Local Jobs - job08

POSTED: Saturday, Oct. 18, 2008

MANUFACTURING: Seasonal work a tasty alternative

No promises, just a history of hope.

Seasonal employees hired by Totally Chocolate receive no assurances that their work timeline will extend beyond the December holidays. Exceptional job performance, though, sometimes leads to a much longer future with the Blaine company.

"There's never been a year when some seasonal people didn't become permanent," CEO and founder Jeff Robinson says.

The huge "Hiring" sign in the front of the custom chocolate facility goes up in July or August in anticipation of the busy season, which represents about 60 percent of the company's sales.

Up to 90 extra people come aboard, normally all from Whatcom County, lifting the total force to about 150. One such seasonal employee was hired out of a temp agency to do maintenance work and eventually became the plant manager.

The company, which makes Belgian chocolate into specialized designs for corporate gifts, embraces high-energy people. That's especially true in the production department where employees often need to switch work stations.

"It's very fast-paced," says Deann Moreno, who started as a production line worker 15 years ago and now is vice president in charge of manufacturing. Her rise illustrates Totally Chocolate's proclivity to promote from within.

Job growth measured about 50 percent in the last five years, says controller Nicki Cortez, who indicates there were 40 year-round employees in 2003, a number that topped up to 100-110 in high season. Turnover among permanent workers has been minimal, less than 10 percent most years.

Robinson started Totally Chocolate in southern California in 1988 and moved it to Blaine five years later. In 2006, the thriving business moved three blocks from Pipeline Road to its present location on Sweet Road, more than doubling its space to 60,000 square feet.

RaeAnn Cherry, the company's recruiter, says she looks for job consistency, a production background and people who are willing to stretch their limits, displaying an ability to do tasks beyond mere job descriptions.

The biggest employee segment is production (26 permanent workers), where hires begin at $9.50 per hour with 50 cents added for night differential. Other departments include sales, shipping, creative arts and an office staff. Some jobs require experience, such as molding operators, while other positions receive in-house training.

A relaxed, casual and diverse atmosphere permeates the building, with essentially no dress code established except for uniformed production workers.

"We try to keep things fun and light," says Moreno.

Bob Carter is a White Rock, B.C., freelance writer and former editor for The Bellingham Herald.