Compensation
Among the 309 individuals responding to this year’s survey, the average current annual salary is $83,800. Examining both ends of the spectrum, almost equal proportions indicated they earn $150,000 or more (8 percent) per year as those who indicated they earn less than $40,000 per year (11 percent).

About three in four ethanol plant employees said they aren’t compensated for overtime, indicating the industry trend is to categorize ethanol plant employees—especially those who supervise others—as salaried professionals who don’t typically get overtime compensation. Of those who said they do receive compensation for working over 40 hours per week, 11 percent said they are paid for the extra time they put in, while 8 percent said they get compensation for overtime in the form of additional time off. A small number of plant personnel are offered some combination of the two or some other form of compensation for overtime.

In terms of evaluations, 85 percent of respondents indicated they receive annual salary reviews, while only 2 percent said no such reviews are offered on a yearly basis. About 10 percent of the respondents said they do get salary reviews, but not on a regular, predictable schedule.

To gauge trends in the industry, respondents were asked to indicate the approximate percentage increase of their last raise from their current employer. Three-fourths said they have received a raise from their current employer. Among those who have, the average increase was 8.4 percent. Also among those who said they’ve received a raise, 70 percent said the increase wasn’t the result of a promotion and/or change in responsibility. Notably, however, those who did indicate that they received a raise due to a promotion and/or change in responsibility received substantially more than those receiving a raise for other reasons—13.6 percent versus 6.6 percent. For all intent and purposes, this indicates that the surest way to make more money in the ethanol industry is to change proverbial hats, climb the corporate ladder and take on more—or maybe just different—responsibilities at the plant.

Including wages/salary, bonuses, insurance, pensions, etc., respondents were asked to approximate the total dollar value of their current annual compensation package. The average dollar figure provided was $115,000, based on the 84 percent of respondents answering the question. Again, that “average” should be considered high due to the negligible participation of lower level plant personnel in this survey.

When it comes to benefits, respondents indicated the most common type was health insurance (92 percent) and life insurance (80 percent), followed by monetary bonuses (78 percent). When asked if they received any monetary bonuses within the last 12 months, 63 percent indicated they did. Of those who received a monetary bonus, the average amount awarded was $17,300—again, a number that may be high due to the lopsided participation of upper-level management in this survey.


Annual Salary
A cross-tabulation-based analysis was undertaken to uncover basic correlations between salary and the variables measured in this survey. EPM asked Readex to break down salary by the following factors:

--Years in industry
--Job title/function
--Raise from promotion
--Number of employees supervised
--By purchasing involvement
--By education
--By age
--By gender

As can be expected, a respondent’s annual salary, on average, increases the longer the person has been employed in the ethanol industry.

With more years in the industry, respondents are also likely to gain more responsibility in their jobs. It isn’t surprising that the average annual salaries of plant personnel increases with increased levels of responsibility. Among respondents, those in corporate management currently earn—depending on position comparisons—an average between $38,600 and $92,100 per year more than those with other job titles/functions. Specifically, corporate managers typically earn $38,600 per year more than general managers and $92,100 more than the collective “other” group which includes operators, lead operators, lab technicians, boiler technicians, maintenance managers and technicians, and other plant personnel lumped into one category.

As stated earlier, with a promotion, respondents are also likely to earn an increase in salary. Those who have received a raise from their current employer due to a promotion and/or change in responsibility earn $6,100 more, on average, than those who received a raise for other reasons.

About 78 percent of the 309 respondents directly supervise at least one other employee during an average plant shift. Again, this high percentage of management responsibility among respondents illustrates the fact that few nonmanagement personnel took part in the survey. Among plant personnel indicating they do supervise other individuals, most tended to be in charge of groups of about six people.

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