They have problems, and they are great
Pros
A solid company, with good intentions and approaches to a number of endeavors. Very good CEO with a vision and plan, very affable man, easily approachable, even among us low-level nobodies. Firm has been growing in recent years, expanding its footprint and acquiring additional staff (via buyouts) to augment capabilities in different market segments.
Cons
Despite being a relatively strong firm, management at the regional office level is incredibly lacking. There is a clear disconnect between several members of management and their staff. A basic lack of technical knowledge among those in management is also a clear problem. Have witnessed outright unethical (and beyond that) behavior among management in certain locations and their treatment of employees. There is far too much emphasis on specific market segments. While this in of itself is noble, it is done at the expense of expanding capabilities in other segments. This is typically an issue at the regional office level. Too many offices serve as outposts for specific markets, and do nothing to market themselves to other potential segments in the same geographic region. While this is good when that office's specific segment of interest is doing well, it is catastrophic when that specific market hits a down turn, as there is basically no other work in the back log for other potential markets. These offices are specifically set up this way, and services are marketed to potential clients this way. I also have an issue with technical management being too involved in business development, and dedicated business development staff having absolutely NO technical expertise at all. I clearly understand the concept that a good salesperson can sell anything to anyone, but a clear lack of knowledge of the product being marketed is an issue. There is, as I previously stated, a severe issue with ethics issues within specific areas of this company. I do not know how isolated these incidents are, or how much the upper management is aware. It is my personal belief that the upper management (starting with the CEO) is professional enough to not engage or otherwise condone this sort of thing. I believe the problem is systemic, but it is isolated and concealed at a more regional level. This is unfortunate, unethical, and a few other things that I will not mention. I mean, just outright lies and misleading comments. It almost seems that people are set up to fail intentionally. I realize, that's a bold statement, but I have a difficult time seeing it any other way. Opportunities for advancement are lacking incredibly as well. Staff have this concept pounded down their throats, yet nothing is put in place to actually assist them in accomplishing it. Management at the regional level has little to zero interest in promoting this concept. They appear to only be in a mindset that will protect themselves personally, and to place themselves on a pedestal. At times, it almost appears that there is a deep level of paranoia among some (not all) management staff that by promoting career growth among younger staff (some of which are clearly more qualified than the actual manager in question), that they are actually putting their place in the firm at risk. This is a long, convoluted way of saying, it appears that those who can/want to excel, are intentionally held back so that they cannot surpass those ahead of them in the food chain. This is not how things are supposed to work, but unfortunately I think this happens more often than people want to admit.