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Free class for Bright Wood people on social security benefits

Free Session Aimed at Demystifying Social Security Benefits

[August 13, 2024] Thanks to Dan Buxton and Conner Leahy of The Amato Buxton Group for offering Bright Wood people an opportunity to learn about Social Security benefits on Tuesday, August 6, in the Madras Education Center.

Attendees left with a better understanding of:

How SS works.
When you should start collecting SS.
If you can rely on SS as a retirement plan.
If you can work and still collect SS.
How you should plan and prepare for SS.

Borjas Take First in Cornhole Tournament

[July 19, 2024] Chaz Borja (Purchasing) and his cousin Zavier “Zavi” Borja triumphed over 27 other teams to take first in Bright Wood’s second annual cornhole tournament. Each took home a custom-made cornhole set as their prize.

Jeremiah Sprague (Plant 7 Weekend Shift) and David Hect placed second. Both left with a new cornhole set.

Third place went to Ervey Dominguez (Personnel) and his son Patrick Gallant. They each won Beats headphones.

“It was a really fun tournament, with a good turnout,” Every said. “I’m already looking forward to next year.”

Winners of Bright Wood's second annual cornhole tournament on July 13, 2024

One hundred lucky picnic raffle winners are going to win one of these sleek black water bottles.

Staying Hydrated Makes a Big Difference in the Heat

[July 9, 2024] Bright Wood’s operations are feeling the heat. Play it safe by drinking water and encouraging those around you to do the same this summer.

Experts recommend:

Drinking 16 ounces of fluid BEFORE an activity to delay the effects of dehydration.
Drinking water every 15 to 20 minutes – not just during rest breaks – to ensure proper hydration.
Drinking COLD water – your body absorbs it more quickly.
If you feel thirsty, you have already lost about three pounds of fluid and are likely headed toward problems like heat cramps, heat exhaustion, and heat stroke.

Win a New Water Bottle or Tumbler in the Picnic Raffle

Cross your fingers, and maybe you will be one of the lucky 250 Bright Wood people who will win a new water bottle in the picnic raffle on Saturday, July 13. You don’t have to be present to win. One hundred will take home a sleek black bottle with the Bright Wood logo (pictured), while another 150 will win a ThermoFlask tumbler.

Goodbye Vending Machines, Hello Marketplace

[May 22, 2024] A big change is coming to Bright Wood lunchrooms. Bigfoot Beverages is replacing the vending machines with something more like a convenience store. The new marketplaces work by taking the snack or drink you want off the shelf or out of the cooler, scanning it, and then swiping your debit card to pay.

Feedback from the early adopters in Madras Plants 8, 13, 14 has been good. “Sometimes the vending machine wouldn’t give us our change or the soda we paid for,” Ricardo Olivera Perez (Madras Plant 8) said. “This is easy like Safeway – scan it and go.”

“The marketplace gives people more selection, better choices, and fresher food than the typical vending machine,” said Ervey Dominguez, Hiring Manager. “It works on the honor system.”

“I love it,” Tayva Tucker (Madras Plant 14) said. “I used to go to the gas station next door, but now I don’t have to. It is cheaper, and there is a good variety of healthy things to eat; it is not just junk, and I appreciate that.”

“There are a lot more choices and more of the drinks and snacks I like,” Patricia Walker (Madras Plant 8) said. “I use it every day. Plus, it is cheaper than the store.”

Bright Wood lunchrooms are moving from vending machines to marketplaces

Leaving the Madras Benefits Fair with information and bags of goodies.

New: Three Free Health Care Visits Per Calendar Year

[April 24, 2024] Starting May 1, participants in Bright Wood’s Health and Wellness Plan (BWHWP) are entitled to three free in-office visits per calendar year with preferred providers for:

primary care treatment of injury or illness and/or
behavioral health treatment of mental health or chemical dependency

The three visits can be with different preferred providers and a combination of physical and mental health care.

On their fourth and subsequent visits, BWHWP participants who’ve met their deductible and are seeing a preferred provider will owe the following coinsurance payment per visit:

Plus Option: 20%
Basic Option: 30%

Find a Preferred Provider

Bright Wood Thanks Benefits Fair Attendees with $50 Gift Cards to Local Grocery Stores

[April 11, 2024] Bright Wood is giving all associates who attended a Benefits Fair in Madras, Redmond, and Prineville a $50 gift card to a local grocery store.

“Thank you to all who attended a Benefits Fair,” Maggie Morales, Personnel, said. “It was a great success, and we hope to see even more attendees next year.”

