controller

powder coater

cad drafter

office manager

human resources manager

American Products, Inc. (API)

This was my first job out of college, and I was only there for about 8 months in 2010 or so.

Usually 3 to 5 times per month, lunch would be catered in. Every now and then it would be planned in advance or announced, but usually you'd find out about it that same morning once you got to work, which is only worth mentioning because it would have been nice to know about at least 1 day in advance so I wouldn't bring lunch if I was planning to, etc.

The people were very kind and genuine, and the facility is really neat, but there were a few oddities.

For example, when clocking in every morning, you couldn't clock in until it was your designated "start time," so you had to stand there and wait.

This wouldn't be such an inconvenience except that clocking in even one minute late was a big deal. This led to at least 5 to 8 minutes of wasted time every morning in which I couldn't clock in and get to work, but I also couldn't go grab breakfast or a coffee - I had to just stand there and wait for the precise 60-second time frame that was my clock-in time. I feel almost certain that this was to make absolutely sure that they would never owe anybody any overtime, which is understandable, but there's at least 5 better ways to reach that same goal lol.

A 30-minute lunch break is awful. I had 1-hour lunch breaks as an intern at a couple other facilities, and I had 1-hour lunch breaks at every job I've ever had since then. 30 minutes just isn't enough time to drive somewhere, order food, eat food, use the bathroom, and get back to the office 3 to 5 minutes early to make sure you don't accidentally clock in late.

I have a feeling that a lot of their policies may have changed since I worked there years ago, so take all of this with a grain of salt.

The hiring process was extensive - I did 3 interviews before I was hired. The first one was a group interview, and they didn't even ask me any pointed questions really. I think it was just to weed out people who wouldn't pass a background check or people who were poor communicators, etc. The second interview they put me at a computer and handed me a set of typed instructions regarding some documents I was supposed to make using Microsoft Excel and one other program, either Word or PowerPoint, I can't remember. The third interview was a traditional interview.

I wasn't there long enough to get any of the benefits. I only left because my husband's job relocated us to a different state.

The title says it all.

If you are okay working 50 minimum hour work weeks, this is the place for you. If you don’t want to see your family, heck, or even see the light of day, this is your perfect workplace. If you want to work in an environment that sucks the life from your soul due to all the negativity, then you are in the right spot. If you don’t want to do anything at all like the job you were interviewing for and promised in your interview, then you found your dream career. If you are okay being micromanaged by the owners wife at every step you take, this is the place for you. If you want to be talked about behind your back about how much you suck, okay sometimes to your face as well if you are one of the lucky few, well hello heaven.

But seriously, as much as I met some great people in my very short time working at American Products, it is a constant revolving door of people. You have to keep track of every single thing you do, which wouldn’t be bad for specific accounts, but for every single thing is overkill. Go to the bathroom? Better record it. Don’t want to get told how much of a waste you are by the owners wife now. Want to leave the company? The same person will tell other employees it’s their fault that people constantly quit, never looking in the mirror at the real issues of the company. You have extremely overworked people for an absurd low pay, no hopes of even getting a raise even after working there for years. The warehouse employees are working in the heat for hours on end with no air conditioning causing many new employees to end up in the ER from the heat. But do the owners care? You can bet - Not at all.

If you support dictatorships and want to feel like you are a Jew in Germany during WWII then you found your forever career. If you have a degree, any sense of dignity, or have family or pets at home, I suggest you look elsewhere. Thankfully in Tampa there are always job openings.

It is amazing to see what the owners have created, but they need to hire an office manager/auditor to come in and work with them to truly turn the administrative structure around.  Owners are great to work for – even though some employees paint them as horrible – unhappy people make unhappy comments.  They are funny and a plethora of knowledge about the business.
There are negatives going on here but most of this is from the supervisors and the employees themselves.  Asking other workers for assistance is like pulling teeth, which is where a good office mgr can come in to provide 1 on 1 coaching and make a difference.  Everyone with problems is pushed to go, to one employee, for help and she has so much on her plate she gets frustrated easily; she isn't being rude - just too much for one person - some of this should be owned by the supervisors.
Customer service mgr is lacking in the very title she carries; very rude to employees.  
People with titles seem to carry themselves as executives.
Supervisors are so busy complaining about the owners and their jobs that they fail to coach their teams.  There is a lack of direction but you are required to provide a report to show what work you did at the end of every day. I can agree with the synopsis of the daily report, but all the questions can be provided at the end of the work week.  Require you to help to update SOPs, which is exceptional, but when you suggest the data in the system should be cleaned up - the supervisor who created the processes doesn't want to hear that.  This data could be so much more productive if a true SOP was put in place and it was pushed out to the teams to follow the new process.
45k a year means working a 47.5 hr week.  If you only work a 40 hour week that 45k is only 35k.

I have been with American Products and its sister companies for a year now and I feel I've progressed significantly in my role starting as a project coordinator to now being a Project Manager with major responsibilities for high-end and established clients. 

Most of the negative reviews are from those who were not cut out for this type of fast-paced and very challenging work environment and industry. If you want a job where you can take it easy and go on auto-pilot, this isn't for you. You must be driven, detail-oriented and be able to thrive in an extremely fast-paced environment. 

If you have the motivation and dedication, you can make it here. The learning curve is very difficult, but challenging and I am thankful for my managers and for the senior project managers (who have been here for 5-10+ years) to help train and mold me to become successful in this industry.

The job requires close monitoring of your activities and what may come across as micro-managing, but you have to understand the nature of this industry where construction deadlines are critical and there's little room for error. We are custom fabricating metal and products for high-end retail stores and businesses, so it is necessary for management and coworkers to review your work daily. If you have an attitude or can’t handle that type of daily feedback, this job isn't for you. 

