Pros
- Office hours when in Franklin are good, Nashville is a great city to live/work/play (working show circuits can be tiring, but fun!) - People who truly love horses and dogs - Dog friendly office - Fun Celebrations for birthdays/retirement/babies, etc - Business is growing FAST and some solid folks have been brought in to put policies in place to keep things moving in a positive direction - Busy horse show schedule, great networking, you meet some of the best minds in the equine industry - Generous Employee Discount - Good dental / optical plan - Fair compensation - Flexible work schedule - understanding of animal and family obligations / emergencies - Most coworkers are personable, make lasting friendships - Upper management are easily accessible and involved in day to day - Working to stand behind "We are horse health" tagline by tightening policies and procedures to meet or exceed FEI, USEF, AAEP, VIPPS recommendations - Free apparel from time to time (runs out quick) - Company paid iPhones, paid travel and Corporate Cards for some staff - Financial Transparency for those who are interested - Most positions include access to spiffs or bonus plans, FV wins, you win!
Cons
- Computer systems are clunky and redundant, they're working to improve this, but it's a major pain point - Certain processes (eg. Expense Reports) can be confusing; a lot of that is tied to the above - Morale has been improving, but has it's bad days. Staff often needs reminders to play nice with one another, we're all on the same team, but at times departments or individuals can be antagonistic and things can get heated - Working on the horse show teams can mean long hours, 6-7 day weeks and a disconnect from what's going on at corporate. Teams at the horse show generally work well to cover eachother and Earned Time Off means nice extended breaks between circuits, but you have to work hard to avoid burnout - Healthcare plans are offered and company covers portion of premiums, but employee share is still pricey and deductibles are high - This has improved, but still needs work - need to be more proactive versus reactive - This has also improved, but mid-level managers need more authority to lead their teams. Often managers' are jumped over and senior managers should be referring individuals to their direct supervisor or the applicable manager. The ceo or founder doesn't need to handle every woe or be cc'd on every internal email - Some staff can be resistance to change, it's okay to try new things - Headquarters are a solid 15 minutes from Franklin 5-Points or 20 minutes from I-65. If you aren't in the Leiper's Fork, North Franklin, Bellevue, Dickson County, Gulch or Green Hills areas, be prepared for long commutes. - Budgeting is very snug which can be frustrating if you're coming from an organization where you have a lot of resources. You have to learn to do things as best you can with know how, sweat and duct tape. - As new positions get created (growth mode) and things get shifted around, it can be confusing as to who is owning what and who needs to discuss what, analysis paralysis can be a drag. - Meetings need improvement, on time starts, clear agendas, staying on focus and getting folks back to their day to days as quickly as possible. Managers can easily find themselves tied up in meetings or prepping for meetings for a good % of their office hours, it's improved as there are less "impromptu" meetings where no one has had a chance to prep, but it still needs work - There's always a lot to do, so you've got to keep a clear head about all the projects to avoid feeling overwhelmed