Great company if you grew up around the area you are working in, otherwise keep job searching. - Agronomist Crop Quest Employee Review

2.0
28 Feb 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

The other review on this website is spot on for all the pros. I don't feel the need to list them all.

Cons

I have heard the entire time I worked here how much you will learn. I never did. Everything I learned is from me, "Sinking or swimming." Bosses were not willing to help out young employees during times they needed too. The ESOP seems like a Ponzi scheme. I hated the fact that if it snowed or weather was bad and you went back home to see family and you couldn't work, they would hold it against you for not being there in case a farmer called. They work and live in the middle of nowhere. I was 500 miles from home. Company pickup you can't use for personal use. So your forced to keep a personal vehicle around just sitting costing money. Company seems it's more focused on making another million then taking care of employees.

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Crop Quest Response
11y
These statements do not represent Crop Quest, and it is a shame that a former employee would feel this way. Crop Quest is a 100% employee-owned company, which means the entire company is owned by our employees, and only our employees. This business model is referred to as an ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan). It allows Crop Quest to fund a retirement account for our employee-owners, through shares of company stock. The better we do our jobs in serving our customers, the better our company does, and the better our company stock is valued – which means the better our retirement accounts do (in case you didn’t catch it, that retirement account was funded by the company and it doesn’t come out of our paychecks, as the case with most employees that are not employed by ESOP’s). The ESOP model is an exceptional benefit to employees. However, they are rare. How many business owners do you know that want to share all of the risks and rewards with their entire staff? Probably not many. So, why would Crop Quest want to be an ESOP? Because we know we have a great group of employee-owners that believe in our company and want to work hard for ourselves and for each other. We are very proud of the empowerment that ownership brings to our employee-owners. We expect all employees-owners to work hard and reap the benefits together. But as you as can see, not everyone is interested in working with an amazing group of people, with the ability to earn a fully funded retirement account.

Explore other reviews about Crop Quest

5.0
10 Apr 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Good pay, good benefits, good perks, family environment

Cons

long hours, push for sales quotas

3.0
20 Sept 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Working outdoors, Farmers are good people to work for, annual trip is nice perk. Work truck provided (although they frowned upon personal use of the truck unlike other companies) The people you work with in your division become good friends.

Cons

ESOP is not as big a deal as company makes it out to be. 6 years to become vested is an extremely long time compared to other similar companies. I would have rather invested in a 401K that was company matched. Not a lot of over site from managers. Which is good once you become established, but tough starting out. When you are placed in a new territory, it is a sink or swim mentality. They need to do a better job of mentoring. Long term employees that were here when company started always seem a little bitter or a chip on their shoulders. Pay is low for the industry. But it is a good place to get experience and then move on to another company and make $20,000 to $30,000 more like I did with a better work/life balance, better mentoring and better benefits.

5
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