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Columbia Distributing Company

Engaged Employer

Columbia Distributing Company reviews

3.2

42% would recommend to a friend

(310 total reviews)
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Chris Steffanci

57% approve of CEO

40% positive business outlook

Columbia Distributing Company has an employee rating of 3.2 out of 5 stars, based on 310 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Columbia Distributing Company employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Retail & Wholesale industry (3.5 stars).

Reviews by job title

310 reviews
4.0
Jan 12, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I met some of the most wonderful people (that I still keep in touch with) at their Swan Island facility. I also loved some staff that moved to the Yeon location. We were permitted to spend some time forming committees to work on things like recycling, how to make bike riding to work easier, etc. I also enjoyed serving on the B Well committee and participating on the Portland/Hood to Coast teams. There was also good local fundraising, and programs/opportunities to volunteer or donate.

Cons

It is still the largest corporation that I've ever worked for. A large board was in charge while I was there, but at least we would occasionally still see the patriarchs of the business... maybe because I worked in a dept. where the staff had been there 20+ years. Columbia was bought by an investment firm (around 2012?), so the 'family-owned' and 'family-run' feeling is long gone. At that point, it feels like you are just a cog in a dispassionate machine. I didn't feel heard when I would talk about the fact that we represented so many companies and so few were here in Oregon. Oregon is a HUGE beer producer, and very few companies want to go with the 'big giant' because they feel like they will get lost in the crowd. After Columbia, I worked for their competition, and because they did a great job representing Oregon brands, they grew by leaps and bounds.

5.0
Dec 10, 2014

A+ Culture / C+ Technology

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Working in the beverage industry lends itself a plethora of perks. Overall, the people working in this industry have a lot of fun and take great care of their employees. I've never worked with a better group of professionals.

Cons

I think the technology has been the achilles heel for Columbia. There are a lot of opportunities just in the technology space. While it might not be perfect, we are working safely to navigate options,

1.0
Aug 22, 2014
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Good environment, meet nice people, get to travel around and not stay in the same place a long time.

Cons

Supervisors always send merchs to other teams and then are short staffed and have 10+ hours a day Pay is ridiculous. Start at 11/hr and you can't make more than 13/hr. Pepsi and coke both start at 15/hr. You do not get raises. Several people I work with were told they would get a raise after working 90 days, and didn't get the raise until after a year. Most team members are rude and talk badly about other merchandisers, even the lead merch and the supervisor. Management pays no attention to employees except to discipline them. They treat us as expendable and always fire the good workers and refuse to fire the ones who don't do their job.

Viewing 283 - 285 of 310 Reviews

Glassdoor has 318 Columbia Distributing Company reviews submitted anonymously by Columbia Distributing Company employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Columbia Distributing Company is right for you.