Pros
I worked at Core States Group (formerly Barghausen) as a Project Designer. Overall, I’d say this is a good place to work if you’re looking to hunker down and grind. The pay and benefits are strong, and most of the team is easy to collaborate with.
Cons
If you’re looking for professional or career growth, you’re unlikely to find much of it here. Designers tend to remain heavily confined to the same role, with limited training or opportunity to move into broader responsibilities outside of design. The work itself becomes highly repetitive and offers little room for professional development or creative involvement. Most project information and decisions flow down through management, so there is little real sense of ownership at the designer level.
There are also structural issues in how field and coordination responsibilities are handled. Site reconnaissance was removed from designers and reassigned to project coordination, even though that function already appeared stretched thin. As a result, designers often absorb administrative tasks that might otherwise be expected to sit elsewhere, while also losing opportunities for field exposure that would improve both design accuracy and practical understanding.
Management was ultimately the biggest concern during my time there. Communication around expectations and internal decisions was often unclear, and in several cases what was presented did not align with what followed in practice, which became a major reason for my departure.
There is also a clear imbalance in how recognition and advancement are experienced within the department, making it difficult for performance alone to feel like the deciding factor. Interpersonal issues within the group can also go unaddressed longer than they should, which adds unnecessary friction to the work environment.