project manager

field service technician

mi manager

detective

locator

GPRS

Be very careful here. 
GPRS can change your life for the better, like it did for me but that only goes so far.

Instead of being a rising star I was put down and kept out of the loop. Still I fought for mine and got it. I just landed my first BIG customer here but no one will ever care. Weird, you see other guys who came before applauded and awarded with all kinds of accolades for the same things I’m doing. They even teach the new guys to hate you. It’s bad.

When I started I learned it all on my own. I'd go out and show the guys my stuff and they’d be impressed.  But that didn’t translate into being a part of anything professionally. Recently I showed I know great ability with GPR but wasn’t given credit. It’s part of the trick in the field-Area Managers will keep you in the dark so ppl didn’t see how good you can do. They keep your reputation in a bad light by keeping gossip and trash talk going. They know that if they dump a ton of stress and drama on you you’ll never be able to dig yourself out from under it. AND I STILL DID! They tried and I still made it! Bitter sweet though.

The Area Managers aren’t held to account and that translates into a very rough time in the field. Just doesn’t make sense, they could make so much money if they just supported and lived the company values

Listen, the perks are amazing! Great vehicles, gas card, phone, credit card, and the corporate team is the BEST corporate team you’ll see anywhere here. I can’t speak highly enough of the Fleet team, the training department, IT, SiteMap (love SiteMap!), and the Senior Field Leadership is awesome too. But that’s where it ends. 

Getting this job changed my life but that was short lived. And your success isn’t determined by your efforts but by how others look at you. It’s almost impossible to be visible here unless you’re a part of the inner circles. Sad.

Rhetoric and Double Speak are mainstays of the managing style in the field-good luck cutting through that to get a better job. I’ve seen guys and gals promoted here and make a great life for themselves but my quality of life has been pretty crudy lately. The money is good but what’s it worth if you’re always going up against groups constantly misrepresenting you. You need to guard your mind in the field because they’ll tear you to pieces just so you can’t be successful.

I thought I could be a part of leadership here, help change the culture for the better. Maybe one day GPRS will be where we, as a community, need them to be-where the SLT wants us to be as a company. But I’m not going to be a part of the attrition rate to help them get there.

Be careful. Don’t shy away from GPRS because it is a great job. But be very aware that you may very well be the one they rally against instead of lifting up.

Compensation is good, work isn’t bad, but in most markets you essentially have 0 coworkers or management support. “Project Managers” are the lowest rung on the ladder at GPRS. While the job title may sound cool it’s a bit of a novelty, except when it’s convenient for the company to ask you to do things far beyond your pay grade. Expect long hours, long drive times, and little to no support. 

You’ll be a trainee for roughly 3 months and for two weeks you’ll be in Toledo Ohio at the corporate office. The training in Toledo is necessary but it really doesn’t leave you with anything other than shattered confidence. You’ll be put through nightmare locating scenarios and as a beginner it is not going to go well, I promise. Luckily the real thing is rarely as difficult.

A PM at GPRS is essentially a field tech anywhere else. Compensation includes a base salary and monthly bonuses that are based on the revenue you generate, however there are caviats. I.e. if you have a scumbag client that tries to refuse payment or ghosts you, that missing revenue is docked from your pay. I guess PM’s are also collections agents? Roughly half of your annual income will come from bonuses. Also, tech’s are on the hook financially for damages as a result of a bad utility locate. Payouts from damages are docked from your future pay so if you make a mistake be prepared to be poor for a while. 

Most markets don’t have any physical office, so the truck and equipment stay at your residence. The equipment you receive is very cool and expensive, however if anything is on the fritz you’re just gonna have to figure it out. Don’t expect any promises of new gear or parts to be kept. 

GPRS offers a “promotion track” but you’d essentially need to be a field tech for upwards of 8 years before you earn your way out of the field, and even then you’re expected to conduct field work on a regular basis. The marketing team is a nightmare and consistently advertises results/services that tech’s or the equipment simply can not provide. Being the bearer of bad news almost every day can be brutal. Promotions and recognition are often based on favoritism. GPRS upper management is deeply religious and is not afraid to express their beliefs in the workplace. 

Lots of cons here, but the pros are your fellow techs and area managers. They truly are the only people that will help you with anything (remotely of course because the nearest coworker may be 4 hours away). If you’re in the locating trade go work somewhere else, just make sure GPRS isn’t going to acquire them. 

