If You Are Happy At a 5 - Anonymous employee GFS Chemicals Employee Review

The ownership is highly committed to safety and has invested hundreds of thousands in plant modernization annually the last 2-3 years. Practically no safety project is declined. There's a long history of promoting from within, but limited opportunities because of the lean management structure. Healthcare benefits and costs have improved significantly compared to 2022-2023. Full time employees are eligible for the profit sharing program, which is much higher than any company I've previously worked for. Culture depends on which location you're at, but the legacy plant in Franklinton is about what you'd expect for a 100 year old manufacturing company. There's a mix of long term employees showing new ones the ropes while everybody is adapting to new or improved processes. Relatively new managers, engineers and salespeople are catalyzing change. It's dynamic and interesting, and people are friendly and generally helpful. My reasoning for 5/5 isn't because this company is flawless, but because there's a widespread commitment to continuous improvement and plenty of evidence that it's a highly effective part of the company's culture.

This is a lean but growing organization. That makes it a great place to learn new skills and gain experience in just about any position, the primary drawback being that there are almost too many opportunities to become involved in. Engineering and maintenance projects tend to be reactive rather than proactive, and setting priorities can be challenging between different business divisions, but this is improving. Managers tend to "wear a lot of hats" regardless of department.

Departmental Managers were some of the best I've worked with - knowledgeable, friendly, supportive of their teams, and collaborative with other departments. Medical benefits were expensive, but included a concierge service that was very helpful and adaptable to individual needs. 401k was 3% match, but the profit sharing was very generous (up to 7% of salary) and they provided sessions with a financial institution annually to review 401k/profit sharing options and market updates. PTO/vacation/sick leave matched market averages, Powell office had lots of windows, was clean, and layout made it easy to communicate with teammates. Business/Casual atmosphere.

Limited opportunities for advancement, partially because of company size. Some roles were paid under market value. No bereavement leave. The leadership team was not divers and would benefit from increasing interactions with sales and customer service teams to better align business strategies with employee tools and capabilities.