Pros
I came to Radio Flyer 9 years ago from a larger engineering organization. The differences in company culture and collaborative approach to developing products was immediately apparent. Engineers work side-by-side daily with Flyers from a wide array of functions (industrial design, quality assurance, sales, marketing), allowing the team to make decisions and react to changing business conditions much faster than previous companies I've worked for. Another benefit of Radio Flyer's smaller size is that engineers wear many hats and are responsible for a much bigger part of the product development process. This means that engineers and designers are able to manage all aspects of the project, from aesthetic and technical development to costing, timeline, prototypes, photo shoot management. Overall this has given me a huge sense of pride when I see a product that I managed from start to finish on the shelves of our key retail partners.
Cons
The location of the office is less than ideal for employees traveling from downtown Chicago and some suburbs.