There was a mass exodus of top talent from Overland after founder Arve Overland admitted to siphoning staff 401k funds for other "business operations" uses. Quite a few echoes in the hallways over there.
It wasn't an exodus. He fired the people who were contributing to their 401k and complained. The people involved who he didn't let go then quit. He hasn't paid contractors for months.
I speculate that Arve Overland, who is the CEO and Chief Creative Officer at the Overland Agency - an Interactive Advertising Agency with Award Winning Web Development & Mobile Applications, is using capitol from new clients that was promised for their brand goals online to fund current projects whose money has been depleted by bad management.
Why else would he elect to steal an employee's pre-tax contribution allocated for a traditional 401(k) retirement plan, instead of investing the potential assets into a pension plan.
This Advertising Agency for the Digital Marketplace gives a bad name to all who deliver Website Design and Development solutions for Brand and Web Strategy development.
So beyond breaking the law and stealing people's retirement, the lone voice of idiocy can always be depended upon. Yes 'Copy Executive', capital was indeed misspelled. Although a more seasoned writer might note the entire first paragraph is just one overly long, painfully written sentence.
What’s most appalling here is that it’s not the lack of values or morals of the CEO and his supporters but, from what we can derive of the pointed post above, it’s the spelling in which these actions are communicated. Let's just hope you never find yourself in their situation. I may give my boss a standing ovation tomorrow, just for being 'not Arve', a 'Copy Executive', or stealing my money.
I agree with the post above. Spelling aside, you have no business commenting with wild accusations.
There is a proven formula to be successful in website design and development. You just stay within the project management triangle. In an advertising agency you bid on a proposal by evaluating what the clients needs, knowing the ability of your employees and their turn around time to produce a quality product.
It's Arve's fault because he's too generous. If he didn't have an affinity towards his employees he would have made the logical business decision to replace them with competent workers. They probably missed milestones in the projects schedule that put him in a financial crisis. As a result he had to work the tools at hand to keep his company afloat. But by not letting them go, he just prolonged the inevitable and hurt his company in the process.
Well, I must say the comment by Logically Sound seems to have nothing to do with the comment it is 'agreeing' with. You perhaps should read it again. I do find it interesting that you believe stealing retirement funds from employees to be the fault of the employees. That is quite a long shot.
It is never right or "too generous" to steal people's money regardless of circumstances. This too generous man chose the wrong path. Honesty is a much better one. Other agencies have struggled through this economy. Employees are willing to take furlough, take pay cuts and work extra hours to support a good boss and an equally good company. All he had to do was be open and honest. What he did was wrong.
For the record, I don't condone stealing. In my previous comment I was just trying to say that he borrowed with the intention of strengthening his web design company, thus benefiting his employees. The foundation of his mistake may have been his employees mismanaging the projects scope or misjudging their abilities. The result being that he would never catch up.
'For the record' he stole money, he did not 'borrow' - profound difference. Borrowing something that does not belong to you is called stealing or theft. Blaming others to justify illegal behavior is weak minded and manipulative. Further the injustice is blaming the employees who worked, gave of their time and themselves to an employer who not only took advantage of them but also did not value them. Worse, it seems he stole from them and then dismissed them after being caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
Possibly it was Overland mismanaging the company. They moved into a new expensive office space while all of this was going on. All of the employees who left have had no trouble finding jobs elsewhere and are highly valued in their new companies.
Overland now has no program management and is outsourcing a bunch of their work overseas. I'm not sure how that shows the leadership is making correct decisions.
I heard he was never much of a leader. He just sat around in meetings pretending to be intimidating and acting like the tough-guy in the room, while all of his employees were just waiting for him to get out of the room so that work could be made. I also heard he didn't hire many of the people, nor did he know what they were doing. Sounds to me like a guy that wants to own a company for the looks of it. To show off. The people that worked there told me that they never saw an ounce of good leadership and initiative to get things done on his part. It was always him trying to push himself on people as they guy where the buck stops... look at me... I'm important.
Well, I for one, don't think that any good leader would blame his theft on his employees. It's like a rapist blaming his victim because she was wearing a slutty dress. "Your honor, she was asking for it!"
Ahhh, I see Arve argues above that it was his fault for hiring incompetent workers. That point can only be argued by him if he knew how to hire people. After everyone has left, his development team is composed of a few fresh out of college kids that got the job because they all know each other. No Senior Software Engineer... no Software Engineer... just a bunch of Junior Engineers who have no working experience what so ever. Arve pays them less and names them all Software Engineers so the clients don't freak out - it's a Win-Win, right Arve? Let me give you a piece of advice: you better have a damn good tester on your hands and make damn sure your clients don't find out that what you charged them 6 weeks of time for could have really been done in 1.
Him hiring people... I don't think so. He depends on his employees to tell him which people to hire. That's how he ends up with a room full of guys that all went to school together a few months ago. That guy is lost!
I agree with the people above. He could have cut salaries (including his own), laid off some people and not moved into a new swanky office space. Each of those is an honest course of action.
Taking money from people's 401k plans without their knowledge is just wrong.
It was relaid to me that he froze salaries. The move into the new office was a strategic move for the company and for the employees benefit. It accomplished three things. It allowed his web design agency to get positive mention in the paper. The move signified strength, confidence and profitability. It also got new clients, and it opened new lines of communication to old clients.
It was a brilliant piece of PR. Besides, I was told that the old office didn't have that web agency feel. All this was done to retain the employees, which, as I have said above, was a mistake.
Several people left, including me, because they were unhappy with how the company was being run. We were asked to stay, but didn't want to work at a place like that anymore.
I thought the quality of the employees was quite high, and also contained dedicated and highly intelligent people. I would like to work with most of them again, and have tried to do so since.
@Anonymous 7.29.2010 6:26pm I must have misunderstood what you were trying to say.
I took your meaning that the most appalling thing wasn't Arve or his staff, but how the poster (the one who needs a dictionary) was trying to manipulate opinion by "speculating" on how the creative advertising agency ran its business.
I can't speak for the original poster but I think it's obvious stealing retirement money would top the 'appalling' list. As to spectulation on how the business is run, I think that's pretty clear....except maybe to you.
His accountant was in on the situation from the beginning. It just doesn't happen by accident that money deducted from people's paychecks goes into money the company spends. An embezzler would use the same excuse "I don't know how the money got into my wallet!"
When people brought this up to him, and allowed him to avoid jail time by self-reporting it, he rewarded them by firing most of them as soon as he could.
If the accountant was involved, it is my belief that they had no choice in the matter or honestly believed in the vision Arve had for revitalizing the company. They have to follow the orders of their employer or else they will be fired. They also sign a confidentiality and non-disclosure agreement, which means they couldn't talk about the borrowing.
