-Upper Management: The people leading the company up top are con men on a power trip. They will make promised on where you will be, when you will be promoted, and how you will be taken care of when you travel. When the time comes for them to pay up, these promises disappear. Management will lie to you, threaten you, and make false promises to protect their interest. After a large pipe project in San Antonio is done in the next couple of years, the future is hazy. The cost of this upper management is getting so expensive that Garney is getting priced out of local markets.
-Hours and Travel: You will work long hours. If you are young and in a field position, you can make a lot more elsewhere and work less. You will also have to travel or relocate will no notice. Garney will also not take care of you in terms of per diem. Work life balance is awful. If you have a family, plan on not seeing them anymore. Many of the employees here talk about how they have missed their kids growing up because of their career at Garney.
-Slow Growth Opportunities: The only way to move up is if you are related to upper management or if you babysit their kids (that actually is true). There is definitely an inner circle at Garney. If you are in that inner circle you might be able to move up. Management will make you travel and do unfavorable task, saying the reward is "getting in our good graces."
-ESOP: There is a con to this as well. Management uses it as a golden carrot to drive their craftsmen and engineers into the ground. They use it also as an excuse to treat their employees poorly. The ESOP mainly just works out for senior management. It takes a special person to make it through the vestment period of 6 years. Most of the guys who got rich of the ESOP are higher up that came in when they were already in a senior position. There is a high turnover rate for their field employees.
