Pros
Vulcan is several orgs in one. It seems to be a good place to work if you work in operations (e.g. shipping, reception), admin support, divisions where there’s a clear profit motive (e.g. real estate, investment), and divisions run by executives who enjoy favor with the owner (currently government affairs, productions). I’ve gotten mixed signals about Aerospace. There is a collegial peer-to-peer culture at the professional and admin levels. People across the organization are willing to help you, even if they don’t know you well. The company has some fun perks, like free movie nights and generous Friday happy hours. Halloween is a lot fun.
Cons
Vulcan is an impossible place work if you work in areas that are subject to the whims of the owner (e.g. technology, philanthropy, productions) or divisions run by executives who have fallen out of favor with the owner (e.g. philanthropy, which turns over managers at the rate of about one per year). It's hard to convey to outsiders how chaotically and arbitrarily Vulcan is managed, and how permanent and unfixable that situation is. It helps to keep in mind that the company is really a multi-faceted personal services firm built around the interests of its owner, who is famously self-indulgent, unfocused and inscrutable. Executives live or die by their ability to discern and satisfy his wants, a skill that few master and fewer sustain for more than a few years. Professional staff live or die by their ability to help their executives satisfy those wants. “We serve at the pleasure of [the owner]” is an often-repeated office adage. There is much frustrated talent inside the company.
