Ethical company and well respected in the industry and for its concern for customers BUT - Anonymous employee Gopher Sport Employee Review

2.0
1 Aug 2010
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Ethical company that is well positioned and well respected in the industry. Values quality work delivers quality products and service to its customers.

Cons

Employees are often treated like office supplies instead of being treated as valuable resources.

Explore other reviews about Gopher Sport

5.0
16 May 2024
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Fun company, with good office atmosphere. Focused on employee growth

Cons

The lack of autonomy allowed for a good amount of micromanagement.

1.0
26 May 2026
Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The people are the best part of this company hands down excluding some. Many employees genuinely care about each other, work incredibly hard, and do their best to create a positive environment despite leadership challenges. There is flexibility in some departments, which can be valuable depending on your role. The CREW team deserves recognition for trying to maintain morale and employee engagement, often while working with limited budgets and constraints outside of their control.

Cons

This company was once family-oriented, employee-focused, and a place where long-term careers could be built. Unfortunately, over the past several years, that culture has changed significantly. Insurance goes up every year making it literally impossible to afford life in general because you are trying to be the keeper for your families health. Senior leadership appears heavily focused on metrics and financial performance at the expense of employee development, innovation, and retention. Internal growth opportunities are limited, and capable employees are frequently overlooked for advancement. Employees with strong ideas, initiative, or constructive feedback often feel unheard rather than empowered. Upper leadership has created an environment that feels disconnected from the day-to-day reality of employees. Decision-making often appears top-down, with little openness to feedback or collaboration. There is a strong perception that leadership believes they already have all the answers rather than valuing the experience and insight of the people doing the work. If you are a puppet this is a company for you. A particularly concerning observation has been the apparent lack of female representation in leadership after several women in management roles left or were let go, with those roles subsequently being filled by men. From an employee perspective, this has raised serious concerns about equity, advancement opportunities, and leadership culture. If you're looking for a place with meaningful career growth, transparent leadership, and a culture where employees feel valued beyond their output, this may not be the environment you expect.

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Gopher Sport Response
4w
Thank you for your thoughtful opinions regarding your employment at Gopher Sport and we’re sorry that you departed with a negative experience. Medical insurance premiums is a challenge for all employers in the U.S. and Minnesota. The average increase in Minnesota was as high as 22%. Gopher Sport’s average increase across our options was 13%. Gopher Sport’s HR and Finance teams work closely with our partner brokers to provide the best value possible for our Team Members in our applicable market and are confident in our 2026 offerings. Regarding Career Paths and development, nearly every hourly and salaried individual contributor role has an assigned career path and is documented to all People Leaders in the Gopher Sport Intranet/SharePoint site. Gopher Sport is a privately held for-profit company which strives to maximize our value to both external and internal stakeholders. Part of the Executive and Senior Management’s responsibilities are to ensure strong financial performance for our customers and internal team members. Again, thank you for your many years of employment. We value each of these responses and wish you the best in your future employment.
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