Blackwell Consulting Reviews

I have been working at Blackwell Consulting full-time for more than a year

Pros – wide variety of people having expertise in a number of areas to learn from: IT, development, system integration; ceo is charismatic and funny; good mix of people from different backgrounds

Cons – sometimes more of an emphasis on hourly work over project-based work

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I have been working at Blackwell Consulting

Pros – Haven't found one yet, maybe there is one hiding somewhere.

Cons – I feel they are simply in the game to make fools of their clients and make money for the elite circle. It is a poorly run company, if it is run at all. Not even sure what their strategic direction is. Also they will lie to their employees about almost everything - as they don't care much about their people. Avoid the place if you can... one of the worst out there.

Advice to Senior Management – Wish I could. This is just a poorly run company and I am not sure any advise would be looked at.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

I worked at Blackwell Consulting

Pros – Blackwell is a very culturally diverse organization supporting a large pool of minority professionals. Blackwell also has a large public sector presence.

Cons – Treading Water:

To expend effort but make little or no progress to achievement of a goal or an end.

The hands-on absence of the executive team is this organizations biggest fault. The folks that run this company have fuel tanks full of yester-decade’s past accomplishments and long resumes of sideline wins delivered by others. The name of the game in this economy is constantly hunt and constantly deliver. The Blackwell executive team was more concerned about the numbers reflected on a weight scale as opposed to the numbers driving their business and people. Having an executive step away from the business for the better part of 8 weeks to focus on their physical appearance just seems to be a poor decision for someone charged with running the company (don’t get me wrong, I work out daily, but an 8 week Houdini act while at the helms seemed poorly thought out). Additionally, the larger contributors operated as standalone islands with no mentoring for junior staff. Again, no strategy, collaboration and common drive.

Blackwell also suffers from a recurring plague known as the "Golden Boy Syndrome". Every 12-16 months a new knight on a white horse enters the kingdom and completely changes the game, the players and the rules. This is typically done overnight. It's disruptive to the business and most importantly to the morale of the seasoned "doers" that have continuously contributed historically. The last few candidates anointed to this position of ultimate failure have left holes and gaps so large in the organization that it's hard to rebuild after their departure/termination. Being on the front of this cycle several times reminded me of William Golding's Lord of the Flies- an allegorical and literal conflict of impulses. Being on the tail end of these cycles is like Hurricane Katrina; an all hands on deck effort toward rebuilding and trying to put the pieces back together with everyone left scratching their head.

Blackwell is besieged with organizational nepotism. The payroll for family staff represents a ridiculous portion of the overall spend; this takes salary, resources and expenses into account. Most of the folks part of this elite no-purpose circle of family have the exclusive professional obligation of solely collecting their bi-monthly pay checks. For those that did show up in the office, it was obvious there was a constant struggle of who got to wear the sheriff badge that day. Again, another element disrupting morale and business continuity.

Lastly, Blackwell might have done some things right in the distant past, but today they are no longer there. The skills that might have gotten them to the playoffs are not enough to take them to the championship. This organization is at a myopic standstill.

Advice to Senior Management – Pick opportunities big enough to matter, small enough to win. Ask yourself why so many of your key roles have been staffed by more than 3 people over the last 5 years.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

I worked at Blackwell Consulting

Pros – This is a family business

Cons – Ownership has constantly shifting priorities

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend

I worked at Blackwell Consulting

Pros – It was a great company to work for. Pay and bonus structure were excellent when the company was small and was experiencing growth.

Cons – Company got bigger and the bonus were all but eliminated. As with any consulting job requires lot of travelling.

Advice to Senior Management – Need to focus on specific IT areas and hire appropriate talent to perform work in that area.

Yes, I would recommend this company to a friend

I worked at Blackwell Consulting

Pros – Small company allows for you to do a variety of work.

Cons – Non-compete agreements limit future carrer success

Advice to Senior Management – Let people build the business for you. Utilize the whole team, not just those 1 level below you.

I have been working at Blackwell Consulting

Pros – The pay was okay and the managers that were assigned to me were nice. Also, the manager you are assigned to is very hands off. I might have spoken to my manager less that ten times in 2 1/2 years. You are also able to contribute to their 401k plan after a year of employment.

Cons – Blackwell offers no benefits to their temporary employees. I have been working on a "temp" assignment for 2 1/2 years. I have received no vacation days, sick days or health insurance. Moreover, there are no bonuses or salary increases. In addition, you do not get any feedback from your manager. The only way that you know you are doing a good job is the client that you are working for provides you with positive feedback.

Advice to Senior Management – Provide more benefits to your temporary employees who are working assignments for longer than 6 months.

No, I would not recommend this company to a friend