It is also my belief that he felt genuine remorse because he voluntarily turned himself in.
I heard it was a few months or even a year. Some employees tried to give him the benefit of the doubt and talk to him in private about it. He didn't take that chance to square things away. He still wouldn't return the money. Then, more and more people started to find out. Finally, someone decided to take action and involve the law. I heard Arve still would not comply when the employees told him that either he do it voluntarily or they will have to force him and it could mean jail time. He had to be super coaxed to do it. And, when he finally did, he did it with teeth clenched.
Did he take money? Yes. Was is borrowing? Yes! The definition of the word is to take something of value with the idea of paying it back with greater value in the future. Granted, his grand vision for the future of the company was hampered, but he paid back every cent with interest. How did he do this? He went out and found an investor.
The investor opened the books, talked to Arve about his company and reasoned the whole incident was just bad luck with employees mishandling projects. An investor doesn't just throw money at a company. They do it because they have confidence in the companies viability.
So, Arve Overland was able to pay back the ungrateful employees and their shortsightedness in the web design company was the cause of the of their exodus.
The definition of stealing is taking something that isn't yours. I'm sure many a thief has said they would pay it back.
Overland got his father-in-law to invest, not exactly an outside investor.
His name is mud in this town, and only he and his few supporters don't realize it. He'll never be able to hire any top talent again, and the word about him will continue to spread.
He was saved from jail by the loyalty and kindness of employees who said he should be given a chance to turn himself in, even after almost a year of being asked to do the right thing and pay them back. Their reward for wanting their money back was being fired.
Perhaps Arve should read the definition of Narcissistic personality disorder: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/narcissistic-personality-disorder/DS00652
The accountant can't hide behind a confidentiality & non-disclosure agreement. There is a little thing called Accounting Ethics. This person had to look the other employees in the eye and basically lie to themselves that it was Arve who was screwing them over. They're just as guilty.
How can OA be both an "award winning" agency while at the same time having inept employees? This makes zero sense.
Whatever.
With first-hand experience working at OA as a contractor off and on over the years, I can say that many of the projects were handed off by Arve with a budget, schedule, and scope all worked up with zero input from the team. This does not set up anyone for success. To turn around and call them inept is just weird, they weren't given a chance to provide their expertise during the biz dev cycles. This whole discussion about bad employees is just weird and not really believable.
I'm sorry but it seems like Arve has some soul searching to do; he is a man that has gotten in his own way and has stolen money from those that butter his bread.
Also, there is no one that can be convinced that taking 401k money - even with the intent of paying it back - is borrowing.
Agreed, this was handled so badly this agency and its owner's name are indeed mud in this town.
Huh. My boss has tasked a bunch of us with finding a web development firm that is local to Portland, OR. Thank goodness for Google keyword searches, else I would not have stumbled upon this politely vitriolic thread. Most of you read as though you all worked there, but wish to keep your anonymity, and the poster with the non de plume of “Logically Sound” can only be Arve or some other owner or high-ranking employee still struggling to keep the company doors open.
From my shopper’s perspective, there is one simple bottom line; the company is in trouble. Even if it was, somehow, a simple matter of borrowing, I do not want to bring any mess to my boss and suffer the consequences later. I hope you all work it out and have a nice career life.
PS: Logically/Arve, before you become best friends with Copy Executive and flippantly suggest a naysayer get a dictionary, check your syntax: “Was is borrowing?” Should the readers of this thread now dismiss all your arguments outright?
Copy Executive, why did you go for the easy kill with the misspelling of capital, and not point out that award-winning is hyphenated when it modifies the subsequent noun? Do you work at Overland, too?
@Anonymous 8.4.2010 1:53pm Don't judge a post by it's commenters.
You can't get the whole (or correct, for that matter) story from people who disparage a company behind the veil of anonymity. I believe to get the whole story you need to go the source. And in this case, that source is the Overland Agency. Please contact them to get the facts. I would hate for you to strike them from your list as a possible web development candidate and miss out on the value that they can provide.
Fact: Arve took money that was supposed to go to employees 401k plans and used the money for company expenses (including his salary). This was against the law.
Fact: Most of the people involved who made him pay it back were fired immediately afterward.
No one was fired from the Overland Agency. Due to unforeseen circumstances with the economy, people were laid off. It was a strategic decision, but he still kept people most vital to the company. He had every intention of seeking their services once the financial outlook improved, which it has.
Some former employees had moved on, and so he filled those positions that were needed.
He was mislead by council who didn't have all the information. From his point of view he had no knowledge of a crime being committed. Once informed that his choice was the wrong one, he took appropriate steps to correct the situation.
What Arve did was give the employees a "win-no-matter-what" investment. Arve took the employees contributions and invested it in the Overland Agency. It didn't so well, the employees complained and they got their money back with interest. That sounds like a great deal to me. If they had that money in the stock market, they would have had nothing.
Arve Overland of the Overland Agency a digital agency in Portland, Oregon paid the money back because the department of labor made him. He paid interest on it too because the department of labor made him. There were employees who had been gone for years who were owed money.
The conclusion that the department of labor made him pay back the funds is not true. Arve had every intention of paying back the borrowed 401k investment. Just because it's part of their regulations doesn't mean he was forced to do anything.
Logically Sound, you're a moron. I think I just might rob your house. Invest the money in my own stocks and leave some money for you a year later on your door step. Or at least that's what I'll tell you whey you call the cops on me and force me to give the money back. I'll say "officer, i was just borrowing". I'll take any profits for myself. It won't hurt you a bit.. and I'll be borrowing money from you by your definition.
Plus, no one wanted to invest in your shitty company. Most of the people you took money from were not part of the Executive Team. (Executive Team meaning they have interest in the company.) The company was run badly. Most just wanted to make money and get the fuck out. The employees wouldn't get any profit from your investment of their 401K in your shitty ass company. So why the fuck would they want to invest even if they could.
I guess it's true when people say that stupid people assume that everyone else is as stupid as they are. Arve, you're the only one that doesn't know you're a complete moron because most of the people you worked with were brilliant.
My recommendation is that you get the hell out of business before you get into more trouble. You have it made now, buddy. Any other group of people would have your ass in jail.
And, lastly, the more you keep talking on this blog, the more people from the outside will come to understand that this conversation is based in truth. It is obvious you are gravely worried about what your former employees can spill about you. If you weren't worried, you would have no need talking here. And believe me, we have more to spill.
Arve Overland and other CEOs like him embody everything that is wrong with this country right now.
What would have happened if an employee wanted to take a permitted withdraw from their 401k for a down payment on a house? Or had a medical or family emergency and needed access to this money? Even if you believed this was an ok thing to do Arve (the regulations are easily had by the way), how could you put your employees in such financial peril without permission while keeping a clear conscience?
