Bennett Lumber maintains a dedicated workforce with help from Regence health plans

Bennett Lumber Products, Inc., in Princeton, Idaho, is hiring.

“Seeking full-time entry level team members. No experience required. Great opportunity to learn, grow, and promote quickly! Must be 18+ with a valid driver’s license. We offer competitive pay, health/dental insurance, paid holidays & vacation, 401(k) with match, and more. Apply in person.”

For 86 years, sawmill workers at the family-owned company have produced high-quality lumber.  Today, 267 employees across two mills in northern Idaho and eastern Washington ship out 150 million board feet annually, destined for construction projects around the world. 

"Exactly what we needed"

To attract and keep workers, Bennett Lumber offers a strong, family-oriented culture and premium benefits, says Teresa Quimby, human resources director, who’s been with the company for 34 years. In particular, the company pays 100% of the health insurance premiums for all employees and their dependents, so it’s no cost to them. 

“It’s a huge benefit,” she says.

And for 64 years, Bennett Lumber has relied on Regence to meet its health insurance needs.

“When we started our mill in 1961, Regence was there for us,” says Quimby. “And that’s who we went with as an insurer. And they’ve always provided exactly what we needed.”

In particular, Quimby cites Regence plan benefits and its provider network as distinctive assets. Bennett Lumber employees live in small towns and rural areas, traveling farther for specialty medical care. When a member faces a high-risk pregnancy with twins and goes into labor prematurely, they end up in Spokane or Seattle, Wash., for their care.

With Regence, “They don’t have to worry about having the coverage,” says Quimby. “Or having issues with claims. That’s all taken care of.”

Peace of mind

Chuck Smith is a sawmill supervisor at Bennett Lumber. “I started off part time cleaning up on Saturdays, then went into a millwright position and switched to supervisor,” he says. His tenure at Bennett Lumber? 32 years and counting.

Some employees represent the third or fourth generation to work at Bennett, explains Quimby.

To maintain that kind of longevity in its workforce, Bennett Lumber relies on Regence to help keep its employees healthy and satisfy their health insurance needs year after year, generation after generation.

She adds, “It gives our employees peace of mind because that’s one less thing they have to worry about. Medical costs are expensive, and our employees need to seek care farther out. So these benefits are huge.”

Treated like family

One of Bennett Lumber’s business goals is to maintain a high-quality workforce. Its promise to employees? “You’re paid like a professional and treated like family.”

“It’s the right thing to do for our people,” says Quimby. And Regence is part of that promise.

Meet Quimby and Bennett Lumber