Entry Level w/ Promotion - Designer- Architecture and Urban Design Canin Associates Employee Review

Overall good people who work for this firm. A small company gives you more of a closer family feel, if done properly.

Poor communication between department heads. Each department (Arch/LArch/Planning) works separately with their own rules. When an issue arises you get unprofessionalism that you may expect from a small company. Everyone in charge points the finger at the other in charge. Those lower employees who do all the actual work have limited growth as no one ever plans to retire nor wants to teach the next generation. Once someone does retire, those left in charge decide they don't need to replace that position (saves money). For a company that has been in business for decades, expect a lot of amateur decisions and slow acceptance to modern changes.

Aspects of the work environment are relaxed. You will rarely have to work overtime, unless you are in the architecture studio, and dress code is pretty informal. It is a small firm, so you are not just a number, but an integral part of a team. Most employees are relatively pleasant, and projects are generally interesting. You will learn from your supervisors, who have been in the field for a very long time. Salaries are competitive for the industry, but benefits are expensive.

The firm is very top-heavy, and skews older with about 7 principals about 14 staff. There are a lot of differing opinions and miscommunications among the principals that ends up creating a lot of unnecessary work for everyone. High turnover in the architecture studio. The owner of the company likes to micromanage, is generally not open to new ideas or opinions, and will very rarely admit fault. There is a profound lack of trust between the principals and staff. Because of this, the company cannot grow as it should, and the product it produces is not as good as what the firm's competitors can produce, or what the talent in the firm is actually capable of producing. The firm has basically not been able to make the transition to a true 21st century workplace where creative energies, talent, and fresh ideas are utilized to create new and better designs.