GPRS is a company that was value oriented in the beginning and well compensating. Time has been extremely rough to this company. Changes have occurred that have rendered this employment opportunity useless. A culture of transparency and loyalty is preached but much like Scientology upon further investigation seems to be a science fiction tale. A cult vibe is prevalent throughout management. GPRS expects the world from the employee but does reciprocate the response. A project manager title is a poor description of what the job entails. Service technician would be a better fit. Compensation at this company is based off the starting salary, if you do not max out the starting pay, you will cut yourself severely short as only four raises will be available your entire career. The only way to move up in the company is to be terrible and untrainable at which point a promotion will be provided. I would recommend this job if something is needed in the interim but would not recommend this for any length of time. 


Unfortunately, the work environment can be very toxic, and the managers take the side of th one they feel is producing more. You can come to them (only 2 in the office) and express the struggles where they chose to ignore the issues at hand. Foul language is used by managers, and with there being no HR in the office it is hard to feel safe in that type of work environment. If you miss the training, you are not helped and thrown right into the fire to learn yourself. Not taking into consideration when certain employees are over stepping and breaking policy rules the will over look these individuals if they are faster at your job then you are. Bad mouthing goes unaddressed and are left to fend for yourself. No room for real career growth. 

 Extreme loyalty demanded. A focus on "we" over "you", where your personal needs and growth are constantly secondary to the company's mission.
Lack of transparency. Decisions are made without clear explanation, and you feel like there's a hidden agenda.
Groupthink pressure. Everyone's expected to think and act the same way, and anyone who challenges the status quo is ostracized or punished. 
Overblown expectations of work ethic. 
Work is prioritized over all aspects of life, with pressure to always be available, connected, or willing to work late, without regard for work-life balance.
 Leaders that encourage unquestioning respect or admiration.  It could be your boss or the company's leadership expecting blind trust and admiration, as if they're above reproach.
 Constant, almost religious, reinforcement of the company's mission: The company's mission or values are hammered in at every
turn, almost like they're trying to indoctrinate you into the "cause” 

A typical workday would include a long drive to and from worksites with some longer work days in between drives. The job teaches you the ins and outs of everything that is buried (utilities, tanks, etc). Upper management often shows favoritism and advancement opportunities are given based on seniority and favoritism alone, not leadership ability. Diversity in hiring could be improved as well as recognition for hard work.  The most enjoyable part of the job is the feeling of free reign over an area. Since management is distant you will not often have someone breathing down your neck. However, your individual co-workers are most likely going to be some of the best people you could ever work with.

The work is both rewarding and interesting. However, depending on your region you will be driving to job sites near and far at a moments notice staying in hotels etc. If you do not mind this lifestyle then the compensation and type of work is definitely worth it. However, it will eventually be hard to plan a life around this constant travel requirement. You will be waking up early to drive sometimes 3-5 hours to a job site, working a long day, and then coming home or to a hotel to work on reporting or sit on a phone meeting. Since it is a bonus style compensation, you will be asked to jam in as much work in a month as is humanly possible with little regard to your outside life. For some people the benefits may out weigh the cons but just know what your getting into. Your life M-F will be engulfed by GPRS as well as occasional weekend work. 

Project Managers make between 45k-55k. I was a project manager for GPRS for two years and love management, that's about it. I NEVER received a noticeable raise only an increase in workload. This job will always be on your mind, the work never stops. Whether it's working in the field, writing reports at home, filling out job tickets during dinner, creating excel spread sheets on your day of off, you will not stop working. There are no weekends with GPRS. One positive is that the management knows of the workload they put on the project managers and are willing to help. This company is growing too fast, over the years the project managers have been making less and less due to "growth in the company". The Project Managers at GPRS are amazing people and I praised them for putting up with the intense workload for such low pay.

GPRS is a very unique work environment. The standard practice of high values and integrity are seen and felt company wide. We are all working for the overall success of the company, striving for common goals, but its not just about making money, its about building on a firm foundation. We all support each other! Management cares and we all truly work as a team. The growth of the company is a reflection of the care given to employees. Productivity is dependent upon compassionate leaders building into the hearts of its workers and GPRS exemplifies this practice. What are you waiting for? Come join our family!!

The training process is a waste of time. Goofing around in a classroom for up to 4 hours a day while you are stuck halfway across the country for two weeks. Most new hires walk out of there knowing very little about what they will actually be doing. Several people have reported rampant bullying by the trainer as well. The actual job consists of a lot of travelling, and sporadic hours. The jobs are sometimes several hours apart, making it very difficult to maintain a schedule, and obtain a descent bonus. The end of your workday consists of juggling a lot of other odd tasks as well, affecting time spent with family. Overall, it is not for everybody. Would not recommend.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Project manager 166 salaries reported	$67,816 per year
Field service technician 8 salaries reported	$22.00 per hour
Mi manager 5 salaries reported	$64,000 per year
Detective 6 salaries reported	$63,333 per year
Locator 6 salaries reported	$23.00 per hour

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