Today, after the remaining employees of Summit Projects spent the past 6 months planning a buyout / takeover plan for the owner, Craig Sabina, their plan was rejected and more than half of the remaining 13 people walked off the job. The remaining others all plan on leaving as soon as new employment can be secured. Among those who quit today, CFO, Account Services Director, Project Management Director, and Technology Director.
Summit was at 42 people early 2011.
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Man, so obviously there are a lot firms not worth working for as I've seen the "Top 5" list on an earlier thread. What are the GOOD places to work for?
ReplyDeleteAny good news in the Pdx creative scene floating around worth mentioning on here?
These guys aren't in PDX, but they are looking for talented individuals. Rumor has it they are currently working on some very big things - http://rallyinteractive.com
Delete@letsgorally on twitter. Based in Park City, UT.
DeleteSome of my favorites that are doing really well and doing great work are:
ReplyDeleteInstrument
Substance
Emerge Interactive
The Good
RWest
TenFour
Maxwell PR
North
Subtext
ISite
They are mostly quite small agencies though, some with only a few people.
DeleteInstrument is hiring guys, get your resumes in already!
ReplyDeleteEverybody already knows where they are going pretty much. A few other agencies, freelance and such. Some might end up at instrument, but most really like living in the gorge.
DeleteSo many good people there. They really are the ones that kept it going for years. So sad. Most of our long term clients said it was the best crew they have seen come through in 2011 and couldn't believe the owner let this happen, but they sorta know him so they weren't surprised.
Some really great individuals coming out of Summit. A talented and skilled group of people...no question they will land on their feet, only a question of who is smart enough to hire them first
ReplyDeleteCOPIOUS is also hiring, a bunch of folks have joined their team lately and they are releasing some big projects in the coming months
ReplyDeleteFrom what I heard via agency gossip, Summit was doing fine, still had great clients, and a lot of talent still there. (just look at what they have done since their nike golf days) I heard the CEO was making some pretty bad calls, it looks like closing the doors was the worst decision he has made. Guess he did not want the employees to be successful without him?
ReplyDeleteThis is pretty much truth honestly. Sure we had to shrink due to losing Nike Golf, but it could have easily kept going. The owner basically needed about another million in revenue to keep his lifestyle going and that caused him to piss a lot of people off and make some bad decisions. It could have easily ran without that extra million, that is why they proposed the buyout. Get rid of the big leak at the top.
DeleteAll true. He cut everyone's pay, but was still living very lavishly. He has ZERO sense of self awareness.
DeleteApparently the owner, Craig Sabina, has decided to keep Summit 2.0 open. Who the hell is going to get involved with THAT?!
ReplyDeleteYeah, lots of good talent there, for sure. I worked there briefly and still work with some of the guys on a freelance basis, though the best have moved on. I always liked Craig but I think they were a little too dependent on Nike Golf and when that teet went dry they just sort of became an expensive production shop. A lot of burned bridges too, both with old clients and ex-employees...that stuff can come back to bite you in the ass.
ReplyDeleteBeing a Summit employee to the bitter end (well, there's an end for me, we'll see about Summit), I somewhat resent the statement that "the best have moved on." The team that was there until the fateful day is one of the best I've ever worked with. Sure, there has been some astounding talent that has left us, but those who have stayed are equally astounding.
DeleteIt wasn't really 6 months in the making. Maybe a couple. But yes, it was a result of trying to save the company from many bad decisions throughout the years from the owner. The more he stepped in the worse things got.
ReplyDeleteIt was stupid how it went down, just plain Ego driven decisions from the owner.
I really don't understand how it can stay open. Everybody is leaving. Even the skeleton crew helping transition clients is already on to the next thing or will be. It is weird though that the story keeps changing everyday. This i the result of poor decisions, realizing he messed up but too ego driven to know how to really fix it.
I hear that yesterday Craig showed around a NEW EMPLOYEE. Seriously. WTF? Clearly the plan from the beginning (by which I mean his decision to "close down") was to say "Fuck you" to everyone who worked there, and then keep it going. The man can't possibly believe that other people know what they're talking about.
ReplyDeleteIt's really rather unbelievable that he thinks he's behaving ethically.
Yup, just check out LinkedIn. Someone just started.
DeleteThe man doesn't know how to behave ethically. The only thing he has ever cared about is money. Why else would he lie to a dozen people as he fired them?
ReplyDeleteAnd the best part? He drank champaine while he did it.
That guys name has already been mud in that small town for a while, this should just be the icing on the cake. I feel so sorry for anyone starting there who doesn't know what they are getting in to
nit·wit [nit-wit]
ReplyDeletenoun
a slow-witted, stupid, or foolish person.
Craig Sabina is an idiot. Craig Sabina is an idiot. Craig Sabina is an idiot. Craig Sabina is an idiot.
ReplyDeleteDO NOT HIRE HIM OR HIS AGENCY! Interview clients who have left, Buck Knives, Smartwool, Teva, before talking with him.
Craig Sabina is an idiot. Craig Sabina is an idiot. Craig Sabina is an idiot. Craig Sabina is an idiot.
Multiple uses of "Craig Sabina" for SEO purposes.
Ask Craig about how he's been double charging his remaining clients.
ReplyDeleteThis guy is a criminal.
I see the site is still up and running. I wonder if there is work coming in...
ReplyDelete