Apparently NGR has figured out how to screw this up though...$200/day foreman, laughable.

I did a bit of checking for NGR in 2012, and I made more than that. I didn't ask but I doubt the foremen made less than me. I felt the compensation was decent.

[jfbro]

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[wtv]

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[Mike]

Updated Contact info should be edited into first post:

Contact ::
Phone (780) 532-2220
Fax (780) 354-2008
Email nextgen@telusplanet.net

Next Generation Reforestation Ltd.
P.O. Box 2465
Beaverlodge, AB
TOH OCO

http://nextgenerationreforestation.com/