Pros
Start: On-line Crestron review: 9/23/15 @ 1:45AM… Pros-- Great products (very interesting). High end audio/video and control systems that would plumb a high-rise, hospital, hotel, OR the home of a person(s) of means. The entrepreneur that founded the company and managed it for years (George Feldstein) recently passed November 2014 at age 73. Crestron is an unusual company employing about 1500 people in northern Jersey....Mid-century, NJ was sort of the east-coast Silicon Valley (before there was silicon/the transistor)....but all of that has changed. Technology companies have long departed or have gone out of business in NJ BUT CRESTRON IS a high-tech company and very profitable! I enjoyed working for Crestron (however read my 'cons'). Crestron's website is stellar! Too bad other companies do not have or maintain such a superb information tool. Specs and associated information is easy to find. All product information is thorough and written in plain English. Customers (and employees) have access to all kinds of tools including training and tutorials. This not only includes information/training on their products but also training on the various technologies utilized in these products. The Corporate office is located at their Rockleigh NJ campus which includes corporate management, engineering, HR, service, etc (very nice part of NJ….extreme NE corner). They also have a facility in Cresskill NJ where an SMT and thru-hole shop produces and tests loaded PCBs. Over time, these processes and testing is outsourced to various CMs (many in Mexico). This is a viable strategy which other companies should emulate. I worked with approximately 20 other engineers whose discipline was 'test', both functional (module/system) and manufacturing test (PCBs). I enjoyed working with ALL in the department. Jeff-P
Cons
Cons— One bad egg can wreak havoc inside an organization. I worked for a very good manager. I have never seen anyone multi-task the way he could. He was very competent technically BUT ALSO a good manager. Behind the scenes he stood up for his people. He improved and resolved so many practices and procedures. He and another individual were brought in by the same manager. This other individual was placed over him (test) and manufacturing. This individual was a one-man wrecking ball. For whatever reason his manager did not see (or decided not to see) the damage he inflicted on all working under him. He was able to force my manager out…why the manager who brought both into the organization did not see this is troubling. This individual made command decisions he was clueless about (including NOT investing in various test processes [e.g. PCB test]), impacting the ability of CMs (contract manufacturers) to meet volume and ship quality/reliable products. There was even a semi-mutiny and exodus of some key people due to his behavior. Finally his ineptness and awful behavior was ‘discovered’ and he was moved to the side w/o anyone reporting to him. If only his behavior and lack of common-sense were ‘discovered’ earlier, the pain he inflicted on the organization and the attrition that occurred could have been avoided. Hopefully this incident will not reoccur…so far so good… Overall a good company…salaries may be a bit anemic but let’s face it, this is a bit of an industry-wide problem. Jeff-P End: - On-line Crestron review: 9/23/15 @ 2:11AM…