Pros
I don't quite understand all of the negative reviews for the Chicago office because that is where I worked as well. The entire company as a whole is a wonderful entity to be a part of, Chicago included. I feel that Ghafari and especially the Chicago office, have a wonderful and diverse group of talented individuals that many can not only learn from but also enjoy working alongside, no matter if you're a part of the Architecture, Engineering, Administrative or Management group. That being said, following are just a few things that you can expect from Ghafari....family oriented, global company, cares about their employees, willing to keep up, if not exceed, their competitors in regards to employee benefits and projects, great group of employees that not only are your colleagues but quickly become great friends as well.
It's a "work hard and play hard" environment that understands the importance of getting the job done but also knows how to enjoy themselves at the end of a busy day with various morale and relationship building events such as either company sponsored softball games, happy hours or various events that are going on in the city. I can also add that the views from the office and the convenient location on Michigan Ave. definitely doesn't hurt either!
Cons
If possible, better scheduling of various project deadlines so they allow for more flexibility.