Pros
Atmosphere and high caliber people. One thing that Southco did well was screen people to the highest standards. When you went to work there, you knew you were working with some of the best engineers available. Brian M. worked to correct past internal hiring errors when he came on in 2000. This was hard to do in a culture where the engineer could do any job just because they were an engineer. Instilling accountability using an internal scorecard let everyone know where they stood. Very open and honest communication when it was prudent. The culture was in line with the mission statement
Cons
When I first landed there they had an excellent family oriented culture. Over the years as the senior management became more confident in the boards backing they became more ambitious, they tried to maintain that culture but undercut most of the programs that made it that way. Being a privately held company that for years invested in a very incestuous hiring practices, they had the ultimate environmental in breeding. People were promoted that had no experience in the positions they were given. Often promoted well above their skill and education level, they tended to treat some people more "fair" than others. As a consequence they weren't seen as rewarding employees for exceptional work.