However, there are major structural and financial issues that prospective employees should be aware of.
Compensation and Operations
Salaries are well below the industry average, especially for civil engineering and environmental planning/engineering roles in the NYC metro area/Long Island.
There's no formal onboarding process — you may have to build your own computer (literally), and it's not uncommon to go your first couple of weeks without a workstation.
The company lacks basic infrastructure: no dedicated IT team, no real bookkeepers or accountants who can properly manage invoicing or financial planning.
Leadership and Company Culture
Senior leadership is either retiring or near retirement, and there’s no clear plan to promote from within or bring in qualified replacements.
There is no HR department, no performance reviews, and zero transparency about company health, goals, or direction.
Multiple employees either don't do any work or are essentially anonymous and fully remote — there's no team cohesion or accountability. Certain employees will sleep at their desks for hours at a time, and nothing is done about it (and they get paid more than you!).
Payroll Issues (Most Concerning)
Employees are not paid on time — consistently. There is no direct deposit, only hand-written checks that are often delayed for 3–4 weeks, and in some cases, checks have bounced.
Staff have had to repeatedly follow up with "bookkeepers" just to receive their paycheck.
The company also fails to pay its share of employee medical premiums on time, resulting in declined coverage and unpaid insurance bills.
Client Base & Workflow
Clients often do not pay their invoices, adding to serious cash flow issues.
Projects are frequently disorganized and rushed without proper support or planning.