field technician

drafter

civil designer

video editor

software engineer

GPD Group

In the 22 years I worked there, I started out as employee number 75.  I was making $5.50 per hour.  We had the Akron office, and an office in Indianapolis.  We ran the Indy office's network from Akron.  When mom became sick, we had an office in Cleveland, two offices in Columbus, an office in Atlanta, an office in Seattle and an office in Phoenix.  Akron was still the main office, and we monitored their network from time to time.  We still ran all the networks with a hardware device called a Riverbed.  Everything ran smoothly.  My last Christmas bonus there was 5 digits, and I was making $22.75 per hour.  The last employee that I added to Active Directory was employee number 1269.  We had a company golf outing every year since 1989, GPD paid for it.  Different course every year.  Company picnic every year at different places every year.  The last one I attended was at Put-In-Bay.  We also helped two different families every year who were less fortunate.  They needed house work done, but couldn't afford it.  Those of us who wanted to volunteer were welcome.  Every year I would get a new t-shirt to work it.  Work entailed painting, wood work, repairing something that was coming down either inside or outside the house.  If it couldn't be repaired, it was replaced.  I love helping people, and it was even better knowing that fellow employees felt the same way as I do.

GPD is a decent place for new grads to start their career. However, they lack career paths and growth plans, as they do not believe in promoting from within or offering room to grow/ move up within the company. They also do not have a mentorship/ training program for technical or nontechnical staff. Senior leadership (anyone at the practice leader level and up) is rude and disrespectful to anyone below them. This is not a place to ask questions and learn from experienced professionals. They do not offer a hybrid or remote arrangements, except for the rare cases/ favorites. They claim they are family friendly, but pressure everyone to work overtime. Their insurance is amazing and hard to beat - that is the biggest perk that keeps many people there. 

Telecommunications is an amazing opportunity.  Very laid back environment with a lot of young professionals.  Great mentorship program and phenomenal compensation, benefits, and bonuses.  Management doesn't micromanage and they're very flexible and understanding of our lives outside of work.  Very easy to make friends and connections at GPD.

A typical day of work at GPD Group involved making revisions to job site plans using AutoCad that were sketched by engineers in pen.  I learned how to work in a team environment to communicate as well as design and edit job site plans including writing a Bill of Materials, and fixing revision clouds. I was also able to help perform field surveys with engineers of buildings constructed by GPD. Everybody at GPD Group was very helpful and understanding of my position as a first time co-op/intern.  The hardest part of the job was figuring out some of the things engineers wrote on their revisions. The most enjoyable part of the job was the engineering experience I gained.

GPD Group is a really great place to work, especially if you prioritize your family over career and wealth. They do not allow hybrid or remote, but they are very flexible with daily schedules that best fit your life. Not all teams operate the same, but most teams do not require excessive overtime and are accommodating to personal leave, schedules, and appointments. The benefits are out of this world, you will not pay a dime for healthcare and the quarterly bonuses are a nice addition to your salary.

GPD makes a lot of promises at first. Then they hire you as a temporary employee and provide you with no benefits. They also have no set temporary period. I worked as a temp for 7 months with multiple promises of being hired on at 6 months. 

There is no management whatsoever. When there is a problem employees just point fingers and have no accountability. 

It is much different working in an employee owned environment. During slow periods they expect you to work overtime and not take compensation for that. Even if you are a temporary employee that receives zero benefits (with no employee ownership). 

GPD gives no warnings of layoffs.

Lack of trust at executive level, closed circle of trust.  Lack of company direction, direction for departments, lack of senior leadership support.  Pay is decent if you want to work 50+ hours/wk.  For 40 hours/wk, pay is much lower than average.  A “drink the koolaide” mentality.  Company leadership - Hires and promotions are based more on looks rather than talent.  Severe Micro-management from executive leadership.  Very arrogant atmosphere from leadership.

The company moved to flexible hours with core hours during the workday for office availability. It made it easy to have morning or afternoon appointments without having to take time off. The company is employee owned, so the upper management is transparent about how the company is doing. The workplace culture is fine, and the company offers volunteer events and social events so you can meet other employees.

GPD offers the option to work at a modest pace (40 hours per week) or to go hard year round if that is something that your personal life allows for.  Management and supervisors are reasonable to your needs and concerns and do not project a sense of arrogance or power.  There are opportunities provided by the company for outside fun and enjoyment, whether it be after hours or on your lunch break.  I barely recall anyone I worked with that wasn't friendly or personable.

GPD is not your typical company. The culture is work hard, play hard. If you don't open yourself up and give 110% then you won't last. They have very good benefits so the initial pay can be lower but raises and bonus more than make up for it. The community involvement is very rewarding and everyone looks out for one another.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Field technician 3 salaries reported	$80,000 per year
Drafter 2 salaries reported	$60,000 per year
Civil designer 2 salaries reported	$92,500 per year
Video editor 1 salary reported	$49,834 per year
Software engineer 1 salary reported	$112,013 per year

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