The Inmates Run this Asylum - Finance and Accounting Rentech Employee Review

1.0
Aug 2, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

If you are career focused, goal oriented and success driven then Rentech is probably not the place for you. But if you like to fake the funk then this place has your name all over it. They do have Oracle and one of its higher end Business Intelligence tools but aside from that don't waste your time here.

Cons

Rentech's first business model was to convert coal to liquids (CTL) diesel, gasoline, jet fuel and other petro chemical products. They would do this by building a 53MM process demonstration unit (PDU). Their PDU ended costing more than 150MM and it never worked. Besides, their "new technology" was nothing more than 70 year technology invented by Germany during WWII to fund their war machine, converting coal to fuel. After 8 years all the original executives are gone, the PDU was sold for about 10MM and their true business model was revealed: 1.) Come up with a sexy story. 2.) Spin it to win it. 3.) Give yourself a lot of stock options each year. 4.) Issue smoke and mirror press releases. 5.) Cash in said options. 6.) Wash, rinse, repeat. Research the lawsuits and note the number of outstanding shares each year. And their current executives aren't any better. Now Rentech's business model is selling wood chips at Home Depot. Like you need a NEW publicly traded company headquartered next to Beverly Hills California in one of the most expensive building in Los Angeles to do that. And they have the entire floor. It doesn't take millions of dollars each month in SG&A coming from Los Angeles to figure out that China can sell wood chips cheaper than you, unless you're Rentech. Like I said, the inmates run this asylum.

Explore other reviews about Rentech

5.0
Nov 11, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Excellent, wonderful, self-directed, a feeling of minute freedom in our structured world.

Cons

Existential dread about where the next gig is coming from.

1.0
May 4, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

environment was mostly laid back and friendly

Cons

inept ceo who shut down the company

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