Illinois Tool Works – “A stable company for a long career”

Pros

The best company that I have worked for, without question. ITW is a very ethical company with fair compensation, good communication from management and an excellent vision and operating model for running a business.

Cons

ITW tends to over-value internal people for higher level positions, which at times can leave newly "acquired" employees (through one of ITW's nearly 50 acquisitions per year) feeling minimized. This is a minor issue for most of the acquired employees, however.

Advice to Senior Management

Be more open minded about the types of people that are permitted to be part of the management team. Focusing only on career-long ITW employees may leave the management team without enough variety of experiences.