This is just everything that's wrong with corporate America: "Screw you workers, I'm doing what I want with your hard earned dollar without any input from you, I know best."
Well that worked out; he's got a pretty empty office, a tarnished reputation, and a pretty wicked thread here that is the second hit on a Google Blog search for "Overland Agency Portland"
The Overlan Agency run by Arve Overlan a digital branding agency from Portland Oregon lost two technical directors, a senior engineer, all program management and account direction.
When Arve tried to rehire one of the PMs she felt like she had to take the job back (or lose unemployment). As soon as she easily found another job she was out of there.
Besides Arve and his crony, the only people there have been there for only a couple of months.
To add to 'Seriously, the truth''s comment... the only programmers that are there, these are the people who will be developing sites for any new clients, have no work experience.
They don't teach how to build websites in college if you get a computer science degree. They teach how to build computer applications/software. So, anything dealing with sites they have to learn on the job. This makes it very slow and, any mistakes they make, they will be making at the expense of the client's time and frustration at the bugs they create.
In short, they are not professionals. They are not specialists. They are not people who can do the job for you efficiently and confidently.
You know that token guy that knows a lot about computers but never got a degree so he can't find a job. He would probably be better for you.
Are some of the people new at the Overland Agency? Yes. Are they capable of delivering websites of higher caliber and quicker turn around time? YES! So basically what I'm trying to say is that nothing has changed. Employees have come and some have gone, but OA remains just as competitive as it used to be.
Arve, you obviously do not subscribe to the scientific method. And so, your theory of OA being just as competitive as before (when you had high quality employees whom you stole from and said were incompetent) will have to be tested by new clients that choose to come in. Your theory will have to be tested at their monetary, time, and mental expense.
I wish good fortune to the clients that choose to come in to the Overland Agency after this fiasco. Some good clients already have left. And I really hope that their findings wont get lost on these new prospective clients. I hope you learn from those that came before you and choose a different agency. One that is honest, efficient, knowledgeable, passionate about what it does and operates on a completely opposite plain of the Overland Agency.
The scientific method is used to acquire new knowledge. Arve already has a proven method for web development. His past awards and successes should be proof enough. He just needed competent employees, which he now has, to translate his vision into a successful outcome.
Incorrect again. The the scientific method, in this instance, refers to you proving that you are able to accomplish the same "Award Winning" work now that the employees have done for the Overland Agency before you laid them off.
You have not proven your worth with your new, junior staff. And so, the burden of proof will be placed on any new clients coming in. This will cost time and money for the clients.
Good luck clients. I recommend you keep close tabs and require constant feedback about the progress of your projects. Get second opinions from other programmers on how long a project should take.
And Arve, be careful stating things like "His past awards and success". It's starting to show you are suffering from the lifetime illness of the "Me, me, me and the gimme gimmes".
None of the work that your employees have done would you be able to do yourself. Nor have you even led them in doing the work. Your input was minimal and, in most cases, a nuisance. In such a situation, the only thing that you can possibly benefit from is humility and some quiet time. That will give you a chance to learn about the real business that is website development.
“In this instance”, “Defined as”, “According to this rule”... You cry out where the circumstances favors your outcome or point of the view to the situation.
Your version of the story is one-sided with glaring omissions, and your ominous predictions to the future of the Overland Agency makes me question your sanity. It's a good thing so many of you can hide behind your anonymity.
First, again all the people I worked with were skilled and smart. Everyone has gone on to better and greater things.
Second, I can't believe Arve or someone else is continuing this thing. Seems like the worst PR possible. I don't understand why they keep commenting.
Thirdly, it would be pretty easy to trace back IP addresses of posts to the Overland Agency, and the blanket statements that all of the old employees were incompetent seem to provide fertile grounds for a lawsuit. If I were them I'd talk to a lawyer, and shut up, since even if the PR won't hurt, that would.
Last, I'd just like to say how disappointed I in in the fact that the explanation of the 401k problems was that the employees were incompetent. Seriously?
Any potential clients can easily find former employees via Linkedin.
I'd challenge them to find even one that has anything good to say about the way Overland is run, or be able to recommend it. I think they will all talk about how great the rest of the employees were.
Watching "Logically Sound" contorting himself into ethical knots -- especially as it's become clear that this must be Arve himself, pathetically pretending to be the loyal supporter he no longer has -- makes me shudder with a mixture of incredulity, delighted horror, and nauseated disgust. It's really an appalling spectacle. They should just put Arve's picture in the dictionary next to the word "shameless."
I've heard other ego-drunk CEOs sing the same tune after a layoff that's left the halls of their agency ankle-deep in blood: "Hooray! We can really get some good work done now that all the dead weight is gone!" When in actuality their agency's creative talent, client relationships, technical know-how, and institutional memory just got perp-walked out the door with cardboard boxes in their arms.
"Employees have come and employees have gone"?!? You moron -- who do you think your agency is, besides the employees?
Only an ungrateful narcissist would think that the talent that won those awards belonged to him alone -- or that the demoralized, decimated remnant of his staff is ever going to be able to recapture those successes.
Were the funds taken from the 401ks ever restored? Does Overland Agency have employees at all anymore? Did we ever get this "capital/capitol" situation resolved?! MY GOD!
This. Is. Awesome. So glad I found this! If it was me working at this particular Award-Winning Interactive Agency based in Portland, OR, I'd have called the cops the minute he put the money back.
Sure, he may have covered his tracks, but he also would've had to ask his in-laws for lawyer money, too, and he simply needs to squirm more as a result of this asshattery. Dude doesn't deserve the sweat and tears that his minions contribute(d) to his award-winning agency.
He's one of the few Big Agency Folks here in Portland, if not the only one, that I can't find a single (that is, not one) ex-employee who will say anything good about him. This isn't true for the other famed agency tyrants/jackasses in this town, some of whom are actually successful.
The Program/project level people say he promises too much for the budgets alotted in timeframes unachievable without consulting them. The implementation folks say he's an annoying gadfly who misses the big picture. Both seem to agree that any good work done is generally in spite of him.
I suppose that's an achievement in itself, and if you want to go to bed resting on your reputation as a 'large' personality as the sum of your achievements, fine.
Bottom Line, Mr. Logically Sound: The funds that people's pay stubs said was going to their 401k, wasn't. That's fraud & embezzlement. Sadly, the "Embezzlement for borrowing purposes" argument isn't all that compelling. Best of luck, tho I would urge you to re-examine your "it was done for the company's benefit" line of thinking, as AO does not equal the entirety of the company.
Logically Sound isn't Arve folks, just some lackey regurgitating the crap he's desperately wanting people to believe. Apparently Arve's not excited about being revealed as a crook. And all this criss-cross half-wit nonsense from LS just clarifies everything for me. He had to know engaging in illegal activity would be the final straw. And slander against a loyal team who only wanted back the money he stole is beyond unethical. But 'ethics' and the 'Overland Agency' have nothing to do with one another. Good luck to anyone associated with that group.
