carpenter

carpenter helper

window installer

installer

production worker

Centra Windows

The company offers flexibility and has a team of good people. However, I sense that the management's concern for employees might be more of a facade, especially considering the low compensation rates for non-sales and non-management roles.

The workload is overwhelming compared to the pay, and there's a common refrain of "The shares will compensate" or "Focus on your shares, it will pay out," which, in my opinion, doesn't justify the relatively meager pay.

While I genuinely like Centra, I can't ignore the fact that the pay seems almost laughable. I once overheard an upper management comment that a certain role doesn't deserve to earn more than a specific amount, and that stance remained unchanged within Centra, even though outside the company, the same role easily commanded low six figures.

For individuals transitioning from other companies with generous vacation policies or those unwilling to accept a pay cut, Centra might not be the ideal choice. I've heard of cases where individuals earning nearly six figures took a significant pay cut to join Centra (changing industries, or cities, or needed a new environment), in addition also took a vacation time reduced to just two weeks without any consideration from upper management (the upper management did not want to consider and keep some people well earned 3 and 4 week vacation, and decided to cut down to 2 weeks).

I believe it's essential to share my perspective. No employee at Centra should have to rely solely on hopes tied to shares for salary or compensation satisfaction.

Centra has good work life balance for employees, some good benefits, and they try to promote a good company culture…but beware of management. 

They really promote their charity, but at the end of the day, it’s a big PR and marketing ploy for the company. Every charity event or donation from the company always has to have a photo-op  or a social post . Doesn’t really seem like they’re in it to  really “help” people at the end of the day. 

Management will also say something, and they are quick to change their minds. They talk about wanting their employees to advance and move up, and will reference people in management who’ve done so, but in reality it doesn’t happen a lot to everyone. 

Definitely think senior management and some department’s sense of pride is hurting the company culture. Unfortunately management won’t always listen or take you seriously when you try and make suggestions that could help operations.  Follow what they want, or be prepared to walk out the door. You’re destined to be micro-managed here, at least in some way. There’s definitely some favouritism toward people as well. 

Numbers and sales are important, even if you’re not in a sales position. I feel extremely bad for the call centre team sometimes…they’re pushed so hard and forced to change their work schedules to help meet the company’s sales target each month (which is  not always realistic). I’ve seen so much turnover here.

I worked there for 1 year. I have 10 years carpentry experience. The quality of the job, efficiency and being able to innovate are important to me - the management said they are "all about quality" but there were many times i/we were told to just do poor job to finish it instead of taking the time to do it properly. The quality of the installation varied a lot depending on which install truck/crew came to your house.
As a person I really liked the manager, as a manager he did not solve problems, hold employees accountable for their behavior, keep his word sometimes. Generally, the people that got jobs done fast were promoted and the ones that did them well didn't. 

The company wastes so much money and is terribly inefficient in areas. I would never be a 'Centra employee owner' after seeing the waste of money.

It was nice getting benefits for once. Pay was mediocre  and their policy is pay raises ONCE A YEAR whether you are worth it or not. They paid for an online BCIT BC building code course I took and the first aid and elevated work platform ticket. No paid lunch or break and the work clock starts at the warehouse and ends wherever you ended up that day, it could be and hour or more commute just to get back to the warehouse. 

On paper, it appears to be a standard 9-to-5 office role. During recruitment, HR emphasizes the employee ownership benefits to offset the lower salary offers, but those benefits don’t even start until after the first year. In today’s economic climate, few people can afford to set aside the large sums required to see any real return from these benefits.

Micromanagement is prevalent, and it often comes from individuals outside your direct supervisory line, which creates a challenging work environment. Sales representatives are given a significant amount of leeway and are often treated as though they’re untouchable. Workplace dynamics also seem to reward those who are highly social or well-liked, leading to favoritism and special treatment.

Innovation or suggesting new approaches is discouraged; employees are generally expected to conform or face the risk of being let go.

I have worked at Centra for almost 4 years now and I am very thankful for the people and job opportunities I have had over the years. 
My favourite things about Centra:
-100% Employee Ownership - we are all invested in each others success and this creates a culture like no other. Whether you are saving for retirement or a down payment on a house or something of the sort, employee-ownership has been an amazing tool to help reach those goals of financial growth.
-Ability to take your talent to the next level. The work is exciting and will stretch you, but you will benefit greatly from this and contribute to meaningful work. Centra is willing to invest in training and education for you to grow your talents and level up your career.
-The people - I have gained numerous friends and connections at Centra that transcend to friendships outside of work.
-Transparency - You have access to all leadership members if you have a question or have an idea to share.

I have been working as a Carpenter on a condominium renovation site just south of Vernon BC  in a place called Coldstream. Having worked since 2002 as a site Superintendent and over seeing safety on many projects I find this one to be in question. The work site is not clean, boards with nails lay every where, none of the workers are wearing hard hats, and I also see that some contractors are using illegal scaffolding. There is also a contractor who has a large pit bull dog on site. These are very dangerous animals and there are families living there with young children. Some workers have getto blasters on site and these were band from work sites in 2006. I am sure that I will not continue working there for very long. There are no safety meetings, there is no safety coordinator on site, and the first aid room is locked up.  The place is a ticking time bomb and set for an accident to happen.

I waited a while before writing my review.

The senior management is quite arrogant and honestly have no idea what  they are doing in the Alberta  market. Employee’s will bring solutions but only to be dismissed. 

This company severely lacks accountability especially from management. Usually I find the companies that push their culture usually has the worst and this company is another prime example of this.

This company is quickly getting a bad reputation in the industry in Alberta so know this before you decide to apply.

If the sales managers leaders are so far up the VP tush I honestly don’t know where the one person body begins and where the other person body ends.

In the past two years since centra bought out supreme there has been so much employee turnover is just scary.









Work culture is very inclusive and relaxed with daily checkins. Collaborative discussions are everyday activity. Because of growth mindset adapting to change brings immense satisfaction and great opportunities to contribute with your own perspective. Management and support functions such as HR, Safety, Service, Engineering, IT, Marketing and Purchasing are exceptional. 

Hardest part of the job is to accept the fact that you have to "let go" to accept new growth opportunities. Which involves training others and having faith in their ability. Progress not perfection is the motto.


I'm always weary when a company says they act like family, but at Centra they say it and mean it.  The FERST values are seriously enforced (Family, Entrepreneurial Spirit, Respect, Safety, & Teamwork) and they weave throughout the organization. The best part about Centra is that it is 100% employee-owned and at anytime I can book a meeting with a Senior Leader to discuss ideas or areas for improvement, that are usually acted upon.  If someone were to ask me what I love about my job, it would be that I never leave the day without laughing at least once. The work is fast-paced and always challenging and it is a great place for those who want to use their skills and talents to help benefit countless families (co-workers and customers) and communities.

A typical day would be calling different cities and trying to sell windows. You would be using all different systems and two monitors to view where your calling and who you are calling.

Management there was absolutely amazing! They are great people and so were the co-workers. This kind of job doesn't give you much socializing time so you don't really get to know someone you work with.

The hardest part of the job was calling (hopefully) future clients. Most people don't like telemarketers or cold calls so finding the person to give you the time of day is very rare.

Loved learning all about how windows are made and door knocking was surprisingly fun and interactive.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Carpenter 6 salaries reported	$31.50 per hour
Carpenter helper 9 salaries reported	$26.61 per hour
Window installer 19 salaries reported	$28.16 per hour
Installer 2 salaries reported	$25.25 per hour
Production worker 1 salary reported	$24.00 per hour

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