Admirable Vision... but Poor Implementation
Pros
The ideals of the CEO are incredibly admirable, and I believe him when he says that he wants customers to be heard and issues be addressed. The work environment CAN be laid back, and the smaller size of the company (though I suspect this won't last long) makes for a more personal experience than the larger ISP's. Lastly, because of the charismatic nature of the CEO, the employees dedication to customer service and ensuring that they receive a superior experience, IQ Fiber stands a decent chance of breaking through that National barrier to entry of Telecom.
Cons
It pains me to say this, but the greatest weakness (and, ironically, strength) within IQ Fiber is that most employees, within Operations anyway, have background in Telecommunications. I worked with at least 7 of my former coworkers (after leaving a large ISP) at IQ. If you are at all familiar with the Telecom industry, you will be familiar with the unspoken "cover yourself" policies, the unpredictable nature of management, the fast-paced, sometimes erratic direction of trends, the hilarious lack of effective interdepartmental communication, and the goals of each department being in stark contrast to almost every other dept. Most of the employees bring this understanding/mindset with them, and so from the heads of departments down to the field technicians, there is a drive to impress the guy above you, even if it means throwing every subordinate under the proverbial bus. I don't believe that Ted Schremp or Kim Smithers have a very clear picture of how some of the Managers/Supervisors treat their subordinates. These are not the words of a disgruntled ex-employee, but rather the words of someone who believed in Ted's vision for IQ Fiber. I believe it can go on to outperform Spectrum, Comcast, Time Warner, etc. If they truly encourage and listen to employee feedback, and be vigilant about avoiding the Telecom Mental Trap.