The same thing happened to the employees at my company, but with a different outcome. The company I worked for took the employees 401k to make a risky investment, but it paid off. They announced what they had done after the transaction, and then followed it up with the good news.
It was a shock to say the least, but I had invested myself to make the company great. I felt that given the circumstances, they did the right thing. Not only did they replace the funds, but gave everyone at the company a bonus. That's how successful the investment was.
I think that the employees at the Overland Agency jumped the gun and crippled any moves Arve was trying to make. They should have had more faith in the company and waited for the outcome from Arve's business decision.
Jesus Fucking Christ. Seriously? If I stole from you, bought lottery tickets and won and gave you all of the winnings I'd still be a thief. Arve betrayed everyone's trust. There isn't an employee or client who shouldn't watch their back with him. Every day I hear more people talking about what happened so I know the truth is getting out.
@Anonymous 10.1.2010 2:17pm Thank you. That is exactly what Arve was trying to do. The employees just needed a little more patience and greater commitment to the Overland Agency.
@logically sound, I thought they were all incompetent. Either they were and they shouldn't have waited around, or they weren't and you were lying earlier.
Why would Arve hire incompetent employees? He wouldn't. The Overland Agency can't be on the leading edge of online strategy and technology with rusty tools. Arve relies on his employees to scope and budget projects.
Maybe their eyes were bigger than their heads. Maybe they overestimated there abilities. Maybe they weren't as organized as they could've been. Or maybe they were looking to just beef up their resumés.
I don't know if they collectively tried to engineer Arve's demise, or just took advantage of a trying time. Never the less, Arve was able to rebound and Overland Agency is all the stronger for it.
Maybe the employees should've had a little more faith.
This is DELICIOUS!!! Keep it up LS, your pathological lying and defense of Kenneth Lay type behavior is SO entertaining. I just packed my office with people reading this thing. I hope Arve appreciates his in-laws assistance in keeping him out of jail. Sounds like he would be in big trouble without all their help. Glad I didn't apply to work there, although it's so bizarre it might have been entertaining. Of course I would have EXPLODED the first time I wasn't paid on time. But hey, that's just me....
OK, I call shenanigans. I think Logically Sound is having us on.
Faith. Good one. Also, "pad your resume" with Overland? Hilarious. Having Overland on the resume elicits one of two reactions: "Who?" or "You worked with that fucking guy? Whoa, right?"
Kudos to you, Logically Sound. Parody of the highest order.
Sadly, it's doubtful it's a parody. Mirrors conversations had by Arve and his tiny little group of followers. They're trying to sell it all - every malicious, fictitious word of it. Sad.
The employees were taking advantage of the Overland Agency's top tier clients by inserting features that would look impressive on their resumés but would have no benefit to the project or client. That blatant scope creep was crippling OA.
The main conspirators were even seen huddled together in a restaurant. I guess that was just team bonding where Arve wasn't invited. Yeah, that's not plotting, that's "[insert Employees excuse here]."
Seriously? Well people did meet, to discuss what to do about Arve stealing from them. Some very nice people argued to allow Arve to report himself, rather than reporting him (and him facing jail time).
So incompetent employees, who were just padding their resumes, failed to have faith, conspired, and were lazy were working for a completely honest boss who just didn't understand/got bad advice about (but definitely didn't break) the law, didn't fire vindictively, has super awesome top tier clients and didn't lose all of his senior staff?
See look, it's fun: "Arve Overland is a prodigiously astute yet somehow tragically naive figure who, despite his stunningly effective business and financial acumen, hired a bunch of consiprators-née-employees who then drove him to embezzlement. These dastardly mountebanks somehow eluded the careful and vigilant eye of their trusting steward, and conspired over lavish feasts to make their own lives much more difficult simply in order to burnish their credentials, audaciously gilding the lily of the critically underappreciated genius of the work they were hired to do without the nuisance of their feedback. This burden of oversight, too great for even the legendary management genius of Arve Overland, led him to do the only thing he could to save them from themselves: Steal their fucking money and gamble with it."
Rumors that Arve was last seen knitting fishing nets in Ballard are greatly exaggerated. I believe the castle has crumbled and the Norwegian prince had fled to the fjords.
I worked with Arve, and I can only say that he was a lot of fun to be around but he was a terrible creative manager who simply didn't listen to his team or create the kind of environment that fostered good work. I doesn't surprise me to hear about this debacle.
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Reminds some of us of the Saltmine PK Samal debacle...
ReplyDeleteArve Overland has some echoing hallways
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't an exodus. He fired the people who were contributing to their 401k and complained. The people involved who he didn't let go then quit. He hasn't paid contractors for months.
ReplyDeleteHe was also rumored to be paying himself in excess of 300k a year while he took the retirement money.
ReplyDeleteI believe some of the 'business operation' dollars that were taken went to a few weeks in Europe for vacation. Apparently theft is exhausting work.
ReplyDeleteI speculate that Arve Overland, who is the CEO and Chief Creative Officer at the Overland Agency - an Interactive Advertising Agency with Award Winning Web Development & Mobile Applications, is using capitol from new clients that was promised for their brand goals online to fund current projects whose money has been depleted by bad management.
ReplyDeleteWhy else would he elect to steal an employee's pre-tax contribution allocated for a traditional 401(k) retirement plan, instead of investing the potential assets into a pension plan.
This Advertising Agency for the Digital Marketplace gives a bad name to all who deliver Website Design and Development solutions for Brand and Web Strategy development.
You misspelled "capital"
ReplyDeletethat's your comment...the best you can do?....sad
DeleteSo beyond breaking the law and stealing people's retirement, the lone voice of idiocy can always be depended upon. Yes 'Copy Executive', capital was indeed misspelled. Although a more seasoned writer might note the entire first paragraph is just one overly long, painfully written sentence.
ReplyDeleteWhat’s most appalling here is that it’s not the lack of values or morals of the CEO and his supporters but, from what we can derive of the pointed post above, it’s the spelling in which these actions are communicated. Let's just hope you never find yourself in their situation. I may give my boss a standing ovation tomorrow, just for being 'not Arve', a 'Copy Executive', or stealing my money.
I agree with the post above. Spelling aside, you have no business commenting with wild accusations.
ReplyDeleteThere is a proven formula to be successful in website design and development. You just stay within the project management triangle. In an advertising agency you bid on a proposal by evaluating what the clients needs, knowing the ability of your employees and their turn around time to produce a quality product.
