Neat Idea, Haphazardly Run, Employees Pay the Price
Pros
A wonderful curricular idea that is truly unique in the congested camp space. Passionate educators work tirelessly to deliver a respectable product.
Cons
Business decisions are made rashly. An entire branch of this company was launched in Seattle without properly understanding the demographics and geography of the new city. Within 2 years 3 of the 4 full time employees (including me) were laid off. The writing was on the wall for MONTHS, but the company continued to pursue the same old camp offerings. There was never any apparent marketing present in my region to create business, and eventually I was laid off by a CFO who had never spoken to me before. I was given excuse after excuse as to why I was being laid off, when the real answer was the camp doesn't make money. Up until the last second of my employment, Trackers was never at fault. My chief complaint is the way that they treat their employees. Trackers Earth is comprised of a handful of people that would do anything to see it succeed. They are all amazing, but leadership asks far too much. I personally was asked to commute to a different state that I wasn't hired to work in multiple times per month. I was told this was to "justify my salary". When I went to Portland to work (sometimes for up to a week), I was never given appropriate housing. I was forced to sleep on a couch multiple times, including the first night I ever worked at Trackers. The final straw was when I asked for a room and a bed to sleep on. That feels like a regular thing to ask for, especially if the company refuses to get you a hotel room after making you work in a different state. After driving and arriving at the HQ in Portland, I did not have a bed set up. The mattress was in the attic of the dilapidated house covered in dead bugs. I was not given alternate housing and I was not compensated in any way. I was forced to clean off a mattress, and sleep on the floor for multiple days. The upper staff is an echo chamber for the CEO. The CEO/Founder is a highly passionate and intelligent person, but is abrasive enough that it is difficult for him to work with anyone that isn't an old buddy from his past. I truly do find the CEO/Founder to be a good man. There are many reviews implying otherwise, and I firmly disagree. Unfortunately, the CEO struggles interpersonally, and many employees end up ostracized because of difficult interactions with him. Therefore, leadership is overpaid (all salaries are visible in their employee portal) and brought back to Trackers to work at a greatly inflated salary. Meanwhile, younger/less-experienced staff are rarely identified to step into leadership positions. There are dedicated staff that have taught at trackers for 10+ years that are moved all around the west coast to plug their excess of holes, but are never considered to be leaders. Trackers milks their talent for all they are worth, and then tosses said employees to the roadside in favor of legacy friends that come back to be paid 100k to just be buddies with a CEO that is dramatically out of touch with staff and students alike.
