Great team and valuable experience! - Architectural BGW Employee Review

1. The work we do is so rewarding. I love designing churches and schools that provide space for communities to gather together, learn more about Jesus, and encourage one another through the ups and downs of life. I love our mission. We know that churches are built by gifts from congregants; we want to be good stewards of these resources, and provide great value and beautiful aesthetics, no matter how big or small the budget may be. We aren't big on our own ego, but want to humbly work with our clients to give them a space that can make a positive change in their community. 2. I've grown so much professionally, and have been given quite a lot of responsibility and opportunities to grow my knowledge and skill as an architect. From simply learning drafting to now going on site visits and essentially running projects, I’ve come a long way in a short amount of time. I think a few former employees had mentioned feeling pigeonholed in their role in the company- but my experience is that if you show yourself capable of growth and have a conversation about what your career goals are, higher-ups listen and help you get to where you want to be. 3. My coworkers and team are such wonderful people. No one is perfect and we all have good and bad days, but most days we work hard to strengthen each other, encourage each other, and work well together to deliver beautiful projects. We're like-minded in our goal and mission to serve the church and build God’s kingdom. 4. We are an employee owned company, and while I don't get a "vote" in matters, we have a board of great people who listen to any concerns, and work hard to move our company forward well, with our mission, clients and employees at the forefront of their minds.

1. Sometimes the upper management is reluctant to change "the way it has always been.” The upside to this is, even when the process for change can be bumpy, frustrating and slow, I really believe they care about me as a person, and I've seen very positive changes made over the past few years I've worked here. It’s very encouraging to me to see a company that is willing to admit it’s not perfect, and change and grow for the betterment of its people. 2. Work/Life Balance is a tricky one, because our profession is so heavily influenced by the economy. While the economy is booming right now, some team members are so buried in work, that I don't see how any balance is possible. I'd like to see their work load lightened a bit with additional support. I do believe more balance is achievable when the economy is not quite so crazy.

The best thing about working here is the clients. BGW specializes in church design, these projects can be a very rewarding.

Bgw has developed a toxic work environment, you will be made to feel guilty if you use any sick or vacation time. If you are a salary employee and do not work at least 45 hours per week you will be reprimanded, prepare to work 8am to 6pm at a minimum to stay in the good graces of the other employees. They will tell you anything to hire you, especially interns fresh out of school. I caution you to not believe what they say. I was told I would get experience in all areas of architecture, I would travel to job sites, I would be mentored, I was even told they would pay my student loans. None of it happened. NONE. The office is set up in a very strange non collaborative way. Everyone sits in private offices that are about 5 ft wide with no windows to the outside. No natural day light. This is a major problem if you are new to the field and need to learn off of someone. The CEO is not Dan Cook, it is Mike McIntosh.