It's Arve's fault because he's too generous. If he didn't have an affinity towards his employees he would have made the logical business decision to replace them with competent workers. They probably missed milestones in the projects schedule that put him in a financial crisis. As a result he had to work the tools at hand to keep his company afloat. But by not letting them go, he just prolonged the inevitable and hurt his company in the process.
Taking money from 401k plans is against the law. Overland could have gone to jail for that. This isn't opinion, it is the federal law of the land.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't generous to take money from the people who are trying to save money for retirement. It is just wrong.
Well, I must say the comment by Logically Sound seems to have nothing to do with the comment it is 'agreeing' with. You perhaps should read it again. I do find it interesting that you believe stealing retirement funds from employees to be the fault of the employees. That is quite a long shot.
ReplyDeleteIt is never right or "too generous" to steal people's money regardless of circumstances. This too generous man chose the wrong path. Honesty is a much better one. Other agencies have struggled through this economy. Employees are willing to take furlough, take pay cuts and work extra hours to support a good boss and an equally good company. All he had to do was be open and honest. What he did was wrong.
ReplyDeleteFor the record, I don't condone stealing. In my previous comment I was just trying to say that he borrowed with the intention of strengthening his web design company, thus benefiting his employees. The foundation of his mistake may have been his employees mismanaging the projects scope or misjudging their abilities. The result being that he would never catch up.
ReplyDelete'For the record' he stole money, he did not 'borrow' - profound difference. Borrowing something that does not belong to you is called stealing or theft. Blaming others to justify illegal behavior is weak minded and manipulative. Further the injustice is blaming the employees who worked, gave of their time and themselves to an employer who not only took advantage of them but also did not value them. Worse, it seems he stole from them and then dismissed them after being caught with his hand in the cookie jar.
ReplyDeletePossibly it was Overland mismanaging the company. They moved into a new expensive office space while all of this was going on. All of the employees who left have had no trouble finding jobs elsewhere and are highly valued in their new companies.
ReplyDeleteOverland now has no program management and is outsourcing a bunch of their work overseas. I'm not sure how that shows the leadership is making correct decisions.
So what your saying is that he hired the wrong people and kept them around way to long running the company into the ground?
ReplyDeleteI guess that is better than admitting he's a crook. Not much though.
I heard he was never much of a leader. He just sat around in meetings pretending to be intimidating and acting like the tough-guy in the room, while all of his employees were just waiting for him to get out of the room so that work could be made. I also heard he didn't hire many of the people, nor did he know what they were doing. Sounds to me like a guy that wants to own a company for the looks of it. To show off. The people that worked there told me that they never saw an ounce of good leadership and initiative to get things done on his part. It was always him trying to push himself on people as they guy where the buck stops... look at me... I'm important.
ReplyDeleteWell, I for one, don't think that any good leader would blame his theft on his employees. It's like a rapist blaming his victim because she was wearing a slutty dress. "Your honor, she was asking for it!"
ReplyDeleteAhhh, I see Arve argues above that it was his fault for hiring incompetent workers. That point can only be argued by him if he knew how to hire people. After everyone has left, his development team is composed of a few fresh out of college kids that got the job because they all know each other. No Senior Software Engineer... no Software Engineer... just a bunch of Junior Engineers who have no working experience what so ever. Arve pays them less and names them all Software Engineers so the clients don't freak out - it's a Win-Win, right Arve? Let me give you a piece of advice: you better have a damn good tester on your hands and make damn sure your clients don't find out that what you charged them 6 weeks of time for could have really been done in 1.
ReplyDeleteHim hiring people... I don't think so. He depends on his employees to tell him which people to hire. That's how he ends up with a room full of guys that all went to school together a few months ago. That guy is lost!
I agree with the people above. He could have cut salaries (including his own), laid off some people and not moved into a new swanky office space. Each of those is an honest course of action.
ReplyDeleteTaking money from people's 401k plans without their knowledge is just wrong.
It was relaid to me that he froze salaries. The move into the new office was a strategic move for the company and for the employees benefit. It accomplished three things. It allowed his web design agency to get positive mention in the paper. The move signified strength, confidence and profitability. It also got new clients, and it opened new lines of communication to old clients.
ReplyDeleteIt was a brilliant piece of PR. Besides, I was told that the old office didn't have that web agency feel. All this was done to retain the employees, which, as I have said above, was a mistake.
Wow, I just discovered this.
ReplyDeleteBeing a former employee I have to say two things:
Several people left, including me, because they were unhappy with how the company was being run. We were asked to stay, but didn't want to work at a place like that anymore.
I thought the quality of the employees was quite high, and also contained dedicated and highly intelligent people. I would like to work with most of them again, and have tried to do so since.
@Anonymous 7.29.2010 6:26pm
ReplyDeleteI must have misunderstood what you were trying to say.
I took your meaning that the most appalling thing wasn't Arve or his staff, but how the poster (the one who needs a dictionary) was trying to manipulate opinion by "speculating" on how the creative advertising agency ran its business.
I can't speak for the original poster but I think it's obvious stealing retirement money would top the 'appalling' list. As to spectulation on how the business is run, I think that's pretty clear....except maybe to you.
ReplyDeleteI wonder why Arve even admitted to taking his employees 401k funds. It seems like he could have avoided this mess altogether.
ReplyDeleteHis accountant probably noticed the anomaly and brought it to his attention. At that point he had no choice but to confirm the suspicion.
ReplyDeleteHis accountant was in on the situation from the beginning. It just doesn't happen by accident that money deducted from people's paychecks goes into money the company spends. An embezzler would use the same excuse "I don't know how the money got into my wallet!"
ReplyDeleteWhen people brought this up to him, and allowed him to avoid jail time by self-reporting it, he rewarded them by firing most of them as soon as he could.
If the accountant was involved, it is my belief that they had no choice in the matter or honestly believed in the vision Arve had for revitalizing the company. They have to follow the orders of their employer or else they will be fired. They also sign a confidentiality and non-disclosure agreement, which means they couldn't talk about the borrowing.
ReplyDeleteIt is also my belief that he felt genuine remorse because he voluntarily turned himself in.
He was told by the employees to turn himself in or they would. I don't think the words voluntary or remorse work here.
ReplyDeleteHow long was it until the employees realized their 401k contributions were being held by the boss? How did they find out?
ReplyDeleteI heard it was a few months or even a year. Some employees tried to give him the benefit of the doubt and talk to him in private about it. He didn't take that chance to square things away. He still wouldn't return the money. Then, more and more people started to find out. Finally, someone decided to take action and involve the law. I heard Arve still would not comply when the employees told him that either he do it voluntarily or they will have to force him and it could mean jail time. He had to be super coaxed to do it. And, when he finally did, he did it with teeth clenched.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, one more time for the cheap seats in the back. He DID NOT BORROW. There was no borrowing involved. EVER. He STOLE money. Very simple.
