Pros
The colleagues in the company are great. Many people worked here for 10-20 years and are genuine, simple people. The development team has 5 coders and a QA. Support has 6 people. Sales/marketing is 3 people and admin is another 3-4 people. The total headcount is 25 people. The office has been newly renovated and looks nice. The work environment is laid-back and not super structured. You can take on new tasks and carve your job direction by often mixing responsibilities in development, marketing, support, and implementation. The age of people varies with developers on the on the older side 45-55 and support/sales/admin are in the 25-40 category. There possibility for travel even for non-implementation people, especially if you speak another language, as the company has customers all over the world. The business is successful and profitable. The key differentiator is the CAD/CAM software that comes along with a P&O scanner. Because the market is niche, it is not certain that some new technology would not wipe out this pricey software/hardware combo.
Cons
On the flip side, there is the president/owner who is quite cheap. Micromanaging is his thing and barely any decision can be made without his input. Some things are ridiculous as the bouncing travel credit cards for travel staff. He would not do a performance review unless requested and asking for a reasonable pay raise comes to him as a surprise. Most likely result will be ‘no’, unless you bring your notice along. He understands the position of strength though and his brain calculator turns on. The approach is the same for everyone from rookies to the veteran guys who basically run his business. He wears a smile but it is a mask.
There is an imitation of creating new processes now based on outside consultant advice. Most of these new initiatives make little sense to the people who work here, resulting in endless meetings with no resolution. The rumor is that the company will be sold in the next 5 years as the main guy is close to his 60 b-day. So there is a lot of work needs to be done in the meantime to make the company look good.
There is a bonus for people who spent a 1 year plus but it not clear how it is calculated. The benefit package is very average with no vision, 80% dental. Standard vacation offered is 2 weeks, which definitely below the norm. But do not be afraid to negotiate for more! The number of sick days on the contract is 2!
The location is not great in the middle of the industrial district, although there is Cambie/Marine development and a nearby Skytrain. The area smells like garbage because there are several garbage factories.