Fifteen lucky raffle winners also won prizes from Mid Oregon Credit Union, Standard Life Insurance, Aflac, Dreams Realty Group, Empower, Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield, and Costco.

Benefits Fair attendees can expect to receive their gift cards and raffle prizes in the next few weeks. If you have questions, call Madras Personnel at 541-475-7799.

Photos of Bright Wood's 2024 Benefits Fairs in Madras, Redmond, and Prineville

Happy Feet, Happy Wallet: Bright Wood Offering a $50 Subsidy for Better Footwear

[April 3, 2024] Bright Wood partnered with the feet experts at Lehigh CustomFit to help people find the footwear they need to feel better at the end of the day and avoid injuries.

Lehigh starts by scanning your feet in 3D. In just a few seconds, you will know your exact size and if you have any issues that can cause pain and fatigue. The tech will give you a card with your customized foot care recommendations. Lehigh may recommend:

Customized Aetrex orthotics to correct alignment problems causing foot, knee, and back pain.
OS1st compression socks to relieve foot and leg swelling.
The best-fitting shoe styles for your feet.

Bright Wood associates who purchase shoes, orthotics, or compression socks on the Brightwood.LehighSafetyShoes.com website are eligible for a $50 one-time subsidy. You can pay with a credit card or deduct the cost of your new footwear from your next paycheck (or split the cost between up to four pay periods).

Your friends and family can also purchase shoes, orthotics, and compression socks at the Bright Wood rate on the website. The True Fit app can help them find better-fitting shoes even without a foot scan.

60-Year-Old Tuition-Assistance Program Still Helping Bright Wood Families Today

[May 19, 2023] Bright Wood’s Children’s Educational Tuition Assistance Program (CETAP) provides financial assistance for post-high school education ranging from college to trade school for employees’ dependent children.

The company has distributed over $1 million in CETAP funds since the early 1960s when founder Carl Peterson established the program.

Contact Bright Wood’s Personnel Department at 541-475-7799 between 7:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to learn more and apply.

Need an Alternative Work Schedule?
Consider the Weekend Shift

[March 23, 2023] Several Madras plants have added --or soon will – weekend shifts that start on Friday and end on Sunday. These are 12-hour shifts, so you work 36 hours in three days and then have four days off. Weekenders qualify for full-time Bright Wood benefits.

Eye Safety Starts Before You Get Out of Your Car

By Jim Sanders, Safety Manager

[March 9, 2023] Bright Wood has suffered 17 recordable incidents in the last three years involving an object in someone’s eye. In other words, five to six people suffer eye injuries annually.

History shows the majority of our eye injuries occur outside. If everyone wore their eye protection as soon as they arrived at work (before leaving their vehicles) and continued wearing it until they returned to their cars after work, we’d all be a lot safer. This is in fact, Bright Wood policy.

Learn More

Image by Andreas Breitling from Pixabay

New Program Helps Plan Members Save Money on Generic Medications

[February 23, 2023] Bright Wood’s Health and Wellness Plan (BWHWP) members now have access to Price Edge, a new cost-saving program from Optum Rx. The tool automatically kicks in whenever Plan participants use their BWHWP card while filling prescriptions for generic medications at participating pharmacies.

There are typically two price options for every prescription you fill: the with-insurance rate and the without-insurance one. According to Optum Rx, their price is lower 90 percent of the time because they can negotiate better fees with the drug companies due to their market share. Sometimes, however, it is cheaper not to use the Plan.

The Cost Edge tool benefits BWHWP members by:

Automatically giving you the lowest out-of-pocket cost for generic medications.
Ensuring that generic drug purchases count towards your deductible and out-of-pocket maximum, regardless of whether or not you use your insurance.
Tracking all your prescriptions in one system that can trigger alarms when two drugs should not be taken at the same time.
Lowering the cost of some over-the-counter (OTC) medications if you have a prescription. However, OTC items not covered by the Plan will not count toward your deductible and out-of-pocket maximum.

Visit OptumRx.com or download their app to learn more about the Cost Edge tool, find in-network pharmacies, and research drug prices. You can also call Optum Rx at 1-855-505-8107 if you have questions.

Making Prescription Safety Glasses Affordable

[August 22, 2022] Oregon Bright Wood associates are now eligible to purchase prescription safety glasses from Walmart’s Vision Centers in Redmond and Bend at a substantial discount.

Bright Wood will pay for the prescription lenses for your new safety glasses while you are only responsible for purchasing the frames, which run from $9 up to $29.

To participate, you need to present the Walmart Vision Center with:

A voucher that is only available from Bright Wood's Personnel Department
A valid vision prescription

Call Bright Wood’s Personnel Department at 541-475-7799 with questions.