project manager

project engineer

safety coordinator

senior project manager

senior design engineer

Southland Industries

My role had a potential to grow but the project I worked on ended up being rife with a complete lack of communication to say the least. Some folks were overpaid & under-skilled people with miserable dispositions, and entitled personalities that felt too important to make their own copies or bring their own lunch. They were also incredibly ungrateful but it's ignored by Management because those people have been there for years or certain higher-ups liked them. They actually got rid of the one, nice PM who was highly-skilled, kept this project hanging on, and who was fair to everyone while taking the slings and arrows for his Management. Mind-boggling...

I was very much underpaid and underutilized given my skillset but was content to prove myself for the right company. However, I was "gifted" with others' main responsibilities because they didn't know certain computer programs, which they should've known given their roles. All the while, they made nearly double what I was making. It was very infuriating. Some top-end people on the site had zero accountability for their shortcomings and mistakes as people above them, enabled it. So much so, that the GC dismissed Southland from the project after one too many disasters. This meant everyone was either relocated to another job or laid off. I was the latter but I'm sure it was a blessing in disguise. 

The satellite corporate management team of the east coast were amazing, but the job site itself was a dumpster fire. 

Ultimately, I felt Southland Industries valued a BA degree over multiple years of actual experience, without regard that millions of people cannot afford a 2nd (BA) or 3rd (MA) college degree. Some cannot even afford an AA degree, for which I could be paying off well into my retirement.

Something has to give with companies here in America and how they make hiring choices. They wonder why turnover is high or reliable people are hard to find yet it's truly no wonder they get so many inept people (degrees w/ little to no experience) on job sites. 


A typical day involves managing multiple tasks at once, staying on top of changing priorities, and making sure things keep moving. I learned a lot about communication, time management, problem-solving, and how to work under pressure. It gave me valuable experience and helped me grow professionally.

Management and workplace culture can really shape the experience. When there is support, accountability, and clear communication, the job is much easier to manage. When those things are lacking, it can make an already demanding role feel even heavier.

The hardest part of the job is keeping up with the workload and constant changes while still being expected to stay organized and efficient. The most enjoyable part is gaining experience, learning how to handle challenges, and seeing the impact of your work.

First off, the CEO is a very awesome person; He's definitely one of the nicest and smartest guys I've ever met. Upper management, for the most part, is pretty spectacular. Unfortunately, there was one particular individual who my team reported to at the time who was exceptionally difficult to report to, thus most of my motivation to move on.

The office culture is spectacular, awesome holiday events, corn hole tournaments, free coffee and everyone here is pretty smart and laid back. 

The benefits that the company offers (such as 401k match up to the FEDERAL LIMIT) has never been beaten in any other company I've gone to work for. The base pay was very competitive at the time, but my experience simply outgrew the salary band. This is a huge compliment to Southland, who really allows/pushes you to grow your skills- thus marketability. Has I not been so aggressive on growing my career, I could have easily carved out enough growth to stay at the company for life.

Great safety program!  Every morning employees spend 5 to 10 minutes stretching and flexing, which is a very safe way to prepare for the intense work.

Several great tricks in commercial duct installation have been passed on to me through constant training from highly trained Journeymen.

Management is top notch, second to none.  They work with you, train you and are constantly leading the way.

Brandt strives to pair like minded workers and team them together for the most production.

This job is not for the weak.  It is non-stop lifting of heavy commercial sheet metal duct.  Fast paced bolting, hanging, cutting, screwing and sealing air tight mechanical systems.

The best part is Brandt really cares for all their employees by providing personal protection equipment, water coolers, quarterly lunches, and the best training.

My manager never gave me feedback. I wasn't trained properly. I suppose I wasn't peppy or perky enough so I didn't "fit in." 
She talked a lot about common sense but really didn't practice it.
She set me up to fail because of lack of training.  No training materials were available either.
She was very vindictive, manipulative, and ugly on the inside person ever. I never had known a person like her.

I did think she was really fair, generous, and sweet but the ugliness came out at the end.

The ladies I worked with were wonderful and very helpful. There are a couple of people who I have no respect for anymore, one within the group and someone else who is a manager in another department.
Also, if upper management knew what some in mid-management were doing, I'm not sure they would approve.

Otherwise, the company as a whole, at least while I was there, was a good company and really cared about their employees. 
I wish I could have stayed.



This is a company that values and cares about their employees above all else. Supportive and inclusive environment, industry leading benefits (paid parental leave, paid health insurance, 50% 401k match with no cap or vesting period). They encourage internal mobility to try new positions or work in different areas of the company. They are employee owned (not ESOP) - ownership opportunities are earned and stock is purchased by the employee.

The company is an industry leader in design-build and other collaborative delivery methods. Their in-house engineering staff, in particular, are some of the most talented in the industry. The company works on some of the most high profile, largest, and technically challenging projects in the country.

I learned a lot at Southland and I really enjoyed my job. There was a little toxicity that I didn’t care for, so I left. They care very much about safety and their people. The hardest part of the job was the pressure placed on me by one person who was very over the top  demanding. The Techs I worked with we experienced, smart, kind and amazing. They really care about their customers. It was a safe place to talk and be yourself. I went in to this company knowing nothing about HVAC. The Techs explained things to me and showed me things. The hardest part of my job was, a little bit of a toxic environment. It broke my heart to leave, but it had to done. I would go back in a heartbeat, if it wasn’t for the toxicity. They need to fix that! It’s a great place! The Division  Leader and upper management are wonderful people! 

The work schedule is set and consistent unless given the option for overtime. Good relationships and contacts with fellow co-workers is strong and a plus. There is great opportunity to learn skills essential to the trade as well as develope and sharpen already aquired skills. The hardest part of the job is knowing there is no job security. Lay offs are not a matter of if, but a matter of when. This happens at a moments notice, so your lifestyle can undergo undesirable changes very quickly unfortunately.  The most enjoyable part of the job is developing relationships and job skills.

If we didn't have a meting first thing in the morning we are working on getting bids taken off or sending things out to get quoted to wrap our estimates.

I have learned that you have to have a thick skin and if you loose a job you find out what went wrong and figure out a better, faster, more efficient way to do it the next time.

Management is friendly and have an open mind when it comes to new and fresh ideas.

We have a very comfortable work environment business casual dress, occasional cook-offs and social events.

Communication between our various teams.

The team is fun and getting to discover new ways of doing my job better or problem solving a given situation.

The company is great unless you are assigned to the Intel jobsite in Chandler.  It's a another world out there, and a very toxic & hostile environment. Union workers are snowflakes. Intel wants extreme safety but pushes workers to work a 10 hour workday, 6 days a week which makes for fatigued workers, who don't care and make lots of mistakes.  Including unsafe mistakes.
There are too many managers who have control in the wrong areas, and not enough control in more critical areas.
Safety reports to production, what's wrong with that?
The company has grown to fast in this area to have good controls in place.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Project manager 22 salaries reported	$115,023 per year
Project engineer 16 salaries reported	$96,303 per year
Safety coordinator 11 salaries reported	$91,111 per year
Senior project manager 11 salaries reported	$153,918 per year
Senior design engineer 4 salaries reported	$127,250 per year

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