ReplyDelete...and the cheap seats go wild!!!!
ReplyDeleteSomeone who steals and is forced to return, can't call it borrowing later.
ReplyDeleteDid he take money? Yes. Was is borrowing? Yes! The definition of the word is to take something of value with the idea of paying it back with greater value in the future. Granted, his grand vision for the future of the company was hampered, but he paid back every cent with interest. How did he do this? He went out and found an investor.
ReplyDeleteThe investor opened the books, talked to Arve about his company and reasoned the whole incident was just bad luck with employees mishandling projects. An investor doesn't just throw money at a company. They do it because they have confidence in the companies viability.
So, Arve Overland was able to pay back the ungrateful employees and their shortsightedness in the web design company was the cause of the of their exodus.
Arve Overland broke the law, this is a fact.
ReplyDeleteThe definition of stealing is taking something that isn't yours. I'm sure many a thief has said they would pay it back.
Overland got his father-in-law to invest, not exactly an outside investor.
His name is mud in this town, and only he and his few supporters don't realize it. He'll never be able to hire any top talent again, and the word about him will continue to spread.
He was saved from jail by the loyalty and kindness of employees who said he should be given a chance to turn himself in, even after almost a year of being asked to do the right thing and pay them back. Their reward for wanting their money back was being fired.
The only reason he paid the money back was because the department of labor forced him to.
ReplyDeleteThere were people who hadn't been working at the company for years who he owed money to.
I guess Madoff just "borrowed" money too.
ReplyDeletePerhaps Arve should read the definition of Narcissistic personality disorder:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.mayoclinic.com/health/narcissistic-personality-disorder/DS00652
Someone once told me that he would pick his nose during meetings. LOL
ReplyDeleteThe accountant can't hide behind a confidentiality & non-disclosure agreement. There is a little thing called Accounting Ethics. This person had to look the other employees in the eye and basically lie to themselves that it was Arve who was screwing them over. They're just as guilty.
ReplyDeleteHow can OA be both an "award winning" agency while at the same time having inept employees? This makes zero sense.
ReplyDeleteWhatever.
With first-hand experience working at OA as a contractor off and on over the years, I can say that many of the projects were handed off by Arve with a budget, schedule, and scope all worked up with zero input from the team. This does not set up anyone for success. To turn around and call them inept is just weird, they weren't given a chance to provide their expertise during the biz dev cycles. This whole discussion about bad employees is just weird and not really believable.
I'm sorry but it seems like Arve has some soul searching to do; he is a man that has gotten in his own way and has stolen money from those that butter his bread.
Also, there is no one that can be convinced that taking 401k money - even with the intent of paying it back - is borrowing.
Agreed, this was handled so badly this agency and its owner's name are indeed mud in this town.
Huh. My boss has tasked a bunch of us with finding a web development firm that is local to Portland, OR. Thank goodness for Google keyword searches, else I would not have stumbled upon this politely vitriolic thread. Most of you read as though you all worked there, but wish to keep your anonymity, and the poster with the non de plume of “Logically Sound” can only be Arve or some other owner or high-ranking employee still struggling to keep the company doors open.
ReplyDeleteFrom my shopper’s perspective, there is one simple bottom line; the company is in trouble. Even if it was, somehow, a simple matter of borrowing, I do not want to bring any mess to my boss and suffer the consequences later. I hope you all work it out and have a nice career life.
PS:
Logically/Arve, before you become best friends with Copy Executive and flippantly suggest a naysayer get a dictionary, check your syntax: “Was is borrowing?” Should the readers of this thread now dismiss all your arguments outright?
Copy Executive, why did you go for the easy kill with the misspelling of capital, and not point out that award-winning is hyphenated when it modifies the subsequent noun? Do you work at Overland, too?
@Anonymous 8.4.2010 1:53pm
ReplyDeleteDon't judge a post by it's commenters.
You can't get the whole (or correct, for that matter) story from people who disparage a company behind the veil of anonymity. I believe to get the whole story you need to go the source. And in this case, that source is the Overland Agency. Please contact them to get the facts. I would hate for you to strike them from your list as a possible web development candidate and miss out on the value that they can provide.
Fact: Arve took money that was supposed to go to employees 401k plans and used the money for company expenses (including his salary). This was against the law.
ReplyDeleteFact: Most of the people involved who made him pay it back were fired immediately afterward.
No one was fired from the Overland Agency. Due to unforeseen circumstances with the economy, people were laid off. It was a strategic decision, but he still kept people most vital to the company. He had every intention of seeking their services once the financial outlook improved, which it has.
ReplyDeleteSome former employees had moved on, and so he filled those positions that were needed.
Did he break the law, yes or no?
ReplyDeleteHe was mislead by council who didn't have all the information. From his point of view he had no knowledge of a crime being committed. Once informed that his choice was the wrong one, he took appropriate steps to correct the situation.
ReplyDeleteHonest officer I didn't know it was a crime.
ReplyDeleteSo his accountant couldn't talk because of it was confidential information and someone gave him bad advice. Classic taking no responsibility.
He was asked repeatedly to pay it back, and only did because he was forced to.
So your answer is yes, Arve Overland of the Overland Agency in Portland Oregon broke the law.
ReplyDeleteWhat Arve did was give the employees a "win-no-matter-what" investment. Arve took the employees contributions and invested it in the Overland Agency. It didn't so well, the employees complained and they got their money back with interest. That sounds like a great deal to me. If they had that money in the stock market, they would have had nothing.
ReplyDeleteBuwahahahaha! *laughs drink out of nose*
ReplyDeleteArve Overland of the Overland Agency a digital agency in Portland, Oregon paid the money back because the department of labor made him. He paid interest on it too because the department of labor made him. There were employees who had been gone for years who were owed money.
ReplyDeleteFact: Arve Overland will NEVER accept responsibility for his actions. I feel sorry for those who interact with him on a daily basis.
ReplyDeleteThe conclusion that the department of labor made him pay back the funds is not true. Arve had every intention of paying back the borrowed 401k investment. Just because it's part of their regulations doesn't mean he was forced to do anything.
ReplyDeleteLogically Sound, you're a moron. I think I just might rob your house. Invest the money in my own stocks and leave some money for you a year later on your door step. Or at least that's what I'll tell you whey you call the cops on me and force me to give the money back. I'll say "officer, i was just borrowing".
ReplyDeleteI'll take any profits for myself. It won't hurt you a bit.. and I'll be borrowing money from you by your definition.
Plus, no one wanted to invest in your shitty company. Most of the people you took money from were not part of the Executive Team. (Executive Team meaning they have interest in the company.) The company was run badly. Most just wanted to make money and get the fuck out. The employees wouldn't get any profit from your investment of their 401K in your shitty ass company. So why the fuck would they want to invest even if they could.
