drafter

sales representative

site supervisor

project manager

installation manager

Panel Built

 My time at PBI started quite strong working in their sales department as a drafter. Loved my supervisor and was getting to grips with the fast paced work loads. Shortly after starting they demoted and removed my supervisor with little explanation. I was left with Little direction and tried to keep up. But was slowly burning out without proper tutilidge. The replacement supervisors were new to supervising and I began to feel incredibly mismanaged. 

 No matter how often I asked for concrete performance feedback, management would wave me away with little input. It was a constant guessing game trying to figure out what they wanted from me. 

 Pay was middling for a high intensity drafting position. Benefits were okay, decent health, dental, vision care. 401k's were not available until a year of service, which is odd. I did not get to utilize that at all. Paid time off, of which you can not cash out if you are terminated. 

 In the end, the management and the culture were terrible. I felt pushed to the Fringes. They have a very closed door uppermanagement style. They will ask you to not talk with your co-workers about certain issues. 

Like all companies, Panel Built has their strengths and weaknesses. They get a lot of things right, they get some things wrong. Whether or not you should work there just depends on your personal preferences and what you can and cannot accept - you'll have to determine that for yourself. They've been good to me in many ways. I did have a not-so-good experience there that ultimately resulted in my departure, but would consider working there again if I find myself in the position of needing to. They do welcome back former employees, depending on the situation. Overall, I'm extremely grateful for their contribution to my personal and professional growth. I'd tell anyone to give them a chance. 

Did I enjoy my little over a year working at Panel Built Inc.? Absolutely! My boss was amazing and very easy to work with. If there was something that i needed to take care of at home I could easily get that day off, or what I tended to do, take my work laptop home and take care of my personal issues and then work the rest of the day in the comfort of my home. Everyone in the office was very nice and helpful as well. However there was a major flaw with the company. There isn't a strong dedicated training program for new-coming drafters. I found myself constantly frustrated with my self as well as those supervising me when I made a mistake in a drawing. I was never truly shown what was right or wrong. I would submit a drawing for review, get it back with markups, fix said mistakes and then put the corrected package on the shelf for production.I never had the chance to learn and grow. Which ironically is why I was fired.  I was told that my performance hadn't increased. I didn't think it was really fair considering I can't really grow if I'm never given the opportunity or training necessary.

Who you know matters far more than what you do here. Within the first two weeks, it became painfully clear this job was a mistake. Roles are vague, priorities shift constantly, and remote managers are completely disconnected from daily operations, making it impossible to know what’s actually expected. Favoritism is rampant, some employees get away with mistakes while others are punished for minor issues. Training is almost nonexistent, leaving new hires to figure out everything on their own while navigating unclear rules and constantly changing schedules, including last-minute mandatory weekends.

The workspace itself is unhealthy and unsafe. Fumes from production drift into offices, ventilation is poor, and materials are stored haphazardly, creating hazards. Job security is a joke; terminations happen without explanation or documentation, often leaving employees blindsided. Combined with a lack of leadership, no real culture, and zero sense of purpose, the environment is demoralizing, exhausting, and makes it nearly impossible to succeed, grow, or feel valued.

Workplace culture is amazing! It is lots of fun to work for Panel Built. They don't often let office employees go, which is good and bad. The good is they will try to work with you on improving when things aren't working and they will move you around to other departments, the bad is sometimes a manager that should be let go is kept even when they have had multiple complaints on their management style. Aside from one or two 'bad eggs' everyone is a delight to work with and for and the company becomes family. The owner is a wonderful person and the General Manager is kind, fun and truly wants you and the company to succeed.

I started out in the plant with Panel Built.  I was the only women in my department.  The guys picked on me but always had my back.  I learned how to build buildings, read blueprint plans and saw wood.  I then moved into the office where I learned about how the process started from the first call to the sales people to the engineering team drawing the plans.  My co-workers ranged from young to older and from playful to serious.  There really wasn't anything hard about my job and I enjoyed learning from everyone the ends and outs of how the processed worked.

I love working at Panel Built. Management spends a lot of time investing in me and that shows. They let me be creative, and help me when I am struggling. I never feel afraid to speak up or make a suggestion, they welcome new ideas and change. Upper management will make time for you and genuinely give you advice on ideas. The work can be stressful, and you can wear a lot of hats, but that is what makes it fun. There is always something new to do! If I am feeling overwhelmed, (which I sometimes do) I feel secure in talking to management and confident that they will support me.

What is the best part of working at the company?
I enjoy working with a small department team to accomplish company goals.

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The volume of work can be difficult to keep up with. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Great, very freindly and positive.

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Constant email, phone calls, and meeting to review and resolve issues.

Management is awful. They dont care about the employees only whats best for them. Very unorganized place to work, material everywhere trip hazards all over the place, stressful hours, alot of last minute mandatory weekends. This place wants you to devote your life to work and not have a social life outside of here. 

My job starts at 5 o’clock in the morning and to have the equipment ready to start. First we prep steel to be powdered witch consist of grinding and wiping steel down with lacquer thinner. The next step is to powder coat and push the steel products into the oven for 35 minutes.
 The hardest part of my job is on your feet for around10 hours.
 The enjoyable part of my job is seeing the finish product  completed

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Drafter 4 salaries reported	$25.97 per hour
Sales representative 1 salary reported	$74,000 per year
Site supervisor 1 salary reported	$25.00 per hour
Project manager 1 salary reported	$55,000 per year
Installation manager 1 salary reported	$19.00 per hour

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