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SB Friedman Development Advisors

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SB Friedman Development Advisors Reviews

3.6

67% would recommend to a friend

(9 total reviews)

39% positive business outlook

Reviews by job title

9 reviews
1.0
22 Nov 2016

Toxic workplace, sociopathic owner

Anonymous employee
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Nice downtown office and location.

Cons

The last reviewer was being far too nice. The fact is that the owner is a toxic, angry, sociopathic bully who treats his employees like dirt. On a daily basis, the owner would insult someone, swear at someone, or belittle someone. He is a very angry and sick man who literally runs around the office swinging his arms and pouring out a torrent of abuse towards anyone unlucky to be near. I cannot think of any company that would employ a person like this, but since it's his business, he doesn't hold back. The owner once justified his personality, claiming he needed to vent anger instead of storing it. If this is true, he must be a very angry and hateful man indeed. Nor did the owner need a reason to get angry. I've seen him cuss out someone right after they did him a favor. It seemed to me that he actually _liked_ hurting other people. While some nice people work there, the owner's attitude trickles down. An office-full of enablers, all of whom walk on eggshells around the owner and top management. If you have an iota of self-respect, don't apply here. And if you do apply, and you start getting a weird feeling from the owner, act on your feelings. The owner can be charming when he needs to, but the moment nobody important is watching, he'll start up again.

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SB Friedman Development Advisors Response
9y
This review lacks any specific details indicating that the author was in fact connected to our firm or is active in our profession. Furthermore, the majority of our current and former employees would agree that this is a vast misrepresentation of the firm’s president. The president who has led this firm for over 26 years is very well respected by his employees and colleagues in the field of planning and economic development. He encourages professional development and learning both in the company and through civic and professional organizations. The firm offers competitive compensation (based on qualifications/performance) and a comprehensive benefits package to employees, including healthcare and dental insurance (fully paid by the firm for the employee), disability income insurance, flexible spending account, transit checks, bike share membership, paid vacations and holidays, sick leave, and a 401K retirement plan. The firm's president genuinely cares about his employees and their happiness, and is always considering this while strategizing on ways to improve the business.
4.0
21 Dec 2016
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

SB Friedman is a distinctive firm- the employees are intellectually curious, intellectually honest, take their profession seriously, and are genuinely committed to supporting successful redevelopment projects in economically distressed communities. The culture is one of inquiry, rigor, and making sure that any work the firm puts its name on has been carefully researched and analyzed. The firm has a unique array of services that cross the whole spectrum of redevelopment- at the conceptual stages, providing market analysis, economic analysis, visioning about the possibilities in a disinvested community. In the intermediate stages, providing strategic advice to government and institutional clients about how to engage with developers and to get the right outcome. In the implementation stages, providing financial analysis and structuring recommendations to make complex public/private development projects succeed. It's a stimulating place to work if you are intelligent, genuinely committed to your profession, and ready to work hard. The staff and management are genuinely approachable and always ready to hear a new idea, a well-reasoned conclusion, or a proposed methodology to get the job done better. Ego does not drive this place- everyone wants to get to the right answer and work together to get there. An idea from the most junior person will be seriously considered.

Cons

SB Friedman's management takes the quality of work very seriously. Those that don't succeed at the firm have felt intimidated by the questions they receive about how they arrived at a given analytical conclusion or where a specific number in their analysis came from. The questions are motivated by the firm's need to produce high quality work product and to avoid embarrassing mistakes that put the client in an awkward situation. However, if employees can't explain their thought process and defend their work internally, they tend to get demoralized. Employees need to navigate a multi-manager system, so juggling and reconciling sometimes-conflicting priorities from different managers is a common need. Staffers who can handle this process proactively and gracefully do much better than those that aren't self-starters.

5.0
22 Sept 2017
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Intellectually stimulating work; varied work that changes day to day and month to month; opportunities for growth; support of professional engagement; very smart colleagues; generous benefits;

Cons

Unstructured work environment that requires staff to be self starter; need to "manage up;" many competing deadlines

Viewing 1 - 3 of 9 Reviews

Glassdoor has 9 SB Friedman Development Advisors reviews submitted anonymously by SB Friedman Development Advisors employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if SB Friedman Development Advisors is right for you.