I guess it's true when people say that stupid people assume that everyone else is as stupid as they are. Arve, you're the only one that doesn't know you're a complete moron because most of the people you worked with were brilliant.
My recommendation is that you get the hell out of business before you get into more trouble. You have it made now, buddy. Any other group of people would have your ass in jail.
And, lastly, the more you keep talking on this blog, the more people from the outside will come to understand that this conversation is based in truth. It is obvious you are gravely worried about what your former employees can spill about you. If you weren't worried, you would have no need talking here.
And believe me, we have more to spill.
Arve Overland and other CEOs like him embody everything that is wrong with this country right now.
ReplyDeleteWhat would have happened if an employee wanted to take a permitted withdraw from their 401k for a down payment on a house? Or had a medical or family emergency and needed access to this money? Even if you believed this was an ok thing to do Arve (the regulations are easily had by the way), how could you put your employees in such financial peril without permission while keeping a clear conscience?
This is just everything that's wrong with corporate America: "Screw you workers, I'm doing what I want with your hard earned dollar without any input from you, I know best."
Well that worked out; he's got a pretty empty office, a tarnished reputation, and a pretty wicked thread here that is the second hit on a Google Blog search for "Overland Agency Portland"
A brilliant piece of PR indeed.
*slow clap*
The Overlan Agency run by Arve Overlan a digital branding agency from Portland Oregon lost two technical directors, a senior engineer, all program management and account direction.
ReplyDeleteWhen Arve tried to rehire one of the PMs she felt like she had to take the job back (or lose unemployment). As soon as she easily found another job she was out of there.
Besides Arve and his crony, the only people there have been there for only a couple of months.
To add to 'Seriously, the truth''s comment... the only programmers that are there, these are the people who will be developing sites for any new clients, have no work experience.
ReplyDeleteThey don't teach how to build websites in college if you get a computer science degree. They teach how to build computer applications/software. So, anything dealing with sites they have to learn on the job. This makes it very slow and, any mistakes they make, they will be making at the expense of the client's time and frustration at the bugs they create.
In short, they are not professionals. They are not specialists. They are not people who can do the job for you efficiently and confidently.
You know that token guy that knows a lot about computers but never got a degree so he can't find a job. He would probably be better for you.
Are some of the people new at the Overland Agency? Yes. Are they capable of delivering websites of higher caliber and quicker turn around time? YES! So basically what I'm trying to say is that nothing has changed. Employees have come and some have gone, but OA remains just as competitive as it used to be.
ReplyDeleteArve, you obviously do not subscribe to the scientific method. And so, your theory of OA being just as competitive as before (when you had high quality employees whom you stole from and said were incompetent) will have to be tested by new clients that choose to come in. Your theory will have to be tested at their monetary, time, and mental expense.
ReplyDeleteI wish good fortune to the clients that choose to come in to the Overland Agency after this fiasco. Some good clients already have left. And I really hope that their findings wont get lost on these new prospective clients. I hope you learn from those that came before you and choose a different agency. One that is honest, efficient, knowledgeable, passionate about what it does and operates on a completely opposite plain of the Overland Agency.
The scientific method is used to acquire new knowledge. Arve already has a proven method for web development. His past awards and successes should be proof enough. He just needed competent employees, which he now has, to translate his vision into a successful outcome.
ReplyDeleteIncorrect again. The the scientific method, in this instance, refers to you proving that you are able to accomplish the same "Award Winning" work now that the employees have done for the Overland Agency before you laid them off.
ReplyDeleteYou have not proven your worth with your new, junior staff. And so, the burden of proof will be placed on any new clients coming in. This will cost time and money for the clients.
Good luck clients. I recommend you keep close tabs and require constant feedback about the progress of your projects. Get second opinions from other programmers on how long a project should take.
And Arve, be careful stating things like "His past awards and success". It's starting to show you are suffering from the lifetime illness of the "Me, me, me and the gimme gimmes".
None of the work that your employees have done would you be able to do yourself. Nor have you even led them in doing the work. Your input was minimal and, in most cases, a nuisance. In such a situation, the only thing that you can possibly benefit from is humility and some quiet time. That will give you a chance to learn about the real business that is website development.
Good luck poor future clients.
“In this instance”, “Defined as”, “According to this rule”...
ReplyDeleteYou cry out where the circumstances favors your outcome or point of the view to the situation.
Your version of the story is one-sided with glaring omissions, and your ominous predictions to the future of the Overland Agency makes me question your sanity. It's a good thing so many of you can hide behind your anonymity.
Wow, every time I look here I'm amazed.
ReplyDeleteFirst, again all the people I worked with were skilled and smart. Everyone has gone on to better and greater things.
Second, I can't believe Arve or someone else is continuing this thing. Seems like the worst PR possible. I don't understand why they keep commenting.
Thirdly, it would be pretty easy to trace back IP addresses of posts to the Overland Agency, and the blanket statements that all of the old employees were incompetent seem to provide fertile grounds for a lawsuit. If I were them I'd talk to a lawyer, and shut up, since even if the PR won't hurt, that would.
Last, I'd just like to say how disappointed I in in the fact that the explanation of the 401k problems was that the employees were incompetent. Seriously?
Any potential clients can easily find former employees via Linkedin.
ReplyDeleteI'd challenge them to find even one that has anything good to say about the way Overland is run, or be able to recommend it. I think they will all talk about how great the rest of the employees were.
Quoted from Logically Sound: "It's a good thing so many of you can hide behind your anonymity."
ReplyDeleteDespite your intent to sound threatening, yes, it is, isn't it?
Also quoted: "...makes me question your sanity."
You are the one who keeps referring to yourself in third person, Avre.
Watching "Logically Sound" contorting himself into ethical knots -- especially as it's become clear that this must be Arve himself, pathetically pretending to be the loyal supporter he no longer has -- makes me shudder with a mixture of incredulity, delighted horror, and nauseated disgust. It's really an appalling spectacle. They should just put Arve's picture in the dictionary next to the word "shameless."
ReplyDeleteI've heard other ego-drunk CEOs sing the same tune after a layoff that's left the halls of their agency ankle-deep in blood: "Hooray! We can really get some good work done now that all the dead weight is gone!" When in actuality their agency's creative talent, client relationships, technical know-how, and institutional memory just got perp-walked out the door with cardboard boxes in their arms.
ReplyDelete"Employees have come and employees have gone"?!? You moron -- who do you think your agency is, besides the employees?
Only an ungrateful narcissist would think that the talent that won those awards belonged to him alone -- or that the demoralized, decimated remnant of his staff is ever going to be able to recapture those successes.
Were the funds taken from the 401ks ever restored? Does Overland Agency have employees at all anymore? Did we ever get this "capital/capitol" situation resolved?! MY GOD!