If you can handle the challenging work environment, the doors will open in terms of responsibilities you are given. Every job has its ups and downs, but I feel I have a great career path here and I love the people I work with.

Read your offer letter carefully.  You are not making what you think.   They make it look like your salary is one thing, but it's based on a 45 hour work week with OT included. You like most others will probably be shocked when you receive your first check.  But hey, you get to leave early on Friday's 5pm. As if that's really a perk.  
Even if you are salaried employee, you will be punching a time clock.  If you work less than 8  hours in a day, but over 40 in a week.  On the day you worked less than 8 you will have to use PTO to make up your time.
The owner and his wife are cruel, evil, arrogant people with no soul.  I'm not even sure they know the meaning of the word truth.  Everything they say is a lie.  The owner's office designed like a replica the Oval office.  Walks around talking about how big his house is, all his exotic cars while paying way below the salary average for the area.  You will never get a raise unless you threaten to quit.
They interview no less than 5 people a day as the office is constantly turning over.  The interview process is a joke.  Make sure to plan for a whole day.  They have no value for other people's time and it only gets worse if you decide to accept their offer.
The owner's wife will buy donuts, leave them overnight in her office and then offer them to the staff a day or two later.  She will act as if offering 2 day old donuts is above and beyond generous.
The only good thing is the employees are bonded together on a mutual hatred of ownership.

I have been working at American Products for several years.   I can honestly say I love coming to work every day.  The days fly by because we are so busy.   I am constantly challenged to think outside of the box on things like learning new products, improving current procedures, improving communications, etc.  There is definitely always something to learn here and I am happy to say that my coworkers are always here to help! The company culture is casual but busy.  We wear jeans and someone is always brining in goodies to eat.  There are many employees that have been with the company for years as well as some newer employees.   The hardest part of the job includes: 1. The very fast pace of the jobs because our customers short construction schedules 2. There is always something to learn (most jobs we supply are not exactly the same so there are always exceptions to what you just learned - you must really stay on your toes). Everyone, including management, work really well together and help each other.   The owners are very hands on and I think this is a good thing.   They roll up their sleeves and work right along with all of us.  I would have to say the most enjoyable part of the job is working with great coworkers and owners.

Like others' said - don't bother.
I got an email asking me to interview. I responded that I was in the process of talking to another company, so I didn't think I should. The next email I got was practically begging me to come in anyway, promising "a better job with better pay." even though they had no idea what my other offer was.

I decided to set up an interview. The HR woman had no expression and never smiled. Her voice was flat. At the end of the meeting, I asked her how long she'd worked there. She said, "almost a year." I responded, "Oh, then you must like it here." She answered, "Um, yeah. I guess." 

She said, "It's too late to have you take the tests today, you'll have to come back tomorrow." (I don't know why the interview wasn't set for earlier in the day so it could be done all at once.) I had to come back AGAIN to take some very simple computer, etc, tests. At the end of the tests, the office manager asked if I could come back AGAIN to talk with a manager. I left a list of days and hours I was available.....and never heard from them again. 

Oh - one more thing... when I asked about the pay, she refused to tell me. All I was told was the company, "doesn't put people in boxes, so we pay them what they're worth for what they're good at."  What?? I couldn't get a straight answer out of her.

While I'm no spring chicken, I still have 30 years of hard work left before I'll be ready to retire.  From the moment I walked in to interview, I could tell  an assessment had been made of me: Too Old.  The questions were leading, and, strangely, they kept repeating the same phrase: "...Yeah, we're a REALLY fast paced company..." and suggesting that I may not be up to speed on software (?) when my resume clearly states I have over 15 years working proficiently on the software in question.  I work out 4x a week, am fit, and don't even have grey hair! (yet).  They read my resume, thought on paper I was worth interviewing, but once I showed up in person, the decison was made before I even sat down.  
I let them know that it was against Federal law to discriminate based on age, and of course they pleaded they had no idea what I meant.  
Luckliy i have since found a great job with other educated professionals who treat me and each other with respect and better pay, much better benefits.  So, happy ending for me at least.  I see American Products looking for people to work for them quite a bit on here...hum....high turnover i guess.

This is by far the most unstable place to work for. Do not be fooled by the acting HR staff that will lie about company reviews and your hired salary. When you inquire about the tons of bad reviews you'll be told those were just disgruntled employees. 

The owners wife is extremely unprofessional, lacts tact in dealing with others as if everyone is beneath her.  It  feels like she is running a daycare rather than a company based on how she treats all level of employees. There is zero confidentiality in the company, anything discussed with the acting HR person will be known by all her friends. 

Lots more could be said thus it helps no one, so if you are a professional who holds vast experience, any degrees, etc. Do not waste your time or life in this company as it would be highly degrading to you. Yet if you decide to give it a chance within 24 hours guaranteed it will be a decision you'll regret.

I interviewed and was hired for a current position, upon my first day that changed.  I was placed in a role that i had no idea or knowledge of how it should go.  Never worked in a place that wanted you to be up and running by yourself in a matter of a few days, even though the management knew you had no experience or knowledge of the position they stuck you in after lying to you about the position that you interviewed for and thought you accepted.  The salary was not good for the amount of hours expected to work with only a 30 minute lunch.  Management was rude and harsh when approached about being put in a position that i was not hired for management said either take the position or look for another job.  Had they told me prior  to the start date that the position i interviewed for was not available anymore and they wanted to offer this other position to me then it would have given me the option to have declined and remain at the job I was at prior to leaving for this one.  I hated the 4 days i spent with that company and would advice anyone to be careful of this company.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Controller 5 salaries reported	$94,216 per year
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Human resources manager 2 salaries reported	$61,500 per year

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