HNTB Companies Reviews in Kansas City, MO Area

Pros

The managers at HNTB will let you develop as much as you are willing to take initiative. You have the opportunity to work on some of the most innovative and largest projects in the country and with some of the best people. Compensation, benefits, and personal opportunities for growth are some of the best in the industry.

Cons

Depending on your manager, there may be a lack of communication or development. However, if you take initiative and talk to your manager about where you want your career to go, then you will be given these opportunities. In the recent past there have been some layoffs, but nothing out of line with what the rest of the industry (or any industry in the US) has experienced over the last few years during the Great Recession.

Advice to Senior Management

Focus on the big picture, which is sustainable, profitable growth. Don't worry so much about TOJ and focus more on sales. Sales has a tendency to cure a lot of the problems where TOJ problems starts to arise.

Pros

My co-workers are some of the brightest and most competent people, and are a pleasure to work with. Low- and middle- managers seem to recognize individual value.

Cons

Much of senior and sub-senior "leadership" is a serious threat to company viability. There is an extreme drought of company vision. At the very top, sure there is vision: 'make money'. Execution of that vision is extremely lacking, despite the best efforts of some sub-seniors who have the genuine interests of the company and its employees in mind. And that is the truly sad part - there are some extremely qualified and talented individuals in leadership that are thwarted by either competing political idealogies or an arrogant ignorance and lack of willingness to truly listen. It is terribly frustrating for those of us who are passionate about company success to see our *good* leaders be prevented from making meaningful, long-overdue changes. The only solution that I can see is for those senior leaders who have lost touch to leave. They are truly burying this otherwise excellent company. As an long-time employee, it genuinely depresses me to watch the degredation, and it is hard to imagine trying to outlast those who need to leave in order to enjoy a 'better day' at this company.

Advice to Senior Management

Please, please, please get with the program. Learn to differentiate between quality leaders by measuring their performance in terms other than earnings/sales numbers. You will lose excellent people, and worse (for you, not them), they will join your competitors...probably with a passion to bury you in their new company's success.

Pros

People who give HNTB poor marks have obviously never worked in this industry. HNTB is by far the best employer when it comes to design firms.

Cons

Too fast to adopt new tech. HNTB needs to really do a value add analysis before it invests in things that are pretty, flashy and costly.

Advice to Senior Management

Don't CHANGE for the sake of CHANGE. I am well aware that a certain people seem to pull new ideas out of thin air. Sometimes those new ideas need to stay in thin air.

Pros

Good place to learn ropes and network with clients and other engineering sub-consultants

Opportunity to work on diverse and large mega trasnportation projects

Cons

Company is way conservative in business practices and is extremely averse to risk.

HNTB tried to play in the federal market sandbox and it did not turn out well since they would not open offices overseas (except for Guam which is not really a true office) and did not understand how to perform work for Federal govt in an efficient manner.

Board of Directors is only concerned about pushing ESOP stock price higher. Board of Directors is setting up golden parachutes for the senior management and little guys will be left holding the bag.

Advice to Senior Management

HNTB is in danger of becoming a mom & pop engineering shop while the Walmarts, Kmarts, and Targets (Engineering company giants) of the world continue to grow. The Boards inactions and refusal to commit to becoming an international player will in the end doom the company to mediocrity.

Pros

Pay is decent
Allowed to expense alcohol when traveling.
Get your own laptop to bring to home.
Get to do just about anything you want.
Good at water resources

Cons

Wild and careless project managers in the federal technology department.
Lack of trust in upper management.
Every project is always a chaotic mess with constant budget issues. Much better project management is needed.

Advice to Senior Management

The Technology department in HNTB Federal is lacking project management. BASE4D was a great opportunity that was ruined by wild and crazy management. Good employees are being let go because of the lack of work resulting from wild and crazy management.

Pros

Benefits are good. People are talented and work exceptionally hard.

Cons

Poor communication from management to employees. Bad leadership decisions. Use and abuse employees, then RIF 'em when the going (economy) gets rough.

Advice to Senior Management

Communicate. Manage. Be honest in dealing with employees.

Pros

Good pay and benefits
Fast paced environment
Good technology to work with.
Good food during meetings

Cons

No communication from upper management
A very closed door, anti social cubicle environment.
Company makes promises to clients that it cannot make.
Projects are always over budget, not on time, and of poor quality.
No long term planning.
No feasibility studies done during project planning.
No project management.
Employees buy alcohol at meals while traveling, then bill it to the client

Advice to Senior Management

HNTB Federal is a failing business. Base4D does not work so don't buy into it. Don't show clients software functionality that will not work when implemented at their site. Cancel projects that are failing. HNTB has no business in the software development industry.

Pros

HNTB provides above market compensation and opportunity to grow in a positive marketplace, but in an economic downturn employment decisions are based on the bottom line.

Cons

Employment decisions are based on time on job and economic drivers to the bottom line, not necessarily what is best for the future of the organization.

Pros

A good company to work for. Enjoyed the relationships with people I worked with. Interesting projects and plenty of challenges.

Cons

Hire ups seemed to be to interested in corporate image and wasted a lot of money on it. Too much emphasis on TOJ but bottom line ESOP was at a all time high. To bad they had to let several 100 people go in the past 6 months. Communication between departments was lacking and as I have seen on other reviews to much "turf wars". There's been a lot of time and energy devoted to design build projects but no work for this waste of time. Maybe they need to re

Advice to Senior Management

There's been a lot of time and energy devoted to design build projects but no work for this waste of time. Maybe they need to refocus on the core values the company was based on. They seem to be running the company into the ground.

Pros

The design professionals were very professional and knowledgeable. The location of headquarters was located in a vibrant part of Kansas City. Excellent medical/dental/vision benefits.

Cons

Employer match on 401k was very low. Annual employee review process was not taken seriously. Internal communication was poor -- for example, employees would be let go and no communication would be sent out to those who might need to know who was assuming that individual's responsibilities. Many internal surveys, but no results of the surveys sent out to employees.

Advice to Senior Management

Management needs to be aware that the employees are their greatest resource and they should be treated with respect, rather than a source of slave labor.