ReplyDeleteThis. Is. Awesome. So glad I found this!
ReplyDeleteIf it was me working at this particular Award-Winning Interactive Agency based in Portland, OR, I'd have called the cops the minute he put the money back.
Sure, he may have covered his tracks, but he also would've had to ask his in-laws for lawyer money, too, and he simply needs to squirm more as a result of this asshattery. Dude doesn't deserve the sweat and tears that his minions contribute(d) to his award-winning agency.
He's one of the few Big Agency Folks here in Portland, if not the only one, that I can't find a single (that is, not one) ex-employee who will say anything good about him. This isn't true for the other famed agency tyrants/jackasses in this town, some of whom are actually successful.
The Program/project level people say he promises too much for the budgets alotted in timeframes unachievable without consulting them. The implementation folks say he's an annoying gadfly who misses the big picture. Both seem to agree that any good work done is generally in spite of him.
I suppose that's an achievement in itself, and if you want to go to bed resting on your reputation as a 'large' personality as the sum of your achievements, fine.
Bottom Line, Mr. Logically Sound: The funds that people's pay stubs said was going to their 401k, wasn't. That's fraud & embezzlement. Sadly, the "Embezzlement for borrowing purposes" argument isn't all that compelling. Best of luck, tho I would urge you to re-examine your "it was done for the company's benefit" line of thinking, as AO does not equal the entirety of the company.
Are any of his former employees suing him? Why is he not in jail?
ReplyDeleteLogically Sound isn't Arve folks, just some lackey regurgitating the crap he's desperately wanting people to believe. Apparently Arve's not excited about being revealed as a crook. And all this criss-cross half-wit nonsense from LS just clarifies everything for me. He had to know engaging in illegal activity would be the final straw. And slander against a loyal team who only wanted back the money he stole is beyond unethical. But 'ethics' and the 'Overland Agency' have nothing to do with one another. Good luck to anyone associated with that group.
ReplyDeleteThe same thing happened to the employees at my company, but with a different outcome. The company I worked for took the employees 401k to make a risky investment, but it paid off. They announced what they had done after the transaction, and then followed it up with the good news.
ReplyDeleteIt was a shock to say the least, but I had invested myself to make the company great. I felt that given the circumstances, they did the right thing. Not only did they replace the funds, but gave everyone at the company a bonus. That's how successful the investment was.
I think that the employees at the Overland Agency jumped the gun and crippled any moves Arve was trying to make. They should have had more faith in the company and waited for the outcome from Arve's business decision.
Jesus Fucking Christ. Seriously? If I stole from you, bought lottery tickets and won and gave you all of the winnings I'd still be a thief. Arve betrayed everyone's trust. There isn't an employee or client who shouldn't watch their back with him. Every day I hear more people talking about what happened so I know the truth is getting out.
ReplyDelete@Anonymous 10.1.2010 2:17pm
ReplyDeleteThank you. That is exactly what Arve was trying to do. The employees just needed a little more patience and greater commitment to the Overland Agency.
@logically sound, I thought they were all incompetent. Either they were and they shouldn't have waited around, or they weren't and you were lying earlier.
ReplyDeleteWhy would Arve hire incompetent employees? He wouldn't. The Overland Agency can't be on the leading edge of online strategy and technology with rusty tools. Arve relies on his employees to scope and budget projects.
ReplyDeleteMaybe their eyes were bigger than their heads. Maybe they overestimated there abilities. Maybe they weren't as organized as they could've been. Or maybe they were looking to just beef up their resumés.
I don't know if they collectively tried to engineer Arve's demise, or just took advantage of a trying time. Never the less, Arve was able to rebound and Overland Agency is all the stronger for it.
Maybe the employees should've had a little more faith.
So "collectively engineering his demise" and "taking advantage" is having their 401k plans raided, and then being fired?
ReplyDeleteThis is DELICIOUS!!! Keep it up LS, your pathological lying and defense of Kenneth Lay type behavior is SO entertaining. I just packed my office with people reading this thing. I hope Arve appreciates his in-laws assistance in keeping him out of jail. Sounds like he would be in big trouble without all their help. Glad I didn't apply to work there, although it's so bizarre it might have been entertaining. Of course I would have EXPLODED the first time I wasn't paid on time. But hey, that's just me....
ReplyDeleteOK, I call shenanigans. I think Logically Sound is having us on.
ReplyDeleteFaith. Good one.
Also, "pad your resume" with Overland? Hilarious. Having Overland on the resume elicits one of two reactions: "Who?" or "You worked with that fucking guy? Whoa, right?"
Kudos to you, Logically Sound. Parody of the highest order.
Sadly, it's doubtful it's a parody. Mirrors conversations had by Arve and his tiny little group of followers. They're trying to sell it all - every malicious, fictitious word of it. Sad.
ReplyDeleteThe employees were taking advantage of the Overland Agency's top tier clients by inserting features that would look impressive on their resumés but would have no benefit to the project or client. That blatant scope creep was crippling OA.
ReplyDeleteThe main conspirators were even seen huddled together in a restaurant. I guess that was just team bonding where Arve wasn't invited. Yeah, that's not plotting, that's "[insert Employees excuse here]."
Seriously? Well people did meet, to discuss what to do about Arve stealing from them. Some very nice people argued to allow Arve to report himself, rather than reporting him (and him facing jail time).
ReplyDeleteSo incompetent employees, who were just padding their resumes, failed to have faith, conspired, and were lazy were working for a completely honest boss who just didn't understand/got bad advice about (but definitely didn't break) the law, didn't fire vindictively, has super awesome top tier clients and didn't lose all of his senior staff?
ReplyDeleteSee look, it's fun:
ReplyDelete"Arve Overland is a prodigiously astute yet somehow tragically naive figure who, despite his stunningly effective business and financial acumen, hired a bunch of consiprators-née-employees who then drove him to embezzlement. These dastardly mountebanks somehow eluded the careful and vigilant eye of their trusting steward, and conspired over lavish feasts to make their own lives much more difficult simply in order to burnish their credentials, audaciously gilding the lily of the critically underappreciated genius of the work they were hired to do without the nuisance of their feedback. This burden of oversight, too great for even the legendary management genius of Arve Overland, led him to do the only thing he could to save them from themselves: Steal their fucking money and gamble with it."
These guys still around?
ReplyDeleteRumor has it that Arve Overland is closing up shop and leaving town.
ReplyDeleteRumors that Arve was last seen knitting fishing nets in Ballard are greatly exaggerated. I believe the castle has crumbled and the Norwegian prince had fled to the fjords.
ReplyDeleteI worked with Arve, and I can only say that he was a lot of fun to be around but he was a terrible creative manager who simply didn't listen to his team or create the kind of environment that fostered good work. I doesn't surprise me to hear about this debacle.