Big companies with Atlanta HQs (Columbus, Smyrna: hotels, Home Depot, camps)

[ATLTJL]

Hey everybody, we don't really talk too much about the big companies that are based in Atlanta, but most of us know people who work at one or more of them.

I know there's Glassdoor, but I thought it would be fun to compare notes here on Atlanta's largest employers. Here's what I have heard about some of these companies....what have you heard? Or better yet, what do you know from first-hand experience?

=====================================

Coke - I always heard that Coke is pretty straight-laced and takes their products extremely seriously. I've been told that if you work for Coke and a co-worker sees you in public drinking a Pepsi or even sees it in your pantry in your private home, you could get into big trouble at work. Sounds like Coke doesn't have a sense of humor at all.

Turner Broadcasting - People at TBS, Cartoon Network, etc. seem to love their jobs. The biggest complaint I have heard is some people have been trying for years to get into Turner and seem very qualified, but can't even get interviews. I've heard life can be tough at CNN with the long hours, travel, and ratings craziness.

UPS - I've heard a lot about the "cult of UPS" and it sounds like a really strange corporate environment. It sounds like UPS workers fall into two camps: people who get indoctrinated and stay at UPS for a long time, even entire careers, and then people who can't take it and don't make it past a year.

Home Depot - Mixed reviews here. Some people have complained there is a lot of backstabbing and it's a tremendously boring place to work. But I've also heard that it has improved a lot since the new CEO took over and people like it a lot more these days.

Delta - Oddly, I've never met anyone who has ever worked here. I know noting about what it's like to work for Delta. Maybe because I don't live south of town? Commuting to the airport must be brutal.

Chick-fil-A - I've never met anybody who works for Chick-fil-A either....do they even have a large corporate HQ here? Where is it? Hapeville?

Georgia Pacific - Never heard a peep about it.

What else????

[netdragon]

Porsche

Equifax

Suntrust

Newell Rubbermaid

COX

NCR

Carter's

[atltechdude]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

Delta - Oddly, I've never met anyone who has ever worked here. I know noting about what it's like to work for Delta. Maybe because I don't live south of town? Commuting to the airport must be brutal.

One huge benefit you get with Delta, you get to fly anywhere in the world basically for free.

[ATLTJL]

One huge benefit you get with Delta, you get to fly anywhere in the world basically for free.

Is that a benefit enjoyed by every Delta employee?

[Newsboy]

Glassdoor?

FYI -- I know many, many people who work at CNN. Getting a job there is easy if you've got true journalism experience. Many of the AJC's best journalists ended up at CNN after the newspaper downsized.

[Newsboy]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

Is that a benefit enjoyed by every Delta employee?

Pretty much.

[atltechdude]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

Is that a benefit enjoyed by every Delta employee?

Yep, and they can also give out discount passes to friends that allow them to go anywhere for super cheap.

[cwkimbro]

Originally Posted by ATLTJL

Delta - Oddly, I've never met anyone who has ever worked here. I know noting about what it's like to work for Delta. Maybe because I don't live south of town? Commuting to the airport must be brutal.

Chick-fil-A - I've never met anybody who works for Chick-fil-A either....do they even have a large corporate HQ here? Where is it? Hapeville?

Thats because you don't spend enough time on the southside

Chick-fil-a is in a mid-rise office building on a campus nestled in the corner of 285 and 85 on the southside. (The southwestern corner)

To finish rounding out our Fortune 500 companies (2012, I haven't bothered to look at updates) you have Genuine Parts in Cumberland, Rock Tenn in Norcross, AGCO in Duluth, First Data at Perimeter, and Southern Company.


It is also worth nothing we have a huge regional presence from Simens in Alpharetta, Johns Creek, Duluth, and Peachtree Corners. There is also a major Cisco presence in Lawrenceville on the old Scientific Atlanta campus.

The headquarters for Waffle House, as well as other food companies, like Church's, Popeye's, Arby's, Moe's, Krystal's, Tin Lizzys, Hooters. Zaxby's is based out of Athens.

Atlanta is home to the most restaurant chain headquarters and has the 4th largest concentrations of fast foot headquarters. Other big cities for that industry are Columbus (oh), Dallas, and Denver. The unique thing is they are inland hubs.


We are also a hotel hub with the headqurters of Intercontinental (Brands include: Intercontinental, Crowne Plaza, Hotel Indigo, Holiday Inn, Staybridge, Candlewood Suites, Even, and Hualuxe). Then we have a few dozen small company headquarters that are management companies or owning companies of franchise hotels. In no small part to be near IHG.

Other biggies are

Georgia Power
AT&T Mobility
CNN

Non Profits: American Cancer Society, Habitat for Humanity

[netdragon]

Decent number of Delta employees in Smyrna too.

[lorilove]

Originally Posted by atltechdude

Yep, and they can also give out discount passes to friends that allow them to go anywhere for super cheap.

This is over simplified. By the time you pay taxes and fees you may be paying $100 for a ticket that had you planned in advance you could have bought for say $250. The difference is that you don't have a gtd seat and are basically flying on standby with little to no seniority of others on stand by.

So yes this can be a good deal if it fits into your schedule and plans and definitely good for last minute travel where you plans are flexible - but that is often not the case for most travelers.