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Ascend Performance Materials

Engaged Employer

Bad company that used to be great - Technical Engineer Ascend Performance Materials Employee Review

1.0
Jun 8, 2011
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- New owners are very business savvy so the company is making a lot of money - Company is expanding - Initial pay when you hire on - Plant personnel are a good group of people - Annual bonus is competitive

Cons

- New owners are a private equity group and have cut 401k match in half (from 7% to 3.5%) - Management canceled 9x80's alternative work schedule (every other Friday off) - Extremely high expectations + Expect to work a 50 to 60 hr work week to be an average performer. + New owners are requiring EVERYONE to work on large team cost savings projects as well as perform normal job duties. - Extremely high turnover rate + 7 out of 10 production engineers have left the company in the last 12 months + Almost half of the all the engineers in the plant have quit. - Inability to attract new engineers. In the last two years the plant has been unable to hire more than a couple of new engineers. - As time goes by pay is not competitive as HR doesn't follow an organized pay structure. Pay increases above the rate of inflation are rare except if you are a top performer (top 5%). - Extremely low moral - Plant is a long drive from Houston and is in the middle of nowhere

Explore other reviews about Ascend Performance Materials

5.0
Mar 12, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

Really good culture with everyone

Cons

The company is not doing good financially

4.0
Jun 16, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

- 401k match is above industry standard - New CEO doing things differently. Seems to be working so far. - Refreshed focus on plant reliability - No longer going after pipe dream projects with no immediate benefits. - Good base pay

Cons

- Lots of turnover, doing more with less - Still recovering from CH11 - No real bonus in years

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